This Study Guide ranges from Barcelona’s visionary Eixample street grid to West Africa’s griots, George Michael’s supermodel‑packed “Freedom! ’90” video, the medical meaning of pyrexia, global public broadcasters like the BBC, and Jacqueline Kennedy’s remarriage to shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. Barcelona’s Eixample district, laid out by engineer Ildefons Cerdà with octagonal blocks and chamfered corners to improve light, air, and traffic, is now one of the city’s most recognizable aerial views, surrounding landmarks like the Sagrada Família.(en.wikipedia.org) In West Africa, griots serve as hereditary oral historians and musicians, preserving epics and genealogies in performance rather than on the page.(en.wikipedia.org) Pop culture threads run through the day too: the “Freedom! ’90” video that George Michael skipped in favor of five supermodels became a David Fincher calling card,(en.wikipedia.org) while the BBC, founded as the UK’s public service broadcaster in 1922, stands alongside peers like Japan’s NHK, Italy’s RAI, Ireland’s RTÉ, and Germany’s ARD/ZDF.(en.wikipedia.org) Finally, American political history meets celebrity culture in Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1968 wedding to Aristotle Onassis on his private island of Skorpios, the most recent remarriage of a former US First Lady.(en.wikipedia.org)
Study Notes
Question 1: Barcelona’s Eixample District
GEOGRAPHY - Octagonal city blocks with chamfered (cut) corners, designed by Ildefons Cerdà in the mid-19th century to improve visibility, airflow, sunlight, and public spaces, are an iconic feature of the Eixample district in what city?
The Eixample district’s octagonal blocks with chamfered corners are a defining feature of Barcelona, created in the mid‑19th century by engineer Ildefons Cerdà to improve traffic flow, visibility, sunlight, and ventilation.(en.wikipedia.org) Cerdà’s plan used a strict grid of long, straight streets and cut corners at intersections so that each block effectively became an octagon, widening junctions into shared public space.(en.wikipedia.org)
Connections
- Aerial photos and establishing shots in travel shows often highlight Barcelona’s perfectly regular grid with clipped corners—those striking octagons you see from above are Eixample blocks following Cerdà’s plan.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Gaudí’s Sagrada Família, one of Europe’s most filmed and photographed churches, sits in the Eixample; any movie, series, or vlog featuring its surroundings is also showing off Cerdà’s grid.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Gaudí’s Casa Milà (La Pedrera), a key location in the film Vicky Cristina Barcelona, stands on Passeig de Gràcia in the heart of Eixample, with rooftop scenes looking out over the district’s chessboard‑like plan.(idealista.com)
- Urban history guides and planning texts use Cerdà’s Eixample as a classic case study in 19th‑century scientific city planning, influencing later grid‑based developments worldwide.(idescat.cat)
Sources
- Eixample – Wikipedia – Overview of the district’s grid, chamfered corners, and Cerdà’s goals of improving light, air, and traffic.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Ildefons Cerdà (Catalan Government PDF) – Explains how chamfered corners made blocks octagonal and widened intersections for circulation and public space.(empresa.gencat.cat)
- “Qüestiió” Statistical Study of Eixample Blocks (PDF) – Technical discussion of the geometry of typical Eixample blocks and their cut corners.(idescat.cat)
- Sagrada Família – Wikipedia – Confirms the basilica’s location in Barcelona’s Eixample district.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Guide to La Sagrada Família – Lonely Planet – Travel guidance that explicitly notes Sagrada Família is in Eixample.(lonelyplanet.com)
- Casa Milà – Wikipedia – Describes Gaudí’s Casa Milà/La Pedrera and its situation in the Eixample area.(en.wikipedia.org)
- 10 famous film locations in Spain — Idealista – Notes Casa Milà’s rooftop in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and its sweeping views over the Eixample grid.(idealista.com)
- Gaudí / Barcelona Urban History Guide (PDF) – Discusses Cerdà’s Eixample as a rational 19th‑century expansion and context for Gaudí’s major works.(barcelona.cat)
Question 2: West African Griots
LITERATURE - What term is most commonly used in English for the professional oral historians and storytellers of West Africa who preserve epics and traditions through memorized performance? Alternative regional names include jali, djeli, gewel, and others.
In English, these hereditary oral historians and storytellers are known as griots: West African performers who act as historians, praise‑singers, poets, and musicians, preserving genealogies and epics through memorized performance.(en.wikipedia.org) In languages like Manding and Wolof, they are also called jali/jeli and guewel, reflecting a shared institution across multiple cultures.(en.wikipedia.org)
Connections
- Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour is often described as a “modern griot,” drawing on a family background in the griot tradition and using popular music to carry stories and social commentary to global audiences.(encyclopedia.com)
- Alex Haley’s Roots project was famously inspired by meeting a Gambian griot in the village of Juffure, who recounted an oral history linking Haley’s family to the ancestor Kunta Kinte.(newyorker.com)
- The film Keïta! l’Héritage du griot (Keita! The Heritage of the Griot) dramatizes a modern boy being taught his lineage and the founding of the Mali Empire by an old griot, foregrounding the tradition’s role in connecting individuals to deep history.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Ethnomusicologists like Francis Bebey and others describe how griots (also called jali, guewel, gawlo, and other names) function as advisors, musicians, and keepers of cultural memory at weddings, naming ceremonies, and political events—roles you’ll see referenced in many world‑music documentaries.(allaboutheaven.org)
Sources
- Griot – Wikipedia – Core definition of griots as West African historians, storytellers, praise‑singers, and musicians; notes alternate names such as jali/jeli.(en.wikipedia.org)
- “West African Jelis/Griots Old and New” – Teachers Institute of Philadelphia – Classroom unit explaining the social role of jelis/griots as oral historians and educators.(theteachersinstitute.org)
- African Innovators (Teach Africa PDF, Univ. of Florida) – Describes griots as West African historians and genealogists, highlighting their educational role.(africa.ufl.edu)
- Artist Profiles: Youssou N’Dour – World Music Central – Notes N’Dour’s descent from famous jelis (griots) and explains how he incorporates that heritage in his music.(worldmusiccentral.org)
- Youssou Ndour – Encyclopedia.com – Defines griots and describes N’Dour’s connection to the griot tradition.(encyclopedia.com)
- Senegalese Singer Youssou N’Dour – PBS NewsHour Transcript – Introduces N’Dour as coming from the “ancient tradition of the griot.”(pbs.org)
- Alex Haley’s “Roots,” Reviewed – The New Yorker – Recounts Haley’s visit to Juffure and his meeting with a griot who traced the Kinte family line.(newyorker.com)
- Keïta! l’Héritage du griot – Wikipedia – Synopsis of the film and its focus on a griot teaching a boy his ancestral history.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Sabar & Griot Roles in Senegal (SERSAS PDF) – Discusses multiple roles griots play in society and terminology in Wolof.(aaas.ecu.edu)
Question 3: George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” Supermodels
POP MUSIC - George Michael does not himself appear in the iconic David Fincher-directed video for his hit song Freedom ‘90, but five women popular at the time do appear. Give the last name of any one of these five women.
The “Freedom! ’90” video, directed by David Fincher, famously omits George Michael himself and instead features five of the era’s top supermodels: Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Tatjana Patitz.(en.wikipedia.org) Their lip‑syncing performances, combined with iconic imagery of Michael’s earlier props being destroyed, helped turn the video into a landmark in fashion‑meets‑pop culture.
Connections
- The casting was inspired by Peter Lindbergh’s January 1990 British Vogue cover featuring Campbell, Evangelista, Patitz, Turlington, and Crawford, cementing the idea of the “supermodel” as a cultural force.(en.wikipedia.org)
- David Fincher’s stylish direction on “Freedom! ’90” foreshadows the look and mood of his later films like Fight Club, The Social Network, and Gone Girl, making the video an early entry in the career of a major auteur.(allure.com)
- George Michael revisited the supermodel‑centric concept with “Too Funky,” another fashion‑driven video whose runway setting and planned casting of the same models explicitly echo the “Freedom! ’90” formula.(en.wikipedia.org)
- The Apple TV+ documentary series The Super Models looks back on this video as a key moment when Campbell, Crawford, Evangelista, Turlington, and Patitz realized their status as pop‑culture icons, so you might encounter the trivia answer while watching fashion documentaries rather than music shows.(yahoo.com)
Sources
- “Freedom! ’90” – Wikipedia – Details the song, Fincher’s direction, and the appearance of Campbell, Crawford, Evangelista, Turlington, and Patitz instead of George Michael.(en.wikipedia.org)
- “George Michael’s Iconic ‘Freedom’ Video” – Vogue – Fashion‑oriented retrospective on the video and its impact on the supermodel era.(vogue.com)
- “Looking Back: George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ Music Video” – Allure – 25th‑anniversary piece discussing Fincher’s role and the models’ participation.(allure.com)
- Video Credits: George Michael – Freedom ’90 – Models.com – Credits list confirming the models and Fincher’s directorial credit.(models.com)
- “Too Funky” – Wikipedia – Explains how Michael reused a supermodel‑centric, fashion‑show concept similar to “Freedom! ’90.”(en.wikipedia.org)
- “How All the Super Models Came to Star in George Michael’s ‘Freedom! ’90’ Music Video” – Yahoo – Interviews with the models reflecting on the shoot and its cultural significance.(yahoo.com)
- David Fincher Filmography – Wikipedia – Lists Fincher’s later films, including Fight Club, The Social Network, and Gone Girl.(en.wikipedia.org)
Question 4: Pyrexia and Fever
SCIENCE - Most often caused by infection, what is the common name for the clinical condition known medically as pyrexia?
Pyrexia is the medical term for fever—an abnormally elevated body temperature, typically above the normal 37 °C (98.6 °F), most often caused by infection.(merriam-webster.com) Clinical guides and public‑health resources routinely equate pyrexia with fever and describe it as a common response of the immune system to viral or bacterial illness.(dhs.state.il.us)
Connections
- In medicine you’ll often see the phrase “pyrexia of unknown origin” (PUO or FUO) for prolonged fever without an identified cause, a classic diagnostic puzzle in internal‑medicine textbooks and journal articles.(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Fever is such a familiar symptom that it’s constantly used metaphorically in pop culture: Peggy Lee’s 1958 hit “Fever” about romantic heat and the disco‑era film Saturday Night Fever both play on the idea of fever as intense passion or craze.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Understanding that fever is usually the body’s defense against infection, not a disease itself, can help you interpret medical scenes more accurately in hospital dramas and medical thrillers, which often dramatize decisions about whether to treat or “let the fever run.”(hopkinsmedicine.org)
Sources
- “Pyrexia” – Merriam‑Webster Medical Dictionary – Defines pyrexia and notes its equivalence to fever.(merriam-webster.com)
- “PYREXIA” – Cambridge English Dictionary – Gives the definition “a medical condition in which the body temperature is higher than usual; fever.”(dictionary.cambridge.org)
- Virginia Dept. of Health Training Slides (PDF) – Notes “What is a Fever? AKA: Pyrexia” in basic clinical training material.(vdh.virginia.gov)
- Fever – Wikipedia – General overview of fever/pyrexia, causes (especially infection), and physiology.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Fever – Johns Hopkins Medicine – Patient‑oriented explanation of fever as a higher‑than‑normal body temperature often due to infection.(hopkinsmedicine.org)
- Fever – Mayo Clinic – Describes fever, common infectious causes, and when to seek care.(mayoclinic.org)
- Fever – MedlinePlus – US National Library of Medicine summary that ties fever to infection and immune response.(medlineplus.gov)
- Pyrexia of Unknown Origin – NCBI MedGen – Entry defining “pyrexia of unknown origin” and its synonym “fever of unknown origin.”(ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Concepts of Fever – JAMA Internal Medicine – Classic article on clinical definitions and physiology of fever.(jamanetwork.com)
- “Fever” (Little Willie John song) – Wikipedia – Documents Peggy Lee’s influential 1958 cover of “Fever.”(en.wikipedia.org)
- Saturday Night Fever – Wikipedia – Describes the 1977 film that helped popularize disco and uses “fever” in its title metaphorically.(en.wikipedia.org)
Question 5: The BBC and Public Service Broadcasters
TELEVISION - What is essentially the UK’s equivalent to Japan’s NHK, Italy’s RAI, Ireland’s RTÉ, and Germany’s ZDF (and perhaps ARD)?
The UK counterpart to national public broadcasters like Japan’s NHK, Italy’s RAI, Ireland’s RTÉ, and Germany’s ZDF/ARD is the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the country’s main public service broadcaster.(en.wikipedia.org) Founded in 1922 and funded primarily by a television licence fee set by Parliament, the BBC operates television, radio, and online services and is widely used as a benchmark when comparing public media systems internationally.(en.wikipedia.org)
Connections
- Many viewers know the BBC chiefly through flagship dramas and sci‑fi shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock, both BBC‑produced series that have become international hits via PBS, streaming platforms, and co‑productions.(en.wikipedia.org)
- NHK in Japan plays a parallel role to the BBC—It is the country’s sole public broadcaster, with domestic TV and radio plus international services like NHK World‑Japan, often explicitly described as Japan’s answer to the BBC.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Media‑policy discussions and journalism frequently use the BBC when comparing public broadcasters around the world, listing BBC alongside ARD, ZDF, RAI, NHK, and RTÉ when analyzing budgets, reach, and public‑service obligations.(mediadb.eu)
- Public debates in other countries sometimes invoke the BBC as an ideal or cautionary example, such as German coverage comparing ZDF/ARD’s quality to the BBC or Japanese commentary on whether NHK maintains the same level of independence as its British counterpart.(theguardian.com)
Sources
- BBC – Wikipedia – Core description of the BBC as the UK’s public service broadcaster, funded largely by a licence fee and operating TV, radio, and online services.(en.wikipedia.org)
- NHK – Wikipedia – Identifies NHK as Japan’s public broadcaster and outlines its domestic channels.(en.wikipedia.org)
- NHK World‑Japan – Wikipedia – Explains NHK’s international services and directly compares them to offerings from the BBC and other public broadcasters.(en.wikipedia.org)
- “How NHK Lost Its Way” – Nippon.com – Describes NHK as “Japan’s answer to the BBC” and discusses its public‑service role and political pressures.(nippon.com)
- “Die 12 größten öffentlich‑rechtlichen Systeme weltweit” – Mediendatenbank – Comparative table listing BBC, ARD, ZDF, RAI, NHK, and others as major public broadcasting systems with budget figures.(mediadb.eu)
- “What’s the world’s biggest public broadcaster?” – Public Media Alliance – Discusses budgets and influence of BBC, ARD, ZDF, NHK, RAI, and others.(publicmediaalliance.org)
- International Communications Market Report (Ofcom PDF) – Lists major public‑service channels in countries including the UK (BBC One/Two), Ireland (RTÉ), Italy (RAI), Japan (NHK), and Germany (ARD/ZDF).(key4biz.it)
- Public Service Broadcasters – Reuters Institute Digital News Report – Compares weekly reach of public broadcasters including BBC, RTÉ, NHK, ARD, ZDF, and RAI.(digitalnewsreport.org)
- Doctor Who – Wikipedia – Notes Doctor Who as a BBC science‑fiction series started in 1963.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Sherlock (TV series) – Wikipedia – Describes Sherlock as a BBC‑produced crime drama based on Conan Doyle’s stories.(en.wikipedia.org)
Question 6: Jacqueline Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis
AMER HIST - At the most recent wedding of a former First Lady who remarried after leaving the White House, who was the bridegroom?
The wedding referred to is Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1968 remarriage to Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, making Aristotle Onassis the bridegroom.(en.wikipedia.org) The ceremony took place on October 20, 1968, in a small chapel on Onassis’s private island of Skorpios in the Ionian Sea, several years after John F. Kennedy’s assassination.(en.wikipedia.org)
Connections
- Contemporary news coverage and later histories emphasized the shock many Americans felt when the widowed former First Lady married a divorced billionaire tycoon, a moment revisited in retrospectives from outlets like The Washington Post and biographies that frame Onassis as having “rescued” her from public scrutiny.(washingtonpost.com)
- The 1978 film The Greek Tycoon is a thinly veiled roman‑à‑clef about Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy, with Anthony Quinn and Jacqueline Bisset playing characters modeled on the couple; while names are changed, the plot closely tracks their relationship and marriage.(en.wikipedia.org)
- Jackie’s life before and after the Onassis marriage continues to fascinate filmmakers and documentarians—most prominently the 2016 film Jackie, which focuses on the days after JFK’s assassination and reinforces her status as an enduring cultural figure whose later marriage to Onassis remains part of her complex public image.(en.wikipedia.org)
Sources
- Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – Wikipedia – Notes that she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis on October 20, 1968, on his island of Skorpios.(en.wikipedia.org)
- “Marriage to Aristotle Onassis and Later Years” – Britannica – Biographical section covering her 1968 wedding to Onassis.(britannica.com)
- UPI Archive: “Jackie ‘very happy,’ marries Onassis today” – Contemporary report on the Skorpios ceremony and public reaction.(upi.com)
- JFK Library: Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Finding Aid (PDF) – Archival biography mentioning her October 1968 marriage to Onassis.(jfklibrary.org)
- Senate Memorial Tribute to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (PDF) – Official Senate document summarizing her life, including her marriage to Aristotle Onassis.(govinfo.gov)
- “How Could You?” Jackie Kennedy Married Aristotle Onassis 50 Years Ago – Washington Post – Explores public reaction to the Onassis marriage.(washingtonpost.com)
- The Greek Tycoon – Wikipedia – Describes the film as loosely based on Aristotle Onassis and Jacqueline Kennedy.(en.wikipedia.org)
- AFI Catalog Entry for The Greek Tycoon – Notes the film’s development as a fictionalized version of Onassis’s life.(catalog.afi.com)
- Jackie (2016 film) – Wikipedia – Overview of the film focusing on Jacqueline Kennedy in the days after JFK’s assassination.(en.wikipedia.org)
- “Jackie (2016) – Review” – RogerEbert.com – Analysis of how the film portrays Jackie and her historical legacy.(rogerebert.com)
- Romance Classics Presents “Jackie Onassis” – AMC Networks Press Release – Mentions documentary coverage of her life, including the marriage to Onassis.(amcnetworks.com)