Elims (Q + A)

Quizzing Tuesdays (!)

1.

• The latest edition of this iconic competition was won by "Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises" (35 points). "The History of Azerbaijan" came in second with 30 points. The rest of the pack were "Tom Lehrer", "The Diggers", "Alchemy", and "The Life and Work of JMW Turner". The final was held in May 2012, bringing to an end this year's series, telecast on BBC Two.

• What competition?

• Mastermind

2.

• When requested a report on his prowess in Western India, Colonel John Napier sent back a one-word reply “Peccavi”, which his classically literate superiors understood at once to mean “I have X”.

• X later caused some controversy for remaining in the Indian National Anthem due to its location.

• Name X.

• Sindh

3.

• Winston Churchill’s wife said to a renowned playwright who was critical of her husband: “Sir, if I were your wife, I would serve you poison.” The playwright’s response? “And I were your husband, madam, I would drink it!”

• Who is he?

• G B Shaw

4. (*)

• This city, a World Heritage site, is known for its large temples and secular monuments, including the Royal Balance and the Elephant Stables. Originally known as the “City of Victory”, it has now become known by the name of the river flowing beside its ruins. Which city?

• Hampi

5.

• Chicago gangster Al Capone created a set of clothes washing shops in order to disguise his ill-gotten earnings. What modern phrase did this give rise to?

• Money laundering

6.

• You, or your parents, probably own things with names like “Fertile Rice Paddies”, “Three Rhombuses”, “True Books” and “Japanese Industries”. What am I referring to?

• Cars. Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, and Nissan.

7.

• “God made men unequal, but Colt made them all equal.”

• What did Colt do that made men equal?

• Colt made guns

8. (*)

• This Indian blockbuster holds the record for running 102 straight weeks in Mumbai theaters, and has been immortalized in Bollywood history for its catchy dialogue and memorable characters.

• However, it was initially panned, being compared to a North Indian lentil preparation.

• Which movie is this?

• Sholay

9. Who was made an honorary member of the Bradford City Supporters’ Club because of the huge boost he gave to the sales of club scarves since his arrival in 2002?

• Harry Potter

10.

• List of what ?– Maria Sharapova : 101 __– Michelle Larcher De Brito : ~100 __ (109 reported)– Monica Seles : 93.2 __– Serena Williams : 88.9 __– Venus Williams : 85 __– Victoria Azarenka : 83.5 __– Elena Bovina : 81 __– Anna Kournikova : 78.5 __– Kim Clijsters : 75 __– Elena Dementieva : 73 __

• Loudest grunters in Tennis• A lion’s roar is a 110 decibels !!

11.

• Vaibhav Suri is the latest to join this grand list. That makes him the 27th Indian on this list. He is also one of India's youngest, making it at the age of 15. The first Indian on this list (who also held the record for being the youngest Indian on the list for a long time) was in the news during May 2012, and his story had a favourable endgame.

• What list is this?

• Chess Grandmasters. Suri achieved his final GM norm in April 2012.

• Actinomycetes are a type of filamentous bacteria found in soil which thrive when conditions are damp and warm. However when dry conditions prevail, these form spores/cysts. Upon contact with moisture (which acts like an aerosol) these spores burst open resulting in what?

• This phenomenon is named after the fluid that is supposed to be flowing in the veins of Greek Gods.

#currentaffairs

12. (*)

• Petrichor (The smell of wet soil after first rains)

13.

• In April 2012, UNESCO announced that something would now come under the protection of a 2001 UNESCO Convention because it now met two conditions: one, it is at least a hundred years old, and two, it is located in an international region i.e. not under any specific nation's jurisdiction.

• As a result, UNESCO and nations can prevent 'unscientific' or 'unethical' exploration, as well as proscribe illegal removal of artifacts from the site.

• What is thus being protected?

• The Titanic, whose remains underwater will now come under The Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.

14.

• Eugene Polley recently passed away. For years, he worked for Zenith Electronics where he gained patents for several inventions. Best known among these was called the "Flash-Matic", a revolutionary new product that eventually became an (now almost) indispensable household product. "Flash" because it focused visible light (from a device like a flashlight) to a set of photo-cells.

• So what product thus came about?

• The remote control.

15.

• It's a little place in Dhanbad, Jharkhand (Dhanbad is best known for its coal mines). It's reportedly "cinema-obsessed". Which is a good thing, because it joins the likes of New York, Chicago, LA, and Baghdad in having its name as part of a film's title preceded by a phrase.

• In fact, the film is being made in two parts, and has been chosen for display at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

• Which place, and what movie-in-two-parts?

• Gangs of Wasseypur

16. (*)

• This system of measurement was invented by Cambridge mathematician W.A.H. Rushton. However, the term was possibly first suggested by Isaac Asimov’s character Christopher Marlowe, in Doctor Faustus. The unit is logarithmic on a base of 2. The burning of the topless towers of Ilium is not counted while calculations in the standard form.

• One mili-X is said to be the amount of ______ which can launch one ship.

• Which unit?

Helen

17.

• In ancient time, _________ were the secret keepers of the rich and famous, often instructed to perform tasks in secret for their masters. This is the origins of a particular word referring to a particular class of people. Fill in the blank.

Ans. Secretary

18.

• Ikea

19.

• This great North African general has a name that translates as “Grace of the Lord”, and demolished the Roman armies at Trebbia, Lake Trasimene and Cannae. Subsequent generations of Romans scared their kids into behaving well using his name.

• In the 20th century, a fictional serial killer who ate his victims(portrayed on screen by Anthony Hopkins) was named after this man. Name him.

• Hannibal

20.

• This movie star goes under the name N. Herschlag and holds a degree in Neuroscience from Harvard.

• She is one of the very few people in the world to have an Erdos-Bacon number.

• Who is she?

• Natalie Portman