Quiz Club

• Amit Kumar Ram (too lazy to write the rest)

•To start, the ___ has to hold a mandrake leaf in their mouth for a full month. They can't take it out to eat or sleep or anything. If it comes out of their mouth or slips down the hatch, they have to start over.

•Then, at the next (visible) full moon, the ___ must put their spit-soaked leaf in a phial within range of the moon's pure rays. If the moon's hiding behind clouds or something where it's not directly visible, they have to start over with another month of mandrake leaf sucking.

•In addition to the moon's light, the X needs some other ingredients, including dew that hasn't been exposed to sunlight or human feet for a full seven days.

•If the ___ manages to get this far into the process, they need to keep the X hidden and out of sunlight. After that, they need to wait. Possibly a while.

•A storm dictates the next step, as the X can't be taken until lightning strikes. Every day that they're waiting for the storm, at sunrise and sunset they have to say. "Amato Animo Animato Y." This can go on for days or weeks or months.

•Detailed instructions include warnings not to panic, and also some pretty terrifying after-effects.

Following, are the instructions that must be followed in order to achieve a certain feat. What?

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ANSWER :

Becoming an Animagus.

It's not a real fly. It's a drawing, baked into the porcelain bowl , for a very specific purpose. And it has proven extremely effective, as in the case of Schiphol Airport, where success rates in obtaining the desired results were as high as 80%. For what specific purpose were these images introduced? Put funda .

In 2008 , in Iceland , the images of flies were replaced with images of ____ . Who? (a certain group of people)

This will have to be a guys-only experience, but should an urgent need send you to the men's room at Terminal Four at JFK Airport in New York, or to the men's rooms at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, you may see, right above the drain, a perfect facsimile of a house fly.

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To avoid spillage , since men have a tendency to aim .

Bankers , shortly after the country’s three main commercial banks had collapsed.

ANSWER :

“As we were finishing writing our second album, This Is All Yours, we came up with a quick jam which we luckily captured on one of our phones. This turned into X (A portmanteau term), which is a word we made up to describe someone who is no longer alive that you fancy. Thus the first verse is about Lee Miller, Joe's X, the second about Anne Boleyn, Gus's.“

What is the word X? Also identify this English indie rock band Y formed in 2007 in Leeds.

Bonus points - Drummer Thom Green's X is the famous poet Z . However, there wasn’t any mention of Z in the song’s lyrics.

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ANSWER :

X – Deadcrush , Y – Alt-J

Z – Sylvia Plath

Diogenes was a Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Cynic philosophy. Although being a controversial figure, he was extremely witty and one of the most intelligent people of his times. There are many instances to back this claim, one of them being the time when Diogenes embarrased Plato publicly. When Plato gave Socrates' definition of man as "featherless bipeds" and was much praised for the definition, Diogenes did something to prove his definition wrong. After this incident, the terms -"with broad flat nails" was added to Plato's definition. What did Diogenes do? Something that became a stuff of legends , for years to come.

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ANSWER :

Diogenes plucked a chicken and brought it into Plato's Academy, saying, "Behold! I've brought you a man."

In the movie Arrival (2016) , Dr. Louise Banks , in order to convince Col. Weber, tells him a made-up story about the rendezvous of Captain James Cook’s crew with the aborigines . According to Dr. Louise – “In 1770, Captain James Cook's ship ran aground off the coast of Australia and led a party, where they found the aboriginal people. One of the sailors pointed to the animals that hop around and put their babies in their pouch, And he asked what they were. The Aborigines said "kangaroo". It wasn't until later that they learned that ‘kangaroo’ means ‘________’ “ .

What ?

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ANSWER :

“I don’t understand”.

According to rapper Bow Wow, the origin of ____ came from smoking a strong blend of weed that would make you cough after one hit. He faced much ridicule on Twitter , where other users were quick to clarify that the ___ was actually a means of highlighting the user’s confidence, and an ability to put together on a nice outfit all at once. FITB .

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ANSWER :

Dab

X is a Japanese anime television series based on Tite Kubo's manga of the same name. X was originally supposed to be named Y, which is the most prominent colour in X. But the name was later changed to refer to a process , most closely associated with a colour opposite to what X was initially supposed to be named.

X– Z is the third animated film adaptation of the anime and manga series X. Directed by Noriyuki Abe, the film was released on December 13, 2008 in Japan, later to be released in the US. The title Z is inspired by a Metallica song , also serving as a reference to Y.

Id X,Y and Z.

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ANSWER :

X – Bleach , Y – Black

Z – Fade to Black

One theory suggests that X was inspired by the bullfighting tradition in

which matadors give the ears of slain bulls to girls in the crowd. In this case, the receiver of the “gift” was a woman named Rachel/Gabrielle , who worked as a maid in a brothel , in the small French community of Arles.

What am I talking about?

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ANSWER :

Van Gogh sent his mutilated ear to this lady , as a gift.

Story time – The origin of the ____

Once upon a time, back in 1996 a company called Blizzard released a game called Warcraft II. There was one player named Shlonglor, who got VERY good at this particular game. He would dominate anyone and everyone he played against, to the point that he appeared as a Demi-God to some.

Unfortunately, his name became so infamous that eventually people refused to play with him. As soon as he entered a game, the opposition (who had prior knowledge about his abilities) would leave.

But Shlonglor loved this game and wanted to keep playing. So he made a new account, called "Papa ____" and one of his buddies (who was equally good)named himself “____ -ette". They could now enter games. Pretend to be new to the game. Then dominate mid way through, much to the surprise of the opponent. Shlongor would say after his games that he enjoyed “____-ing" that game. Thus the legend of ____ was born. It progressed into games such as SC2 and Tribes 2 and Counter Strike.

FITB with a word, that should also remind you of fictional creatures from a Belgian comic franchise.

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ANSWER :

Smurf

FITB.

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ANSWER :

Luthien , Beren

“I hadn't run back a kickoff in forever. It was a little bizarre. But I scored on

the return and any time I score it's a lot of fun.” – These are the words by NFL receiver Hines Ward after a game against Rapid City , that was cancelled due to unforeseen reasons. In his 217-game NFL career, Hines Ward returned only eight kicks and none for a touchdown. The only time he did though, was unfortunately for this very game . What reason led to this game’s cancellation?

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Scarlett Howard at RMIT University in Melbourne and her colleagues designed an experiment train bees to differentiate between two numbers. They set up two platforms, each with between one and four shapes on it.

On one platform, bees were given a sweet sucrose solution, and on the other a nasty-tasting quinine solution. Previous research has found that bees learn more quickly if they are not merely rewarded for correct choices, but also punished for wrong ones.

The researchers trained the bees to associate a platform that had fewer shapes on it with the sweet reward, until they made the right choice 80 per cent of the time. The bees were put through further tests with differently shaped objects to confirm that they were responding to the number of shapes and not their appearance.

Through this experiment, researchers have found out that bees are the first invertebrates to understand a particular concept , the concept of ____ .

FITB.

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ANSWER :

Zero

O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won !

This is an extract from the poem “O Captain ! My Captain !”, written by Walt Whitman, in 1865. While many of you may be familiar with it , courtesy of the final scene in ‘The Dead Poets Society’ , it was originally written as an elegy for ___ , following a certain tragedy .

FITB, or what particular tragedy was it referring to?

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ANSWER :

Abraham Lincoln , following his assassination

In 1967 national carrier Air India commissioned X (a person, obviously) to create a limited edition ashtray which was to be given to a select group of first-class passengers. X produced a small unglazed porcelain ashtray composed of a shell-shaped centre with a serpent around its perimeter.The ashtray is mostly unglazed porcelain with a glazed serpent around the lip of the ashtray. Rumour has it than as an exchange for his remarkable design, X demanded to be gifted a ____ as his fees and so this “object” was flown from Bangalore to Geneva. (Unhelpful image on next slide)

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ANSWER :

X – Salvador Dali , he asked for a baby elephant.

An article by The Telegraph UK, published on 17 Jul 2012 was headlined-“ ‘________' plot to kill Sir Winston Churchill” .

It contained information about a Nazi plot to kill Sir Winston Churchill with a bar of exploding X during the Second World War.

Giving a new meaning to the dessert name “_______”, Adolf Hitler’s bomb makers coated explosive devices with a thin layer of X, then packaged it in expensive-looking black and gold paper.

The Germans apparently planned to use secret agents working in Britain to discreetly place the bars - branded as Peters X- among other luxury items taken into the dining room used by the War Cabinet during the conflict.

FITB.

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ANSWER :

Death by Chocolate

In April 2008 a 37-year-old Durban man, Carl Mosca Dionisio, made bungee jumping history when he jumped off a 30 m (100 ft) tower attached to a bungee cord made entirely of ____ . His choice was weird , although not impractical . Carl says, “ X is X. But the cord was based on a mathematical formula and although I was 99 per cent sure that it would work, my stomach was in a knot for a month before the jump.

FITB. (Image on the next slide)

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ANSWER :

Condoms

Legend has it, in 18th-century Ireland, a foul-mouthed drunk and disreputable miser named Stingy Jack asked the devil to go have a drink with him. The devil obliged and when the bill came, there was that awkward moment that we're all so familiar with. Jack expected the devil to take care of things, and the devil thought Jack should pony up. Seeing as how Jack had no money anyway, he convinced the devil to turn himself into a six pence coin to pay the bill. The devil fell for it and Jack skipped on the bill and kept the devil at bay by sliding the coin into his pocket to lay at rest beside a silver cross. The devil was stuck in Jack's pocket, trapped by the cross, but Jack decided to be a good egg and let him out, providing that the devil wouldn't come after Jack for a period of one to 10 years, depending on who you ask. The devil had no choice but to agree and once the coin was removed, he turned himself back into the devil and went on his not-so-merry way.

At the end of the agreed upon timeframe, the devil found Jack for a little payback. Somehow, Jack convinced him to climb a tree in search of an apple for Jack before they set off for hell. The horned one once again obliged, only to see Jack carve a cross into the tree trunk, and leaving the beast stranded again.

Jack must have felt bad, because he agreed to let the devil down if he promised to never claim his soul for Hell. The devil was caught between a rock and hard place once again, so he agreed. When Jack died, St. Peter rejected him at the pearly gates because of his suspect credentials. The devil wouldn't and couldn't let Jack in to hell, per their agreement at the tree. In the end, Jack was given a lump of burning coal by the devil to light his way through purgatory. Jack carried the coal inside a hollowed out turnip.

This long story is the history (or the myth) behind a common practice. What am I talking about?

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ANSWER :

This is how the tradition of carving pumpkins or turnips (called Jack o’ lanterns) during Halloween started.

Minty Zaki is a character from the game ’Sugar Rush’ and the movie ‘Wreck-it Ralph’. Her candy theme is mint and candied apples, and her signature kart is the Veloci-Wrapper. Minty is named after a famous person X. Id X

In the Japanese version of the movie ‘Wreck-it Ralph’, this character was remodelled and named Minty ____ , the ____ being something that’s found all over Japan, and is an important part of their culture.

Minty Zaki Minty ____

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ANSWER :

X - Hayao Miyazaki

And she was named Minty Sakura in Japan

This particular date entered public consciousness after being stated in Pope Julius I’s official declaration in the year 350 CE. One theory suggests that the choice of this particular day was influenced by the Pagan Sun god Mithra’s date of birth. Some people also think that this particular date may have been chosen because the ancient pagan Roman festivals called 'Saturnalia' and 'Dies Natalis Solis Invicti' took place around this time.

Which famous declaration (something that has now become a norm) was made by the Pope in 350 CE?

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ANSWER :

Jesus Christ was born on the 25th of December

While touring in the US in the ’50s, this legendary singer ,X, faced significant adversity as a result of X’s race. At that time, Mocambo was one of the most popular venues for performers in Hollywood, frequented by the likes of Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall and Lana Turner.But the racism prevalent at that time prevented X from performing in Mocambo. That’s when Y, one of the more famous personalities at that time, and a good friend , as well as a fan of X , stepped in. According to X , “I owe Y a real debt … she personally called the owner of the Mocambo, and told him she wanted me booked immediately, and if he would do it, she would take a front table every night. She told him – and it was true, due to Y’s superstar status – that the press would go wild.“The owner said yes, and Y was there, front table, every night. The press went overboard. After that, I never had to play a small jazz club again. She was an unusual woman – a little ahead of her times. And she didn’t know it.“

X and Y , please?

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ANSWER :

X – Ella FitzgeraldY – Marilyn Monroe

0800 689 4903 – called the X Hotline , is a special hotline operating from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day, offering mediation on any X-based arguments during the holiday season. There are experts available with the official rulebooks to instantly settle any disputes, and advise on how to resolve common complaints, with each person also having the opportunity to make a donation to Childline when they call.

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ANSWER :

X - Monopoly

The first documented occurrence of this quote appears in the P. G. Wodehouse novel, "Psmith, Journalist", which was serialized in The Captain magazine (1909-10) then published in book form (1915) and contains the following dialog:"That's right," said Billy Windsor. "Of course." “__________," murmured Psmith. The blank refers to a catchphrase most associated with a famous fictional character, conveying a meaning similar to “that’s right” and “of course” in the above dialogue . Although, this phrase was never uttered by the character in any of X's written works, but the set of words appear closely together in the story titled “The Crooked Man” (1893).

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ANSWER :

“Elementary , my dear Watson”.

There are many theories regarding the true nature of X . Some theories suggest that X was wheat , since it represents knowledge in Torah thought. Some other theories consider X to be grapes or wine , since there are not many things that can cause as much misery as the grape and its wine . X is also believed to be a fig, or an etrog (citron) , or nuts , while, another school of thought believes X to be a metaphor for sex. What am I talking about?

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ANSWER :

The forbidden fruit mentioned in the Bible.

In Marvel’s 1,000,000 BC series, Ghost Rider, the original incarnation of Marvel’s Spirit of Vengeance with his signature flaming head, has been given a 'new’ and rather befitting ride, a ______ , replacing his classic motorcycle . FITB .

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ANSWER :

A woolly mammoth.

Studies suggest that the peculiarity in the workforce at this ‘institution’ originated as a result of the enforcement of the Lallup-Kaba, an ancient forced labour system in Manipur that sent men of the Meitei community to cultivate faraway lands and fight wars. The women stayed back in the villages, working in their own paddy fields, taking care of their household and selling their farm produce in improvised markets. What famous ‘institution’ am I talking about? And what is its claim to fame?

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ANSWER :

Manipur’s Ima market or Ima Keithal, a market that has been run only by women since the past 500 years.

The T13 Beano grenade was developed by the OSS for airdropping to partisans in occupied Europe. Manufactured by Eastman Kodak, thousands of these were made and there are reports that thousands were shipped for the Invasion of Normandy, though they were recalled after several premature detonations. To use, the grenade is held with two fingers over the fuse plate. The pin is pulled and the grenade is thrown .The weight, as well as, the shape of this grenade was based on a common item, so that an average American could use it with minimal training .What item?

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ANSWER :

A baseball

Shirakawa-go in Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama (Ainokura and Suganuma) in the southern part of Toyama Prefecture are villages designated as UNESCO World Heritage ,due to the presence of thatched- and steep-roofed gassho-zukuri houses. A feature of the houses is the steep roof (of 45 degree to 60 degree), and no nails or other metal materials are used in their construction. These houses are called gassho-zukuri because of their shape resembling something (which is also the literal meaning of gassho-zukuri). Where do these houses get their name from? (Images on the next slide)

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ANSWER :

These structures are called gassho-zukuri because the houses resemble palms placed together and fingers pointing upward in prayer.

The Mangraisat ( also known as -“The Judgements of King Mangrai”) is a collection of laws laid down in 14th century Thailand by King Mangrai, the founder of Chiangmai and the Lanna kingdom. These laws go into detail about murder and accidental deaths.

One such law states that when someone murdered another person, especially a child, they must keep the corpse in their house for a predetermined amount of time. Why was the murderer made to do so?

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ANSWER :

The people believed that this would create a phi tai hong (the vengeful spirit of the deceased), which would then torment the murderer.