1) A conical shopping mall designed by this architect is known as the Vulcano Buono. In August 2013, he was appointed senator for life in recognition for his contributions to architecture (*) by the Italian government. The Osaka Kansai airport was designed by this architect with the use of slide joints. For ten points, name this Italian architect best known for designing museums.

Answer: Renzo Piano

2) Lehran's Medallion is the namesake item that appeared in the ninth and tenth game of this series. The fourth game of this series follows two generations of characters in separate halves. (*) The weapon triangle is one of the signature gameplay mechanics of the series. For ten points, what series of tactical role-playing video games have permanent death?

Answer: Fire Emblem

3) A recession named after this financial statement is driven by high private sector debt burdens. Under IFRS, this financial statement is referred to as the statement of financial position. (*) This financial statement is the only basic financial statement which applies to a specific point in time, rather than a period. For ten points, name this financial statement which have assets on one side, and liabilities and equity on the other.

Answer: Balance sheet

4) The War of the Bucket was one of the proxy wars fought by these two factions in Bologna and Modena. The Lombard League defeated Fredrick Barbarossa at Legnano in 1176, marking the end of the first phase of these wars between these (*) two factions. The struggle between these Italian medieval factions was rooted in the Investiture Controversy. For ten points, name these factions that supported the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor respectively.

Answer: Guelphs and Ghibellines (reject partial answers)

5) In this novel, Nick's impression of Tom is as a restless man going about his entire life looking for another football game to win. It suddenly gained popularity when the Council of Books in Wartime distributed free copies to (*) American soldiers serving overseas in WW2. The titular character is assassinated near the end of this book, which, for ten points, is about Jay Gatsby's obsession to reunite with Daisy Buchanan.

Answer: The Great Gatsby

6) A black limestone formation on these islands' West Bay is termed Hell by nearby residents. Seven Mile Beach is home to the majority of these islands' hotels and resorts. (*) The archipelago's capital of George Town is on the island of Grand Cayman. For ten points, name this Caribbean off-shore financial center known for its use as a tax haven.

Answer: Cayman Islands

7) The opening of this movie features hominini learning to use bones as weapons. Later in the film, Dave goes on a sortie to retrieve a fault antenna control device, but fails to find an issue, blaming HAL (*) which is rendered paranoid because of orders to keep quiet about a black monolith. This movie's protagonists, for ten points, travel to Jupiter to investigate an alien monolith similar to one discovered on the Moon.

Answer: 2001: A Space Odyssey

8) Germany gave this name to Canadian troops during the Battle of the Somme. These German troops used what were known as the Hutier tactics in the Ludendorff Offensive. (*) These units were used by Germany during Operation Michael to break the stalemate of trench warfare. For ten points, name these German elite assault troops in WW1.

Answer: Stormtroopers (accept Sturmtruppen)

9) The baroque style of this musical theater genre fell out of favor during the Esquilache Riots. marked the reassertion of Spanish traditional acts in the genre in the 1920s. (*) The romantic branch of this genre can be further subdivided into género grande and género chico, which, for ten points, is a Spanish genre of musical theater alternating between spoken and sung scenes.

Answer: Zarzuela

10) One of the more prominent books in this romance subgenre is about tutoring the captain of a college team of the subgenre's eponymous sport in exchange for a fake date. It has been theorized that its namesake sport gained in popularity in romance circles because of (*) racism in the publishing world. The Seattle Kraken was the center of a scandal erupting in 2023 from this genre, which, for ten points, features a character playing a team sport on ice.

Answer: Hockey romance (prompt on hockey or romance; the first clue is about The Deal)

11) The plot of the 2017 Thai movie Bad Genius centered around this activity. It also caused Harvard to be stripped of four NAQT national titles in 2013. (*) Generative AI was accused of being the lead cause of an epidemic of this activity. For ten points, name this activity that comes in either academic or romantic varieties.

Answer: Cheating

12) Ellingham diagrams describe this class of chemical reactions with oxygen in dry environments. Corrosion is caused by this class of reactions occurring in metals. (*) Balancing a reaction of this class requires balancing both species and electrons. For ten points, name this class of reaction involving an exchange of electrons.

Answer: Oxidoreduction (accept redox)

13) In this fantasy book, a character invokes the "Deep Magic from the Dawn of Time" to condemn one of the four siblings to death. Later in that book, a talking animal sacrifices himself at the Stone Table to save one of the main siblings from execution. (*) This book's main siblings are at the core of a prophecy in a fantasy world, which, for ten points, is accessed through a portal hidden under the guise of its titular furniture.

Answer: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

14) The Edict of Telipinu codifies the rules of succession to this ancient civilization's throne. The city-state of Wilusa was a vassal of this late Bronze Age civilization. (*) This civilization was the enemy of Egypt in the Battle of Qadesh. For ten points, name this civilization that marked the transition between the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

Answer: Hittites

15) This type of policy was known in Belgium as waffle-iron politics during the Cold War. Senator Daniel Inouye was a noted practitioner of this policy, pushing for federal funding of transportation and military projects in Hawaii (*). Citizens Against Government Waste lists seven criteria by which projects can be classified as instances of this type of policy, which, for ten points, involves national spending on localized projects secured primarily to direct funds to a legislator's district or state.

Answer: Pork barreling

16) This branch of biology's consistency index compares the minimum and observed number of changes in species. Techniques used in this field are also used for studying cancer tumors' molecular chronology. (*) Cladograms are used in this field to draw its namesake trees. For ten points, name this branch of biology concerned about species' evolutionary history.

Answer: Phylogeny

17) Evidence supporting this theory includes magnetic striping from seafloor measurements. Dissipation of heat from the mantle drives movement of the theory's namesake areas. (*) The discovery of seafloor spreading confirmed this theory in the late 1960s, which, for ten points, explains continental drifting.

Answer: Plate tectonics

18) Dave Mustaine was ejected from this band prior to the recording of its debut album over drug and alcohol abuse. Its debut album was renamed from Metal Up Your Ass over concerns about its offensive nature. (*) In 2000, this band led a lawsuit against peer-to-peer sharing service Napster. For ten points, name this heavy metal band whose co-founder members are James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

Answer: Metallica (the first two clues refer to Kill 'Em All)

19) The Tianjing Incident led to the death of several leaders of this rebellion and loss of popular support for it. Reforms instituted in territories controlled by this rebellion included bans on slavery, opium and foot binding. (*) The Ever Victorious Army was instrumental in crushing this revolt, calling itself the Taiping Kingdom which, for ten points, was led by an individual claiming to be the younger brother of Jesus.

Answer: Taiping Rebellion (accept Taiping Kingdom until it is read)

20) Degeneracy pressure of a gas made of these particles is responsible for preventing white dwarves' gravitational collapse. The Compton effect occurs when photons collide with these particles. (*) Atoms are surrounded by a multi-layered shell made of these particles, whose motion, for ten points, is responsible for electromagnetic phenomena.

Answer: Electron