IISc. Quiz Club
General Quiz - 22nd February 2009
V.Srinivasan (ECE)
Bhaskar (CPDM)
1.
Let us begin the quiz with some Oscar Trivia. The
movie Slumdog Millionaire, if it goes on to win the
Oscar for the best movie, will join the following
movies for a unique reason.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003),
Braveheart (1995), The Last Emperor (1987), Gigi (1958),
Around the World in Eighty Days(1956),The Greatest Show
on Earth (1952),An American in Paris(1951),Grand
Hotel(1932),All Quiet on the Western Front(1930) and
Wings (1927).
What are we talking about?
2.
Connect Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro and the
Oscars.
(very specific connection)
3.
A sitter to end the Oscar Trivia section. The movie
Curious Case of Benjamin Button was inspired by a
Scott Fitzgerald short story written in 1920.
Who/What inspired Scott Fitzgerald to write this
story?
4.
X started as a vegetable oil company in 1947 from
an old mill founded by Y's father. When his father
died, Y took on the leadership of the company and
transformed X into a consumer goods company that
produced hydrogenated cooking oils, laundry soap,
wax and tin containers and later set up to
manufacture hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders in
1975. But we associate X with a totally different
domain today. Identify X and Y.
5.
It wasn't the first time the No. 9 batsman was using
this brand in a Test match. It was, in fact,
the second time! But it came under close scrutiny
from rivals England during a Test match at
Perth in December 1979. The batsman would later
recount in hi s autobiography Menace that
he was merely marketing the product. The No. 9
batsman was the business partner of Graham
Monoghan, who is said to have developed the
product for recreation use. Which product or
brand are we talking about?
6.
She was found, roaming about in darkness, by an
American on Feb 18, 1930. Though he wished to
name her Minerva, she was finally named X, after the
suggestion given by Venetia Burney, a eleven year
old schoolgirl. She enjoyed being part of a big family,
until on August 24,2006 she was unceremoniously
banished from the family.
Identify X.
7.
When Carl David Anderson (1905-91) discovered a
new particle in the cosmic radiation with a mass
between that of electron and the proton he named it
'mesoton' which was subsequently changed by him to
mesotron presumably at the advice of Millikan. But
X through a short note to the Nature magazine, got
the name changed to 'meson'. Identify X, and the
reason for the change of name.
8.
A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Lingering onward dreamily
Eager eye and willing ear,
In an evening of July -
Lovingly shall nestle near.
Children three that nestle near,
In a Wonderland they lie,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Pleased a simple tale to hear -
Dreaming as the summers die:
Long has paled that sunny sky:
Ever drifting down the stream –
Echoes fade and memories die:
Lingering in the golden gleam Life, what is it but a dream?
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.
From which book has this poem been taken?
9.
Complete the list:
1. Charles Bannerman
2. Billy Murdoch
3. Andy Sandham
4. ?
10.
There is a human-computer interaction research
experiment in which subjects interact with a system
that they believe is autonomous, but is actually
operated by an unseen human being. The name of the
experiment comes from a famous story, in which an
ordinary man hides behind a curtain and pretends, by
use of "amplifying" technology, to be someone
powerful. What story?
11.
Gunter's Chain is a measuring device used for
accurate land survey by triangulation. It consists of a
chain formed of 100 long wire links, with brass tags
along the chain for intermediate measurement. One
of its lasting legacies is as a very well-known
length. Of what?
12.
A company called De La Rue Identity Systems, based
in Basingstoke, UK, makes a lot of money
periodically out of a product called ES/A Purple,
containing silver nitrate and tetrahydrofurfuryl
alcohol. The product has been marketed as far afield
as India, Burundi, Rwanda and Bosnia.
What is ES/A Purple used for?
13.
The origin of this phrase, meaning “to make up one's
mind to go through with an unpleasant situation”,
dates back to the days when the wounded had to be
seen to without the benefit of anesthetics or
painkillers. The victim would be given an object that
would help him brace himself against the coming
pain. What phrase?
14.
What is the nickname of the project undertaken by
the Chinese Govt. to censor websites? Google has
also been blamed of aiding the Chinese Govt. in this
venture.
15.
“We may regard the present state of the universe as
the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An
intellect which at a certain moment would know all
forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of
all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect
were also vast enough to submit these data to
analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the
movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and
those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing
would be uncertain and the future just like the past
would be present before its eyes."
Who said it, and in what context?
16.
Toyota Motor Corporation, one of the largest
automakers, was originally named “Toyoda”, from
the family name of the company's founder, Kiichiro
Toyoda. Why was the name changed later?
17.
X had decided to relinquish his opening position
and come in at no 4 for that test. But, Y fired out the
first two wickets for ducks, setting the stage for X to
walk in at 0/2. At this juncture, Z, a teammate of Y
said to X,
"Man, it doesn't matter where you come in to bat, the
score is still zero."
Identify X,Y,Z.
18.
Contrary to popular myth, the deciding factor that
won him the prized seat ahead of five other
candidates was not his physical toughness, his
psychological resilience or his credentials. Instead,
it was the fact that he took off his shoes when visiting
a prototype for a look around that earned him
the coveted position. Who was the man?
19.
During Beijing Olympics 2008, an Israeli team
comprising of Katerina Pisetsky, Veronika Vitenberg,
Rahel Vigdozchik, Maria Savenkov and Olena
Dvornichenko, got a lot of media attention in India,
inspite of not having won any medals. Why and
which sport did they represent Israel in?
20.
Australian Cricketer Brett Lee has the nickname
Oswald. What is the origin of this nickname? Put
Fundae.
21.
The reasons given for selecting this logo for the
organization are that it was recognizable across
barriers, was a universally loved symbol and because
it "had an impact in black and white to save money
on printing costs." What organization and what is its
logo?
22.
He was one of the nominees for the “Best Beard of
the Year” in 2006. The award was eventually won by
Monty Panesar. He had earlier made his fortune by
launching an adult site called BOMIS in 1996. The
money earned thus helped him set up his pet project.
That project is a household name today. Who are we
talking about/ what is this project?
23.
The city of Philadelphia is supposed to be suffering
from the Curse of William Penn, since March 1987.
Why and what is it attributed to ?
24.
In 1925, a young American physicist was doing graduate
work at Cambridge University. He was depressed as he had
just broken up with his girl -friend. In addition, he had been
asked to make thin films of beryllium although his interest
was really in theoretical physics. In the fall of that year, he
dosed an apple with toxic chemicals and put it on the desk of
his tutor, Patrick Blackett. Blackett luckily did not eat the
apple but the authorities found out about this and put
the student on probation. He left at the end of the academic
year and joined the University of Gottingen where he made
significant contributions. Which famous scientist?
25.
Palmiers are a traditional French puff pastry made
from rich, buttery dough. Their name, derived from
the French word for the palm tree, refers to a
supposed resemblance to palm fronds. They are also
called Elephant-Ears on account of their shape.
Under what name are they marketed in India?
26.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower sent a telegram
requesting 10 ____ plants for the troops
overseas on June 29, 1943. At the beginning of the
war, Robert W. Woodruff, president of
____, issued an order to "see to it that every man in
uniform gets ____ for five cents wherever
he is and whatever it costs the Company. Fill in the
blank.
27.
One of the earliest descriptions of encryption by
substitution appears in a text written in the 4th
century AD (itself based on manuscripts dating back
to the 4th century BC.) The text recommends that
women should be well versed in various arts
including conjuring, chess, bookbinding and
carpentry. Among the arts is mlecchita-vikalpa, the
art of secret writing. One of the recommended
techniques involves randomly pairing letters of the
alphabet, and then substituting each letter in the
original message with its partner. This cipher is
known by the name of the book or by that of the
author. What cipher is this?
28.
We know that the Great Wall of China, is the only
man made object visible from the moon. What is the
only living organism on earth, visible from outer
space?
29.
In 2003, the then US Secretary of Defense, Donald
Rumsfeld said in a press conference “Reports that say
that something hasn't happened are always interesting
to me, because as we know, there are known knowns;
there are things we know we know. We also know
there are known unknowns; that is to say we know
there are some things we do not know. But there are
also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know
we don't know.”
What did this quote fetch him?
30.
FIVE SECONDS RULE – Put Fundae.
31.
Connect:
Quidditch, Asian paints and an Indian TV
entertainment company
32.
Which Hollywood movie uses the “Dil Se”
soundtrack “Chaiyya Chaiyya” as its intro song?
33.
K N Vasudeva -------
Connect!!!
34.
Connect!!!
35.
What is the significance of this coin?
36.
37.
Panels from different versions of “Tintin and the
Picaros”. Comment.
38.
Connect !!!
39. Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Grand Connect…
Thank you!!!