"You understand the rules, don't you?" he asked. "All you have to do...."
He went on, but Phil didn't hear him; he was too scared. When the first question popped up, he said: "I beg your pardon?"
"I'll repeat the question," the quizmaster said. "You have chosen the 'General Category.' That pays twice as much, but it means I can ask you any question I like. The first one was: 'Who were the Essenes?'"
Since the General Category questions paid off twice as much as the Restricted Categories, they were about four times as hard. But that didn't bother Phil Merriwether in the least.
"The Essenes," he said, "were an obscure Jewish sect which flourished during the time of Christ, from before 100 B.C. to about 70 A.D. They are believed to be instrumental in the composition of the so-called Dead Sea Scrolls, which were discovered—"
"That's enough," the quizmaster said. "You've given the right answer!" The orchestra sounded a chord. Applause followed.
"Second question: Listen carefully. Henry the Seventh's title was the same as the title of the last Tudor king of England; the last Tudor king had the same name. What was the name of the last Tudor ruler of England?" The quizmaster smirked happily; the question was a trick one.
"Elizabeth the First was the last Tudor ruler," said Phil. "The last Tudor king was Henry the Eighth."
Naturally, the answer was right.
"Very good," said the quizzer. "Number three: what does pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis mean?"