General Quiz

Elims

Ayush AgrawalNovember 2011

Facts that caught my fancy

Rules• NSFW language will be used. Please leave if

you are easily offended.• 25 Points, 6 *s• Sudden death if still a tie• 6+3 Teams Qualify (More on that later)• Questions are simple, and they follow the

“Mother Rule” (aka the “Teri Maa Ki” rule in Hindi, and the “Terimaki” rule in Japanese)

• The obvious answer is probably right!!

Q1.

• In 1791 a Dublin theatre owner named James Daly made a bet that he could introduce a word into the language within twenty-four hours. He then went out and hired a group of street urchins to write the word “___", which was a nonsense word, on walls around the city of Dublin. Within a day, the word was common currency and had acquired a meaning (since no one knew what it meant, everyone thought it was some sort of test). FITB. (A chestnut of the highest order, a remarkably appropriate question)

• Quiz

Q2. (*)

• From Wikipedia: A generally accepted version is that the name was derived from ___ on the northern boundary of the New Amsterdam settlement, perhaps to protect against English colonial encroachment or incursions by native Americans. A conflicting explanation is that X was named after French speaking Belgians. Among the first settlers that embarked on the ship "Nieu Nederlandt" in 1624 were 30 such families.

• Wall Street

Q3.

• The band consisted of Starchild, The Demon, Spaceman/Space Ace, and Catman. Some people think the band name is actually an anagram. That’s not true. The name was actually derived from Catman’s old band, which was called “Lips”.

• They are famous for their very eccentric personalities, and the extreme theatrics on stage.

Q4.

• Varsha Gupta is a Class III student from Ryan International School, Greater Noida. She explains her creation saying “Music is a very important part of Indian culture”. So, what is her claim to fame?

• Hint?

• Children’s Day Google4Doodle, India’s Gift to the World

Q5.

• The 4th of May is celebrated as the Official ______ day by the fans of ______ . FITB. (It's a word play).

• Hint?

• Star Wars Day, May the Fourth Be With You

Q6. (*)

• Give me the name of the building (in the foreground)

• Hint?

Q7.

• The Urban dictionary calls this word, "the most overused word, EVER". It's actual origins are from a form of poetry. It is also used as a descriptive for a host of other things, such as film, theatre, a maths term, and a type of mountain climb. AND, as a part of the name of a music company, aircraft manufacturer , and web browser, among lots of others. Gimme the one worded answer.

• Epic

Q8.• X an unnamed engineer, quit his job at a chemical company to become a stand-

up comedian, only to fail miserably. Desperate to support his pregnant wife Jeannie, he agreed to guide two criminals through the plant so that they could rob the card company next door. During the planning, the police informed him that his wife had died in a household accident. Grief-stricken, the engineer tried to withdraw from the plan, but the criminals strong-arm him into keeping his commitment to them.At the plant, the criminals made him don a special mask . Unknown to the engineer, the criminals plan to use this disguise to implicate any accomplice as the mastermind and to divert attention from themselves. Once inside, they almost immediately blunder into security personnel, and a shootout ensues. The criminals are gunned down . Terrified, the engineer jumped into the chemical plant's waste pound lock and was swept through a pipe leading to the outside.

• I could go on.. But haven’t you got enough clues already?? ID the poor chap.• Still need hints ??

• The Joker

Q9. (*)

• What is the Sanskrit word for "refined" or "well formed" ?

• Sanskrit!!

Q10.

• The producers have defined the word X as “people who have immense passion for what they do” and who “inspire others to follow their dreams”.

• This is not a dictionary definition. In fact, the name has been derived from the Scottish whisky brand which sponsors the show.

• Being praised for many aspects, I believe it is just another way to market an otherwise non-advertisable product, like McDowell’s mineral water.

• The Dewarists

Q11. (*)• Since 1996 the website of Colchester tourist board attributed the

origin of this to a cannon used from the church of St Mary by the Royalist defenders in the siege of 1648.

• The town of Colchester was a walled town with a castle and several churches and was protected by the city wall. A shot from a Parliamentary cannon succeeded in damaging the wall beneath X which caused the cannon to collapse to the ground. The Royalists, attempted to raise X on to another part of the wall, but the cannon proved to be too heavy.

• Unable to resist the siege for too long, the Royalists eventually surrendered, after Cromwell’s victory at the Battle of Preston.

• However, this entire episode gave rise to something immensely popular. What?

• Humpty Dumpty

Q12.

• Sir Thomas ___, is supposedly the ancestor of Y. Their family motto is "Orbis non sufficit". Gimme the English version of the motto, and Y.

• James Bond, The World is Not Enough

Q13.

• The government has halted plans by UK-based X to establish a bauxite mine of the sacred tribal lands of the ____ people. This tribe is being called “the real Y”. (Y: another nature loving tribe.)

• Points for X and Y. Blank unimportant.

Q14.

• We all know “The Flying Dutchman” was a ghost ship, and a portent of doom. So what/who is the “Non Flying Dutchman” ?

• Dennis Bergkamp

Q15. (*)

• A mathematician named X Thought the Y was divine. Said he, "If you glue The edges of two, You get a weird bottle like mine.“

• Full object names of X and Y. • Hint?

• X: Klein Bottle• Y: Mobius Strip

Q16.

• X is a disparaging term, used predominantly in the United States, to describe a holiday that is perceived to exist primarily for commercial purposes, rather than to commemorate a traditionally significant event.

• The name is derived from a company which benefits the most from such holidays.

• Hallmark Holidays

Q17.

• The author’s filing cabinet had two drawers, the first of which was labeled A-N. What name is said to have originate from the other drawer?

• The Wizard of Oz

Q18.

• The chosen name would seem incongruous to many, especially with its connection to such a modern sport. Some say it comes from the district in which this is located. Some say it is to keep the current administration happy.

• Hint?

Credit: J Ramanand, infinitezounds.blogspot.com

• Buddh International Circuit

Q19.

• Following a local referendum in the province of Catalonia in Spain, a famed national practice has come to end in that state. The last of its kind was held in Barcelona; Jose Tomas was the key ringleader. This does not affect the practice in the rest of the country. What practice?

Credit: J Ramanand, infinitezounds.blogspot.com

• Bullfighting

Q20. (*)

•Whose works of art?

• Adolf Hitler

Q21.• Seen here are Peter Jackson, the producer and Steven Spielberg, the

director of which recently released movie?• Hint?

Credit: J Ramanand, infinitezounds.blogspot.com

• The Adventures of Tintin, Notice that Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg were dressed as Thomson and Thompson

Q22.

• Schrodinger’s Cat

Q23.

• This phrase is a commonly used hyperbolic means of praising an invention or other society-advancing development. The invention has existed only since 1928, and it appears to be something of an arbitrary selection as the benchmark against which later inventions should be judged. It has been said that "the phrase is the ultimate depiction of innovative achievement and American know-how“.

• The best thing since sliced bread!!

Q24.

• ”__” has the looks of James Dean and Fonzie( from “Happy Days”) and the voice of Elvis Presley and resides in Aron City.

• (The director says that the name “__” was inspired from the episode of the Brady Bunch wherein Greg Brady wants to be a rockstar.)

• Many Celebrity guests on the show include Mick Jagger, Weird Al Yankovic, Farah Fawcett, Capt. America, Velma Dinkley etc.

• Johnny Bravo

Q25.

• No, I don’t want you to tell me the odd one out.

• Give the connection.

• Nirma• Hema, Rekha, Jaya aur Sushma