For that Quizzy feeling in you.

By Udit Anand,

NSIT Quiz Club

Feel free to use the questions in any way you deem fit. Just give

credit for the source where due.

1• In 1941, a new type of accolade was awarded for the first

time. The trophies were four bronze medallions, each the size of a hockey puck.

• Selected for the first honors were: CBS (among chains), Cincinnati's 50,000-watt WLW (among big stations), Cleveland's 5,000-watt WGAR (among middle-sized stations), Columbia, null 250-watt KFRU (among small fry).

• One of the oldest honors in electronic media, it was created by Lambdin Kay, public-service director for WSB radio in Atlanta, Georgia at the time, and named for businessman and philanthropist who donated the funds that made the awards possible. The awards are administered by the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia (UGA).

Answer

The George Foster Peabody Award

2• This man is Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Among his “accolades”, one is that People’s Magazine called him the ‘Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive’ in 2000.

• He has not published a first author paper since his Ph.D. Thesis in 1991.

• He is, however, valued among the astronomy community for his popularization of science. Since appointed director of the Hayden Planetarium in 1996, he put forward a certain view, which recently generated a lot of hate mail, especially amongst children. Explain.

Answer

He propagated the view that Pluto was not a planet, but a dwarf

planet.

3• This newspaper, known for the parody-based nature of its

news, once published an article, "Congress Threatens To Leave D.C. Unless New Capitol Is Built", parodying U.S. sports franchises' threatening to leave their home city unless new stadiums are built for them.

• On June 7, 2002, Reuters reported that the Beijing Evening News, one of Beijing’s most popular newspapers republished, in the international news page of its June 3 edition, translated portions of this article; initially even stood by the story, demanding proof of its falsehood, but later obviously retracted the article, stating that "some small American newspapers frequently fabricate offbeat news to trick people into noticing them with the aim of making money." Name the paper.

Answer

The Onion

4

• The second season of ‘Dus ka Dum’ featuring Salman Khan as host is to begin soon. Who was the host of its English counterpart and what was that show called?

Answer

Quite simply, it was called ‘Power of 10’ and featured Drew Carey as

Host.

5

• Astronomers believe that life is most likely to form within the circumstellar habitable zone (CHZ) within a solar system, and the galactic habitable zone (GHZ) of the larger galaxy. The HZ is referred to by many names, such as the "life zone", "Comfort Zone", "Green Belt". Another name attributed to it alludes reference to a character in a children’s story that was first published in 1837. Give me the name.

Answer

"Goldilocks Zone" (because it's neither too hot nor too cold, but "just right").

6

• While Gordon Ramsay could only manage one before giving up, Anandita Dutta Tamuli went through 51 of them in a minute, disappointed that she could have done more. The occasion took place in Jorhat, Assam, and was covered by a London-based TV channel. She even featured on Shabash India earlier. What did she do? (precise answer only)

Answer

She ate 51 Bhut Jolokia chillies in a minute, which measures 1,001,304

units on the scoville heat scale

7• The oldest source of this phrase to be found is in The

Confessions of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and he also did not mention her name, only referring to her as a ‘great princess’. It is incorrectly attributed to someone else, and is said to exhibit the callousness of the monarchy, which aggravated the anger of the masses and led to the French Revolution.

• Keeping in mind the law at the time, however, it was not callous. At the time of its phrase origin, the law was that if all cheap ones were gone, then a fancier piece had to be sold at the price of the cheap one, thus preventing any trickery by the seller. Give me the English translation of the phrase or the person to whom its incorrectly attributed.

Answer

‘Let them eat cake’, Queen Mary Antoinette

8• Some gems of wisdom that this person has

imparted to his people and the world include• “To read too many books is harmful.”, • “War can only be abolished through war, and in

order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun.”

• Such was the height of his popularity the it was a ritual to give one’s respects and prayers to his picture before routine daily acts such as shopping.

• Name him

Answer

Mao Zedong, and his book being “The little red book”

9

• It literally would refer to their tibiae, where their "corbiculae", or pollen-baskets are located. The phrase ________, however, means "the height of excellence", and became popular in the U.S. in the 1920s. Stories in circulation about the phrase's origin include a corruption of the word "business" and the phrase "the be all and end all". Which phrase?

Answer

The Bee’s Knees!

10• To quote music maestro Salil Choudhury, "Each word from his lips was a

pearl. No one could sing the way ________ did with the right diction, inflexion and intonation. His vocal timbre was out of this world."

• One of the stories about him goes that once as he was leaving veteran music director Kalyanji’s room, a highly accomplished classical luminary entered for a social call. After he left, this worthy told Kalyanjibhai, "Look at the irony! What does that man know about classical raag and sur? And he drives a Mercedes and I have to travel by bus!“ Kalyanji beckoned the man to sit next to him and asked him to sing ______________ along with the harmonium. The classical singer sang the line, with excessive murki as per his training. Kalyanjibhai again explained to him the exact notes. Try as he might, the classical maestro could not get the requisite straight and heart-touching rendition needed for this Saraswatichandra classic. Gently, the composer drove home his point by telling him, Ab aap ko pataa chalaa ke woh Mercedes main kyoon ghoomte hain?

• Simply id the maestro.

Answer

Mukesh