Questions from the General Open Quiz organized by QFI Chennai and The IIT Madras Quiz Club at IIT Madras on 25 Jan 2014.

1. Researched and conducted by:
Major Chandrakant Nair

2. The Quiz Foundation of India
The IIT Madras Quiz Club
Hari Parameswaran
Krishna Akhil
Navin Rajaram

3. 
4 Rounds

Round 1 – Written (8 questions)
Round 2 – Dry, Clockwise (17 questions)
Round 3 – Written (8 questions)
Round 4 – Dry, Anticlockwise (17 questions)

50 questions in total

5. 
Write Bros

Topic – Medicine, or What they don’t teach you in medical
school part II

8 questions

10 points for very correct answer

Bonus of 10 points for getting all 8

6. 
Dr C Sathyanarayana was a famous ENT specialist and the
founder director of Institute of Otorhinolaryngology at Madras
Medical College. A personal physician to many VVIPs including
former Chief minister of Madras C Rajagopalachari, he was even
invited to the White House by JFK. However, his most important
surgery, according to his colleagues, was a simple incision that
removed a foreign body (that had eroded to the surface) from a
patient who had come for follow-up. Initial attempts to extract
the object from the patient’s throat had failed during in-patient
treatment at Government Royapettah Hospital in 1967.

What exactly was this foreign body?

7. 
Jacqueline ________ was famous in the 80s as a promoter of
Women’s Wrestling, and in the mid-90s as an astrologer who
set up a psychic hotline. She also invented the technique of
rumpology, where people’s fortunes are foretold by examining
pictures of their rear ends. In 1946, the birth of her first son
met with complications that forced her obstetricians to use
two pairs of forceps during the delivery. The misuse of these
accidentally severed the baby’s facial nerve and caused
paralysis on one side of the face.

Who was the kid? Image follows.

9. 
In 1890, 2 doctors named Edward Spitzka and Carlos MacDonald
were tasked to oversee a procedure, the first ever of its kind,
which lasted 17 seconds. However, it was ineffective the first
time and they had to re-do it, bringing the total duration to 8
min, causing the capillaries under the skin to rupture in the
process. The procedure involved the depolarization/scrambling
of electrical signals produced by the brain, leading to cardiac
arrhythmias, muscle tetany, coagulative necrosis of tissue and
multiple mechanical injuries.

What are we talking about? Also, identify the person on whom
the procedure was performed.

10. 
She was born in 1893 and stayed in Cushing, Maine, in an old
house on a promontory jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. She
suffered from a degenerative muscular condition and had trouble
walking as early as three, but refused to be examined. So, the
nature of her illness is not clear, but is thought to be Polio. The
description of her symptoms is also suggestive of Charcot-MarieTooth Disease or Friedreich's Ataxia or even a mild form of
cerebral palsy. As she got older, her disability progressed and she
began to fall often. At 26, she couldn't walk more than three steps
without assistance. At 53, she was no longer able to stand and had
stopped attempting to walk, but still eschewed a wheelchair.

Who?

11. 
First reported in 1999, Culex pipiens f. molestus is a species of
mosquito unique to a subterranean location, having adapted its
biology to survive and thrive within this harsh environment.
The puddles here are rich in nutrients derived from discarded
sandwiches and human skin cells. By laying eggs in this water, a
healthy progeny in ensured and such is the power of this water
that the mothers don’t need a nutrient-rich blood meal before
laying their eggs. The species has been around since the 1860s
during the construction of the location and was notable for its
assault of sheltered locals during WW II.

What is the common name of this species? Image follows.

13. 
NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 are two spiral galaxies discovered by
William Herschel in 1784 and located 60 million light-years away
in the constellation Virgo. The two systems are in a constant
process of collision and merger, giving the appearance of being
linked to each other.

What nickname have they been given as a result?

Image follows.

15. 
A Calcaneal Spur is a growth on the bottom of the heel bone as a
result of calcium deposits caused by constant stress. X suffered
from these spurs in both feet towards the end of his career in the
late 40s and early 50s, and had to undergo surgery for the same.
But, he braved the pain and made a great come-back, winning 3
World Series titles from 1949-51, the last 3 years of his career.
This triumph of X against his medical ailments found him a spot
in a 1952 work of fiction as an idol and symbol of perseverance
for its protagonist who was trapped in a similar struggle.

Who is X? Which work of fiction? Image follows.

17. 
The medial plantar nerve is the
larger of the two terminal
divisions of the tibial nerve. It is
the primary nerve innervating
the great toe and the second
toe, and is believed to connect
to the uterus and the heart.
Stimulation of the nerve is
believed to have a positive
effect in the regulation of the
blood flow to the uterus and its
consequent strengthening.

What practice did this belief
give rise to?

19. 
Dr C Sathyanarayana was a famous ENT specialist and the
founder director of Institute of Otorhinolaryngology at Madras
Medical College. A personal physician to many VVIPs including
former Chief minister of Madras C Rajagopalachari, he was even
invited to the White House by JFK. However, his most important
surgery, according to his colleagues, was a simple incision that
removed a foreign body (that had eroded to the surface) from a
patient who had come for follow-up. Initial attempts to extract
the object from the patient’s throat had failed during in-patient
treatment at Government Royapettah Hospital in 1967.

What exactly was this foreign body?

21. 
Jacqueline ________ was famous in the 80s as a promoter of
Women’s Wrestling, and in the mid-90s as an astrologer who
set up a psychic hotline. She also invented the technique of
rumpology, where people’s fortunes are foretold by examining
pictures of their rear ends. In 1946, the birth of her first son
met with complications that forced her obstetricians to use
two pairs of forceps during the delivery. The misuse of these
accidentally severed the baby’s facial nerve and caused
paralysis on one side of the face.

Who was the kid? Image follows.

24. 
In 1890, 2 doctors named Edward Spitzka and Carlos MacDonald
were tasked to oversee a procedure, the first ever of its kind,
which lasted 17 seconds. However, it was ineffective the first
time and they had to re-do it, bringing the total duration to 8
min, causing the capillaries under the skin to rupture in the
process. The procedure involved the depolarization/scrambling
of electrical signals produced by the brain, leading to cardiac
arrhythmias, muscle tetany, coagulative necrosis of tissue and
multiple mechanical injuries.

What are we talking about? Also, identify the person on whom
the procedure was performed.

26. 
She was born in 1893 and stayed in Cushing, Maine, in an old
house on a promontory jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean. She
suffered from a degenerative muscular condition and had trouble
walking as early as three, but refused to be examined. So, the
nature of her illness is not clear, but is thought to be Polio. The
description of her symptoms is also suggestive of Charcot-MarieTooth Disease or Friedreich's Ataxia or even a mild form of
cerebral palsy. As she got older, her disability progressed and she
began to fall often. At 26, she couldn't walk more than three steps
without assistance. At 53, she was no longer able to stand and had
stopped attempting to walk, but still eschewed a wheelchair.

Who?

28. 
First reported in 1999, Culex pipiens f. molestus is a species of
mosquito unique to a subterranean location, having adapted its
biology to survive and thrive within this harsh environment.
The puddles here are rich in nutrients derived from discarded
sandwiches and human skin cells. By laying eggs in this water, a
healthy progeny in ensured and such is the power of this water
that the mothers don’t need a nutrient-rich blood meal before
laying their eggs. The species has been around since the 1860s
during the construction of the location and was notable for its
assault of sheltered locals during WW II.

What is the common name of this species? Image follows.

31. 
NGC 4567 and NGC 4568 are two spiral galaxies discovered by
William Herschel in 1784 and located 60 million light-years away
in the constellation Virgo. The two systems are in a constant
process of collision and merger, giving the appearance of being
linked to each other.

What nickname have they been given as a result?

Image follows.

34. 
A Calcaneal Spur is a growth on the bottom of the heel bone as a
result of calcium deposits caused by constant stress. X suffered
from these spurs in both feet towards the end of his career in the
late 40s and early 50s, and had to undergo surgery for the same.
But, he braved the pain and made a great come-back, winning 3
World Series titles from 1949-51, the last 3 years of his career.
This triumph of X against his medical ailments found him a spot
in a 1952 work of fiction as an idol and symbol of perseverance
for its protagonist who was trapped in a similar struggle.

Who is X? Which work of fiction? Image follows.

37. 
The medial plantar nerve is the
larger of the two terminal
divisions of the tibial nerve. It is
the primary nerve innervating
the great toe and the second
toe, and is believed to connect
to the uterus and the heart.
Stimulation of the nerve is
believed to have a positive
effect in the regulation of the
blood flow to the uterus and its
consequent strengthening.

What practice did this belief
give rise to?

39. 
These guns exhibited in Sydney and Canberra are trophies
from the Battle of Cocos that happened in the Pacific Ocean
theatre during WW II. They were captured by HMAS Sydney,
a Chatham class light cruiser of the Royal Australian Navy,
and are her most famous conquests.

What was the source of these guns?

Images follow.

45. 
Dry Round

Clockwise

17 questions

Infinite Pounce - +10, -5

Infinite Bounce - +10

46. 
Pakistan has one of the lowest rates of income tax collection in
the world, with only about a million Pakistanis paying their
share, out of 170 million. So, in 2010, in a bid for a solution and
some publicity, the Pakistani authorities borrowed a creative
idea that had alleviated tax collection woes in the state of Bihar
in neighboring India. The program was a big success, the
defaulters preferring to pay up and not get embarrassed. It
brought in $100,000 in the first year alone, 10 times the cost of
investment.

What was this innovative idea?

50. 
Desre Buirski is a fashion designer who started her career
abroad in the US in the 80s. Most of her designs are based on
Indonesian wax-dyeing techniques. After returning to her
homeland in the 90s, she gave away a creation from her US
days, a loose, silk, hand-painted dress in black (size XL) with a
marine theme, to a security officer. The dress made news less
than 2 weeks later and she went on to make more than 150 of
these items in the next two decades.

What exactly were these items? Image follows.

54. 
These are the definitions of 3 terms as conveyed to a group of
students, the last one conveyed to a specific person in the group.
X: A figure of speech based on association. Here, we give
the instance of a more comprehensive term used for a
less comprehensive one and vice-versa.
Y: Not explained.
Z: A figure of speech which consists in stating a
disagreeable fact in an agreeable manner.

Who was it conveyed to? Also, solve for X and Z.

56. Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl8wof3xs0k

58. 
In Japan, it is traditional to share one’s good luck by sending gifts
and throwing parties when one gets fortunate. This expensive
proposition has resulted in a certain group of people purchasing
insurance at $65/year for coverage of up to $3,500 in the event
that they get really lucky. First established by Kyoei Mutual Fire
and Marine Insurance Co. in 1982 and now offered by 30 odd
firms, the market is valued at $220 million per year with nearly 4
million customers. In most other countries, by contrast, it is the
person with the stroke of luck who is rewarded.

Which group of people? Which specific act of luck, estimated to
happen once in 10,700 times?

61. 
This Bengali-style Chhatri,
aptly named Smith’s Folly,
was installed in its current
location in Delhi in 1848 by
Lord Hardinge after he
realized that its original
location was out of place
and ridiculous.

What was the original
location? Why was it out of
place?

65. 
Evolution of a record that involves traversing 3 major landmarks
(Room 16 of Sully Wing, Daru staircase, Salle des Etats) is given
below. The attempts are said to yield best results at 9 am.
1. Jimmy Johnson from San Francisco  9 min 45 seconds
2. Odile, Franz and Arthur (1964)  9 min 43 seconds
3. Matthew, Theo and Isabelle (2003)  9 min 28 seconds

What are we talking about? Who are the people mentioned in 2
and 3?

69. 
Arsene Wenger, working as a French TV pundit during Euro
2012, asked the commentators to stop talking so that viewers
could hear the fans of a team singing in spite of trailing 4-0.
Most channels around the world did the same thing, and this
moment was regarded as the saving grace for a tournament
troubled by racism and violence. The song, ‘The Fields of
Athenry’, is the most popular anthem for sports teams from
the nation involved and tells the story of a man named Michael
who is punished for stealing for his family.

Which team? What is the core subject of the song?

Video removed.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdZqpYX9eNk


72. 
Introduced in the late 19th century with a specific role, it was one
of the first trains to have vestibuled carriages. The original route
was from Chennai to Tuticorin, but was extended to Dhanushkodi
after the Pamban Bridge came up in 1914. Damages from the
1964 cyclone saw the route cut short to Rameswaram. It runs
even today, albeit in a diminished role, as the 16701/16702 service
between Chennai Egmore and Rameswaram. The train gets its
name from the events that used to unfold after the passengers
travelling from Chennai got down at the last stop.

What exactly happened after the train reached the destination?
What is the name of the train?

75. 
An important sub-category of pen nibs are the ones which have
a three tine design (variants with two tines also exist). The
three tines provide increased ink flow to the wide tip, allowing
for hasty writing, amongst other things. When used in the
intended way, these are to be held almost vertical to the paper,
and twisted such that the flat sides of the nib are perpendicular
to the ruling. The net result when writing is that it gives a thick
left/right stroke, and a very thin up/down stroke.

Where are these nibs used? OR What are they called? Images
follow.

81. 
This term, derived from the name of this building in Venice
(which in turn is named after an Arabic term recognizing its
function), originally referred to a gold coin that had an
unchanged design from the 13th to 18th centuries. It later came
to refer to certain multifunctional objects that served as a
status symbol, theft deterrent or a spiritual guide. Over the last
century, electroplated gelatin, acetate, Mylar and vinyl plastic
have all been used to make these objects.

What are these objects? What discovery made them a rage the
world over in the early 1920s? Image follows.

86. 
In 1970, Swedish architect Sune Lindstrom was asked to design
a modern supply system for a necessary commodity. To achieve
this, his company VBB built a total of 31 structures in 5 groups,
all in mushroom shape. However, the commissioning agency
wanted the 6th group to be more spectacular. So, they were
constructed in a different design, symbolic of the ideals of
humanity (earth) and technology (rocket). Their appearance was
enhanced using 55,000 chinese steel discs in 8 shades of blue,
green and gray, arranged in spiral patterns.

What are these structures?

89. 
The allied forces entered mainland Italy on Sep 3, 1943,
following Operation Avalanche. They established bases in Italy
the same year, readying to take on Germany in their own
backyard. A major unit involved was the 340th Bombardment
Group who had their base at Terzigno near Naples. During this
phase, they suffered the loss of more aircraft than any other
medium group during WW II because of two events. One was a
surprise German raid in May 1944 that destroyed 60 aircraft.

What was the other event, that resulted in the loss of around
90 aircraft?

93. 
The Americans rubbished his first victory, saying two of their
stars Eddie Hart and Reynaud Robinson were disqualified. His
reply silenced the media: “I beat the men who were there.”

Still, the Americans did not concede defeat and swore they
would beat him in the next event. 48 hours later, he was back on
the track, with Larry Black, Larry Burton and Chuck Smith, all
keen on revenge. Continuing with his excellent form, he beat
everyone to the gold medal in 20.00 seconds.

It was only 5 years later, in 1977, that the Americans came to
terms with this and honored his achievements in a singular way.
Who? How?

96. 
This rotating group of officials held office from Good Friday 1661
to Good Friday 1662. They were five in number, assisted by a
servant. Technically, they were textile retailers who were elected
to assess the quality of cloth that weavers offered to members
of their society. They conducted inspections thrice weekly, and
carried steel pliers to press seals into specially affixed lead slugs
to record the results. The highest grade of cloth was indicated by
pressing four seals and the lowest by pressing only one.

Who are these people, believed to be giving an account of the
year's business to an assembly? Clue available if no-one objects.

100. 
The National Statuary Hall Collection in the US Capitol comprises
of statues donated by individual states to honor important
persons in their history. The only statue of a child in the collection
was installed by Alabama in Oct 2009. Designed by famous
sculptor Edward Hlavka, it shows a seven-year-old girl wearing a
pinafore over her dress. She is portrayed as standing at an ivyentwined water pump with her right hand on the pump handle
and her left beneath the spout to feel the flow of the water.

What is represented by this sculpture? Image follows.

104. 
Chopard is a Swiss luxury-watch company. In 1997, the creative
skills of Caroline Scheufele, the firm’s co-President, impressed
someone so much that Chopard was tasked with the
manufacture and supply of a particular item. This item is today
made in the company HQ in Geneva by one of their master
craftsmen. It features a crystal perfectly beveled along the edges
in the shape of an emerald-cut diamond, on which is mounted
something that appears as if its parts have been caught in midmotion. The finished product is then packed neatly in a case of
blue morocco leather.

What are we talking about? Images follow.

111. 
Teju Cole is a Nigerian-American writer who’s authored two
highly acclaimed books, Every Day is for the Thief and Open City,
the works having won multiple international awards. On Jan 8,
2014, he came out a new short story about a man having a
heart attack in public. This work with 33 parts was composed in
a very unique manner, and utilized the services of more than a
dozen unrelated people. The whole project was an experiment
to test the social nature of the platform it employed.

How was the work written?

114. 
After X’s death in 1827, it was decided that a memorial be built
honoring his contributions like the introduction of the
Ryotwari System and a proper education policy in the region
under his governance. Sculpted using the statue of George IV
at Trafalgar Square as a model, it cost £8000 and was erected
in 1839. However, the memorial had a peculiarity: it missed
‘something’. While it is believed to be an oversight on the part
of the sculptor, another theory attributes this to X’s specific
habit during the recreation depicted in the memorial.

What is missing? OR What is this memorial popularly known
as? Image follows.

118. 
Written Round

8 questions

10 points for every correct answer

Bonus of 10 for getting all correct

Topic – Syzygy

119. 
When two words have two or more letters standing together
in the same order, common to both.

Invented by Lewis Carroll, no less.

120. Liverpool
Herpes
Torpedo
Pediatrics
Satriani
Mariana
Manatee
Manchester

121. Tagore
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mandela

122. 
In The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow is one of the characters
who join Dorothy in her quest. He asks the wizard for a brain,
but the wizard gives him a diploma instead.

By virtue of his newly-attained intelligence, the Scarecrow
tries to recite something postulated by a philosopher in the 6th
century B.C., but gets it slightly wrong.

What does he recite?

123. 
To celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2013, the producers of a
famous TV show aired a few special commercials. A parody
of this song was used as the background in these ads.

Just identify the TV show.

Audio removed.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9We2XsVZfc

124. 
A member of the Musaceae family, it specifically is a clone of
the Cavendish variety. The cultivar is named after William
Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, who acquired an early
specimen, and from whose hothouses the first ones were
developed for commercial exploitation worldwide. Extremely
common and popular in India, it differs from other common
varieties in that the outer skin is green in colour. A 'keystone
species' in many ecosystems, it establish themselves rapidly in
disturbed regions, like areas subjected to forest fires.

What ‘strong’ variety are we talking about?

125. 
This image of a group of monkeys
appeared in 1886 in a German
journal named Berichte der
Durstigen Chemischen Gesellschaft.
It parodied an anecdote that was
famous through oral transmission
but had not yet appeared in print.
The anecdote itself has its origins
in the harsh winter of 1861-62 that
caused someone to doze off in
front of a fire in Ghent, Belgium.

What anecdote?

126. 
In 1995, 461 big convex discs (2.3m wide) and 954 small concave
discs (1.4m wide) were made for a project designed by French
architect Roger Anger. These stainless steel discs, weighing 210
kg each, were coated with leaves of gilding protected between 2
thin layers of glass. This offered durability, good maintenance
and easy replacement if damaged. They were then mounted on
to the final framework using steel rods. The final arrangement
reflected sunlight, but also allowed it to permeate through the
800 odd translucent gaps on the framework.

In which town would one be able to see these discs? Images
follow.

129. 
It is speculated that this lady
borrowed the name X from John
Milton’s Paradise Lost. Milton
frequently refers to God as ‘the
X’ in Paradise Lost, and the lady
attempted to portray her
creation X as playing God by
creating life. X’s adventures
happened at Ingolstadt, which
also witnessed the creation of a
body Y on on May 1, 1776, thanks
to a German philosopher named
Adam Weishaupt.

Solve for X and Y.

130. 
Considered as one of the world’s
most invasive species, they have
a circumboreal range throughout
North America and Eurasia. They
adopt a completely white fur coat
(except the black tail-tip) during
the winter, and is a traditional
symbol of purity because it was
believed they would face death
rather than soil the white coat.
This probably influenced its
inclusion in a 1490 painting, one
of only 4 portraits by the painter
to feature a woman.

Which work?

131. 
The only land-based ICBM
currently in service with the US
has a very quick reaction time and
can be launched immediately
after the receipt of a valid launch
order. They can carry up to 3
nuclear warheads and will be in
service until at least 2030. The
missile is named after elite militia
of the American Revolutionary
War who were always ready to
turn out rapidly for emergencies
at very short notice.

What name?

133. 
In The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow is one of the characters
who join Dorothy in her quest. He asks the wizard for a brain,
but the wizard gives him a diploma instead.

By virtue of his newly-attained intelligence, the Scarecrow
tries to recite something postulated by a philosopher in the 6th
century B.C., but gets it slightly wrong.

What does he recite?

134. Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbvip1Ot6jQ

136. Tagore
Pythagoras
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mandela

137. 
To celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2013, the producers of a
famous TV show aired a few special commercials. A parody
of this song was used as the background in these ads.

Just identify the TV show.

Audio removed.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9We2XsVZfc

138. Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR-N_fMpBXo

140. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
3
4
5
6
7
8
Mandela

141. 
A member of the Musaceae family, it specifically is a clone of
the Cavendish variety. The cultivar is named after William
Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire, who acquired an early
specimen, and from whose hothouses the first ones were
developed for commercial exploitation worldwide. Extremely
common and popular in India, it differs from other common
varieties in that the outer skin is green in colour. A 'keystone
species' in many ecosystems, it establish themselves rapidly in
disturbed regions, like areas subjected to forest fires.

What ‘strong’ variety are we talking about?

143. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
Robusta
4
5
6
7
8
Mandela

144. 
This image of a group of monkeys
appeared in 1886 in a German
journal named Berichte der
Durstigen Chemischen Gesellschaft.
It parodied an anecdote that was
famous through oral transmission
but had not yet appeared in print.
The anecdote itself has its origins
in the harsh winter of 1861-62 that
caused someone to doze off in
front of a fire in Ghent, Belgium.

What anecdote?

146. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
Robusta
Ouroboros
5
6
7
8
Mandela

147. 
In 1995, 461 big convex discs (2.3m wide) and 954 small concave
discs (1.4m wide) were made for a project designed by French
architect Roger Anger. These stainless steel discs, weighing 210
kg each, were coated with leaves of gilding protected between 2
thin layers of glass. This offered durability, good maintenance
and easy replacement if damaged. They were then mounted on
to the final framework using steel rods. The final arrangement
reflected sunlight, but also allowed it to permeate through the
800 odd translucent gaps on the framework.

In which town would one be able to see these discs? Images
follow.

152. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
Robusta
Ouroboros
Auroville
6
7
8
Mandela

153. 
It is speculated that this lady
borrowed the name X from John
Milton’s Paradise Lost. Milton
frequently refers to God as ‘the X’
in the work, and the lady
attempted to portray her creation
X as playing God by trying to
create life. X’s adventures
happened at Ingolstadt, which
also witnessed the creation of a
body Y on on May 1, 1776, thanks
to a German philosopher named
Adam Weishaupt.

Solve for X and Y.

156. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
Robusta
Ouroboros
Auroville
Illuminati
7
8
Mandela

157. 
Considered as one of the world’s
most invasive species, they have
a circumboreal range throughout
North America and Eurasia. They
adopt a completely white fur coat
(except the black tail-tip) during
the winter, and is a traditional
symbol of purity because it was
believed they would face death
rather than soil the white coat.
This probably influenced its
inclusion in a 1490 painting, one
of only 4 portraits by the painter
to feature a woman.

Which work?

159. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
Robusta
Ouroboros
Auroville
Illuminati
Ermine
8
Mandela

160. 
The only land-based ICBM
currently in service with the US
has a very quick reaction time and
can be launched immediately
after the receipt of a valid launch
order. They can carry up to 3
nuclear warheads and will be in
service until at least 2030. The
missile is named after elite militia
of the American Revolutionary
War who were always ready to
turn out rapidly for emergencies
at very short notice.

What name?

162. Tagore
Pythagoras
Mythbusters
Robusta
Ouroboros
Auroville
Illuminati
Ermine
Minuteman
Mandela

163. 
They are of two kinds - old, traditional ones which operate as
‘monthlies’, and the ‘daily-basis’ ones. The software boom of the
90s contributed to their growth, most of them set up by poor
farmers of south Tamil Nadu who had to migrate to Chennai due
to the declining state of agriculture. Periyar, Anna, Bharathiraja,
Kannadasan, Raghuvaran etc. have all utilized their services.
They have also inspired many Tamil novels, short stories, and
even film songs.

What are these 250 odd entities, concentrated in a place that
means ‘Sacred Lily Pond’?

166. 
Dry Round

Clockwise

17 questions

Infinite Pounce - +10, -5

Infinite Bounce - +10

167. 

8 of them have been used so far, on 8 different occasions, usually in
February. The first time it happened was on July 27, 1996, while the
latest was on Feb 28, 2013. The ones used on these occasions were:
- “Iyattralum, eettalum, kattalum, katta
Vakuthalam Vallath Arasu”
(To be able to increase wealth, to lay it up and guard,
And also well to distribute it, marks a royal lord)
- “Kalangathu Kanda Vinaikkan Thulangkathu
Thookkang Kadinthu Seyal”
(What clearly eye discerns as right, with steadfast will
And mind unslumbering, that should man fulfil)
A favorite of the user, their utility stems from the fact that 700 of
them exclusively expounded the virtues of hard work and morality.
What are we talking about?

170. 
In 2012, an online auction was organized for an object, at a
starting price of $850,000. This item was recovered in 1980 from
a tall flower urn in Upper West Manhattan, by a maintenance
man named Philip Michael who was walking home from a
wrestling match at Madison Square Garden. A conversation with
a cab driver helped him realizing its significance, and he handed
it over to the police. He applied to have it returned after one
year and it came back with a letter of gratitude and slightly
worn, with 16 small police notations and enhanced fingerprints.

What was this thing?

174. 
The 4,000 odd inhabitants of an Asian UNESCO World
Heritage Site comprising of 3 major islands (Padar, Rinca, X)
and 26 smaller ones have adopted certain changes to their
burial customs over the years. The graves have been gradually
moved from their former sandy locations to clay ground with
rocks piled on top.

What prompted these changes?

177. 
This annual fashion event began 7 years ago as a hobby, the
first edition featuring a limited collection of saris created by
the designer and his wife. Over the years, it has become a fullfledged, celebrated event, the designs inspired by the puranas,
tiger stripes, mythical birds, intricate mirror-mosaic patterns in
palaces, chevrons etc. By utilizing elements from both Hindu
and Islamic cultures, the event also aims at uniting the two
main religions of the area the designer belonged to.

Who was the designer? OR Identify the brand. Image follows.

181. 
Regarded as the most heavily guarded animal refuge in the
world, this 1000 sq. km. region is home to 70 mammal species,
3,000 plant species and over 300 bird species. The wildlife
diversity of the area is due to its geographic diversity, covering
everything from mountains to wetlands to forests, and even a
bit of coastal area. Rare species like the Siberian tiger, the
Amur leopard, the red-crowned crane and the white-naped
crane have all been sighted here. The only threat to the survival
of this area, amazingly, is peace.

Which involuntary park, also one of the best-preserved areas of
temperate habitat in the world?

184. 
The leaf springs of recycled truck suspensions is the most
popular material for this purpose because their high carbon
content produces a quality of hardness in the final product that
allows it to be flexed without breaking. However, many people
use sections of rail that has been packed by freight wheel
impact. These items are imported in large quantities from a
neighboring country. Making a single final product is a task that
takes four men an entire day.

What is this object, that also featured in the climax of Bram
Stoker’s Dracula? Pics of the initial stages of the process follow.

189. 
Identify and connect.

2 videos removed.

Premise of the removed vids:
Scenes from Amelie, where
she fakes a letter to one of
her female friends, posing as
her dead husband.

191. Amelie reads a newspaper article about a mailbag being discovered
from an air crash on Mont Blanc and fakes a final love letter to her
friend from her late husband who died in the crash. This is based on
the 1950 crash (Flight 245). In a curious case of life imitating art, a
real airmail bag was recovered at the site in 2011.

192. 
They are derived from the design of Tallit, a traditional prayer
shawl. However, it has been alleged by some groups that they
represent the rivers Nile and Euphrates, and indicate the
desire to conquer all the land between the two rivers, which
would involve much of Egypt, all of Jordan, and some of Syria
and Iraq.

What are we talking about?

195. 
Saifee Villa, a house located in a village in the Navsari district,
was home to the head of the Dawoodi Bohras. It was given a
facelift by the Archaeological Survey of India in June 2013 and 15
acres of land opposing it was acquired by the Government of
India for a sculptural-cum-architectural complex. This complex,
designed by IIT-B, includes a 70-metre high solar-illuminated
pyramid topped by white crystals, a small lake, and human
figurines. It aims to extol the virtues of renewable energy
resources along with its other intended purpose.

What is its actual purpose? Why was Saifee Villa chosen as the
location? Images follow.

202. 
The Unicorn and the Wasp, aired by BBC One on 17 May 2008, was
the 7th episode of the series 4 of the revived Doctor Who
franchise. The storyline features the Doctor landing at a dinner
party in England in 1926. One of the other guests at the event is
X, and together they start investigating a series of murders that
occur at the party. They conclude that the murderer is the son of
the landlady, who happens to be an alien in human form who
communicates through a necklace. The episode ends with X
grabbing the necklace and luring the alien away to a nearby pool,
where it drowns. X is spared, but is left with total amnesia and is
dropped by the Doctor at a hotel in Yorkshire.

Who is X? What real-life mystery does this episode try to explain?

206. 
Joseph Dupleix was appointed governor general of all French
establishments in India in 1742, while Robert Clive set shop in
Madras in 1744. The next decade saw a series of conflicts
between the two men in and around Madras, as part of the
Indian theatre of the War of the Austrian Succession. The major
events included the Battle of Madras (1746), the Siege of
Pondicherry (1748) and the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)
which gave Madras back to the British in exchange for the
French fortress of Louisbourg in Canada.

In spite of the animosity between the two men, venues named
after them exist next to each other in Chennai today. Where?

209. 
It consisted of three parts – a 3x5 ft nylon item (purchased for
$5.50 from a Sears store), a two-part telescoping pole with a
telescoping crossbar (costing $75) and a protective shroud (that
cost many hundred dollars). To make it easily accessible and
because available space was limited, it was mounted on the
exterior during transport. Problems were experienced with the
crossbar during its eventual deployment. This, however, lead to
the 5 future attempts intentionally leaving the crossbar partially
retracted. The nylon component has been fully bleached white
over the years.

What are we talking about?

213. 
On 16 Jan 2004, the BBC Symphony Orchestra gave the first ever
orchestral performance in the UK of a seminal composition in
the opening concert of its annual Composer Weekend. BBC
Radio 3 broadcast the performance live, despite the risks
involved in airing the piece. The only precaution they took was
to switch off their emergency backup systems that were
designed to cut in in the event of an apparent problem.

Which piece? Why was the precaution taken?

216. 
This brand was originally introduced in 1910 by Bayuk Cigars was
made in Philadelphia and is today produced by Altadis U.S.A., which is
in turn owned by Imperial Tobacco.

The brand was extremely popular amongst the American youth in the
early half of the 20th century because it was cheap (each piece cost
only 5 cents). The most popular variety was the Blunt (rolled in one leaf
so that the end would taper) and the contents could be emptied and
re-rolled with other smoking mixtures, the most common being
marijuana.

The single biggest claim to fame of the brand, however, would be a
representation in 1942 that highlighted its low cost.

Which brand? Where did this ad appear?

219. 
In Feb 2013, advertising websites all over the globe carried
news of an extremely innovative ad seeking new artists, by the
Turkish agency BURO for the Berrge Tattoo Parlor in Istanbul.
The ad was in effect the first step of the interview process and
applicants had to prove their drawing skills by carefully filling in
an outline that was faintly visible on the ad. The process
required extremely steady hands and the perfectly filled in ads
directed one to the next stage in the recruitment process, an
official application form by email.

What exactly did the applicants have to fill? Image follows.

223. 
The Reynolds Building is a 314
feet skyscraper in WinstonSalem, North Carolina. Finished
in 1929, it has 21 floors and
functioned as the headquarters
of R. J. Reynolds Tobacco
Company, the second-largest
tobacco company in the U.S.,
for a very long time.

Every year, staff at the building
receive a Father's Day card.
Who sends these cards?

226. 
The standard issue footwear for the Indian Army is the Direct
Moulded Sole (DMS) boots. These, however, tend to be slippery
and hence soldiers posted at high altitude or jungle locations
are issued suitable replacements. In early 2009, the Army
placed an order for around 400 pairs of special, non-slippery
shoes for a peace-time engagement on 14 July 2009. This was a
first for the Indian Army, and the Maratha Light Infantry
regiment was given charge of the same.

What task? Why did these boots have to be non-slippery?

228. Link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R92rJ0DNiLY#t=216

230. so tagore
thank you
many crowd
wow iit
more kyuss
need lunch
heil qfi