Post on 28-Jul-2015
Rules
1. 35 questions, some multi-part, no negs.
2. 11-20 are starred and will be used to break ties. If still tied, sudden death!
3. BLOCK CAPITALS, please. If we can’t read it, it’s wrong!
4. Last names enough unless specified, minor spelling goofs OK.
5. Switch off all devices. Except brain.
6. Quizmaster is God. His decision is final, binding, and uncontestable
Question
These are the introductory lines to a TV serial
about the life of who? Who is the
speaker/director?
01
Question
Over the last few weeks, the new Greek
government has been trying to get its European
creditors to cut it some slack. Their last offer was
rejected by the German government, and a
leaked letter compared the offer to a “____
____”, a much used phrase which represents
Greek cunning and treachery. FITB.
02
Question
During his visit to Japan, Modi inked a pact for
developing his culturally significant Lok Sabha
constituency of Varanasi with which Japanese
city?
03
Question
In September 1990, LK Advani embarked on his
poisonous and historic Rath Yatra, which caused
riots and violence in its wake. The India Today
cover of October 1990 was titled, “_______ __
____” , a play on the name of which Academy
Award winning 1981 movie?
05
Question
The phrase ____ ____ appears over 80 times in
the Bible (for example, “____ ____ but God…”
etc.) When Admiral John Fisher was created 1st
Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, he took the motto
“Fear God and ____ ____” on his coat of arms.
The two words joined together give rise to the
name of which innovation which changed the face
of naval warfare?
07
Question
R. Prasannan writing in The Week:
“From Burkina Faso in Africa, [P.V.Narasimha Rao]
announced polls in J&K. Deve Gowda held them,
but he told Kashmiris that he would keep _____
___ in Karnataka. He mistook a press query on
_______ to be about ______ ___, a minister in his
party’s government in Karnataka.” Fill in the
blanks.
08
Question
This word was originally a generic name for any
compound containing a rare oxygen-oxygen single
bond. These compounds are known for their
bleaching effect on natural dyes. It is now used to
refer to one particular such compound known for
it bleaching ability, which in turn lead to a
phrase. What is the word?
09
Question
“Never cut a bamboo joint.”
“Never chase a dragon.”
“Don’t go fishing when your house is on fire.” These
are all examples of aphorisms created to help one
excel at something, and were used to program Crazy
Stone. The last one, for example, was interpreted as,
“…prioritize local responses over global search.”
What would you be doing if you used these sayings?
10
Question
A couple of days after this match ended, what
change was done to the scorecard? [Need (i) a
name (ii) what was before (iii) what came after
(iv) a score. ¾ will fetch you half points.]
12
Question
The ____ Islands Act of 1856 is legislation passed
by the US Congress that enables citizens to take
possession of certain islands containing ______,
as long as they are unoccupied and not within the
jurisdiction of other governments. This was so
that the US could easily stake claim to a then
valuable ornithogenic resource. Fill in the blank.
13
Question
Some 8,000 helium balloons perched on 3.6 m
poles and stretching for 15 km were released one
by one on 9th November 2014 to commemorate
what?
14
Question
By day it’s like any other paved bike path. But at
night, 50,000 stones coated in a phosphorescent
paint and solar-powered LEDs light cyclists’ way.
What is designer Daan Roosegaarde’s inspiration
for the design?
15
Question
A crucial part of this finished product from
Benares is narkat, a grassy weed. It is procured
from particular pond in Old Bhojpur, a village in
Buxar District. It is cut once a year and dried until
they are brittle, pale brown, hollow sticks. Then,
typically hundreds are tried and discarded, before
a concert worthy piece can be found. What
product?
16
Question
To celebrate its 350th anniversary in 2010, the
Royal Society of London asked British astronaut
Piers Sellers to carry a “piece of history” with him
into space. This is ironic, since the source of this
object is supposed to have led to the discovery of
something that is guaranteed to be absent in the
International Space Station.
What did Sellers carry with him?
18
Question
Legend speaks of a long running feud between
two families in 1492. At one point, the Earl of
Ormond, took refuge in St Patrick’s in Dublin. The
Earl of Kildare was then filled with regret and
tried to make peace. To prove that his desire for
reconciliation was genuine, he cut a hole in the
door and did something that has since then given
rise to an English phrase. What phrase?
19
Question
A poignant image that brings out the stark
contrast between a hard life in Africa on one side
of the fence and the lure of Europe on the other,
this photo from 2014 shows migrants caught
between which two countries?
21
Question
Bird A used to be called the _______ kite in India,
because its diet included household refuse and
carrion. The name was thankfully changed for
reasons of political correctness and sensitivity.
Bird B is even now called the _______ mynah,
thanks to its distinctive appearance. There have
been calls to change this name as well, because
of its caste connotations. Fill in the blanks.
22
Question
The Lancet published a paper in 2014 titled
“Chronic subdural haematoma secondary to
_______”. It reports on a man who complained of
a constant worsening headache for two weeks. He
had no history of head injury, but did report
attending a Motorhead concert four weeks earlier,
and the illness was traced to this event. Fill in
the blank.
23
Question
If you’ve ever travelled by Indian Railways,
you’ve seen these signs maybe thousands of
times. They serve as a warning, and require
action to be taken.
What do the warn about? What action is to be
taken?
24
Question
Article 366(2) of the Indian Constitution defines an
___ ___ as “a person whose father or any of whose
other male progenitors in the male line is or was of
European descent but who is domiciled within the
territory of India and is or was born within such
territory of parents habitually resident therein and
not established there for temporary purposes only”.
Fill in the blanks.
25
Question
The translucent _________ minnow [next slide is
a freshwater fish discovered in Myanmar. It gets
its name from a distinctive facial feature.
Fill in the blank.
26
Question Though it has become “an identity statement, a
declaration of ____ swagger”, its origins are fairly
mundane. In 1985, the ____ Department of Transportation
created this phrase as part of a campaign against littering
on the state’s highways. It is in fact a registered
trademark which the state tries to defend, and many
famous natives have appeared in public service
announcements and made this statement including
Matthew McConaughey, Chuck Norris, and Stevie Ray
Vaughan. What phrase?
27
Question
Libra the constellation is supposed to represent
the shape of a pair of scales. Consequently it has
long been associated with all things related to
measures. This led to the origin of 2 commonly
seen abbreviations.
Which 2 abbreviations?
28
Question
In a new book released recently, Carine says the
reason for her brother’s act was actually
problems at home. The book is a sort of sequel to
a best selling 1996 book, which itself has its
origins in a 1993 Outside magazine article titled
“Death of an Innocent.” ID the 1996 book, which
was also a 2007 movie by Sean Penn.
29
Question
In test cricket, the most common dismissal entry
on scoreboards reads “run out”. What comes
second? Be specific i.e. we are not looking for “c.
& b.”, but something more exact, such as “c. &
b. Lara”.
30
Question
Watch the beginning of this scene. The camera
pulls back, and we get to see a tribute. To what?
34