The Not-So-General Gen QuizBCQC AUGUST 2015 – WRITTEN WRITTEN, PRODUCED, DIRECTED & STARRING – ARNOLD D'SOUZA

About Quiz: This is a written quiz for teams of up to 2 members. 30 questions that you never knew existed! (<ONE OF THEM> WILL

BLOW YOUR MIND!!) While in theory this is a general quiz—in that any topic can

theoretically be asked—almost all the questions are on subjects of my interest.

+10 for all questions (part points mentioned with question, where applicable).

You may choose to 'star' any number of questions [from 0 to 30] that you wish to. Each question that you star will give you +20/-10. All parts need to be correct if you star a question.

Q1 X (1806-1859) is considered to be one of the most influential figures

of Industrial Revolution & Victorian England due to his prolific contributions to engineering.

His work involved the building of railways, bridges, tunnels, steamships etc.

In a BBC poll, in 2002 he was voted #2 on the list of 100 Greatest Britons of all time, behind only Sir Winston Churchill and ahead of Princess Diana, Charles Darwin and William Shakespeare.

Id X.

[pic on next slide]

Q1

A1

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Q2 The Ampelmännchen was created in East Germany by Karl Peglau in

1961. He argued that the existing forms at the time disadvantaged people who had difficulty differentiating between colors as well as were often too small and weak when viewed in sunlight.

As a part of the reunification in 1990, most of the Ampelmännchen were discarded in favor of a standardized set throughtout Germany. Nevertheless, they become a virtual mascot for East German nostalgia (Ostalgie) and a hugely popular souvenir item.

As a result of public demand, the Ampelmännchen started making a comeback in some areas of Berlin in the mid-2000s.

Who/what is the Ampelmännchen?

A2 The Ampelmännchen was the iconic East German pedestrian

crossing traffic light symbol.

Q3 _________ Rice was a famous early 20th century American sportswriter

whose writing was widely published in newspapers as well as broadcast on the radio.

The following is a pretty well-known excerpt from this poem "Alumnus Football":For when the One Great Scorer comes To mark against your name, He writes – not that you won or lost – But how you played the Game.

In 2011, Bill Simmons started a popular sports website named _________ in Rice's honor—which is probably the most likely reason that y'all would have heard his name.

Who?

A3 Grantland Rice & grantland.com the sports and pop-culture blog run

by ESPN.

Q4 Put connect:

Think Mathematics!

A4

Different types of geometries. Bolyai & Lobachevsky indepently discovered hyperbolic

geometry which is called Bolyai-Lobachevskian geometry. Euclid and Euclidean geometry. Elliptic geometry is a special case of Riemannian geometry.

Q5 What is special about the Indian team in the Test match shown below?

A5

Only Test match in which all four of the Spin Quartet played—Prasanna, Chandrasekhar, Bedi and Venkataraghavan.

Q6 The _______ Synod is the name given the January 897 ecclesiastical

trial of Pope Formosus held at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome.

The trial was conducted by Pope Stephen (VI) VII – successor to Pope Formosus' successor Pope Boniface VI.

He accused Pope Formosus of perjury and acceding the papal throne illegally.

As a result of the trial, Formosus was pronounced guilty and his papacy was retroactively declared null.

Pope Formosus was represented in court by a deacon chosen for him.

Either give me the blank or tell me what was so bizarre about the trial.

A6 Cadaver Synod. Pope Formosus had died in April 896. Pope Stephen

had his corpse exhumed and brought to the papal court for judgment.

Q7 Richard Paul Pavlick (1887-1975) was a US postal worker from

Boston, who after retiring in the 1950s moved back to his hometown of Belmont, New Hampshire.

He became known at local public meetings for his angry political rants, including complaints like the American flag not being displayed appropriately.

He regularly criticized the government and had a hatred for Catholics. In 1960, he turned over his possessions to a local youth camp and

disappeared with the intention of accomplishing something On December 11, 1960, he came close to achieving this but he

refrained from following through due to the presence of a lady and her two children.

Who ended up accomplishing what Pavlick intended to do?

A7

Lee Harvey Oswald. Pavlick intended to assassinate Kennedy at Palm Beach, Florida

by detonating the dynamite he'd packed in his car as the President passed by.

He stopped himself at the last minute because JFK was accompanied by his wife and two children.

Q8 A group of gorillas is sometimes called a "troop of gorillas" or less

frequently a "whoop of gorillas".

However, what 4-letter word is the most common collective noun for a bunch of gorillas?

A8 A "band" of gorillas. The English virtual band Gorillaz is thus aptly named.

Q9 During the filming of the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the

crew conducted an ______ ___ (X Y) hunt on the sets as a fun activity during one of the off days.

However, not all the X Y were found and as result at least three of them ended up mistakenly appearing in the movie later on.

These appearances were: one under Frank's throne, one instead of a light in the main room and one as the group goes up in the elevator to the lab.

This incident has also given rise to a commonly used term these days.

What objects did the crew hide & try to find?

A9 Easter Egg Hunt—

leading to the term Easter Egg being used for any intentional inside joke, hidden message or feature placed in a computer program, video game etc.

Q10 In Islamic tradition, Iddat or Iddah is the period that a woman must

wait after the death of her spouse or after a divorce before she can marry another man.

The duration of the waiting period depends on several factors according to the circumstances.

For a woman whose husband has died, the period of Iddah is four lunar months and ten days.

The Iddah of a woman divorced by her husband is three months, unless she is pregnant in which case the Iddah lasts until she gives birth, or unless the marriage was not consummated in which case there is no Iddah, or unless she does not menstruate, in which case she should observe an Iddah of a full year—nine months for pregnancy and three months for Iddah.

What was the reason for this practice to come into effect?

A10 To avoid any unambiguity in deciding the father of any children that

she might have.

Q11 This 2-word phrase (X Y) was first coined in the Statute of

Westminister in 1275 and referred to the reign of Richard I (Richard the Lionheart). The period was supposed to begin from 6 July 1189, the date of the King's accession.

In a legal context, this meant that proof of unbroken possession of any land since that date (i.e. 'since X Y') made it unnecessary to establish the original grant under certain circumstances.

In 1832, this term was redefined as "Time whereof the ________ of Man runneth not to the contrary."

For the purposes of heraldry, the High Court of Chivalry is said to have defined it as the period before 1066.

What phrase?

A11 Time Immemorial

Q12 The Balearic Islands are a Spanish archipelago which consist of four

main islands–X, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera—along with many other smaller islands and islets.

They form an autonomous community and a province of Spain with the co-official languages being Catalan and Spanish and the capital being _____ de X.

What is the X, the largest island of the Balearics?

A12 Mallorca (or Majorca) – the capital is Palma de Mallorca. Minorca was the smaller one mentioned in the question.

Q13 The X is a Chevrolet model that first went on sale in 1966. It was

stopped in 2002, but then resumed once again in 2009. The 1967 model was designed as a competitor to the Ford model Y. When the model was first unveiled at a live press conference at the

Statler-Hilton Hotel in Detroit in 1966, Chevrolet general manager said that the name was in keeping with their tradition of naming their cars with a 'C'.

He also said: "… suggests the comradeship of good friends as a personal car should be to its owner and that to us, the name means just what we think the car will do... go."

When the automotive press asked the Chevrolet product mangers – "What is a X?", they replied – "a small, vicious animal that eats Ys".

Give me X and Y. [5 points each.]

A13

Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang

Q14 X is a brand currently manufactured by Kats, LLC (formerly called

Binney & Smith Company) and gets its name from the French words for 'chalk' and 'oil'.

Since 1984 it has been a subsidiary that is wholly owned by the parent company Hallmark Cards.

Since the 1903 origin of its most famous product, the number of available colors increased to 120 in 1998—where after colors were only added as replacements for existing colors that were retired.

The company has also changed the names of some of their colors due to sensitivity issues—for example, 'Flesh' was changed to 'Peach' in 1962 and 'Indian Red' was changed to 'Chestnut' in 1999.

Which company?

A14

Crayola

Q15 The X Y theorem states that there is no non-vanishing continuous

tangent vector field on even-dimensional n-spheres. It was stated by Henri Poincare in the 19th century and was first

proven by the Dutch mathematician L. E. J. Brouwer in 1912. Among its implications, is the fact that you can prove that there is

always at least one point on the Earth's surface where the horizontal wind speed is exactly zero—i.e. there is no horizontal wind.

The name of the theorem comes from the popular restating – "you can't comb a X Y flat without creating a cowlick."

Which theorem?

[pic on next slide]

Q15

A15 Hairy Ball Theorem

Q16 The term faux amis refers to a certain set of words, the following are

some examples of which: agenda bail brasserie commander confection deception location chat sensible store

What are faux amis?

A16 A type of false cognates between English and French—i.e. words

that seem to have a similar root/meaning in both languages but actually mean different things. Most of the words mentioned in the question actually share their spelling with French words, but mean different things in French than in English.

Faux amis is French for false friends.

Q17 The history of facial hair for men has been a long and storied one,

but in the beginning of the 20th century, there was a shift toward being clean shaven for a couple of reasons.

On the reasons was the release of the "safety razor" by Gillette in 1901 making it practical and inexpensive for men to shave daily.

Another possible reason is that American soldiers in WWI were required by order to be clean shaven. Gillette struck a deal with the US armed forces and supplied the soldiers with the necessary razors and blades.

When these soldiers returned as post-war heroes, the fashion caught on with the rest of the public and by the 1920s it was considered acceptable to be clean shaven.

Why were American WWI soldiers ordered to be clean shaven?

A17 Lack of facial hair made it easier to seal the gas masks tight over

one's face.

Q18 Schedule 1 of the Constitution of X [country] is related to Article 5

and consists of 4 sections and 24 points in total, which almost read like a geometric construction.

The 4 sections are: (A) Method of Making the Shape inside the Border (B) Method of Making the Moon (C) Method of Making the Sun (D) Method of Making the Border

What exactly am I talking about?

A18 Constitution of Nepal. Describes the exact steps to construct the

Nepalese flag.

Q19 In 1965, a 90-year-old French woman X, with no heirs, made a deal

with a 'young' lawyer André-François Raffray on a contingency contract.

Raffray was to pay the woman 2,500 francs per month until her death at which point the apartment transferred into his name.

As things turned out, he died some years later from cancer and his widow continued the payments until X's ultimate demise.

During all these years, X used to say to them that she "competed with Methuselah".

Give me X for full points or her claim to fame for half points.

A19 Jeanne Calment—longest verified human lifespan at 122 years and

some days. Raffray was 47 when he made the deal, compared to Calment's 90,

and died 30 years later at 77, but Calment still outlived him. He ended up paying her about $180,000—more than twice the

apartment's value.

Q20 The two women pictured on the right (bigger

pictures on next slide) were the only two who never married on a list that currently includes 45 women.

Depending on how things go over the next year or so, we might see the first man to enter the list.

The second lady moved to India in 1940 and ended up spending the last few years of her life at the ashram of Sri Aurobindo in Puducherry, where she adopted the name Nistha.

Perhaps the most famous name on the list who wasn't married at the time, but married later was Harriet Lane (1857-1861).

What is this list about?

Q20

A20 First Lady of the US (FLOTUS). First picture is Rose Cleveland, who was First Lady during her

brother's first term as president from 1885 until his marriage in 1886.

The second lady is Margaret Woodrow Wilson, the daughter of Woodrow Wilson.

Harriet Lane served as FLOTUS for her uncle James Buchanan who never married.

Q21 According to Catholic doctrine, this term describes the birth of the

Virgin Mary as being free from original sin—i.e. the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

It was first dogmatically defined Pope Pius IX in 1854, although it existed in doctrinal form since the first few centuries of Christianity.

It is not accepted by the Protestant Church. It is the basis for the dogmatic definition in 1950 by Pope Pius XII of

Mary's Assumption into Heaven at the end of her earthly existence without her having to go through to regular process of purgatory.

Which two word term?

A21 Immaculate Conception. This is often assumed to refer to the birth of

Jesus Christ, which is instead known as the Virginal Birth.

Q22 X (1893-1968) was an English pilot and writer who served in the

Royal Flying Corps in WWI. In his 46 year writing career he published more than 160 books,

almost a 100 of which featured his most popular character Y. Apart from this series, his works included:

The "Steeley" series (1936-39) – 6 volumes The "Worrals" series (1941-50) – 11 volumes The "Gimlet series (1943-54) – 10 volumes

His biography "By Jove, Y" was published in 1981 by Peter Berresford Ellis and Piers Williams.

Id X.

A22

Captain W. E. Johns, most famous for the Biggles series.

Q23 The name "Hollywood Blonds" has been used by several wrestling

teams over the years since it was created by Buddy Roberts and Jerry Brown in the 1970s.

The most famous pairing to adopt this name were the WCW team of "Stunning" X Y and "Flyin'" Brian Pillman in 1993.

The team soon disbanded within a year, and Brian Pillman died due to a heart condition in 1997.

His partner, however, went on to have a successful wrestling career—first under the name The Ringmaster and then finally under his most popular moniker.

Who?

(pic on next slide)

Q23

A23 Stone Cold Steve Austin

Q24 Misty Hyman is a former American Olympic swimmer who won gold in

the 200-meter butterfly at Sydney 2000 upsetting the home favorite Susie O'Neill had been unbeaten in this particular event over the previous 3-4 years.

Hyman, not for the first time in her career, used the 'fish kick' (or 'fish stroke') to swim the underwater lengths instead of the more popular 'dolphin kick'.

The 'fish kick' (invented in the mid-90s) is considered by many to be the faster of the two but is also more difficult to perform.

What is the primary difference between a dolphin kick and a fish kick?

A24 The dolphin kick is performed on one's stomach (or back), while the

fish kick is performed on one's side.

Q25 This novel was initially written as a 25,000 word novella titled "The

Fireman" published in the February 1951 issue of Galaxy Science Fiction.

When urged by publishers Ballantine Books to double its length and expand it into a novel, the author also decided to change its name.

He had an idea in mind for a new name and called up the physics and chemistry departments of several universities but none of them were able to supply him with the exact answer.

He finally decided to call the local fire station and ask them, "Can you tell me the ___________ at which a ____ _____?"

He received his answer and the book got its title. Which novel?

A25

Fahrenheit 451. "Can you tell me the temperature at which books burn?"

Q26 X was the first African American be either be nominated for or to win

an Academy Award when she won Best Supporting Actress for the movie Y.

However, when the movie premiered at the Loew's Grand Theater in Atlanta, she along with the other black actors were advised against attending as the Jim Crow laws in effect in Georgia at the time prevented them from sitting with the rest of the cast.

The lead actor in the movie threatened to boycott the premiere unless X was allowed to attend, but she convinced him to go ahead anyway.

Who is X? [Half points only if you can identify the movie.]

A26

Hattie McDaniel for the role of Mammy in Gone with the Wind (1939).

Q27 X Y is a post-rock band known for its ethereal sound, frontman Jónsi

Birgisson's falsetto vocals and their use of a bowed guitar.

The band gets its name from Jónsi's sister XY [without a space] Elín and literally translates into English as 'victory rose'.

This band is named after the 1988 Z airshow disaster, though they added an extra 'm' in the spelling by mistake.

After later gaining fame, they have often denied the disaster connection, claiming instead that they are named after the "giant doorstop-type devices found on old gates", helped by the fact that misspelling literally translates into something similar.

Two unrelated bands. 5 points for each. Need both for full points/star.

A27

Sigur Rós Rammstein – 1988 Ramstein airshow disaster. Rammstein

literally translates into 'Ramming stone'.

Q28 Joseph F. Glidden, an Illinois farmer, is credited with the invention of

the modern version of X in 1874, improving on the existing versions including the one originally patented by Lucien B. Smith of Ohio in 1867.

Although its first war use was during the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), this technology only really found military application in WWI, where it served to drastically increase the effectiveness of machine guns.

What am I talking about?

A28

Barbed Wire

Q29 The X Rebellion was an attempt by Anabaptist movement (a radical offshoot

of Protestantism) in the 16th century to establish a communal sectarian government in the German city of X.

The movement was initially started by Melchior Hoffman who declared Strasbourg as the New Jerusalem and prophesized a Second Coming there in 1533.

However, when his prophecy failed to materialize, two of his disciples Jan van Matthys and Jan van Leiden took over and shifted the focus to X which they said was the true New Jerusalem.

The Anabaptists took over the town in early 1534 throwing out all the non-believing citizens, who beseiged the city led by Franz von Waldeck and finally recaptured it in June 1535.

The leaders of the rebellion were captured, publicly tortured and executed, with their bodies hung in cages from the steeple of St. Lambert's Church as an example. [pic next slide]

Which city, now famous as a univeristy town, is this?

Q29 These cages still exist if you visit

the church.

A29

Münster Rebellion

Q30 ___ Latin refers to the creation of a phrase, verse or jargon in the

imitation of Latin by pretending to 'translate' words from English or other languages into Latin by conjugating or declining them as if they were Latin words.

E.g.

What animal name is such "Latin" called?

Patres conscripti took a boat, and went to Philippi; Boatum est upsettum, magno cum grandine venti. Omnes drownderunt qui swim away non potuerunt. Trumpeter unus erat, qui coatum scarlet habebat; Et magnum periwig, tied about with the tail of a dead pig.

Charlibus sittibus On the deskonorum Deskibus collapsibus Charlie on the floorum..

A30

Dog Latin (Cod Latin is also okay). Pig Latin is wrong.