QUIZ Finals

1. The Greeks called it the Hyrcanian Ocean while Hindu texts referred to this place as
Kashyap Sagar after the mythological sage. This geographical feature links the borders
of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. What place?
Caspian Sea
2.

Which UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in both India and Bangladesh?

Sunderbans
3. Centuries ago, when Arabia did not have formal schools, students went to masters who
taught them. Upon completion of his study, the graduate then acted as a master with his
own students. This word expressing this genealogy is derived from the Arabic word for
link. This certification of a master having a verifiable chain of masters was the only
acceptable document. What word is this that became familiar to us following an Amitabh
Bachchan movie?
Silsila
4. The Government of Indias MSTC (Metal and Scrap Trading Corporation) conducted an e
auction worth Rs 133 crore last year on behalf of an unusual biological product mainly
obtained from a place in South India. Together with other places producing this, the trade
in this commodity reached Rs 700 crore last year. What product is this that is popular in
the West in the fashion industry?
Hair (from Tirupati and other temples).
5. In 2007 Apple Inc dropped what word from its name while unveiling a new product?
Computer (It launched the iPhone beginning its transformation as the worlds largest
mobile ophone maker.)
6. The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months in the polar
regions, where the sun remains visible for a continuous 24 hours, mostly north of the
Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. What term sounding like a chess piece
describes the night where instead of darkness, there is perpetual twilight?
White Night
7. Which was the fastest growing language on Twitter in 2011, growing at the rate of about
2000%!
Arabic (because of the revolutions in the arab speaking world and the use of social
networking in these revolutions)
8. This bestselling book made into a movie blockbuster had trouble with its title. The author
initially thought up The Silence of Death, White Death, and Leviathan Rising. His
father came up with Whas That Noshin on My Laig and Cunna Linga Here No Longa
possibly in jest. Finally with 30 minutes before printing The author came up with the
name. His father and publisher asked what it meant? No idea, he said, At least its
short. Name the book.
Jaws
9. Which well known dessert was known as 365 during the British Raj because it was
served everyday of the year by Indian cooks in the dak bungalows and railway stations?
Caramel Custard

10. According to its manufacturer, this product was registered in 1789 making it the oldest
continuously existing brand in the world. It was the first transparent product of its kind. A
recent attempt to change its formulation was resisted by a Facebook campaign forcing a
return of sorts to the classic original. What product is this? Pears Soap
11. Over 300,000 extras were used to shoot this scene, the most for any film
according to the Guinness Book of World Records. Name the movie and the
city.
Gandhi (funeral scene); Delhi
12. Only two people have been recipients of both the Bharat Ratna and the
Nishaan-e-Pakistan, the highest civilian awards in India and Pakistan
respectively. Name both of them.
Morarji Desai and Nelson Mandela
13. The Burj Khalifa has now returned the location of Earth's tallest freestanding
structure to the Middle East after nearly 700 years. The region last held the
honour till 1311 AD when the Lincoln Cathedral in England was completed.
Which structure's record did the cathedral beat?
Pyramids (of Giza)
14. Which characters are named Uys and Buys in Afrikaans, Tik and Tak in Arabic,
Hernandez and Fernandez in Spanish, and Dupont and Dupond in the original
French?
Thomson and Thompson
15. In classical education the four difficult subjects were arithmetic, geometry,
music and astronomy. The three relatively simple subjects were - logic,
grammar and rhetoric. What were these three together called? (Clue: One
quizzy word)
Trivia (or trivium)
16. Visual : The Dancing House , is the nickname given to the Nationale-Nederlanden
building in downtown Prague designed by Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunic in 1992.
However, what was the original name proposed for the building? Fred and Ginger
17. The IIT-JEE 2011 was held for admission to all the 15 IITs and two special institutions
that, according to the IIT-JEE website, are the oldest institutions in India and are known
for their immense contributions towards society at large and for science and technology
in particular. Name these two institutions. Institute of technology Banaras Hindu
University & Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad.
18. It is Indias largest city without a Hindu population majority but ironically it is named for a
Hindu deity and the name literally means a place of wealth and abundance. Which city?
19. What export of Andhra Pradesh got a GI ( geographical indication) certification under
International patent laws in September 2009? Tirupathi ladoos
20. What 2 words did Indira Gandhi insert into the preamble of the Indian Constitution that
were not present when the Constitution first came into effect? Socialist/Secular
21. Why was there a 700% rise in pencil sales in England between 2005-2006? Solve
Sudoku
22. What are the 3 UNESCO heritage sites in Madhya Pradesh? - Sanchi Stupa, Rock Shelters of
Bhimbetka and Khajuraho temples

Geography
The Greeks called it the Hyrcanian Ocean while Hindu texts referred to this place as
Kashyap Sagar after the mythological sage. This geographical feature links the borders
of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. What place? Caspian Sea
Christiana is the former name of which European city? Oslo
The first volume of the book subtitled Cosmographic meditations on the creations of the
world and the image of creation by Gerard de Cremer of Flanders appeared in 1585.

What was the single word title of this series which was the first to be given this name?
Atlas
To which country do the Galapagos Islands belong? Ecuador
Tallest mountain in south India? Anamudi

Indian History
Chanakya was the advisor to which famous king? Chandragupta Maurya

Many of the earliest extant Buddhist scriptures were written in which

language ? Pali
Who was the first woman to become President of the Indian National Congress?
Sarojini Naidu
The Forward Block Party was formed by ? Netaji SC Bose
How do we better know Bhat in the history of Medivial India? Birbal
Business
Between which two letters of the Federal Express logo would one find a hiddenarrow a
symbol of speed and precision? E and X
The original Logo of Apple Computers featured which personality? Issac Newton
During World war One, Large reserves of a particular commodity accumulated in
Karnataka because they could not be exported to Europe. On the advice of Sir M.
Visweshwariah, Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, The Maharaja of Mysore established a
factory in 1916, to manufacture what brand of products?
Which overseas IT related company was the first to set up shop in Bangalore, which is
now easily the IT capital of India? Texas Instruments
How many women have won the Nobel Prize for Economics since 1969? None
Literature
Who is the only fictional character whose death in a book was announced to the world in the
New York Times? Heircule Poirot in Curtain (1975)

Japanese three-line verses called Haiku contain how many

syllables? Seventeen
What term originally meaning 'storehouse' referred, and still
refers, to a periodical of various content and imaginative
writing? Magazine
The Kannada movie Samskara was based on a novel by author
U.R.Ananthamurthy. Which famous Indian playwright and author made his acting
debut in this film? Girish Karnad

What is the name of the first digital library founded by

Michael Hart in 1971? Project Gutenberg

Sports
Hawk-eye technology is one of the most sophisticated officiating tools used in sport. It made
its debut with cricket and then entered the tennis court. In which othersport is it being used
officially? Snooker. Hawk-Eye first introduced its snooker technology at the Snooker Grand
Prix inAberdeen. It then progressed to the Masters at Wembley and, most recently, stepped
upto the largest stage in snooker, the renowned Crucible in Sheffield, at the World
SnookerChampionship

The French Open in France refers to the oldest national open golf tournament inEurope (since
1906). What term do the French use for their premier tennis tournament?
a. The Roland Garros

Which Indian badminton player won the 2013 Malaysian Grand Prix? PV Sindhu
In 2012 Lionel Messi created the unofficial world record for scoring the maximum number
of goals in a calendar year. Whose record did he break? Gerd Mller( 85 goals in 1972)
91
Which cricketer is the fastest Indian to score 1000 Test runs? Vinod Kambli ( 14 inningsWhile Pujara- 18 innings)

Science
During a previous total solar eclipse visible in India, in 1868, a French scientist namedPierre
Jansen travelled to a tobacco field just outside Guntur to observe the spectrum. A resultant
yellow line in the spectrum was a pointer to which new element, which was the first-ever
element to be discovered outside Earth before it was found on Earth? Helium
DNA contains code for protein synthesis insde the cell. Which intracellular body is responsible
for translating the DMA sequence into a protein sequence? Ribosome.
the first female professor at the University of Paris (La Sorbonne), and in 1995 became the
first woman to be entombed on her own merits in Paris' Panthon.? Marie Curie
After the death of Israel''s first president, Chaim Weizmann, in November 1952, Prime
Minister David Ben-Gurion offered which famous scientist the position of President of Israel, a
mostly ceremonial post? Albert Einstien
Which naturally occurring Noble gas is the heaviest of all the Noble gases? Radon( it is a
radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as the decay product
of radium.)

World History
By which ancient civilization was Machu Pichu built? Incas

Between which countries was the Hundred Years war

mainly fought? France and England
What weapon was given its unusual name by the Finns when(following their refusal to surrender
some strategic ports) their country was invaded by the Sovietsin November 1939 in what came to be
known as the Winter War during World War II? Molotov Cocktail
What started to go up on 13th August 1961 and come down on 9th November 1989? The Berlin Wall
What were Little Boy and Fat Man? 2 Atom bombs dropped on Japan

Mythology
Which daughter of Zeus was the cause of the Trojan War? Helen of Troy

In Ramayana whose Wife was Urmila? Lakshman

In the Bible who were the parents of Cain & Abel? Adam and Eve
What name is given to the chalice used by Jesus at the Last Supper? The Holy Grail

In Indian Mythology, how many avathars or incarnations has Vishnu, one of Hinduism's holy
trinity come to the world in? 9 Vishnu has come down to earth as a fish (Matsya), tortoise
(Kurma), Boar(Varaha), half-man, half-lion (Narasimha), Vamana (Dwarf), Parashurama
(a vengeful Brahmin), Rama of the Ramayana, Krishna of the Bhagwat Gita and also
Buddha, to rid the world of evils. It is believed that Buddha was given the status of an
Avathar to challenge the rising popularity of Buddhism in India. In Hindu mythology,
the current age will end when Vishnu comes in the terrible avatar, the Kalki avatar and
a new age of truth and peace or the Satya Yuga will follow.
Ramayana, the great Indian epic, which every Indian child grows up learning about, is
also the world's longest poem, with over 3 million verses. Which city is described as
the birthplace of the main protagonist, Lord Rama? Ayodhya

Entertainment
The film Sholay saw many cast changes before the classical final line up. Who turned
down the role of gabbar singh that catapulted Amjad khan to fame? Danny Denzongappa
In Walt Disneys Silly Symphony series, which 3 characters are named Fifer, fiddler and
Practical? The 3 little pigs
Which was the first talkie film of India? Alam Ara

Sivaji Rao Gaikwad is the real name of a South Indian Super Star? Who is
he? Rajnikanth
Who was Lord Greystoke better known as? Tarzan

AUDIO VISUAL
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Batman Forever
Identify the famous soundtrack The departed
Identify the tennis player Bjorn Bork
It was a temple to all gods, and featured recently in the film Angels and Demons. It is
also the name of a road in Chennai Pantheon in Rome
Identify the movie soundtrack Sherlock Holmes
Requiem for a dream
Identify the famous logo Swatch
Dreamworks Studio