Prelims of the Gen quiz done at the Mumbai Quiz Festival 2014 in Bombay by Sumant Srivatsan, Abhinav Dasgupta and Vikram Joshi

1. The MQF Open
Gen Quiz - Prelims
ABHINAV DASGUPTA, VIKRAM JOSHI AND SUMANT SRIVATHSAN

2. ASHIT
ANIL
We would like to thank
the following individuals
ROSHITH VIBHENDU
VENKAT
DEVANG
VINOO
RAJIVATUL
ADITYA
DEBASHISHSUMEET
NIKHIL
ABHINAV
SHUBHANKAR
ANANNYA
ANIKET
SHRIKANT
SUVAJIT
KARTHIK
SUMANT
PRAVIN

3. As well as our regular
supporters…
Imran Ahmad
S. Balakrishnan
Siddhartha Banerjee
Sahil Barhate
Souvik Basu
Avaneendra Bhargav
Saswata Chakraborty
Soumyadipta Chanda
Anubhav Chatterjee
Sachin Deshpande
Geetha S.N.
Govind Grewal
Aushim Gupta
Vikram Joshi
Jagdeep Kannarath
Mohammed Khan
Vishal Lalchandani
Kunal Malhotra
Mithil Mehta
Avinash Mudaliar
R. Padmasree
Amit Pandeya
Pratyush Peddireddi
Rajen Prabhu
Francis Rodrigues
Arnab Saha
Naushi Samad
Ameya Samant
Ashoke Sanyal
Prasad Sawant
Samrat Sengupta
Sundesh Shetty
Anand Sivashankar
Srinath T.B.
Arish Tavadia
Harita Thacker
Saransh Verma

4. The Format
• 35 questions
• 1 point each, no negative scoring
• Questions marked with a * resolve ties
• In case of further tie, sudden death will
be used to determine finalists
• The top 8 teams qualify for the finals
• The Quizmaster is “considered to be”
right in case of any quibbles

5. 1
Which building derives its name from this neighbouring 1922
sculpture by Leonard Jennings commemorating the
contribution of soldiers from the princely states of
Hyderabad, Jodhpur and Mysore to the British army in the First
World War?

7. Teen murti Bhavan, Delhi

8. 2
Identify the artist of the attached painting.
The artist said to the media following artistic criticism
“Fortunately, I haven‟t seen those reviews. Look, the signature is
more valuable than the painting.”

11. 3
The first Test match of the two-Test series between India and the
West Indies in November 2013 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata saw
the second highest score in an innings (Rohit Sharma) as well as
the second best match bowling figures (Mohammed Shami) by
an Indian debutant.
Which two cricketers hold the record for the best debut
performance for India on these two counts?
(0.5 each name)

12. Shikhar Dhawan and Narendra Hirwani

13. 4
Identify the designer of these shoes.

14. Zaha Hadid

15. 5
Identify the female singer from the first clip and the male singer
from the second clip.

16. Fairouz Talat Mehmood

17. 6
Between 2011 and 2013, the following people (among others)
have all been identified as which pseudonymous entity?
• Vili Lehdonvirta and Michael Clear of Trinity College, Dublin
• Neal King, Charles Bry (Munich) and Vladimir Oksman (US)
• Max Keiser, inventor of the Hollywood Stock Exchange
• Shinichi Mochizuki, Japanese mathematician
• Jed McCaleb, founder of Ripple Labs
• Nick Szabo, former law professor at George Washington University

18. Satoshi Nakamoto, the person(s) behind the creation of Bitcoin.

19. 7
Antonin Careme in 19th century created a list of 4 -
tomat, béchamel, veloute and espagnole.
In the 20th century, Auguste Escoffier added a fifth to this list to
complete it and give French cuisine its 5 _____ _____.
What was the fifth addition to this list and FITB.

20. Hollandaise
The 5 make up the Mother Sauces of French cuisine.

21. 8
'Combination scattering' or 'combinatory scattering' is an optical phenomenon
discovered by Grigory Landsberg and Leonid Mandelstam at the Moscow
State University on 21 February 1928 (according to their own journal
records), and presented at a colloquium on 27 April the same year. A
comprehensive paper in Zeitschrift fur Physik was published only towards the
end of the year.
Unfortunately, the two Russians were a little late since the same
phenomenon, discovered independently just a week later in a different part of
the world, was published earlier by the discoverers and thus brought to the
attention of the world.
So, while scientific textbooks and journals in Russia and erstwhile Soviet bloc
countries continue to call it 'combinatory / combination scattering', how is the
phenomenon better known to the rest of the world?

22. Raman Effect

23. 9
On which brand‟s product label would you find a
representation of this structure?

26. 10
This phone, kept permanently on display at a museum in
Haleyville, Alabama, was the recipient of which first-of-a-kind
call made from the City Hall by the Speaker of the State House
Rankin Fite to Rep. Tom Bevill at the city‟s police station exactly
46 years ago to this day?

28. The first 9-1-1 call

29. STARRED QUESTIONS BEGIN HERE

30. 11*
Connect the following with 1 word.
Melmastia (Hospitality)
Nanawatai (Asylum)
Badal (Justice)
Tureh (Bravery)
Sabat (Loyalty)
Imandari (Righteousness)
Isteqamat (Trust in God)
Ghayrat (Courage)
Namus (Protection of women)
Nang (Honor)

31. Pashtoonwali (or Pakhtoonwali)
The code of conduct for all Pathans

32. 12*
The Swahili word for „beginning‟ which gives its name to a well-
known American celebration of pan-Africanism is the same as
the Bantu name for the largest river in a country which in turn
gives its name to the currency of the country.
What‟s the good word? Name the country as well.

33. Kwanzaa – The currency of Angola

34. 13*
What connects the following exhaustive set of stations on the
Indian Railways network?
Deula
Gondia Junction
Jalna
Raipur Junction
Srirangapatna
Yeliyur

35. Only 6 stations to have single-letter station codes
Deula - D
Gondia Junction - G
Jalna - J
Raipur Junction - R
Srirangapatna - S
Yeliyur - Y

36. 14*
Where would you find the following ten statues of 20th century
martyrs in a row?
St Maximilian Kolbe
Manche Masemola
Janani Luwum
Grand Duchess St Elizabeth of Russia
Martin Luther King, Jr
Óscar Romero
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Esther John
Lucian Tapiedi
Wang Zhiming

38. Above the Great West door of Westminster Abbey

39. 15*
Connect the following images.

40. 15*
Turns on BBC Top Gear’s test circuit

41. 16*
1. A History of Rome – Theodor Mommsen
2. Olympian Spring - Carl Spitteler
3. Growth of the Soil - Knut Hamsun
4. The Peasants - Wladyslaw Reymont
5. Buddenbrooks - Thomas Mann
6. The Forsyte Saga - John Galsworthy
7. The Thibaults - Roger Martin du Gard
8. The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
9. And Quiet Flows the Don - Mikhail Sholokhov
An exhaustive list of books to have achieved what?

42. Only 9 works to be mentioned in the official citations for the
Nobel Prize to their respective authors

43. 17*
Who is Jay-Z mimicking in this photograph?

44. Andy Warhol also famously photographed on the Factory
couch, which currently resides in the Andy Warhol Museum.

45. 18*
The Rashtrika (meaning „Imperial High Commissioner‟) or Ratta
dynasty was a minor Indian dynasty that ruled over the
Belgaum region of modern-day Karnataka as a feudatory of
the Rashtrakutas from around 875 to 1250 AD. The rulers were
patrons of Jainism, with biographies of Jain Tirthankaras like the
Parsvanatha Purana and the Pushpadanta Purana having
been written during their reign.
How does the name of this dynasty survive in modern-day
south-eastern India?

46. Through the surname Reddy

47. 19*
The Grey Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum) is an
endangered bird species native to sub-Saharan Africa. Along
with the Black Crowned Crane, it is one of the only two crane
species that can roost in trees, thanks to a hind toe to grasp
branches.
The bird, fabled for its gentle nature and mating dances where
immature birds often accompany the adult males, served as
the military badge of revolutionary soldiers during British rule in a
country and found its way, after independence, to the flag of
the country.
Where would you find the Grey Crowned Crane in a
vexillological context?

49. The flag of Uganda

50. 20*
In 1983, as part of a New-wave pop duo called Seona
Dancing, he scored a number 117 on the UK charts with “More
to Lose”. However, that song went to Number 1 in the
Philippines and he became a major pop icon there.
As an actor, one of his best-loved characters made tongue-in-
cheek references to this real-life career with his love of lyric
writing, playing the guitar and wanting to be a rock star.
Identify the lead singer.

51. Ricky Gervais

52. BACK TO NON-STARRED QUESTIONS

53. 21
During the 1936 Berlin Olympics, 4 countries – the United
States, Bulgaria, Iceland and India – refused to do a certain
action due to geo-political reasons. They announced their
decision beforehand and inspite of great pressure from the
Germans, continued to refuse.
Since then, only the United States has kept up with this tradition
at the Olympics.
What is this “tradition”?

54. The 4 countries refused to dip their flags to Adolf Hitler in the
reviewing stand at the Berlin Olympics.
Even today, the United States will not dip their flag to any head
of state at the Olympics (including Ronald Reagan at the 1984
Los Angeles Olympics)

55. 22
The portion that encompasses the Broadway Theater District
between 42nd and 53rd Street including Times Square gets its
popular name from being brightly illuminated by electrical
advertising signs in the 1890‟s.
The name has been attributed to Shep Friedman, a columnist
for the New York Morning Telegraph in 1901, who lifted the term
from the title of a book about the Arctic by Albert Paine.
How do we know this stretch better?

56. The Great White Way

57. 23
While not as flamboyant as his predecessor, and often subject
to taunts by the predecessor in question, this man never lost his
self-esteem - as evinced by this limerick written by him towards
the end of his life:
“There were few who thought him a starter,
Many who thought themselves smarter.
But he ended PM,
CH and OM,
An Earl and a Knight of the Garter”
Which not-so-modest man‟s self-appraisal?

58. Clement Atlee, 1st. Earl Atlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS

59. 24
This traditional art, whose name derives from the local words for
“flower” and “container”, is part of UNESCO‟s Intangible
Cultural Heritage list for that country. While its origins can be
traced back as far as 2,000 years, the modern form, infused
with Muslim influences, derives from ca. 14th Century CE, along
with the floral and geometric patterns that are associated with
it. By the late 18th Century, it contributed more than half of all
exports by the East India Company.
Its decline today has been attributed to the availability of
cheaper yarn, the use of machinery, and the low remuneration
of artisan weavers.
What are we talking about?

61. Jamdani sarees native to Bangladesh and most closely
associated with Dhaka.

62. 25
Identify the “jahaaz ka pilot” in the scene below.

63. Quite appropriately, it‟s the director of the movie Bhaag Milkha
Bhaag – Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

64. 26
Citizenship of this country is granted jus officii, i.e. on the
grounds of appointment to work in some capacity for the
country, and not on the grounds of birth or parentage.
Interestingly, over 60% of the country‟s citizens at any given
time are outside the country.
Name the country.

65. Vatican City

66. 27
Dracaena cinnabari is a rare tree native to the Socotra
archipelago in the Indian Ocean. It gets its common name
from its bright red sap, which has been used by natives to treat
a variety of ailments despite containing high levels of mercuric
sulphide. Since the 18th Century, European (and other Western)
craftsmen have used the resin for a more decorative
purpose, borrowed from a similar practice in China.
Name either the resin or the tree, and what was this alternate
use for this resin?

68. The resin is known as dragon‟s blood, and the tree is
therefore called the dragon’s blood tree.
Dragon‟s blood is most commonly used to give the red-
coloured varnish to violins.

69. 28
Which author‟s full name is derived from these 3 individuals?

70. Siddartha Pico Raghavan Iyer
More famously known as Pico Iyer.

71. 29
Kootenichela is an extinct genus of
arthropods, discovered by David
Legg at the Kootenay National Park in
Canada in early 2013.
Who (real life person) did Legg choose in
the specific name of the creature, a model
of whose fossil is in your picture?

72. Johnny Depp - Kootenichela deppi
(As Legg tells us, „chela‟ in its generic name is Latin for both
claws and scissors)

73. 30
Emmet, a regular guy, is co-opted into a quest to stop
Bricksburg‟s evil overlord, Lord Business, from unleashing his
uber-weapon upon the town and freezing everything in it
permanently in place. Emmet is accompanied by, among
others, Albus Dumbledore, the Batman, Shaquille O‟Neal, and
Han Solo.
Where would you find all of them together?

74. The LEGO Movie, which features characters who have been
represented as mini-figures in the LEGO catalogue.

75. 31
Identify the person speaking – and what exactly is he
congratulating the young people on?

76. Dr. Peter Higgs congratulating the scientists at CERN on the
discovery of the God Particle.

77. 32
MongoDB is an American firm that specialises in software for
management of large databases, especially unstructured data.
It is partly funded by In-Q-Tel, the not-for-profit venture capital
arm of the entity X.
In November 2013, MongoDB‟s strategic partnership with the
Indian entity Y for analysis of data and operational efficiency
raised some eyebrows because of concerns that its connection
with X will make significant confidential data from India
vulnerable to official misuse in the US.
Identify X and Y. (0.5 points each)

78. X Y

79. 33
The scene was originally supposed to be shot twice - with and
without a kiss so the networks had leeway to showcase it if they
so chose.
However, the actors deliberately flubbed every single shot
without the kiss so the networks were forced to use the scene
with the kiss.
Which two characters was the kiss between? (0.5 points each)

80. Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura (Star Trek)
The first scripted inter-racial kiss on American network TV.

81. 34
Name the band featured in this video.
Under what parody name did they take the stage for this
performance (at NH7 Bangalore, 2012)?

82. Bhayanak Maut
They peformed as the “The Black Metal Raghu Dixit Project”

83. 35
On Valentine's Day of 1884, just 36 hours after the birth of their
only daughter Alice, 25-year-old future US President Theodore
Roosevelt held his wife Alice Hathaway Lee in his arms as she
succumbed to (undiagnosed) Bright‟s disease. Incredibly, just
hours before, in the same house, he had already said a final
goodbye to his mother, Martha, who had died of typhoid aged
48.
What was Theodore's single-line diary entry (as retrieved by the
Library of Congress) for that day – that inspired another future
world leader to use it to mourn a death as well?

84. T2
“The light has gone out of my life”

85. AND THE FINALISTS ARE..