2014 KQA Artifacts Quiz by Mitesh Agrawal & Navin Rajaram

KQA presentsThe Artifacts & Other Useless Objects

Quiz

ByMitesh Agarwal & Navin Rajaram

The Artifacts Quiz 2014

Rules

50 Questions

All Written

Multiple parts – 1 point each

72 points in all -part points where

applicable

No negatives

Please switch off all gadgets

Take guesses, all the best!


7 pointer (1A,B,C,D,E,F,G)

In 1814, an Englishman, William ____1A_____ introduced this

design which was nicknamed the _____1B____ bottle thanks to its

shape.

The rounded egg shaped bottom gave shopkeepers little option

but to store them on their side due to the rounded base.

At the time, Why did the inventor think of the bottles being

placed sideways (1C)?

1


In 1875, an Englishman from Camberwell (1D) changed this

bottle design and allowed soda bottles to be stored upright.

Thanks to 1D, a phrase (1E)entered the English language. The

phrase meaning nonsense was essentially a slang term used by

beer drinkers who were disdainful of bottled soft drinks.

1


The Americans took a different approach when it came to fizzy

bottle design. This design consisted of a composite ring

attached to a loop. What was this design called (1F)?

Which brand (1G) made this their defacto design in the late

1800s and early 1900s & thus made it popular?

1


ANSWER


1A – Hamilton Bottle

1B – Torpedo Bottle

1C- The Hamilton bottles had to rest on their side, keeping

the cork in constant contact with the fluid thus keeping it

from drying out & thus shrinking, allowing the gas to escape

1D – Codd Bottle

1E – A Load of Codswallop

1F- Hutchinson Bottle

1G- Coca Cola Bottle


This beautiful brass & copper device is a 1902 patent by a

Birmingham Gunsmith- Frank Clarke.

The device essentially entered public imagination thanks to it

solving a pertinent British problem.

Later electric version was made popular by Goblin but the

device is now just a retro novelty item. Which artefact? Need

a 8 letter answer.

2


2


ANSWER


TeasmadeThe Victorians & Edwardians were mad keen on

their morning cup of tea!

The Teasmade incorporates an alarm clock. Just

before the alarm sounds, boiling water is forced

down the metal pipe into the waiting teapot


This contraption borrows its design from a mouse trap.

However, its domestic use was quite simple &

ingenious.

What was its use?

3


ANSWER


Burglar Alarm


This object would have been a boon & a blessing

to any harassed mother who has a boy/girl scout

at home!

What was this device for?

4


4


ANSWER


Knot Unpicker


The 2 devices were used for similar purposes.

The name of the device comes from the French word for

honeycomb. It’s Germanic root gave us another food

related word which uses similar but more modern devices.

3 parts

a. What word?

b. What was the purpose?

c. What is the food related word?

5


5


ANSWER


a. Goffer (from Gaufre meaning

Honeycomb in French)

b. This goffering board and pin was

used to roll collars and cuffs and

give them a corrugated look.

c. Waffle is the German origin for

Goffer


Wartime rationing meant that in the 1940s, almost all households

had this device across the world. Some instructions read like this:

a. No Untidy Ends

b. No Dirty Ends

c. Hold Like This

d. You Pull What You Need & Leave Remainder Tight

6


ANSWER


Cotton Reel Tidy/Cotton Reel Holder


In the 17th century, any drum that was beaten with hands was called this. The possible origin is from a Hindi word/term where these drums was used as a traditional means of communication. An English term meaning ‘boasting’ thus gets its origin from this object.

Westerners call the Chinese ‘Chau Gong’ with the same name as the Hindi term.

A. Give us the Name of the Drum in English

B. Give us the Name of the Hindi Term or the Western name for the Chau Gong.

7


A B

7


ANSWER


A. Tom Tom from

TamTam/TamTama

B. Tam Tam


The 1830s were the dawn of a new kind of piano

virtuosity, exemplified by Chopin and Liszt. Robert

Schumann was eager to make his mark, and to try to

speed up the process he constructed a weird device

using a cigar box and some wire.

It is thought that Schumann would have been pianist

if he had not injured himself with this device.

What exactly was the purpose of this device

designed by Schumann and later versions

developed in the US in the early 1900s?

8


8


ANSWER


It was intended to prop up his fingers while

practicing, the idea being to strengthen

them and develop independence.

Later the device was supposedly improved to

pianists hit the sprawling notes demanded by

the likes of Stravinsky and Debussy.


The jugs in the pictures were found in Exeter/Liverpool and

popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. An inscription typically

challenges the drinker to consume the contents without spilling

them.

Known inscriptions include:

Come drink of me and merry be.

Come drink your fill, but do not spill.

Fill me up with licker (liquor) sweet / For it is good when fun us do meet.

Gentlemen, now try your Skill / I'll hold your Sixpence if you Will / That

you don't drink unless you spill.

Here, Gentlemen, come try your skill / I'll hold a wager if you will / That

you don't drink this liquor all / Without you spill and let some fall.

What are these jugs called?

9


9


ANSWER


Puzzle Jugs


The Object (A)in the 1800s looked like a Hurley. It was

originally designed for musicians who would use it by

fixing the top of each metal rod.

Later devices used the patent (B) for their basic

design.

Thanks to digitization, Modern devices look like C.

What was/is the purpose of all these devices?

10


AB

C

10


ANSWER


Page Turners used earlier for Sheet Music

& now there are several electronic

devices to do the same.


George Jennings was an English sanitary engineer

and plumber who invented the first public flush

toilets.

He invented devices with a mechanism that allowed

one to get a clean seat, a towel, a comb and a shoe

shine!

What archaic euphemism (possibly due to

inflation) was used to get this service?

11


A B

11


ANSWER


To Spend a PennyGentlemen & Ladies would use the phrase ‘We are

Going to Spend a Penny’ as a euphemism for visiting the

loo


Best described as a ‘collaborative effort’, this object

underwent many design changes & was originally

named "continuous clothing closure."

The modern version, invented by Gideon Sundback in

1917, was originally used for boots and tobacco

pouches.

A marketing group at B.F. Goodrich gave the

invention its catchy name and promoted it primarily

for children’s clothing.

What invention?

12


ANSWER


Zipper


It is a traditional way of serving and drinking tea

in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other post-Soviet

states.

It is still used on Russian Railways & Bus Services

across the area as it is very useful to serve hot

beverages on a moving vehicle.

So tell us what is the Russian word for "thing

under the glass“?

13


13


ANSWER


Podstakannik


To a casual observer, this looks like a particularly

unpleasant medieval torture device.

However, it was used for a very domestic purpose by

women.

What was this device used for?

14


14


ANSWER


Knitting Ball Holder


This interesting kitchen contraption had a dual purpose. The

syringe was used to fill Jam/Chocolate into something & the

rear end was used as well.

What is the food item in question?

15


ANSWER


Doughnut filler


Tools like the one shown in the visual are a common

sight on dining tables in the West.

What are they used for?

16


ANSWER


Cherry Pitter


This is an almost forgotten method of preventing fraud

in banks. What American invention?

17


ANSWER


Cheque Stamper


The Brandt Junior Machine

was available at all major

public places for a specific

purpose.

What would people use it

for?

18


ANSWER


For Change (Currency)


Shown in the visual is an early version of what important kitchen appliance?

19


ANSWER


Sausage Maker


The object shown is amazingly sophisticated. IMHO, a

simple measurement tape would have done the job.

What?

20


ANSWER


Hat Measurer


This object is thought to have been

inspired by Bulldog Drummond- hero of

Sapper's bestselling crime novels.

What particular usefulness did it have?

21


ANSWER


Double Cigarette Holder

Turkish on one side and Virginian on

the other.


The toaster has an iconic design. For simply being a

rectangular box with rounded corners, the kitchen

appliance is still instantly recognizable for what it is.

However, there has always been one basic problem

with the design and it seems finally Kalorik, a Belgian

company has resolved it. What is the simple

innovation which has helped the outcome?

22


ANSWER


A Glass Panel to see if the toast

came out with the right colour


This object saves lives! ___________ is a vegetable and a staple food in Central and South America, Asia and Africa, but one of the two varieties, contains deadly poisonous prussic acid. So great care must be taken to get rid of the acid before eating. This is done by removing the hard skin, grating and washing the peeled vegetable, and squeezing out the liquid.

Which vegetable?

23


ANSWER


Cassava/Tapioca RootAccept –

manioc, yuca, balinghoy, mogo, mandioca, kamoteng

kahoy, tapioca-root and manioc root


In April 1975, Gary Dahl was in a bar listening to his

friends complain about their pets. This gave him the idea

for the perfect "pet": a _____.

A _____ would not need to be fed, walked, bathed,

groomed and would not die, become sick, or be

disobedient. He said they were to be the perfect pets, and

joked about it with his friends. However, he eventually

took the idea seriously, and drafted an "instruction

manual" for a pet _____. It was full of puns, gags and plays

on words that referred to the _____ as an actual pet. The

original had no eyes.

What 1970s collectible?

24


ANSWER


Pet Rock


Shown is the coat of arms of the _____ dynasty, the

current ruling royal house of Thailand with the

Head of the House being the King of Thailand.

The ruling member is considered to be a

personification of a divine being with the emblem

of the dynasty paying tribute to this in a sense.

What mythological artifact is this dynasty

named after?

25


25


ANSWER


Sudarshana Chakra

The Chakri dynasty members consider

themselves personification of Narayana/Vishnu


Taking their name from the French root meaning a thong for fastening parts of armour or clothing, the earliest versions of these were created by sailors who fashioned straps from pieces of rope, hung them around their neck and tied whatever tools they needed to these cords, while keeping their hands free.

Over time, the idea hasn’t changed much but has evolved to replace swords or sailing tools with high-tech tools or forms of identification.

What are we talking about?

26


26


ANSWER


Lanyards


The Daily Mail newspaper, the primary sponsor of the

first live recital by a professional musician, is said to

have persuaded the Marconi Company to design this

object.

Created with a telephone mouthpiece and wood

from a cigar box, the object was put to use on 15

June 1920, in a makeshift studio in Chelmsford

factory, when the lines to Home Sweet Home and

several other favourites were mellifluously rendered,

closing with the National Anthem.

Who was the voice?

27


27


ANSWER


Dame Nellie Melba


An Arabic surname, the word means “flag” or “sign”, but is also used for this artifact that was historically carried into battles as a banner of the clan.

Originally green in colour, it was passed on by generation until it was last seen in the hands of Al Abbas Ibn Ali, who is said to have died holding it aloft; as a result of which later day versions are either red or black in tribute.

What is it called, perhaps reminding Indians of an ornament of the world?

In what context would one see it being used annually?

28


28


ANSWER


Alam (also synonymous with “world” as

used in Alam Ara)

Muharram Processions


Produced en masse at one point of time in factories

across Northamptonshire, this boot was developed

by the Haynes & Cann manufacturer.

The boots were designed so that the leg of the boot

could be cut away to leave an Oxford shoe.

What were these boots called, in reference to the

act they assisted in?

Who were they designed for?

29


29


ANSWER


Escape Boots

Pilots felled in enemy territory could

quickly convert to non-military boots

and blend into local crowds


Considered to be one of the earliest art forms that

originated in America, it was practiced by Eskimos as

early as 100 AD.

Using objects that were available in plenty post voyages

and of little commercial value then, the art form involved

smoothening and polishing the surface before needles or

knives could begin etching.

What art form, that is now severely restricted?

Which 19th century literary work brought the art

form into public consciousness?

30


ANSWER


Scrimshaw (made typically from the

tooth/bones of sperm whales)

Moby Dick


While it was not altogether uncommon for hand

plaster casts to have been made in the Victorian age,

this specific artifact is a rare one and resides at

Denbigh Library, North Wales – the birthplace of the

individual.

Having run away to sea as a 17 year old in 1851, he is

said to have opened up the Congo and helped King

Leopold realize his colonial ambitions.

Whose hand, that may have played a part in the

act of making an acquaintance at Ujiji?

31


31


ANSWER


H M Stanley


Trumpeter William Billy Brittain is said to have used

this to signal something, that was then repeated

through the ranks, although some versions of the

story say many ranks never heard it at all, leading to

tragic miscommunication.

Billy, wounded in the last salvo fired, was brought

back to Scutari clutching the object, where he fought

bravely before succumbing to his wounds.

The object passed on to his father, who also served

the same role as his son.

What did the object signal?

32


32


ANSWER


Charge of the Light Brigade


The first of its kind, it was built and patented by

grocer William Gould to avoid landowners and

industrialists from benefiting by gaining information.

The device worked by providing a unique token that

would be deposited in the box, at which point a

clock face would register the token.

What object, that was rejected for being too

ahead of its time? (specific answer needed)

33


33


ANSWER


Secret Ballot Box


A colour etch from 1797 by James Gillray, this

cartoon shows William Pitt, the PM picking the

pockets of a woman, purportedly to fund the

Revolutionary Wars against France.

The strategy would backfire, causing a drain

on gold reserves and severe devaluation.

More importantly, this cartoon was

supposedly the first appearance of what

nickname?

34


34


ANSWER


Old Lady of Threadneedle Street


After Napier’s logarithmic scale became popular,

another individual had the idea of mapping

logarithms onto a line for ready reference.

He publicized the eponymously named ______’s

scale, a wooden rule with engraved lines, that took

the sting out of laborious calculations and was used

by the Royal Navy up until 1840, before further

improvisations made lives easier.

Who is the individual, often a passing reference in

the context of sporting measurements?

35


35


ANSWER


Edmund Gunter

(who also gave us Gunter’s chain from

which the 22 yards cricket pitch

measurement arrived)


Sony’s pocket analog radio model -SRF-39FP – is one of

the most affordable on the market at US $30 and is

exclusively sold in the US via Keefe Group, a subsidiary

that supplies it to specific customers via institutional

buyers.

Running on a single AA battery and 40 hours of listening

time, it is unofficially called the “Ipod of FP” and never

seen in the open market, passing on to others when one

owner no longer needs it.

Expand FP in the model name or the nickname

Explain the reason behind why the parts housing

appears like this when unpacked?

36


36


ANSWER


Federal Prisons

Its clear housing is meant to prevent

inmates from using it to smuggle

contraband


Originally a 3-bladed design was preferred for this

pair of sisters, but later both of them were upgraded

to the 4 bladed version.

The artifact shown was one of 4 and was salvaged by

the Oceaneering International Services Ltd. in 1982.

Today it is loaned out to museums across the world

but is annually the centre of a memorial service at

the Liverpool National Museum.

Who/what used this artifact?

37


37


ANSWER


RMS Lusitania


A cardboard version of a cross was used previously,

but it did not yield desired results.

In 1924, George Locke, the doctor for X, was close at

hand and he willingly loaned his St. John’s

Ambulance Maltese Cross, that had a shiny enamel

surface and contrasting colours that were just ideal

for the task at hand.

Who was X?

What is the claim to fame of this Maltese Cross?

38


38


ANSWER


J L Baird

The first object to be transmitted as an

image


Purchased in a store in Knoxville, Tennessee during

WWI, it was bought by Private Doughboy Erine

Coolidge on the day he set sail to Paris.

It was passed on to his son Dan, who fought in WWII

and fearing impending death, gave it to a gunner –

Winocki, to deliver it to his son.

Dan’s son would fight in Vietnam, be captured in a

prison camp and to ensure it passed on to his son,

he hid it in the one place no one would search.

This is the story of what heirloom?

Where might you come across this story?

39


ANSWER


The Gold Watch

Pulp Fiction


Made of goat’s hair, an agal is a black cord

that was historically used by the Bedouins

as a whip or as a rope to secure their

camels.

In many tribes, it is still used as a heirloom

transferred on a leader’s death to the man

who will take charge next.

What is the more practical, current day

use of an agal?

40


40


ANSWER


To fasten an Arab’s headdress


Throughout the history of wine making, they have played a very important role and were pioneered by Romans, who were experts in glass making.

After the Roman Empire fell, their production continued but with the use of metals, before the Venetians reintroduced glass varieties with design changes so that the wine reacted with air.

What are these serving vessels, that take their name from the chemical process that separates a top layer of liquid from a precipitate?

What related object, that comes without a stopper, takes its name from the Persian word for a large flagon?

41


41


ANSWER


Decanters, from decantation

Carafe


In the 1970s, when The King, Beefy and this gentleman

played for a certain county, the club went on to win the

Gillette Cup, the Sunday League, B&H Cup in 1981 and

the NatWest Trophy – all within a span of few years.

The autographed boot belongs to this 3rd gentleman in

question and resides in the county museum with jokes

abounding that it might well have fit an ostrich, which, as

we all know, is a _____ ______.

Which gentleman’s boot is this?

Which county’s museum does it reside in?

42


42


ANSWER


Joel Garner

Somerset


This leather sandal, worn by an author, is a rare example of

how a real life object influenced a character in a 1980s book.

In the first draft, the author described the titular character

wearing “black trousers tucked into the tops of black leather

boots”, resulting in the character perceived as unfriendly.

But when the author sent illustrator Quentin Blake this

Norwegian sandal, the book text changed to "a pair of

ridiculous sandals that for some reason had holes cut along

each side, with a large hole at the end where his toes stuck out“

as did the illustration of the character.

Name the character/title of the book and

the author

43


43


ANSWER


Roald Dahl

Big Friendly Giant (BFG)


Measuring nearly two metres in length, this model

was displayed in the Kew Botanical Gardens in 2008

and has close to 100 richly detailed human figures.

Created in clay by Rakkal Pal of Krishnanagar, Bengal

for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in 1886, it

shows a common sight from the times with the

owner of the enterprise standing between two tanks

wearing a white pith helmet.

What is this a model of?

44


44


ANSWER


Indigo Factory


These giant Doc Marten’s were designed to have

platform support above with metal callipers and

leather straps for attaching to the legs.

Made by the firm Scott Bader, they were designed for

an ‘actor’ who decided to take a role in a 1975

musical, subject to the condition that he could keep

them afterwards.

In 1988, the actor sold them and they are now on

display in the Northamptonshire museum.

Name the actor and the musical/character he

played

45


45


ANSWER


Elton John

Pinball Wizard/Tommy


The design of this early 1800s artifact was inspired

directly from descriptions of heroes and their

artifacts in Homer’s Illiad.

The designer is said to have maintained a personal

coterie of 500 mercenaries from his personal funds,

as also buy arms and artillery for the upkeep of this

force.

Who was the designer of the object, on whose

coffin at Missolonghi, a sword and this particular

object were placed in honour of the libertarian ideals

he upheld?

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46


ANSWER


Lord Byron


The town of Preston in England where this

movement began was known to commission the

production of artifacts such as this to motivate

people with alternatives.

Switching over completely to the contents of this

object made a good pun on a word, which was

coined for an extremely disciplined practice of this

movement’s ideals.

What was the movement name?

What was the word, that was punned on by this

artifact?

47


47


ANSWER


Temperance movement

Teetotal (Tea total)


Scold’s Bridle was a device used for a bizarre

form of punishment during the 1500s.

It resembled a muzzle or cage for the head with a

padlock on the rear and a projecting spike that

would be held firmly into place in the mouth

when the bridle was closed.

In what could raise more than a few eyebrows

today, who were punished using this device and

for what trivial trait?

48


48


ANSWER


Gossiping women


One of the oldest, largest and best preserved of its kind,

it is often called the world’s oldest ship and is built out of

Lebanon cedar using Christ’s thorn and Halfah grass.

Built for an individual, it may have served him during his

lifetime, but was primarily a transport for the after-life

where it would have united him with a revered deity.

What is the name of the ship, housed in a museum

right beside a structure named after the individual

himself?

What is the generic name for such ships based

on the deity they honoured?

49


49


ANSWER


Khufu Ship/Cheops Ship in a museum beside

the Pyramid of Giza

Solar Ships – since they united the king with the

sun god Ra


An ancient tradition in the Yoruba ethnic group, it involves

carving wooden figures called Ibeji (literally twins) to

safeguard the soul of twin babies.

The tradition comes from the high birth rate and low survival

rate of twins among the Yoruba and their belief that twins

share the same soul. When one twin dies, two figures

representing the mortal and spiritual halves of the soul are

carved.

In which country, that boasts an avg. of 150 twins per

1000 births is this tradition followed?

In what biological way are the twins among the Yoruba

different - something that explains the anxiety to keep

them together?

50


50


ANSWER


Nigeria

Non-Identical/ Dizygotic /Fraternal/

Sororal twins

(two eggs fertilized by two different

sperms)

2014 KQA Artifacts Quiz by Mitesh Agrawal & Navin Rajaram

Education

Transcript of 2014 KQA Artifacts Quiz by Mitesh Agrawal & Navin Rajaram