KQA

MAHAQUIZZER
ANSWERS
The 2008 edition

Name:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Organization/Institution:
………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Category: Open/School/College/Ladies

Rules

No negative marking
Time allowed: 90 minutes

/

ed questions will resolve ties
Wait for start signal
Use of cell phones is not permitted
No half marks for any question

Supported by
The W.Q. Judge Press, Bangalore
QFI-Chennai
K-Circle & Hyderabad Quiz Club
The Boat Club Quiz Club, Pune
The Bombay Quiz Club
IIT-Delhi Quiz Club and Kutub Quizzers
PS Senior Secondary School, Mylapore, Chennai
International School of Business & Media, Kolkata
TCS Bhubaneshwar
Persistent Systems Ltd, Pune
Govt. College for Women, Trivandrum
Landmark Bookshop, Mumbai

:
TOTAL STARS


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 The Latin word for "cut off" is currently used in Cartesian geometry
to refer to the x-axis. The same word is used in a more general
 1 sense of the horizontal distance on the x-axis. What's the word? Abscissa
It is a victory condition in wrestling that is met by holding an
opponent's shoulders or shoulder blades on the wrestling mat for a
prescribed period of time. Situations which almost but not fully
meet this condition, for example only one shoulder down are
rewarded with points to encourage wrestlers to take risks. Name
 2 this 3-letter term. Pin
What major event in world history happened on June 28th 1919,
on the 5th anniversary of the assassination of Archduke Franz
 3 Ferdinand? Treaty of Versailles
Distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic, it is widely fished
commercially and identified by a black lateral line running along its
white side and a distinctive dark blotch above the pectoral fin, often
4 described as the "Devil's thumbprint" or "St. Peter's mark". It is the
main ingredient of Norwegian fishballs and of the classic Anglo-
 * Indian kedgeree. Name the fish. Haddock
Its name comes from Greek roots meaning "food of the gods" and
a suffix denoting it is an alkaloid. Despite its name, it does not
contain the element which is part of its name. Name this chemical
contained in cocoa and chocolate which now has multiple Theobromine
 5 therapeutic and pharmacological uses. (Theobroma is wrong)
Originally a talisman against evil, this symbol was used in the
courts of Vikramaditya and Akbar. Now it is also used to classify
 6 specific Public Sector Undertakings. What? Navratna / Navrattan
The Dutch word for a donkey is often used in the world of art
because it serves the same purpose of carrying a burden. What's
 7 the good word? Easel
What 5-letter word refers to both the constitutional capital of Bolivia
and to the currency of Ecuador before it was changed to the US
 8 Dollar in 2000? Sucre
Which adventurer is depicted on the front side of the New Zealand
 9 5 dollar note? Edmund Hillary
Manoj Bajpai has won the National Film Awards for acting twice in
his career. One was for his portrayal of Bhiku Matre in Satya.
Which movie, based on an Amrita Pritam novel, earned him his
 10 second win? Pinjar
In a recent poll conducted by Daily Telegraph, the E-Type was
voted as the most beautiful car ever. Which company that started
life as Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool manufactured the
 11 E-Type between 1961 and 1974? Jaguar
It is commonly thought of as a jellyfish but is actually a colony of
polyps and medusoids. It has an air bladder or sail that allows it to
float on the surface of the ocean. It has no means of propulsion
and is pushed by the winds and the current. It gets its name from Portuguese Man O'War
its air bladder, which looks similar to the sails of a fighting ship of (accept Man O'War &
 12 the 14th and 15th centuries. Name the creature. Manowar)
Nicknamed "short, fat _______", this predator scored 365 goals in
427 league games and 68 times in 62 internationals. When he was
signed by his club, the coach mocked his odd build, quipping:
"What am I supposed to do with a weightlifter?" because of his
 13 massive thighs, short legs and barrel-like upper body. Who? Gerd Mueller
The initial proposed name was Laboratory for the Development of
Substitute Materials. General Leslie Groves, mindful of such a
name attracting undue attention, changed it to a more innocuous
 14 one. What? Manhattan Project
Identify based on these clues: has won many Filmfare awards
including Best Villain award in 1998; paternal grandmother was the
 15 sister of Ashok/Anoop/Kishore Kumar; maternal grandmother was Kajol

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 one of the stars of the early days of sound in the Indian film
industry.
It is also known as "devil's dung", "devil's herb", "stinking gum",
"food of the gods" and "giant fennel". Its English and scientific
name is derived from a combination of the Persian word for resin
and a Latin word which refers to its strong sulfurous odor (the Asafoetida / Hing / Ingu /
 16 reason for its many unpleasant names). What? Kaayam
It is form of tribal dance found in West Bengal, Jharkhand and
Orissa. Seraikella, Purulia and Mayurbhanj are the three subtypes.
17 It has martial and folk aspects, was originally performed in the
month of Chaitra and is characterized by the use of masks. Name
 * it. Chau / Chhau
What usually consists of 3-5 violins, 2-3 trumpets, 1-2 vihuelas (5
stringed guitars), 1-2 Mexican guitars, and a guitarron (a bass
 18 instrument)? Mariachi
Which was the German expeditionary force led by General Erwin Afrika Korps / North
Rommel during World War II across Egypt and Libya that earned Afrika Korps / Africa
 19 him the nickname "Desert Fox"? Corps
In paleontology, a Lazarus taxon refers to one that disappears
from one or more periods of the fossil record, only to appear again
later. Similarly, what name is given to a taxon that is believed to be
 20 extinct but is falsely claimed by someone to still exist? Elvis Taxon / Elvis
Appointed as the Governor of New South Wales, he faced the
second major rebellion of his life in the form of the Rum Rebellion Captain Bligh / William
 21 led by Major George Johnston, and John Macarthur. Who? Bligh
He is considered to be one of the best short story writers of the
19th Century, writing realistically about the horrors of war. But he is
most famous for being the author of a 1906 book, originally
 22 published as The Cynic's Word Book. Who? Ambrose Bierce
His nickname which he initially disliked came about in the 60s
when he was in his youth and he was given the job of collecting his
band's nightly pay and distributing it amongst the band members.
Consequently the rest of the band jokingly referred to him as "___ Bruce Springsteen (The
 23 ____". Name him. Boss is wrong)
Back in the 18th century, Eton College had a grammar book which
listed a set of words from Latin which all meant "of little or no
value". As a joke, somebody put all four of these together and Floccinaucinihilipilification
created a new word. The first recorded use is by William (minor spelling variations
 24 Shenstone in 1741. What word? will be accepted)
In mid 2005, Vanity Fair put a name and face to what they called
"one of American democracy's heroes". His experience as an anti-
Nazi spy hunter early in his career endowed him with a bag of
counter-intelligence tricks and is believed to have helped him keep W Mark Felt / Deep
 25 his identity a secret from federal agencies. Who? Throat
Connect: a policeman, an American Indian chief, a cowboy, a
 26 construction worker, a leatherman and a military man. The Village People
In chronological order - Newport Casino, Newport; Forest Hills,
New York; Germantown Cricket Club, Philadelphia; Forest Hills, Flushing Meadows (US
 27 New York; ___ ___, New York. Fill in the two-word blank. Open will not do)
In 1987, John Knoll wrote an image viewer called Display. His
brother, Thomas Knoll was quite impressed with it, and the two
brothers collaborated to spruce it up into a full-fledged image editor
called ImagePro. This name did not last long, and with a changed
name, the brothers gave a demo in Silicon Valley, and thus began
 28 this product's journey. Identify the product. Photoshop
This crystalline form of Aluminium Oxide is 9.0 on the Mohs scale.
It is used largely as an abrasive. Name this rock forming mineral Corundum (Carborundum
 29 which gets its name from a word in Tamil. is wrong)
Derived from the plural of the Arabic word for "boundary", which is
the only African language among the official languages of the
 30 African Union? Swahili

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 It is a Hindu dynasty which ruled parts of western and central India
between the 10th and 13th centuries AD. It was a patron of the
seaside temple of Shiva at Somnath: one of its kings Bhima Dev
helped rebuild the temple after it was sacked by Mahmud of
Ghazni. His son Karandev established a city named Karnavati on
 31 the banks of the Sabarmati River. Which dynasty? Solanki
Mohan Rakesh's Ashad ka ek din, Surendra Varma's Athavan
Sarga and Krishna Kumar's Asti Kashchid Vagarthiyam are plays
 32 depicting the less known life of which litterateur? Kalidas
It is a genus containing a large number of tall perennial grasses,
which have stout, jointed and fibrous stalks which are rich in an
edible crystalline substance which is associated with many
ailments. Its cultivation requires a tropical or subtropical climate. Sugarcane (Sugar is
 33 India is the world's second largest cultivator of this grass. Name it. wrong)
That his younger brother Weiland died in the Vietnam war; that it
was Steve McQueen who encouraged him to take acting classes;
that he acted as Bruce Lee's nemesis in Way of the Dragon; that
he is an "Honorary Marine" - these are some ascertained facts
 34 about which person? Chuck Norris
This construction material's name comes from a Latin word
meaning "hardened". It solidifies and hardens after mixing with
water and placement due to a chemical process known as
hydration. It is used more than any other man-made material: more
than seven billion cubic meters per year. It powers a US$35-billion
industry worldwide, with China consuming 40% of the world's Concrete (Cement is
 35 production. What? wrong)
Enma-gao, meaning "a face like that of Enma" is an idiom
commonly used in Japan to describe someone with a fearsome
face. Enma is a character in Japanese mythology portrayed as a
large man with a scowling red face, bulging eyes and a long beard.
Which character common in Hindu and Buddhist mythologies is
 36 Enma the Japanese version of? Yama
The term is used to refer to an employee who lives on the
premises of an apartment building or hotel and serves as a
caretaker. The term evolved from French for "Keeper of the
37 Candles", who tended to visiting nobles in castles of the medieval
era. The equivalent in Spanish speaking regions is portera. What
 * term? Concierge
It is a bootloader for Linux, a nickname for Lindsey Lohan, a type
of tax shelter, a configuration for a road intersection, and the name
of a Hawaiian girl who is a title character in a Disney sci-fi
 38 animated film. What? Lilo
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronáutica, is a Brazilian aerospace
conglomerate which produces commercial, military, and corporate
aircraft. Among all aircraft manufacturers, it currently has the fourth
largest yearly delivery of commercial aircraft. What is the company
 39 known as in short? Embraer
From 1981 to 1983, Douglas Hofstadter (of Godel, Escher, Bach
fame) wrote a column named Metamagical Themas in the
Scientific American magazine. The name of the column is an
anagram of the famous Martin Gardner column that it replaced.
 40 What was Gardner's column called? Mathematical Games
He was accompanying King Abdullah, his grandfather, to perform
Friday prayers at Jerusalem, when a Palestinian extremist opened
fire killing the King. The boy's father Talal was crowned as King,
but within a year was forced to abdicate because of poor mental
 41 health. The boy was proclaimed king at the age of 16. Name him. King Hussein (of Jordan)
The "Festival of the Kiss" is celebrated in Roquemaure, France. It
commemorates the arrival of the village's most famous historical
resident's mortal remains to a town reliquary in 1868, many
centuries after his death. Celebrations revolve around a return to a
 42 19th century way of life, including costumes and markets, drawing St. Valentine
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 more than 20,000 visitors every year. Who was this resident?
The term literally means "pearl of irregular shape". It is used
denote a stylistic period in art & music, approximately between
1600 and 1750, and usually associated with Europe. It is seen as
following the Renaissance period and preceding the Classical. The
 43 term only acquired currency in English in the 1940s. What? Baroque
The name of this country is the Spanish word for "depths". Legend
has it that Columbus wrote in his log book "Gracias a Dios que
hemos salido de esas _____", translating to "Thank God, we have
come out of those depths." when he spotted its northeastern coast.
 44 Which country? Honduras
Used to refer to people or works that are experimental or
innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics, this
word has its origins in the French military and was used to refer to
a small troop of highly skilled soldiers that would explore terrain
ahead of a large advancing army and plot the course for the army
 45 to follow. What hyphenated word is this? Avant-Garde
There is only one extant family and one genus of these mammals.
They are found in tropical regions of Africa and Asia. Their name
derives from a Malay word which means "something that rolls up".
They spend most of the daytime sleeping, curled up into a ball.
They are marked by large, hardened, plate-like scales. Name the
 46 animal. Pangolin
He began his career as a cinematographer, after graduating from
Shree Jayachamarajendra polytechnic, Bangalore, 1962. The first
feature film photographed and co-produced by him was Shantata!
Court Chalu Ahe. His most recent movie paired Om Puri and
 47 Amitabh Bachchan for the first time in their careers. Who? Govind Nihalini
The word for island or peninsula in Arabic is used to refer to many
things, including the Arabian peninsula, a settlement in Sharjah
and a major Arabic television network and channel based in Qatar.
 48 Which national capital also gets its name from the same root? Algiers
It is a clause in a life insurance or accident policy whereby the
company agrees to pay twice the face-value of the contract in
cases of accidental death. As only a small percentage of deaths in
the United States are declared accidental, such clauses are
usually relatively cheap and often aggressively marketed,
 49 especially to people over 45. What is the clause called? Double Indemnity
Gastropod species which have an external shell large enough to
allow the soft parts to withdraw into it are called "snails". What are
 50 gastropods without a shell, or with very small internal shells called? Slugs
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 Wizard of Oz
 51 "amplifying" technology, to be someone powerful. What story? (Experiment)
Which Hollywood actor, called "The King of Cool" and once the
highest paid actor, has also been inducted both into the Off-Road
Motorsports Hall of Fame (1978) as well as the Motorcycle Hall of
 52 Fame (1999)? Steve McQueen
There are three countries in the world which are totally landlocked
and which share a border with only one other country. Two are
 53 Lesotho and Vatican City. Which is the third country? San Marino
It is a profiled wheel with teeth that meshes with a chain, track or
54 other perforated or indented material. It is distinguished from a
gear in that it is never meshed together directly, and from a pulley
 * by not usually having a flange at each side. What is it? Sprocket
In March 2008, he became the third man (after Richard Gere and
George Clooney) and the first sportsman to appear on the cover of
 55 Vogue magazine. His appearance in a King Kong pose created LeBron James / LBJ

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 controversy about stereotyping blacks as gorillas. Who?
Mansoor Ali Khan (Tiger) Pataudi is regarded as titular inheritor of
the crowns of two erstwhile princely states. One is from his father,
Iftikhar Ali: Pataudi. The other one is from his mother, Sajida
 56 Sultan. Which? Bhopal
Raja Maharaj Singh was the first post-independence Governor of
Bombay. He has also played one first-class cricket match,
captaining Bombay Governor's XI against a touring Oldest first class debut /
Commonwealth XI, in which he was dismissed by Jim Laker for the Oldest to play first class
 57 score of 4 runs. What first class record does he thus hold? cricket
Originating from the Latin word for a small cave, it was used to
describe decorative interlaced garlands and strange animal figures
on walls. Later, the word was used to refer to characters in
literature that invoke both empathy and disgust. Today though, it is
used mainly to refer to anything strange, ugly or bizarre. What
 58 word? Grotesque
Born Thyagaraja Sundaram at Tirukkuvalai village in Thanjavur
district, influenced by the Dravida movement he changed his
Sanskritised name to a pure Tamil name. When he started
scriptwriting, there were three other persons in his field with the
same name. To distinguish himself from them, he prefixed the
DMK mouthpiece's name to his name as he was then its editor.
 59 Who? Murasoli Maran
This term was coined by Richard Feynman to refer to work that
had the semblance of being scientific, but lacked integrity. He
based the phrase on a concept common in anthropology used to
60 refer to primitive tribes that try and attract the attention of non-
native advanced tribes for material benefit arising from the contact. Cargo Cult / Cargo Cult
 * What term? Science
Born in Casablanca, she was the first Muslim and African female
Olympic champion. The King of Morocco declared that all girls
born the day of her victory were to be named in her honour. She
was president of the IOC's commission for selecting the host for
the 2012 games and one of the eight flag bearers at the 2006
 61 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. Name her. Nawal El Moutawakel
Which 2003 work of fiction that won international acclaim (the
Whitbread award and the Commonwealth Prize) deals with The Curious Incident of
 62 symptoms of the Asperger's Disorder? the Dog in the Night Time
This novel, whose title means "one who has attained his goals" in
Sanskrit, deals with the spiritual journey of a Brahmin's son (the
title character) and his friend Govinda. It was also made into a
critically acclaimed movie which was extensively shot in Rishikesh
and the private estates and palaces of the Maharajah of Bharatpur.
 63 Identify. Siddhartha
In the mid 19th Century editions of the Encyclopedia Britannica,
which expert contributor wrote the article on Egypt, which included
64 his translation of the text on the Rosetta Stone? Apart from being
an Egyptologist he also made path-breaking contributions in optics
 * and mechanics. Thomas Young
His name comes from two consecutive musical notes. A
pseudonym that he adopted last year was a tribute to Ayrton
Senna. He is also the frontman of a band called thenewno2. Who
 65 am I talking about? Dhani Harrison
In particle physics what name is given to the elementary particles
that cause quarks to interact, and are indirectly responsible for the
binding of protons and neutrons together in the nucleus of the
 66 atom? Gluons
A chemical engineer by profession, he was responsible for setting
67 up the Thorium and the Plutonium plants at Trombay and the
Uranium Mill at Jaduguda. He was chairman of the Atomic Energy
 ** Commission when India had its first peaceful nuclear explosion in Homi N. Sethna

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 1974. Who?
She was born Jane Alice Peters. At her untimely death, FDR
declared her the first woman killed in the line of duty during WWII
and posthumously awarded her the Presidential Medal of
 68 Freedom. Name the actress. Carole Lombard
The first 8 lines is called the octave and rhymes as follows: a-b-b-
a-a-b-b-a. The last 6 lines is called the sestet and can have
rhyming patterns arranged in a variety of ways, e.g. c-d-e-c-d-e, c-
d-c-c-d-c, c-d-c-d-c-d, though strictly speaking, an ending with a
69 couplet (d-d or e-e) was never permitted in Italy. This form of verse
is referred to by the name of one of its most famous exponents.
 * Who? Petrarch
This 1984 movie won 8 Oscar awards. It was based on a stage
play written in 1979, which itself was inspired by a short play by
Aleksandr Pushkin. The Pushkin play was also adapted into an
opera of the same name by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov. Name the
 70 film. Amadeus
This Padma Bhushan recipient was born in Bengal in 1887 into a
middle-class family of land-owners. He was sent at 16 to study at
the Govt. School of Art in Kolkata. He was taught to paint in the
71 prevailing academic tradition but he realized that he needed to
draw inspiration from his own culture and so he looked to folk and
 * tribal art. His paintings have featured on Indian stamps. Who? Jamini Roy
The Chinese emperor Yao despaired at his son Danzhu's
behaviour, and commanded his minister Shun to take charge of
the boy. Shun came up with a game to instill discipline,
concentration and balance in the prince. It soon gained popularity,
especially among generals to map war positions. It is now
 72 popularly known by a non-Chinese name. Identify. Go
The movie My Blueberry Nights by Wong Kar-wai marks the acting
 73 debut of which singer? Norah Jones
The American version of this dessert is normally made in a tall
clear glass so as to make all the layers visible: ice-cream, syrups,
nuts, fresh fruit, whipped cream and cherry topping. It takes its Parfait (American Parfait
 74 name from the French word for 'perfect'. What? will also do)
What is Italian for "baked earth", the most prolific use of which was
 75 discovered by farmers in Xian, China in 1974? Terracotta
Claude Vorilhon started off as a singer, and soon became a sports-
car journalist and test driver for his own car-racing magazine, Auto
Pop. Later on, claiming to have met aliens, he changed his name
and started a "religion" whose beliefs center around materialism,
 76 human cloning, and nanotechnology. Identify this religion. Rael / Raelism
Directed by Sergei Bondarchuk, and produced with the backing of
the Soviet Union, this movie took seven years to make. The work
paid off though, when this eight hour epic won the Oscar for Best
Foreign Language Film in 1969. Identify this movie, based on a
 77 novel of the same name. War and Peace
Published as an international standard ISO 2108 in 1970, it used to
be 10 digits before 1st January 2007 and 13 digits since then. In
the 10-digit version, the last digit must range from 0 to 10 (the
symbol X is used instead of 10). In the 13-digit version, the last
digit must range from 0 to 9. In both cases the last digit is a "check"
 78 digit. What is this describing? ISBN number
After a stint in the USA to study, he returned to India and became
active in the freedom movement. He helped form a left-wing group
in the INC, which later became the Socialist Party. He quit politics
for some years to serve the Sarvodaya movement and in 1965 was
awarded the Magsaysay Award. Later he returned to politics and in
spite of his age became popular with students and led the Jayprakash Narayan
 79 Sampurna Kranti movement. Who? (accept JP)

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 Colloquially referred to as Y Ddraig Goch meaning "The Red
Dragon", it is sometimes claimed to be the oldest national flag still
 80 in use. Identify the country. Wales
Her first appearance on the silver screen was as part of a bevy of
dancers in the 1961 Telugu movie Pandava Vanavasam. She had
to wait seven more years for her next role, but this one catapulted
her to fame. Her directorial debut was a TV serial called Noopur,
which was about a Bharathanatyam dancer going to America.
 81 Who? Hema Malini
82 The word comes from Latin and means "capable of being steered".
It was used as a synonym for airships, which were the first aircraft
 ** to make controlled, powered flight. What word? Dirigible
Snekke, Dragon and Roskilde were the three different types. The
best preserved specimens are the Tune, the Gokstad and the Viking or Norse
 83 Oseberg, kept at the Bygdøy Museum in Oslo. What are these? Longships / Longships
The order Coleoptera (meaning "sheathed wing") is estimated to
have anything between 5 to 8 million species, prompting
evolutionary biologist JBS Haldane to famously remark that God
had an inordinate fondness for these creatures. How do we better
 84 know the order Coleoptera? Beetles
It is a 6-letter name meaning "wooded" or "forest" and it is also the
genus of warbler birds. Famous people in literature and history
with this name include the mother of the founders of Rome, a
 85 character in Two Gentlemen of Verona and a poetess. What? Sylvia / Silvia
An interesting story of how the contraption got its name comes
from a biography of Sir Winston Churchill: to disguise the device,
drawings were marked "water carriers for Russia." When it was
pointed out this might be shortened to "WCs for Russia," the
drawings were changed to "water _____ for Russia." Eventually
 86 that's what the device became known as. What? Tanks
Originally, this term was used in classical music to refer to a short
melody associated with a particular person, place or idea. By
extension, it now refers to a recurring theme in various fields: like
 87 in literature or real life. What term? Leitmotif
This transnational corporation headquartered in London, started in
Liverpool in the early 19th century. It is one of the largest property
88 developers in Hong Kong, the largest shareholder in Cathay
Pacific, and a key bottler for Coca Cola in HK, Taiwan, China and
 ** parts of USA. Name the group. Swire Group
At the same time that Jean Luc Godard was shooting Breathless,
another soon-to-be-released American movie was being made,
with the same working title, which probably evoked how the hero
felt throughout the movie. What was its eventual title of the
 89 American movie? North By Northwest
Early settlers in America happened to notice the mating habits of
the prairie-chicken. They would usually gather in one area, with the
males strutting around and making noises as part of the courtship
90 ritual. Over time, these areas would be worn bare by the antics of
the birds. It now is used to denote places where people come from
 * or call home. What? Stomping Ground
He is a novelist and physician, whose 2003 debut novel became a
surprise bestseller. He is currently a Goodwill Envoy for the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and lives in California
with his Persian-American wife and their two children. His second
 91 novel was released in 2007. Name him. Khaled Hosseini
It is the common name for a group of flowering plants
characterized by leaves with sharp prickles all over the plant, such
as on the stem and leaves. This prickly nature has made it the
 92 national emblems of Scotland and fictional Syldavia. What? Thistle
In March 2008, Mark Zuckerberg, at the age of 23, became the
 93 youngest self-made billionaire to find his name in the Forbes Facebook

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 Billionaire List. He is the founder of which popular enterprise?
In April 1961, this inlet became the site of a famous failure. It is
named in English after a farm animal, whereas it should probably
 94 be named after a species of triggerfish. What place? Bay of Pigs
The town is about 80 miles southwest of Denver. A peculiarity is
that it is almost always winter there and usually snow on the
ground. The town flag was changed from the racist image of white
people lynching a black man, to a politically correct one featuring a
black man being lynched by people of all races and nationalities,
 95 including another black man. Name the town. Southpark
Kulbushan Pandit joined the Bombay police force and became an
Inspector at the Mahim Police Station in the 1940s. Given his
irreverence to senior officers, he knew that he did not stand much
of a chance of quickly rising through the ranks. So he made a
 96 drastic career change. By what name do we know him better? Raaj Kumar / Raj Kumar
A 1969 article in the Time magazine starts thus: "It could be
argued that the world does not need a new science, but Laurence
J. ___, a professor of education at the University of Southern
California, has invented one. He calls it hierarchiology...". How do
 97 we better know "hierarchiology"? Peter Principle
He was born in Alwar district of Rajasthan in the year 1501. His
father was a purohit who moved to Rewari in present day Haryana
and became a trader. He rose to become a military chief of Adil
Shah Suri. He opportunistically managed to get control of Delhi
following which his coronation took place at Purana Quila on 7th
 98 Oct 1556. Who? Hemu
Situated on the Silk Road, it was the capital of the Hephtalite
kingdom. It is the cultural centre of the Hazara ethnic group and
once one of the most visited places in Afghanistan. It shot into
 99 prominence in 2001. Name this place. Bamiyan
The bricks used to build this building were brought from Burma.
The building had seven wings, with a central tower. The wings
forked out of the tower in straight lines, much like the spokes of a
bicycle wheel. A large bell was kept in the tower to raise an alarm
in any eventuality. What nickname did this building have, which Kala Pani (Cellular Jail is
 100 evoked the deep seas and a sense of exile? wrong)
In Nov 2007, paying $319 million, the Saudi Prince Al-Walid bin Airbus 380 / A-380
 101 Talal became the world's first private buyer of what? (Super Jumbo is wrong)
There is no contention on what the meaning of the country's name
means. Exactly what it refers to is controversial: it might refer to
the long, hanging roots of a particular variety of fig-tree which is
indigenous to the island, to a facial feature of the Caribs inhabiting
the island, or to the foam spraying over the outlying reefs. Which
 102 country? Barbados
In the center of the bronze disc, on a raised circle, is the lion
capital. Surrounding this, four depictions of Indra's Vajra. This
decoration is suspended from a bar. Its name is on the back of the
disc in Hindi and English, separated by lotus flowers. The ribbon
 103 which holds the disc is of 32mm length and purple in colour. What? Param Vir Chakra
He was the last male player from the UK to have reached the
104 singles finals in Wimbledon. He was one of the earliest to discard
the traditional flannels for shorts, a move that made him a heart-
 ** throb. Identify him. Bunny Austin
"He approaches life as he does the chessboard: the gambits
fascinate him without leading him to imagining that there is a
meaning behind it all which might make it necessary for him to
105 believe in something", so said Hans Richter about a famous artist,
who quit the art scene at the peak of his powers and turned to
 * playing and studying the game of chess. Identify the artist. Marchel Duchamp
Who, upon hearing of Jimi Hendrix's death is rumoured to have
 106 remarked, "Goddamn it. He beat me to it!". Not by much it turns Janis Joplin

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 out, as this person died barely three weeks later, overdosing on
heroin.
This term was coined by Indian sociologist M N Srinivas in a 1955
paper titled The Social System of a Mysore Village. He used it to
refer to the political influence a patron had over his client. The
anthropologist F G Bailey popularized its use to refer to caste
107 politics, but it has now come to describe the politics of other
community characteristics like religion, language, economic status.
 * What term? Vote-bank
This bird is known as Maldhok in vernacular tongue. Spread
across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, this bird is
now threatened by incessant loss of habitat. Name this bird, which
 108 Salim Ali had proposed to be the national bird of India. The Great Indian Bustard
Her name is Latin for "newfoundland". Her most famous captain
Robert F. Scott described her as "a wonderfully fine ice ship.... As
she bumped the floes with mighty shocks, crushing and grinding a
way through some, twisting and turning to avoid others, she
 109 seemed like a living thing fighting a great fight." Name? Terra Nova
Victims of the Biotic Baking Brigade (BBB), an anarchist
organization, include such figures as Bill Gates, San Francisco
mayor Willie Brown, anti-gay preacher Fred Phelps, economist
Milton Friedman, Swedish King Carl Gustaf, former WTO head
Renato Ruggiero, and Ralph Nader, among others. What do the
 110 BBB do? Throw pies at victims
The name "Australia" was popularized by a navigator and
cartographer who also sailed with Captain Bligh. After Queen
Victoria, his statues are the second most numerous in Australia.
 111 Who? Matthew Flinders
It is the fourth largest city in Ukraine, and a major sea port on the
Black Sea. The formal entrance into the city from the direction of
the sea is its best known landmark, and is actually named after the
French nobleman Duc de Richelieu, though people tend to know it
better by the name of a naval vessel, thanks to a famous movie. Odessa (Potemkin is
 112 Identify the city. wrong)
Russian-born American Ida Rosenthal is often considered as the
inventor of the brassiere. She was also the first to come up with
113 the concept of cup sizes. What company did she found along with
her husband William Rosenthal and Enid Bissett, the owner of the
 * dress shop she worked at? Maidenform
An officer in the New Hampshire Public Health Service authored a
book titled 101 Ways to Survive the ___ Crisis. The book claimed
to be a vital resource on things ranging from preserving food to
safeguarding financial assets. The book sold well initially, but sales
plummeted later. An interesting review on Amazon was "I'm writing
 114 this review on January 3rd... 'nuff said!". What was book about? Y2K
The M998 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles 4WD
motor vehicles are used as cargo/troop carriers, automatic
weapons platforms, ambulances, missile carriers and for many
other roles. What are these military vehicles specifically known as Humvee (Hummer is
 115 in short? wrong)
It gets its name from a French word meaning "to toss food". It
originated in the area around present day Nice. It was originally a
poor farmer's dish, prepared in the summer with fresh summer
vegetables. The original used only courgettes, tomatoes, bell
peppers, onion, and garlic. Nowadays aubergine is added. Name
 116 the dish. Ratatouille
He has translated Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Clandestine in Chile
into Bengali, is said to be able to quote from memory 500 songs of
Tagore, lives in a two-bedroom flat in south Kolkata with his
librarian wife and daughter, doesn't have a cellphone, and is
addicted to cigarettes. He is usually clad in white dhoti and kurta.
 117 Who? Buddhadeb Bhattacharya
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 It is supposed to be the most common place name in the world.
Two of the more well known such places are the capital city of a
Central American country, and the tenth largest city in the United
 118 States. Name? San Jose
Its inventor Jack Cover derived its name from a similar object used
by his childhood hero in a science fiction novel. The primary
models for the police are the M26 and the X26. The civilian variant
 119 is the C2. What? Taser
The dictionary defines this word as: of or relating to rogues or
rascals; also: of, relating to, suggesting, or being a type of fiction
dealing with the episodic adventures of a usually roguish
protagonist. The Betal Pachisi, Candide, Kim, The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn and the Flashman novels are all quoted as
 120 examples of this type of fiction. Name it. Picaresque
In October 1884, at the behest of US President Chester Arthur, 25
nations met at the International Meridian Conference, and selected
Greenwich Meridian as the official Prime Meridian. One country
abstained from the vote, and thus until 1914, the world had two
 121 Prime Meridians. Name the city with the other Prime Meridian. Paris
Which river, originating in the Eastern Satpuras and running a
 122 length of 724km, is named after the daughter of Lord Surya? Tapti / Tapi
In July 1996, who became only the third batsman in cricket Test
history to score two centuries in his first two innings, the first two
 123 being Lawrence Rowe and Alvin Kallicharan? Saurav Ganguly
It had limited practical use, until the "Double-Walled Flexible Skirt"
was developed by American Norman B. McCreary. This made it
possible to travel over uneven terrain or waves. Later "fingers"
were added to the bottom of the skirt to compensate for wear and
 124 reduce drag. What? Hovercraft
The word is derived from the Ojibwe word odoodem meaning
"kinship group". The designs recount legends, clan lineages,
cultural beliefs and notable events. They are never objects of
worship. Vertical order of images is widely believed to be a
representation of importance, hence its usage in common parlance
 125 nowadays. What? Totem Pole / Totem
______ wool comes from the downy coat produced by the ______
rabbit. It is distinct from mohair which comes from the ______
goat. It known for its softness and thin fibres. Fill in the common
 126 blank, which indicates its origin, a city in Turkey. Angora
This 3-word term refers to a peninsula of East Africa that juts for
hundreds of kilometers into the Arabian Sea, and lies along the
southern side of the Gulf of Aden. The term also refers to region
containing the countries of Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia.
 127 It is one of two entirely arid Biodiversity Hotspots. What? Horn of Africa
Not even on the list of the world’s top 10 wind-turbine
manufacturers as recently as 2002, Suzlon is now in the top five. It
was started by a Gujarati textile businessman who found his
128 prospects stunted due to power problems. In 1990, he invested in
two windmills and realized wind-power's huge potential. In 1995,
 * he formed Suzlon and gradually quit textiles. Name this billionaire. Tulsi Tanti
This adage was coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (of "dark and
stormy night" fame) in 1839 for his play Richelieu; Or the
129 Conspiracy. But the list-obsessed Irving Wallace managed to dig
up many instances previous to Bulwer-Lytton's work that seem to The Pen is Mightier Than
 * allude to the same adage. What? the Sword
A form of Fuller's Earth, its cosmetic property comes from hydrated
aluminium silicate. Fashionable as a cleanser and face mask, it
gets its name from a city on the banks of the river Chenab. Identify
 130 this cosmetic. Multani Mitti
In Madagascar they are called pousse-pousse, they were Rickshaw (also accept
 131 introduced in Dublin in 1996, and the colourful ones run by Zulus in cycle rickshaw / human

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 Durban are very popular with tourists. In India, there have been rickshaw)
attempts to ban them, and specifically the West Bengal
government did ban them in Nov 2006. What?
This Japanese city noted in '06 that a certain person had become
very well known and decided to use their common name for
publicity. It sent that person a set of the city’s famous lacquer
chopsticks, a DVD about the city and a letter wishing him the best.
As the person became even more popular in early '08, it began to
 132 organize parties, posters and T-shirts in support. Name the town. Obama
This city in Southern Egypt is the site of the ancient city of Thebes.
It is often called the "world's greatest open air museum". Apart
from visits to the various temple ruins found in this city, another
popular tourist activity is to take the trains along the Nile, either
towards Aswan in the South and or Cairo in the North. Name the
 133 city. Luxor
The administrative capital of the Nicobar district shares its name
with the third smallest state in Malaysia and a water body that
connects the Pacific Ocean with the Indian Ocean. The etymology
is supposedly either the Sanskrit word for a particular plant, or the
 134 Tamil word for "upside down". Identify. Malacca
In economics, the word is used to indicate a hypothetical "any-
product". In computing, it denotes software components for web
services, mini-applications and user interface objects in graphical
 135 user interfaces. What? Widget
This eminent dancer is the youngest person to be awarded the
Padma Bhushan (1992). She is proficient in Sanskrit & German
and the founder of Delhi based Centre For Indian Classical
Dances. Prakash Jha made a National Award winning film based
 136 on her, released in 2002. Name her. Sonal Mansingh
"Leaves of three, let it be; berries white, danger in sight" or
"Leaves of three let it be; hairy vine, no friend of mine": these are
 137 identification mnemonics for what? Poison Ivy
In Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh, the mother of the
protagonist Moraes "Moor" Zogoiby is a famous artist by name of
 138 Aurora. On which Hungary-born painter is this character modeled? Amrita Sher-gil
It is a type of wire that is formed in large coils which can be
contracted like the musical instrument from which it gets its name.
Along with plain barbed wire and steel pickets, it is used to form
139 military wire obstacles. A platoon of soldiers can deploy a fence at
a rate of about 1km per hour. It is sometimes mistakenly called
 * "constantine wire". What? Concertina wire
In a certain village there is a man, so the paradox runs, who is a
barber; this barber shaves all and only those men in the village
who do not shave themselves. "Does the barber shave himself?" is
an example of a concept in set theory named after which British
 140 nobleman? Bertrand Russell
Victory over Japan (both
V-J Day in Times Square is the name of a famous Alfred the words Victory and
Eisenstaedt photograph showing an American sailor kissing a Japan should be in the
 141 young nurse in Times Square in 1945. What does V-J stand for? answer)
A robotic nasal voice that chants "ella ella ella, ay ay ay" was rated
as the one of the catchiest pieces of music of 2007 by Rolling
 142 Stone magazine. To which green-eyed lady did that voice belong? Rihanna
Connect Professor Calculus, Sophia Loren, Kansas, Vogel's
model, Vincent Van Gogh and the Vegan society through a 9-letter
 143 object. Sunflower
Which company was created by the 1996 merger of Ciba-Geigy
and Sandoz Laboratories, both Swiss pharmaceutical companies
 144 with long histories, and is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland? Novartis
Most famous for drawing flags and maps, this 1930-born artist
 145 became the most expensive living artist when his work False Start Jasper Johns

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 was purchased in 2006 for a whopping $80 million. Identify this
artist.
He was awarded a Padma Bhushan in 1982; his biography, titled
Touch Play was released in 2006; the younger generation though Prakash Padukone
would know him more for being the father of a famous person. (Deepika Padukone is
 146 Who is he? wrong)
In most languages, it is known by a word that is the equivalent of
"condenser", for example, "condensador" in Spanish,
"kondensator" in German etc. Though in English, calling it a
"condenser" is considered antiquarian. How do we better know this
 147 energy-storage device? Capacitor
Identify the country: its national airline is named LAN, it is home to
the world's largest copper producing company, it is one of the
world's top wine producers, residents call their country "país de
poetas" or "country of poets" and it has two time zones, one for the
 148 mainland and one for an island owned by it. Chile
He majored in communication from Stanford University where he
co-founded a student newspaper named Stanford Commentator.
He married a Frenchwoman and lived for some time with her in
Mumbai. Amongst his last words were "My father's Jewish, my
 149 mother's Jewish, I am Jewish." Who? Daniel Pearl
Gunter's Chain is a measuring device used for accurate land
survey by triangulation. It consists of a chain formed of 100 long
150 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? Cricket Pitch (22 yards)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________
This quiz is set by Thejaswi Udupa, Ochintya Sharma, Avinash Thirumalai and Arun Hiregange of the Karnataka Quiz
Association. To contact us, email kqaquizzes@gmail.com.

MahaQuizzer 2008 - KQA Page 13 of 14

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