0. Connect: Rayleigh, Crookes, Travers. Try to be as specific as possible. All collaborated with Ramsay in discovering noble gases. 0.5 for just inert gases. Rayleigh: argon Crookes: helium Travers: krypton, neon, xenon 1. "The secret words are squeamish and ossifrage". What is so special about this message? No hits - this message was encrypted using an algorithm called RSA-129. The inventors (Rivest, Shamir and Adelman) had challenged anyone to break the cipher, which involved factorising the product of 2 primes into its constituents. 2. "I fail to understand how these large birds could be the agents of deadly diseases." This was the gist of a letter sent to the prestigious journal "Nature". In what context? An article on prions (protein virons -- those things that are responsible for mad cows etc.) in Nature in the early 80s. Prion is also the name of a family of large Antarctic seabirds. An ornithologist's bogosity meter triggered on reading the article, and he dashed off this sceptical letter. No hits. 3. Connect: "Vidhyaviniyogadvikas", "Tejasvi Navdheetamastu", "Siddhimoolam Prabandhanam", "Yogaha karmasu kaushalam" and " rashtra samriddhi". The IIM mottos that appear on their logos - straight off the CAT (miaow) Bulletin. In order, A, B, Indore, Kozhikode, Lucknow. Calcutta doesn't seem to have one, and Lucknow's is illegible on my copy of the bulletin. 4. The seven Native American tribes called the Sioux did not call themselves by that name - this name was actually bestowed on them by their enemies. What did they call themselves? (It means "allies", and a present day American state derives its name from it.) Nakota, from which is derived Dakota. Full marks for either. 5. Seeing the number of myth quizzes being posted, this question should be a breeze. Who speak the opening and closing words of the Gita? ( 0.5 each ) Opening: Dhritharashtra "Dharmakshetre kurukshetre samaveta yuyustava mamakam pandavanam kim kurvat sanjay" Closing: Sanjaya "yatra yogeshwara krishna yatra partho dhanurdhar tatra shreervijayo bhuti dhruva niti matir mama" 6. This language is very melodious. It has five vowels {a, e, i, o, u} and seven consonants {h, k, l, m, n, p, w}. Each syllable in the language ends in a vowel, and two consonants never appear together. What are we talking about? Hawaiian | Polynesian -- words like aloha, luau, mauna, etc. 7. [Long Question] What is the source from which this dialogue has been taken: A: Would you say Mr. Pickwick reminded you of Christmas? B: In a way. A: Yet Christmas is a winter's day, and I do not think Mr. Pickwick would mind the comparison. B: I don't think you are serious. By a winter's day one means a typical winter's day, rather than a special one like Christmas. [Even longer answer] No hits - This is a sample conversation with a machine satisfying the Turing test for Artificial Intelligence (which, incidentally, has nothing to do with Turing machines - that's a computational model that is not directly connected with AI). This appears in the following paper : Turing, A., "Computing Machinery and Intelligence", in "Computers and Thought", Feigenbaum and Feldman (eds.), McGrawHill, New York, 1963. The full dialogue reads: A: In the first four lines of your sonnet which reads "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day," would not "a spring day" do as well or better? B: It wouldn't scan. A: How about "a winter's day". That would scan all right. B: Yes, but no one wants to be compared to a winter's day. A: Would you say Mr. Pickwick reminded you of Christmas? B: In a way. A: Yet Christmas is a winter's day, and I do not think Mr. Pickwick would mind the comparison. B: I don't think you are serious. By a winter's day one means a typical winter's day, rather than a special one like Christmas. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you -- B is the machine and A the interrogator. Once more, please ignore you know what. BTW, according to Marcus Aurelius, Turing was Wittgenstein's pupil who was Bertrand Russell's. Tracing causal sequences to their source compels Marcus to hypothesise that Russell started off the tradition of Cambridge acamedicians being, uh, different. If anyone can shed any light on this matter ... 1. Complete - All the blanks are the same word, except for the last line... " You ve read of several kinds of ___, And my opinion now is that You should need no interpreter to understand their character. You now have learned enough to see That ___s are much like you and me And other people whome we find Possessed of various types of mind. For some are sane and some are mad And some are good and some are bad And some are better, some are worse - But all may be described in verse. You ve seen them both at work and games, And learnt about their proper names, Their habits and their habitat: But How would you ad-dress a ___? So first, your memory I ll jog, And say: _________________! " A. CATS, A CAT IS NOT A DOG. FROM "OLD POSSUM'S BOOK OF PRACTICAL CATS"(cracked by all) 2. Connect John Milton and Ariel. ( 5 levels) A. MILTON - SAMSON AGONISTES - EYELESS IN GAZA - ALDOUS HUXLEY - BRAVE NEW WORLD - THE TEMPEST - ARIEL.(only Thomas got this) 3. Identify this letter writer(fictional character). " I honestly do wonder, without wishing to be morbid,how I reached this present pass. So far as I can remember of my youth, I chose the secret road because it seemed to lead straightest and furhtest towards my country's goal.The enemy in those days was someone we could point at and read about in the papers.Today all I know is that I have learnt to interprete the whole of life in terms of conspiracy.There is a sword I have lived by and as I look round me now, I see it is the sword I shall die by as well.These people terrify me but I am one of them.If they stab me at the back then at least it is the judgement of my peers." A. GEORGE SMILEY. Hint - Umbrella??????!! 4. Sitter - How better do we know the detective J.Sheringham Adair ? A. CHIMP TWIST.(THE WAX-MOUSTACHED ONE WHO KEEPS SPARRING WITH SOAPY AND DOLLY MOLLOY) 5. Just the place for a _______! I have said it twice: That alone should encourage the crew. Just the place for a _______! I have said it thrice: What I tell you three times is true. Fill the blank and identify the speaker. A. SNARK, THE BELLMAN.(wHAT I TELL YOU THREE TIMES IS TRUE!!!!) 6. His disappearance at King s Pyland caused a stir throughout the length and breadth of England. He was found on the estate of Silas Brown, recovering from an injury. He was of the Isonomy stock and was the favourite for the Wessex Cup. Who ? A. SILVER BLAZE.(FROM THE SHERLOCK HOLMES STORY OF THE SAME NAME.) 7. (I may have asked this question before...not very sure. Have definitely asked it in IIMA last year - all PGP 2 s - paws off.). Complete the sequence - Obidicut, Hobbididance, Mahu, Modo, ___________________. A. THE FOUL FIEND FLIBBERTIGIBBET. 1. Pradyumna is the reincarnation of which god Its Kama deva , interestingly many wrote krishna 2. To whom for the first time gayatri mantra was addressed to This was a clear cut question As the gayatri mantra it self has the explanation to whom it was addressed " Tat Savituh Varenyam Bhargo Devasya......... Hence it is the sun god , Surya The Q was about the mantra which is popular allover 3. On the banks of which river the Ramayana was written Many wrote it is Sarayu since Ayodhya was on the river's bank But it is on the banks of the river Tamasa 4. Sankaracharya has established 4 mutts across the country how many did Madhvacharya establish [ if possible thier places & names ] Madhvacharya has established 8 mutts at Udupi, south coastal Karnataka They are Pejavara Mutt, Puttige Mutt, Krishnapura Mutt, Sirur Mutt Soode Mutt, Kaaniru Mutt, Phalimaru Mutt, Adamaru Mutt 5. When Jupiter joins Aries what holy and recursive festival would happen It's the Pushkaram/Kumbh mela of the river Ganges However those wrote kumbhmela got it 6. Who was the architect of the lac house where Pandavas lived for a while Purochana 7. What is the Chariot of lord jagannath at puri called Nandi Ganesha ; I wanted the original name i.e., what we Indians call it 8. Give the parents of narakasura [half a mark for each] Surprising ! Its Adi Varaha and Bhoo Devi 9. This place is believed to be where the foot marks of Lord Vishnu are present Gaya 10. In order to shun the pride of the four danseuses viz., Rambha, Urvasi et al saptarshis created a competitor for them, who is that Ghrutaachi 11. Vehicle of goddess lakshmi Owl 12. What is the bow of Karna Vijaya 13. Flag emblem of Arjuna in kurukshetra war Hanuman 14. Agni , Surya are two of the trinity in rigveda , whoz the other one Indra 15. One of the shad darsanas , Purva mimamsa was propounded by whom jaimini 1. Name the song in the movie 'Casablanca' which Sam was asked to play. Who played the role of Sam ? 'As Time Goes By', Dooley Wilson. 2. Name Lady Chatterley's Lover. Oliver Mellors (In some editions, maybe French, the name is given as something else. Remember reading abt this somewhere, but forgot the name. Suresh R too seconds this.) 3. What was the 'writing on the wall' ? "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin", which is taken to mean "numbered, numbered, weighed and divided". Add Info : [snip] According to the accounts in the Bible and Xenophon, Belshazzar (coregent of Babylon)held a last great feast at which he saw a hand writing on a wall the following words in Aramaic: "mene, mene, tekel, upharsin." The prophet Daniel, interpreting the handwriting on the wall as God's judgment on the king, foretold the imminent destruction of the city. Belshazzar died after Babylon fell to the Persian general Gobyras without resistance on Oct. 12, 539, and probably before the Persian king Cyrus II entered the city 17 days later. [snip] 4. Who designed the BBC quiz Mastermind ? Bill Wright, a former Prisoner of War, based on his war experiences The most popular question was 'What was Saving Private Ryan based on ?' 5. Name the only signed sculpted work of Michaelangelo ? The Pieta at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome (1499). I have also given marks to those who enlightened me that this sculpture was vandalised in the 70s by a madman proclaiming himself to be Jesus. You learn something every day.... :-) 6. Name the nine muses (or name the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne) Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania Best Question (from S Rai): "What are the ten least favoured names for newborn children in the country of Papua New Guinea?" Popular Qn : "Name the moons of Saturn " 7. How did the word Cabal get its present meaning ? >From a group of five ministers chosen in 1667 by King Charles II - Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley Cooper and Lauderdale. Now all ye quizzing cats, sheath your claws ! I know, this is recorded as apocryphal in most of the etymology books. But Brittanica.com has this to say: (Note: If you are not a quizzing cat or if you couldnt care two hoots about five old gents in the 17th century, skip the next 100lines or so) [snip] a private organization or party engaged in secret intrigues; also, the intrigues themselves. In England the word was used during the 17th century to describe the mystical interpretation of the Hebrew scripture (the Cabala, or Kabbala), as well as to describe any secret or extralegal council of the king, especially the foreign committee of the Privy Council. The term took on its present invidious meaning from a group of five ministers chosen in 1667 by King Charles II (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley Cooper [later earl of Shaftesbury], and Lauderdale), whose initial letters coincidentally spelled cabal. This cabal, never very unified in its members' aims and sympathies, fell apart by 1672; Shaftesbury even became one of Charles II's fiercest opponents [snip] However, I do agree that Brittanica could be wrong. According to Dave Wilton' etymology page, [snip] Popularly, cabal is said to have been formed as an acronym for the names of five ministers of Charles II (Clifford, Arlington, Buckingham, Ashley, and Lauderdale) who were at the bottom of various political intrigues in the early 1670s. According to history, these five, plus others, defaulted on the national debt by closing the exchequer in 1670, started a war with Holland in 1672, and entered into an alliance with the hated French in 1673. While this is good history, it is poor etymology. Usage of the word in English predates the nefarious schemes of these five by at least twenty-five years. The word entered the English language from the French cabale and derives ultimately from the Hebrew cabala, or the medieval body of arcane and mystical Jewish teachings. The earliest use of the word in English is in 1616, in the original, Hebrew sense. By 1637 the word was being used in the sense of a secret, and the OED2 has the word being used in the sense of a group of conspirators by 1646. So, it is clear that these five schemers were immortalized by a play on words. Their names, arranged in the proper order, form a neat acrostic. The others involved in their plots are forgotten because their names did not begin with the proper letters, and besides, there was only room for five. [snip] So, I guess if Mr Wilson is correct, I do have to eat humble pie. Anyhow, I have given points to all those who answered 'cabal'. 8. Who was the first to maintain that the earth revolves around the sun ? Or, who was the first to calculate the earth-sun distance ? Aristarchus Of Samos Most popular answer : "Who was the first to measure the circumference of the earth ?" Who indeed. Aristophanes by any chance ? 9. Name the original Siamese twins. Chang and Eng Bunker. For those who are interested, I have a magazine article (soft copy, of course) on these chaps. Mail me if you want it. 10. What do the Good, the Bad and the Ugly call each other in the movie of the same name ? Blondie, Angel Eyes and Tuco Yeah, yeah I know that ole Clint is just the Man With No Name, but Eli Wallach calls him Blondie several times. Whats more, quite a few guys cracked this, so there ! ************************************************** 1) A very much guessable question to start with ... Connect Febuary 18th, 1979 and sahara !!! A: I don't know why a lot of people stuck onto Sahara airlines, patriotic maybe. Well,the answer is It last snowed( not rained) in Sahara that day ! 2)For the Tennis fans... "The bugger served so slow that I went off to sleep waiting for the ball to come." Who said this about whom? A: Mc Enroe on Ramesh Krishnan, many got this one # stefi graf on Andre Agassi ( the topper's(KM) choice ) 3)A logical question...also requires some amt of quizzing knowledge -- just added this to avoid the wrath of purist quizzers !! Which word continues this sequence for a particularly logical reason? AID GUESS DEGREE ESTATE COLUMN SENSE ? A: Many cracked this one , the funda goes like this.. First aid, Second guess, third degree, fourth estate etc so Seventh Heaven. 4)Who composed the tune for SriLanka's National Anthem ? Clue : Not LTTE's Prabhakaran! A) Tagore # tiruvalluvar 5)Question on sclaes again.... In a few words what is measured on a Rlngelmannn Chart (or Scale)? A: Density of smoke Only KM( the topper) came close as "something related to pollution" # the rate of attainment of puberty 6)In US Business Terminology , What is a "Valium Picnic" ? ( US stands for "United States OF America" , some people misinterpeted one of my earlier questions which had AD ) Ans: A QUIET DAY AT NYSE. Only rushi and KM got this. 7)Connect California and Archimedes !!! A: Motto of California state is "eureka" .... Only Bharat Epur got this. 8)Motto as usual... "Touching the sky with Glory" is the motto of which organisation? A: Indian Air Force, not Jet airways or Delta airlines # builders of skyscrapers 9)Happy guessing... What do you call a man whose wife has been unfaithful to him? Clue : Maybe from the u know what becomes old !! A: Turned out to be a pretty easy question. It is "cuckold" 10)To all the epicureans out there ... What is the 'Smorgasbord' syndrome ? A: Increase in appetite upon seeing good looking cooking Many of you came close.. 11)In Airline slang, what is a 365 ? ( Not an aeroplane doing a Cart Wheel !!! ) A: Eggs and bacon: they are served everyday, all the time 12)The Pentagon building has five concentric corridors. In the center courtyard, there is a building called Ground Zero. What is the building used for? A: Cafeteria-Hotdog stand , nothing to do with nuclear shelter. Ujwal got it exactly. 13)What's common to Tarzan, Tiger, Ganesh, Sher and Bandar? A: Brands of Beedis 14)"We already have enough ignorant voters and we don't want any more" was said by Winston Churchill in 1911 in reference to whom? A: Women, many answers sain "voting rights to Indians" 15)What is the Miranda's ritual? A: The procedure of listing out their rights to the criminals by the cops immediately after their arrest. 16)Who said this abt whom and when .. "The light has gone out of Diwali" A: Gavaskar abt Kapil when he retired Only Chappar got this !!! 17)When asked about what, did Liz Taylor say "What is this, a memory test"? A: About the details of her marriages Very easily workable !! 18)Which persons initials stand for Avul Pakir Jainulebedeen? A: Almost 100% correct.. APJ Abdul Kalam 19)What is "Yomiuri Shimbun" which sells very well in Japan? A: This too almost 100%.. Newspapers 20)The Hollywood hit "Gentlemen prefer Blondes" has a sequel. What is its name ? ( Very much workable !!! ) A: "But they Marry Brunnettes" Anirban got this. 21)Chemistry ..... The compound of Magnesia, Silica and Water known as Meerschaum is chiefly used in the manufacture of what items? A: Tobbaco Pipes 22)Some astronomical facts..... If sunspots are the darker areas , then what are brighter areas on the sun called ? A: Faculae, Only my namesake ( Navin Seshadri rajaram ) got this. 23)More on the same lines... The space probes Vega 1 , Vega 2 , SakiGate , Planet A and Giotto were launched to study what ? A: Halley's comet, Pnly Manish and Ram Nair got this. Almost all planets and moons known were covered by the answers!! 24)Whose autobiography is 'Selective Memory'? A: Shoba de # KPS Gill hey, this quiz is getting pretty long , bit I guess it's ok cos it gives a chance for many more amateurs like me to open their accounts !!! 25)For those IT savvy people who speak abt viruses almost daily -- Expand VIRUS !! A: Actually , there is no authentic expansion for VIRUS, but the usually acceptable one ( given in books ) is Vital Information resources under seige 26)News readers read the news from an instrument in front of them. What's the instrument called? A: Teleprompter KM says camera !! 27)Who currently occupies a prominent position that has been held over the years by Julia Boggs Dent, Eliza McCardle, Lucretia Rudolph, Edith Kermit Carow, Helen Herron and Florence Kling De Wolfe among others? A: Hillary clinton ( first ladies ) ! 28)Who would you find/would have found in 'Panchatantra Inn'? ( I am not too sure abt the validity of the present tense part of it !! ) A.R.Rahman ( Its his residence/place of work ) 29)One operation you wont find performed in any hospital, at least any hospital you want to go near, is a kephalotomy. What is this operation abt ? A: Removal of head, ok the word either starts with k or c , but its ok ! 30)Piano is a shortened form of pianoforte as zoo is a shortened form of zoological garden.What word gave rise to these shortened forms, all now common nouns: 1. Perk PERQUISITES 2. Pants pantaloons 3. Pub public house ********************************************************** 1 a> Who is the "Father of Carnatic Music" -> SANGEETHA PITAMAHAR? ½ point Ans: Purandara Dasa Only Ramasubramanian , Kowshik and Satya Simha got it right. b> Who are the Trinities in Carnatic Music? ½ point Ans: Thyagaraja, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswam Dikshithar No points for 1 or 2 correct. Most of you got this. 2 a> What is Ashthapathi? ½ point Ans: Ashthapathi are slokas consisting of 8 charanas in addition to a pallavi . Some of u have answered it as slokas that contain 8 verses, Collection of 8 slokas in praise of the Lord. Points granted. Some of u have answered it as Krishna leelas or 8 lines. No Points. b> Who is the composer of Ashthapathi? ½ point Ans: Jayadeva This had the maximum number of hits. 3 c> Which composer took "Abhat Sanyasam"? ½ point Ans: Thirtha Narayana Swamigal. No one could get this. d> What are Svarjatis? ( Hint : They are learnt after the gitas. ) ½ point Ans: Only Prema could get this. Swarajatis are pleasing melodies. Consists of a pallavi, anupallavi and charanas - the charanas being set in different dhatus ( swara vibhaga of a composition). Sometimes the anupallavi is dispensed with. Also they form the stepping stone to the next important composition, the varna. The Swarajati originated as a dance form with jatis. Emayaladi in Huseni raga is a good example. 4 a> What is "Raga" ? ½ point Ans: Nisha, Prema, Somaskandan could answer. Raga is the Pivotal concept of Indian music -> India's proud contribution to world music. They are aesthetic facts and can be perceived by trained ears. It is the horizontal arrangement of particular tones and semi-tones, in conformity to recognised aesthetic laws. They derive their personality through notes of defined pitch entering into their formation. b> Name any two ragas which can be sung in · Early Morning 1point Bouli, Boopalam, · Morning 1point Bilahari, Malaya Marutha, Ketharam, Mohanam · Evening 1point Kalyani, Poorvi Kalyani, Vasantha, Ranjani, Ananda Bhairavi, Hamir Kalyani · Any Time 1point Sankara Baranam, Thodi, Mayamalava Gaula, Kalyani, Madhyamavati, Yaman c> And the raga that can be sung in Night ½ point Neelambari (Not Ramya Krishnan), Hindolam too. But Satya comes up with some raga called Sohini. That's a new one??? Most of u had given me different ragas as answers. I had to consult a Music Teacher and it seems most of u have included the Any Time Ragas in the other places. 5 a> Name the ragas in which the following songs are sung usually? · The song "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU" 1point Sankara Baranam · The national song "VANDE MATARAM" 1point Desh Most of u had this right. b> In olden days on singing these ragas, the following used to happen. Name these ragas. · It rains 1point Amrita Varshini ( Some of u have told Megh/Megh Malhar in Hindusthani - Points given ). · Lights burn ( Hint: Tansen sang this raga in Akbar's court) 1point Deepakam ( But points to Deepak too ) · Snake comes 1point Punnaga Varali 6 a> What is a Tala? ½ point ( Hint: A writer " Tunga Munivar " has said the following: If one can see the southern breeze, the form of Siva, the form of scent, the form of Manmatha (Cupid), the form of the flute tone and the form of the Vedas, one can see the subtlety of the tala ) Ans: The time-measures used in the ragas form the talas. It is perhaps the most difficult and complicated branch of Carnatic Music. The time-measures used by all the nations put together will form a small fraction of the innumerable varieties of rhythm used in Carnatic music. When a Mridangam player accompanies a musician, he does not merely beat the sarva laghu, but provides a cross-rhythmical accompaniment based on the style, movement and rhythmical construction of the pieces rendered. This can be regarded as a contribution to the development of the tala system. b> How many talas are there totally? 1 point Ans: Most of u have given the answer as 7 and 35. Actually the total number of Talas are 108. c> What are the parts (angas ) of talas? 3 points Ans: Laghu, Drutam, Guru, Anudrutam, Plutam and kakapadam. When all these 6 parts are taken into consideration, the total number of talas is 108. Many of the talas are not used even though they exist. d> What is Suladi? In which suladi, the sorrow of Gopikas is expressed due to the separation of Lord Krishna from them? ½ point Ans: No one got this too. Suladi from ( suda, a desya word for gita ) is a composition very much like the gita in musical structure and arrangement. But it is a talamalika, the sections being in different talas. Here, each section is independent by itself. The pallavi is not sung at the conclusion "Gopika Viraha Suladi" is the sorrow of Gopikas is expressed due to the separation of Lord Krishna from them. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In the mid-1960s, the motion picture director-producer Stanley Kubrick wanted from Lloyds of London an insurance policy protecting against losses should this be discovered before completion and release of his far-out motion picture 2001: A Space Odyssey(1968). What? Extra-terrestrial intelligence! Incidentally, Lloyd’s didn’t take the chance. According to the Hollywood movie magazine Premiere, three couples paid the sum of $14,000 to have breakfast at Tiffany's with this actress. Who? Audrey Hepburn.The obvious allusion was to the Blake Edwards film Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) starring Audrey Hepburn & George Peppard. Which famous film actress once said:"Sex appeal is 50% what you've got and 50% what people think you've got." ? Sophia Loren,who at 65 still causes many a heartache. Her acting debut came on the HBO program, "Arliss," starring Robert Wuhl. Although hired as an extra, her talent was recognized and she was bumped into her first speaking role. She was named Playboy's "Playmate of the Month" for November 1997. Who? Marliece Andrada who plays the role of Skylar Bergman in Baywatch.Only George got it right. This film marked the debut of Pierce Brosnan and remains one of the very best British gangland movies. It follows the brutal ganglord Harold Shand’s attempts to woo a band of American entrepreneurs to London at the same time as gangland rivalry seems to be destroying his empire. Name it. The Long Good Friday (1980),directed by John Mackenzie & starring Bob Hoskins as Harold Shand,Helen Mirren. A large body of opinion were of the opinion that the Glenn Close character made this 1987 film deeply suspect, and feminists were picketing. Others saw it as a metaphor for AIDS and a warning against promiscuity. Which film? Fatal Attraction,directed by Adrian Lyne(also directed Indecent Proposal) and co- starring Michael Douglas(Best Actor Oscar’88),Anne Archer. When this film was released, it was so vilified by the critics that it was swiftly withdrawn and it almost ended the director’s career. It was later re-evaluated and perceived as a creepy, frightening picture about a very disturbed mind. It starred Carl Boehm as a cameraman who films his victims' murders, while Anna Massey starred as the innocent girl downstairs who becomes his confidant.Name the film. Peeping Tom (1960),directed by Michael Powell. There is a very famous scene in Satyajit Ray’s Nayak (1966) which shows the hero,Uttam Kumar, drowning in a pile of money. This scene is considered by many film critics to have been inspired by a sequence in another famous film,directed by an eminent director. Name the film and the director. Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries(1957) starring Victor Sjostrom,Bibi Andersson. In one of the final scenes, Bergman masterfully closes in tight on the aged face of Professor Isak Borg (played by Victor Sjostrom). In that shot, we can see the whole universe in his eyes and all of its cares in the bags beneath them. This is the scene considered to have inspired Ray’s scene. Subhadeep Ghosh said it was Citizen Kane but I could not find any connection.If any one knows of any such scene in Citizen Kane, pl. write back. Introducing him to the stage, Sir Laurence Olivier said: “You may see a Parisian landmark. He looks like the Eiffel Tower but unlike,he belongs to the world.” Who? Maurice Chevalier,who starred in Vincente Minnelli’s musical Gigi (1958) with Leslie Caron, the Walter Lang musical Can-Can(1960) with Frank Sinatra,Shirley MacLaine. Only Rushi got it right. In the 1957 Berlin Film Festival, a foreign film scribe remarked on this Indian actor: “He is better than even the Barrymore brothers combined.” The obvious allusion was to Lionel & John Barrymore. Name this Indian actor. Chhabi Biswas, after seeing his breathtaking performance in Tapan Sinha’s Cabuliwallah(1956)(based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel), one of my personal favourites. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1) As usual as easy one to start with... By what name do we better know Lhamo Dhondrub? A: Dalai Lama ( His Holiness the 14th the Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso, was born Lhamo Dhondrub on 6 July 1935, in a small village called Taktser in northeastern Tibet ) 2)Cricket .... Which cricketeer played and umpired in the same test? ( It really happened , he actually substituted for the umpire!) A: Only Subrat Mohanty got this. England's W.Gunn played and then substituted for umpire J.S.Swift in the Aus-Eng test at Sydney in 1986-87. A tough one , sorry for this. The answers ranged from our very own Venkataraghavan to Dickie bird. 3)A logical/quiz question as usual... What is the next in the series 1 11 21 1211 111221 312211 ? ( Clue : Read the series in english !!! ) A: Prabhat , Padmanabham Sriram and Kishore_s got this... the funda goes like this. read the series in english. Leave the first term. The second term is the first term read in english i.e. one one. the third term is the 2nd term read in english i.e. two one ( there are 2 ones ! ) the fourth term is the 3rd term read in english i.e. one two and one one ( there is 1 two and 1 one ! ) so on... so the next term is 132221. 4)Motto as usual... 'Omnia Omnis Ubique' is the motto of what ? A: Anand , rajiv and manoj got this. It is the motto of "harrods" the famous store in London. 5)Autobiography... Whose autobiography is Baa Baa Black Sheep? A: Thomas Alva Edison 6)Who is the 'Old Lady of Threadneedle street' ? A: "The Bank of London" and not Agatha Christie or any other lady.. 7)Who are the authors of 'It takes a village' and 'Hope and History'? A: Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton 8)Who was arrested in June 1995 and was to known to the Los Angeles Police as BK4454822 06-27-95? A: Not O.J or Clinton!!! It is Divine Brown , the hooker caught with Hugh Grant. 9)Syndromes yet again.. What in business economics is called the 'Chicken burger- Barbecue shop' syndrome ? A: A succesful joint at one location inspires imitators up and down the street - in good times everyone does fine; during economic downturns, all go broke 10)Claim to fame of Namchi Bazaar ? A: Only A K Subramanian ( Sorry for cutting u'r name short ! ) & hirakh Parikh got it.Namchi Bazaar is the first Base camp for Everest expeditions. 11)Caramel, Caffeine, phosphone, spices.. The list goes on. What is the fifteenth in this list ? A: Many people got this. This is the list of ingredients of Coke. The 15th is the secret substance 7x. 12)What are the following types of ? Garland , Arcade , Thread , Angular A: Only Mihir , Jayanto,Hirakh and Kaushal got this. These are all connecting strokes in Handwriting. 13)This game had it's own share of following in the 1960's in Calcutta when it was called 'Jool Kanchill', with typical playing codes- 'Sine Par, Pillmar, Ghor Pachar, Gai pachar, Gei-Geo, Khatan' etc.Which game is this? A: Not Gilli Danda, Kho-Kho or Kabbadi. It is the game of Marbles. 14)Morbi, a sleepy little town in Gujarat, has the distinction of the world's largest manufacture of this household item. Which item ? A: Wall Clocks, pretty simple. 15)Connect Alfred Vail, Watson and Kemp. A: They were the assistants who received the first messages - Vail was Samuel Morse's assistant, and received "What Hath God Wrought" - the first telegraph message. Watson was Alexander Graham Bell's assistant and received "Watson, Come Here, I want you" - the first telephone message. Kemp was Marconi's assistant and received "Do you know anything, Kemp?" - the first radio message . 16)Software engineers, specially for u....... What did Dr's Spence Silver and Art Fry create that is used everyday in our lives? A: The ubiquitous POST-IT nose , not the mouse or the keyboard. 17)Another one for s/w people... In Intel, what is Project Foster? A: The project to develop the 1GHz processor. 18)After 'Flight into danger' was written by Aurthur Hailey what changes were brought about in airline operations? A: Answers I got first .. Air Hostesses were introduced customs checking was started the cockpit was made off-limits etc etc.. But the correct answer is.. After the novel , the pilot and co-pilot began to be served food from different kitchens, so that even if one got food -poisoned the other could carry on his duty ! 19)The movie 'Gone with the wind ' launched Chesterfield Cigarettes. Which product was launched by the evergreen classic 'Roman Holiday'? A: Vespa scooters 20)Which politician's name when translated into sanskrit means 'compassion and money'? A: Karunanidhi not laloo !!! In tamil, Karunai means compassion and nidhi somewhat means funds/money !!! 21)Sorry , couldn't resist this question... What was the Bombay underworld term for drugs in the seventies? A: Hema Malini *************************************************************** 1)An easy one as usual to start with.. How do we better know "Chomolungma" as ? Mt. Everest 2)A bit of geography.. Which lines join places on the map which receive equal amts of sunshine ? Isohels 3)Now history... What was estimated by Babar to be worth two and a half day's food for the whole world ? The Kohinoor Now my usual stuffs... 4)Autobiography.. Whose autobiography is titled "Truth, Love and a little Malice"? Khushwant Singh 5)Motto... "Ever onward" is the motto of ? Asian games 6)Kiriket.... Who is the only Indian to dismiss Bradman in a test match ? A: This is a WRONG question. It should actually read "Who is the first Indian to dismiss Bradman in a test match ?" Lala Amarnath Manish Manke gave this info. Thanx Nov 28, 1947 at brisbane Ist innings Bradman hitwicket bowler Amarnath - India lost by innings and 256 runs Dec 12, 1947 at Sydney Ist innigs Bradman bowled by Hazare match drawn Jan 1, 1948 at Melbourne Bradman b Phadkar Austalia won Jan 23, 1948 at Adelaide Bradman b Hazare Feb 6, 1948 at Melbourne Bradman retired injured at 57 7)kiriket again... "I have often been asked to describe perfection in sport. This is it" This was said abt a perticular aspect of a particular cricketeer.About who and what aspect of his ? Robin Marlar abt the "paddle Sweep" of Azhar 8)My favorite ..anything to do with eatables!!! Which snack gets it name from French for "twice cooked" ? Biscuit 9)What does the casinni division separate ? Rings of Saturn 10)Something which might have averted the "Titanic" disaster.. What is the nautical term for STOP ? Avast 11)In spy terminology, what are referred to as shoes ? Passports (like shoes, they give a person mobility.) Part 2...Who is referred to as a Cobbler ? a forger of passports is referred to as a Cobbler in spy jargon. 12)When this premium Scotch Whisky was first introduced in free India, it fell afoul of the authorities, who objected to it's brand name, claiming that it violated a certain law. Name the brand and also say why it was banned A: Teacher's. This brand name was objected to as Indian law prohibits naming liquors after professions. The Indian Government was ultimately convinced that the brand was named after the distillery's founder, Hiram Teacher. 13)Who wears the "Fisherman's ring " ? The pope 14)Melville Stone, publisher of the Chicago Daily News, hit upon what innovative pricing strategy in order to boost sales? A:He priced his newspaper at One Penny. He then convinced local dealers to offer their goods at odd prices like $1.99 - and display his newspaper prominently. This repositioning as an impulse purchase boosted sales. It is commonly called Bata Pricing - Bata has refined this to a fine art. 15)In tennis, what is a bagel ?? A set won 6-0 16)It visited a California beach party on April 27th 1996, cruised down the Strip in Vegas on May 2nd, hopped a San Francisco cable car on May 3rd, and crossed the Golden Gate bridge the next morning. What are we talking abt ? A : OLYMPIC TORCH 17)An easy one for people to score... Dactylography is study of what ? Fingerprints 18)How did the group UB40 get its name? Taken from the letters for Unemployment Bureau, number 40 19)Why is Emily Jannings famous in the field of entertainment? First person to receive the Oscar award . It is actually Emil Jannings and not Emily Jannings , sorry for the typo error ! 20)Its called Dhaba in India, what's it called in the US? Truck stop. As usual, a question which I couldn't avoid asking !!!!! 21)"If not for the scar on my eye brow I might have become a fisherman, than what I am today" Who said this? Sunil Gavasker *************************************************************** 1.Who is credited with forming the SAS(Special Air Services) during WW1 #This had a typo.It should be WW2 and not WW! as some of u pointed out.Anyway,it was formed by David Stirling.The word 'commando' itself is derived from an Afrikaan word which denoted the guerilla fighters during the Boer War. 2.Which German commando was responsible for rescuing Mussolini and what was so peculiar about his mode of attack. #Otto Skorzeny and he used hand gliders to land on a hilltop and rescue Mussolini.I think there is a book written on him called 'L'Commando Extradoirnaire' 3.During the dashing attack in Entebbe,only one Israeli commando was killed.Name him # Most of you got it.Its Jonathan 'Yonni' Netanyahu bro of Benjamin Netanyahu.Bhushan tells me his second in command was Ehud Barak.I think Ehud was in a Sabena airplane attack earlier.Ehud also dressed up a lady in another operation.Talk about cross dressing. 4.What does 'yomping'/'tabbing' stand for. # Forced marches.yomping is the term used by marines,tabbing is used by SAS 5.In the cloak and dagger world what does 'to do a Penkovsky' stand for? #Oleg Penkovksy walked in uninvited to the AMerican Embassy and announced he wanted to defect.The Americans rejected him and he went to the Brits.The brits ran him and he was responsible for top class intelligence during the 'Bay of Pigs' fiasco.He was later found out and hanged.Hence 'to do a Penlovsky' means to become a defector and provide info unilateral. 6.What was the secret service of Haiti during the Duvalier days. #tonton macoute 7.Which head of RAW became a governor? # Girish 'Gary' Saxena,J&K Some people mentioned Kaw but I think he was the first head of RAW 8.What is Geoffrey Boothroyds claim to fame ( remember this is Commando/Spy quiz) # He is better known as Q in James bond.Q of course stands for Quartermaster.Only Gautam got this one.The role was played by the late Desmond Llewwelyn. 9.This German spy spied on Japan for Russia during WW2 and was responsible for Russia winning the battle against Germany.But he was later found out and hanged.Name him. # Richard Sorge.he was a journalist.The Japs tht he was a German and hence a sympathiser.But he was actually a communist. 10.If CIA:Langley, KGB:? # Dzherinsky Square.Some people mentioned Lubyanka.but Lubyanka was the interrogation cell. 11.In the 80s this particular businessman ran a spying ring and had access to PMO's office.He was later arrested and is serving time.Name him. #Coomar Narain.Only Rushi got this one 12.What was the secret police of Idi Amin known as. (Trust me.this is workable) #Idi Amin very imaginatively named it 'State Research Bureau'. Only gautam got this. Many of you mentioned Idiots.too much of serendepedity. 13.This extremely elite commando force is from Israel.its workings are so secret that its name cant be uttered in Israeli press.name it. # Sayaret matkal.Suresh tells me the men are known as the 'Guys' 14.In spy parlance what does 'taxi' mean? # homosexuals 15.Name the Nazi war criminal who was kdnapped from Argentina and brought to Israel for Trial in 1961(?) #A sitter.Adolph Eichmann.Suresh tell me that Issar harel headed the group.Wasn't he the first head of Mossad too? 16. What was the Secret service of erstwhile East Germany known as and who headed it till the unification came about? #Stasi,Marcus Wolffe.On whom the character karla of Le Carre is based on.Wolfe specialised in putting dowdy spinster as secys and steal secret.the classic case being that of Willy Brandts secy. 17.In the cloak-and-dagger world, what is the 'dowry of the bride' # the info that a defector brings to the table.quid pro quo. *************************************************************** 1) Although Roswell, New Mexico is most famous for sitings of UFOs, which famous Hollywood actress was born there on 11th November 19621? DEMI MOORE. Sorry about the typo. in the question. Quite a few got this one. 2) Which national capital is laid out in the form of the Union Flag? KHARTOUM in The Sudan. This one was tough, so well done to those who got it. 3) What is special about Mali, France, Spain, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Britain, Ghana and Togo? THEY ALL LIE ON YHE GREENWICH MERIDIAN (and no other countries do). 4) How is Katherina Minola better known? THE SHREW in the Shakespeare play The Taming of tehe Shrew. A lot of people answered Katherine Hepburn. 5) Which envoy of Kublai Khan and Governor of Yang Chow wrote an account of his travels, Il Milione, whilst imprisoned in Genoa? MARCO POLO 6) Which US city, despite being home to the bands REM and The B52s, is unlikely to become as famous as its Classical namesake? ATHENS, GEORGIA. 7) Who was born in Bombay in 1865 and won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907? RUDYARD KIPLING (not Tagore). 8) Who is the only man to have been officially named America's Public Enemy No.1? JOHN DILLINGER. Many people thought that it was Osama Bin Laden. 9) Against which English County side did Brian Lara make his record inningas of 501? By how many is this a record? DURHAM. 2 RUNS. A lot of people knew that he had beaten Hanif Mohammed's score of 499, but fewer knew that it was against Durhem (mant said Worcestershire). 10) Who defeated King Porus at the Battle of Hydaspes (now Jhelum)? ALEXANDER III OF MACEDON (THE GREAT) ********************************************************* 1. What is a light blue coloured booklet with the words "laissez passer" printed on it? A. A passport issued by the UNO. Thus spake Sanjay Mukherjee of CBI fame: A passport issued by a country has a dark blue jacket. Check it out! 2. Where will you find an arrestor wire? A. In an aircraft carrier, to bring landing aircrafts to a quick halt. 3. What disease is caused by lack of dopomine? A. Parkinson's disease. (The word is actually dopamine) 4. Which community in India uses the alchiki script? A. The santhals. The question is probably a little biased towards Eastern India. 5. What is the significance in warfare and weaponry, of the following years: 1947/1956/1974? A. They are all various models of AK rifles. (A bit of obiter dicta: When Sanjay asked this question in a semi-final tie-breaker, he omitted the word "weaponry". Without this hint, everyone in the hall-the teams and the audience- were clean bowled. Goes to show that the wording of a question in a quiz is very important.) 6. What is generally regarded as the greatest achievement of the Dambusters in WW II? A. The sinking of the German battleship Tirpitz, using Tallboy bombs, and not, as is popularly believed, the destruction of the Mohn-Eder dams. 7. In lawn tennis, who or what is a 3-quarter? A. A player, who is strong in his/her forehand, who stands at the baseline, covering 3 quarters of the baseline with his/her forehand. Remember Steffi Graff? 8. Which real-life character inspired the play "Lady Windermere's Fan" by Oscar Wilde? A. Lillie Langtry 9. What is the home town of the Kennedys in Massachusetts? A. Hyenas Port 10. In the novel "All about H. Hatterr" by GV Dessani, what does the "H" stand for? A. Hindustaniwala 11. What is a "creature feature"? A. A feature film which deals with a monster, eg, KingKong 12. Who or what are Lessopian migrants? A. Fishes which migrated from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea and vice versa, when the Suez Canal was constructed 13. What would you be doing if you had one hand on the cyclic, and the other on the collective? A. Flying a helicopter 14. What is "the policeman's tip", aka "the waiter's tip"? A. A physical deformity caused by cerebral palsy, as a result of which, the hands points backwards, with the palm open, as if waiting for a surreptitious tip 15. Who or what are the Black Tigers? A. The suicide squad of LTTE 16. Which Hollywood actor was Ian Fleming's original choice for playing James Bond in films? A. David Niven 17. What is the odd one out and why: Dawnman, Handyman, Uprightman and Leanderthal man? Dawnman, because it was a fraud, created by Charles Dawson, and otherwise known as Piltdown Man. The others are names of sub species which are believed to be ancestors of Home sapiens sapiens 18. If Harry Truman used the expression "The Buck Stops Here", who is associated with the expression "The Buck Starts Here"? A. Alan Greenspan, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board (aka FED). President Clinton has recently given him another term. 19. If "Friends, not Masters" was written by Ayub Khan, who wrote "Friends and Foes"? A. Sheikh Mujibur Rehman 20. Who coined the term "Identity Crisis"? A. Erik Erikson 21. What is common to, or what connects, the following, besides the obvious: sweating, breathing, pulse rate, blood pressure? A. The 4 physiological factors which are checked/monitored by a lie detector (now you know where Sanjay comes from!) 22. What is a fighting chair used for? A. a chair securely fixed/attached to a boat, used for catching game fishes, with the fisherman tethered to the chair, so that he can't fall off. ******************************************************* 1. Which great batsman was also called " The black bradman"? ans:George Headley Quite a lot of hits answers included sobers,worrel,vinod kambli >2. What is rajiv gandhi's full name and why was he named so( the full name >has a significance which has to be brought out)? ans:Rajiv Ratan ,Rajiv means Lotus (same as KAMALA)-Indra's mother Ratan means jewel (same as JAWAHAR) -Indra's father some ppl got the jawahar part correct hence the half mark. a size able amount got this too >3. Why is a dog named pickles so famous in soccer history? ans:The dog found the stolen cup .(Jules rimet trophy) Maximum number of hits. sitter of the lot >4. Whose tombstone read " He lies somewhere here"? ans:Werner Heisenberg glad to know tht many ppl worked this one out grt quizzing friends answers included shakespeare,napolean >5. Which book begins with these words " It was love at first sight"? ans:Catch 22 another easy one Many ppl said love story becoz of obvious intentions. To them this line actually refers to the love the guy develops for the chaplain(who is male). So no convention here. Someone also said oliver twist >6. Which American serial killer was supposedly inspired by the beatles' >song "Helter Skelter" from the White album? ans:Charles manson not tht many hits answers included jack the ripper( he is english),berkowitz, boston strangler de salvo >7. What is so unique about H.R.F.Keating and his piece of fiction with the >main character as Insp. Ghote? ans:keating had never been to bombay and described bombay beautifully Good to know many got this. Riten ghosh got the fact tht his book was made into a movie with nasiruddin shah as insp ghote. Correct but this is a more intersting reason and i was looking for it. >8.Who was the only person from the kaurava army to walk in to the pandava >army in the battlefield just before the war began? ans:Yuyutsu Answers included vikarna,shalya,bheeshma >9.Which duo of music directors first gave Mohd. Rafi a chance to sing in >movies.(hint- The movie is regional) ans:the toughest one shyam-sunder in a punjabi movie called gulbaloch only got by the topper anustup datta and anirudda bhattacharjee aniruddha also got the film correct. Grt work dada >10. Which famous hindustani classical music exponent gave music in hindi >films as A.R.Qureshi? ans-alla rakha a lot of hits, the a.r. i belive gave it away. >11.Ajit agarkar took the fastest 50 wickets in one day cricket. Who held >the record before him? ans:denis lillee Many were intersted in the pakistani counterparts saqlain,waqar were common answers. Guess it is so bcoz of the good records of these players. >12. Who was the governor general instrumental in beating tipu sultan? >(hint- an american connection). ans:Lord Cornwallis Answers included wellesley The american link is cornwallis surrendered to the americans at bunker hill *******************************************