QFIesta 2015 Aug 16th Gen quiz - Prelims

QUIZMASTERS
Srinath Bhashyam and Siddharth Manickasundaram
Big Bazaar Gen Quiz

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Gen Quiz
The Written Qualification
Round
• 40 Questions in all
• Questions 11-20 starred – to be used to
resolve ties (Questions not necessarily
easier or tougher)
• Please turn off all electronic devices

Gen Quiz
The First Question….

Gen Quiz
1. The 1971 edition of this event featured the first incarnation of the
"Pyramid Stage". Conceived by Bill Harkin, the stage was a one-
tenth replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and was built from
scaffolding and metal sheeting.
From 1981, the structure became permanent and doubled as a hay-
barn and cow-shed during the winter.
Which event?

Gen Quiz
A. The Glastonbury Festival

Gen Quiz
2. In military engineering, this term (X) is used for an artificial slope that
is part of a medieval castle or an early modern fortress. Such slopes may
be constructed of earth in a temporary structure or of stone in a more
permanent structure.
More generally, the term can denote any slope, natural or artificial, which
fulfills the above requirements.
The etymology of this French word suggests a slope made dangerous with
ice, hence the similarity to another geographical term that we are more
familiar with.
Chennai folk will recognize this term, as it forms a part of the address of
many buildings in the north of the city (RBI building to name one).
X?

Gen Quiz
A. Glacis (Fort Glacis in Chennai)

Gen Quiz
3. Given the popularity of this sculpture, many versions exist
around the world. In the picture is the Hebrew version called
“Ahava”, which is at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. This
version was made by the sculptor (of the original) in 1977 as a
gift to Israel, in his distinctive quadripartite style, from
CorTen steel.
Which is the original sculpture we are talking about?

Gen Quiz
A. ‘Love’ Sculpture by Robert Indiana

Gen Quiz
4. White represents birth and a new seed
Yellow the sunlight that works on a new seed and begins its life
Orange the power of the sun to help the seed grow
Green is seen as the plant sprouting
Blue is the sky the plant grows toward
Purple represents the sky at dawn
Brown the ripening of the plant
Red is again seen as the sun
Black is the darkness beyond it.
What are we talking about?

Gen Quiz
5. ‘Harmad’ is a Bengali slang word meaning ruffian.
It developed during the colonial times and referred to
the poor reputation of the Portuguese sailors who mostly
came up the riverine Bengal delta as pirates and raiders.
What word common in the Iberian peninsula, did it
derive from?

Gen Quiz
6. Children's’ stories portrayed as minimalist posters -
Examples below.

Gen Quiz
Identify which stories these two posters represent.

Gen Quiz
A.
(a) Hansel and Gretel
(b) Princess And The Pea

Gen Quiz
7. All these movies have a particular connect. (Non-
exhaustive).
The best performing movie that belongs to this connect
was released in 2003.
Identify.

Gen Quiz
A. Movies based on Disney attractions
Pirates of the Caribbean

Gen Quiz
8. This book is about an informal literary discussion group
associated with the University of Oxford, England, for nearly
two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The name
of the group is a clever pun on a word which means “having a
slight knowledge”.
Fill in the blanks

Gen Quiz
9. The three buildings in the visuals all share the same name. The
first one is in Thessaloniki, Greece and is a part of several
monuments in Thessaloniki accorded the status of a World
Heritage Site.
The second and third are in Trabzon and Iznik in Turkey.
All three share their name with a fourth structure that is more
famous – the design for this structure was made jointly by two
Greek geometers, Isidore of Miletus and Anathemus of Tralles.
What is the name?

Gen Quiz
10. This person hypothesized that Egyptians may have traveled to the Americas,
based upon the building of pyramids in both areas, and had a traditional boat
(that would have been available to the Egyptians) built. After naming the boat
after the sun god Ra, he set off with a crew from Morocco, bound for the Americas
on May 25, 1969. The ship sank 600 miles short of its goal, but he completed the
journey a year later with the Ra II.
Another of his expeditions – which was in a recreated Mesopotamian-era reed
ship named the Tigris – involved sailing from the Tigris River to the Red Sea, but
ended after five months. The North Yemen government refused to let the ship
pass, and the ship was burnt in a port in Djibouti in early April 1978.
Who is this adventurous person?

Gen Quiz
A. Thor Heyerdahl of Kon Tiki fame

Gen Quiz
11. This 2011 book by Ben Aaronovitch has a cast of colourful
characters including Father and Mama T, Lady Tyburn, Fleet,
Lea, Brent and Ash.
(A) Complete the title of the novel.
(B) What does the ’T’ in ‘Father and Mama T’ stand for?
The book cover may help.

Gen Quiz
A.
(a) Rivers of London
(b) Thames

Gen Quiz
A: Titles inspired by Shakespeare – (a) Hamlet and (b) Macbeth
(a)
(b)

Gen Quiz
13. Name these two confectionery items :-
(a) When the French mention a toned man’s six pack, they
often refer to this confectionery item, due to its visual
similarity
(b) The French term for this other confectionery item is
‘Barbe a Papa’ meaning ‘Daddy’s beard’.
A and B?

Gen Quiz
A. (a) Chocolate bar (Tablettes de Chocolat) (b)
Candyfloss/ Cotton Candy

Gen Quiz
14. Which two members of the world of flora and fauna
are known thus by Indonesians locally?
(a) Padma Raksasa
(b) Biawak Raksasa

Gen Quiz
A. (a) Rafflesia (b) Komodo Dragon

Gen Quiz
15. This hormone gets its name from the Latinized name of
the region of the organ from which it was first isolated.
Name the hormone and the region of the organ(named after
scientist seen in picture)

Gen Quiz
A. Insulin (Insula means island); Islets of Langerhans

Gen Quiz
16. The name of this Sanskrit Poet (X) is the same as the name of a month
in the Hindu Calendar. He is most famous for his epic poem Shishupala
Vadha, based on the beheading of Shishupala by Krishna.
According to one theory, he derived his name from an attempt to surpass
another poet (Y), whose name meant ‘The Sun’. A popular saying during
his era went ‘The lustre of the sun lasts until the advent of the coldest
month’ which was a clever pun meaning ‘The lustre of Y lasts until the
advent of X’.
X and Y?

Gen Quiz
A. X – Magha; Y - Bharavi

Gen Quiz
17. Canson (in picture) is a French paper-manufacturing company
which was previously called Canson and X. The story goes that
Person X was taken prisoner by the Turks during the Crusades and
was compelled to work in a paper mill in Damascus. There he
learned how to produce paper, and he brought the knowledge back
to Europe when he regained his freedom.
Who is X? How is X honoured in the logo of the company?

Gen Quiz
A. X – Montgolfier; The logo is a stylized balloon

Gen Quiz
18. Two related sportsmen X and Y (with same last name; famous
in different sports), share their names with two famous rival artists
respectively, who painted the works to follow.
The name X is a variant of artist 1’s name(which is cognate to the
English version of the name that we know him by). To clarify - The
artist is known by name X in the home country of the sportsmen.
Identify the two sportsmen (X and Y).

Gen Quiz
A. X - Miguel Angel Nadal (Artist 1 – Michelangelo);
Y - Rafael Nadal (Artist 2 – Raphael)

Gen Quiz
19. The beginning of the modern age of open water swimming (swimming
in outdoor bodies such as oceans, lakes and rivers) is sometimes taken to
be May 3, 1810. This was the date when person X (who particularly
enjoyed adventure relating to the sea) swam several miles to cross the
Hellespont from Europe to Asia. In doing so, X was trying to emulate
person Y’s legendary swims to meet his lover.
To commemorate this, the event is recreated every year as an open water
swimming competition.
X and Y?

Gen Quiz
A. X: Lord Byron; Y: Leander

Gen Quiz
20. Identify the bird in the video (a).
Its common nickname derives from what it appears
to be doing, when viewed from a distance. What is
the nickname (b).

Gen Quiz
A. (a) Jacana (b) Jesus bird

Gen Quiz
21. The building in the picture was originally designed by
Czech architect Jan Letzel as a product exhibition hall in 1915.
It was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in the year 1996,
in spite of opposition from American delegates. The United
States ultimately disassociated itself from the decision.
Where is this building/ How do we better know this World
Heritage site?

Gen Quiz
A. Hiroshima/ Hiroshima Peace Memorial/ Atomic dome/
Genbaku dome

Gen Quiz
22. What two word name was given to the image acquired by
the Voyager, that captured many members of the Solar
System? (many of us might have the associated object in our
homes)
The picture was a mosaic of 60 individual frames and was
also the source of the famous ‘Pale Blue Dot’ image of the
Earth.

Gen Quiz
23. Olivier Voutier, a French Naval officer who fought in the Greek War of
Independence, is credited with discovering this artwork in 1820.
In his book, ‘Disarmed – The story of ___________,’ author Gregory
Curtis writes about the discovery – “As Voutier and the two sailors were
digging, another man, a local farmer as it turned out, was also working
just twenty paces away, trying to remove the stones from an ancient wall
to use in a structure he was building on his farm. Voutier, glancing over
that way, noticed that the man had stopped digging for the moment and
was staring at something in a niche he had uncovered in the wall. His
posture was curious enough that Voutier went to look himself.”
What is the artwork in question?

Gen Quiz
24. This word meaning ‘a person's ability to distinguish
between and appreciate different flavours’, derives from
the fact that in ancient times, this part (of the human
body) and not the tongue was considered the seat of
taste. Hence the connotation.
What’s the word?

Gen Quiz
A. All inspired by works of Goya

Gen Quiz
26. In Northern Ireland, this was commonly used as a
Shibboleth between Catholics and Protestants, as Catholic
schools taught the pronunciation in one way and Protestant
schools the other way. In essence the two variants marked the
religious divide.
Kids in India are frequently chastised by their teachers
(elementary school) for pronouncing this ‘incorrectly’.
What are we talking about?

Gen Quiz
A. Pronunciation of the letter ‘H’ - As either ‘Aitch’ or
‘Haitch’

Gen Quiz
27. Torre delle Milizie (in pic) is a fortified tower in Rome. It
gets its popular nickname from an event, where a particular
person in the history of Rome was rumoured to have used this
as a vantage point.
Who / What nickname?

Gen Quiz
A. Nero’s tower – Supposed to have watched the Great fire of
Rome from this tower

Gen Quiz
28. Person A was initially nominated for the Best Original
Dramatic Score award for the Oscars held in 1973 (for the
movies of 1972), but his nomination was later rejected
because it was discovered that he had used music from an
earlier score. Person B ultimately went on to win the Oscar
along with Raymond Rasch (Posthumous) and Larry Russell
(Posthumous). This award happens to be B’s only competitive
Oscar.
A and B?

Gen Quiz
A. (a) Nino Rota (b) Charlie Chaplin for Limelight (This film
was originally screened in 1952, but it was not shown in Los
Angeles until 1972, at which point it became eligible for this
nomination)

Gen Quiz
29. What 5-letter Japanese word is the title of this map?

Gen Quiz
A. Onsen (‘Hot water springs’)

Gen Quiz
30. The production of this play, written by a British playwright, was
revived by the Finborough Theatre in London this year – this was
the first production in Britain in more than a century.
The theatre took the liberty of making a few additions to the
original script. As they expected the audience to anticipate the
arrival of a key scene with a mix of curiosity and dread, they added
a part where a female character lets out a farcical scream.
The production was very well received and was sold out through its
last performance on April 14th 2015, which was a key anniversary
for the play.
Name the play.

Gen Quiz
A. Our American Cousin; The female character lets out
the scream just at the moment when Mrs Lincoln was
said to have screamed after her husband was shot

Gen Quiz
31. According to the Oxford English dictionary, which
word has the most meanings, with its verb form alone
having a whopping 645 distinct meanings?
NY Times ran an article with visual clues on many of the
meanings of the word (in picture)
What is the good word?

Gen Quiz
A. Run – Has overtaken set

Gen Quiz
32. In the picture are three pairs of muscles in the lateral neck,
whose action elevates the ribs and helps laterally flex the neck from
side to side.
The collective name for this group derives from the Greek for
‘uneven’ as the pairs are all of differing length.
One might recall this term from high school mathematics.
What is the name of this group of muscles?

Gen Quiz
33. The Royal Mail in England chose to commemorate a
set of people in a series of stamps (in pic) in 2015.
Aptly, what day did they release these stamps on?

Gen Quiz
A. April Fool’s day (Apr 1) – All of them are comedians

Gen Quiz
34. A clip from a 1964 episode called “The Project Strigas
Affair”. Just identify this TV show.
Younger viewers should also be familiar with the name.

Gen Quiz
A. The Man From U.N.C.L.E

Gen Quiz
35. a) The Pittsburgh Penguins play their NHL (Ice
Hockey) home matches in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena.
What is the popular nickname of this venue?

Gen Quiz
35. b) In the picture is the mascot of an English Cricket
County. The name is both a play on the name of the
county and an attribute of the animal. What?

Gen Quiz
36. The structure you see in the visual is called the ‘Three Countries
Bridge’, because it lies between three countries. It is the world's
longest single-span bridge dedicated exclusively to carrying
pedestrians and cyclists.
The Latin name of the city whose Metropolitan area this lies in was
“Regio TriRhena” reflecting the heritage of the three states.
Which city?

Gen Quiz
37. Name this museum that is located in Washington D.C.
The night time photo might be more useful than the day time
one.

Gen Quiz
A. National Geographic Museum

Gen Quiz
38. Blue was chosen as the colour for the U.N. Flag because it
‘opposite’ colour of red .
This country’s flag’s light blue backdrop was originally
influenced by the flag of the United Nations, in recognition of
the UN's role in the country’s transition to independence
during the trusteeship period. Which nation?

Gen Quiz
39. The Angouleme International Comics Festival is the second largest
comics festival in Europe. The four-day festival is notable for awarding
several prestigious prizes in cartooning.
The awards at Angouleme were originally called the Alfred awards, after
the pet auk from Zig et Puce, the famous Franco-Belgian comic. However
in 1989, the name was changed to the X awards, which both sounded like
Alfred and was also a dedication to the work of another Belgian.
The name also fit because the organizers were recognizing the efforts of
artists.
X?

Gen Quiz
40. The Maqluba is a traditional dish of Jordan and Palestine. The
dish includes meat, rice and fried vegetables placed in a pot and is
named after the manner in which it is served.
What does Maqluba mean?

QFIesta 2015 Aug 16th Gen quiz - Prelims

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QFIesta 2015 Aug 16th Gen quiz - Prelims