The set for the preliminary round for 'Does Grey Matter', a quiz organized by the ex-students of M. P. Birla Foundation Higher Secondary School Quiz Club, Quotient.

1. Does Grey Matter?
Prelims (2015)
By Ananyo Brahma
1

2. RULES
2
 There are 26 questions in the prelims.
 Each answer begins with the corresponding letter.
For example, the answer to the first question begins
with the letter ‘A’, the second answer starts with ‘B’
and so on.
 Letters ‘M’, ‘P,’ ‘B’, ‘I’, ‘R’, ‘L’, and ‘A’ are starred
questions.
 In case of a tie, the team with more starred
questions correct will be selected.
 In case of a tie in the finals, the prelims score will be
used to resolve it.
 Top 6 teams make it to the finals.

3. A.**
 ______ : An Elegy on the Death of John Keats, is a
pastoral elegy written by Percy Bysshe Shelly for
John Keats in 1821, and is widely regarded as one
of Shelley’s best and most well known works.
 The poem, which is in 495 lines in 55 Spenserian
Stanzas, was composed in the spring of 1821
immediately after 11 April, when Shelley heard of
Keat’s death.
 Fill in the blank.
3

4. Answer
 Adonais (also spelled Adonaies)
4

5. B.**
 What has been
blacked out?
5

6. Answer
 Bob Ross
6

7. C.
7
 This French dessert consists of choux pastry balls
piled into a cone and bound with threads of
caramel.
 In Italy and France, it is often served at weddings,
baptisms, and first communions.
 On November 16, 2015, that is, after the Paris
attacks, John Oliver called it a French Freedom
Tower because of its shape and structure on his
show ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver’.
 Identify this dish.

8. Answer
8
 Croquembouche

9. D.
 This is a philosophy and lifestyle introduced by a
character from the Coen Brothers’ 1998 film ‘The
Big Lebowski’.
 Its stated primary objective is to promote a modern
form of Taoism, blended with the concepts of the
ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus and
presented in a style as personified by the character
Jeffrey in the movie.
 It has sometimes been regarded as a mock
religion, although its founder and many adherents
regard it seriously.
 March 6 is the sacred high holy day for this
religion.
 Identify the religion.9

10. Answer
 Dudeism
10

11. E. (from Akash Banerjee)
11

12. Answer
12
 Eric Cantona

13. F. (from Akash Banerjee)
13
 _____is a series of post-apocalyptic role-playing video
games.
 It was created by Interplay Entertainment.
 Although the series is set during the 22nd and 23rd
centuries, its atom-punk retro-futuristic setting and
artwork are influenced by the post-war culture of 1950s
America, and its combination of hope for the promises
of technology, and lurking fear of nuclear annihilation.
 A forerunner for ______ is Wasteland, a 1988 video
game of which the ______ series is regarded to be a
spiritual successor.
 Although the game worlds are different, the background
story, inhabitants, locations, and characters draw many
parallels.
 Fill in the blank.

14. Answer
14
 Fallout

15. G.
 He was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1921.
 He flew eighty-nine combat mission in the Army
Air Forces during World War II, and worked as a
commercial pilot after the war.
 He is best known as an American screenwriter,
producer, futurist and satirist.
 On 5th September, 1985, he became the first
television writer to win a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame.
 Identify the individual.
15

16. Answer
 Gene Roddenberry,
creator of Star Trek.
16

17. H.
 To the Egyptians,
the frog was a symbol of life
and fertility, since millions
of them were born after the
annual inundation of the
Nile, which brought fertility
to the otherwise barren
lands. Consequently,
in Egyptian mythology,
there began to be a frog-
goddess, who represented
fertility, referred to by
Egyptologists as ______.
 She was considered the
wife of Khnum, who formed
the bodies of new children
on his potter's wheel.
17

18. Answer
 Heqet or Heket
18

19. I.**
 Identify the logo.
19

20. Answer
 Imangi Studios.
 They developed the
Temple Run series.
20

21. J. (from Akash Banerjee)
21

22. Answer
 The answer is Johnson.
 First picture is Andre Johnson from NFL.
 Second picture is from Mitchell Johnson’s last test.
 Third picture is Dwayne Johnson (The Rock).
 Fourth picture is Magic Johnson from the Lakers.
22

23. J.
23

24. K. (from Souvik Maity)
24
 Identify the man.

25. Answer
25
 Professor Kip Thorne
 The man behind the physics of Interstellar.
 He also served as an executive producer on the film.

26. L.**
 ____ fever is an acute viral haemorrhagic fever caused by
the ____ virus and first described in 1969 in the town of ____,
in Borno state, Nigeria.
 Similar to Ebola, clinical cases of the disease had been known
for over a decade, but had not been connected with a viral
pathogen.
 It frequently infects people in West Africa. It results in 300,000
to 500,000 cases annually and causes about 5,000 deaths
each year.
 Outbreaks of the disease have been observed in Nigeria,
Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and the Central African
Republic.
 The primary animal host of the ____ virus is the Natal multi-
mammate mouse (Mastomys natalensis), an animal found in
most of sub-Saharan Africa.
 The virus is probably transmitted by contact with the feces or
urine of animals accessing grain stores in residences. Given
its high rate of incidence, _____ fever is a major problem in
affected countries.26

27. Answer
 Lassa Fever
27

28. M.**
 _____ is a fictional brand of cigarette that has
appeared in various films, television shows, and
video games, that otherwise have no connection to
each other.
 It has featured primarily in television shows as both
a prop and a plot element.
 Examples of movies which feature this include The
World’s End (2013) and Definitely, Maybe (2008).
 Examples of television shows include Breaking
Bad, 24, Prison Break, Orange is the New Black,
The Walking Dead, That 70’s show, etc.
 Identify the brand.
28

29. Answer
 Morley
29

30. N.
 Often considered the nicest character in the history
of television, he was recently honored in a way no
one has ever been before.
 The character has a very annoying tendency to
speak in rhymes and is a devout Evangelical
Christian with two kids named Rod and Todd.
 A metal band called ‘Okilly Dokilly’ is named after a
phrase which is used by this character very
frequently. The members of the band even dress
themselves the way this character does.
 Identify the character.
30

31. Answer
Ned Flanders (from The Simpsons)
31

32. O.
 _____ is an ancient symbol
depicting a serpent or a
dragon eating its own tail.
 It often symbolizes self-
reflexivity or cyclicality,
especially in the sense of
something constantly re-
creating itself, the eternal
return, and other things such as
the phoenix which operate in
cycles that begin anew as soon
as they end. It can also
represent the idea of primordial
unity related to something
existing in or persisting from the
beginning with such force or
qualities it cannot be
extinguished.
 Fill in the blank.32

33. Answer
 Ouroboros
33

34. P.**
 Identify this movie from
the minimalist poster.
34

35. Answer
 Psycho (1960)
35

36. Q.
 _____ is an ancient port city located on the southern
coast of Essos. Situated on the Jade Gates in a central
location between the Summer and Jade Seas, it is a
gateway of commerce and culture between the east
and west, and the north and south.
 Brimming with wealth, the city's architecture makes a
grand display. It is home to warlocks and merchant
princes, and nominally ruled by the Pureborn.
 However, the powerful guilds of the Thirteen, the
Tourmaline Brotherhood and the Ancient Guild of
Spicers all attempt to play a role in the governance of the
city. It has been referred to as the Queen of Cities.
 Fill in the blank.
36

37. Answer
 Qarth (from the Song of Ice and Fire Series).
37

38. R.**
38
 As a boy, X's father
nicknamed his son
"Dutch", due to his “fat
little Dutchman"-like
appearance, and his
"Dutchboy" haircut; the
nickname stuck with him
throughout his youth.
 Identify X.

39. Answer
39
 Ronald Reagan

40. S.
 He is an American rock vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and
musician.
 He rose to prominence in the 1970s with the hard rock
band Montrose. He launched a successful solo career
afterwards, scoring an enduring hit in 1984 with “I can’t drive
55”. He enjoyed huge commercial success when he replaced
David Lee Roth as the lead singer of Van Halen in 1985, but
left the band in 1996.
 He returned to the band for a 2 year reunion from 2003 to
2005. On March 12, 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen.
 His musical style primarily consists of hard rock and heavy
metal. His present musical project is lead singer of
Chickenfoot.
 He is also known as The Red Rocker.
 Identify the person.
40

41. Answer
 Samuel Roy Hagar or
Sammy Hagar
41

42. T.
 Identify the track.
42

43. Answer
 The Adventures of Tintin
43

44. U.
 The _____ is a sword with a flexible whip-like blade
from South Asia. Originating in what are now southern
India and Sri Lanka, it is thought to have existed as far
back as the Maurya dynasty.
 It is considered one of the most difficult weapons to
master due to the risk of injuring oneself. It is treated
as a steel whip, and therefore requires prior knowledge of
that weapon. For this reason, it is always taught last
in South Asian martial arts.
 The word _____ is of north Keralan origin. In the state's
southern region it is more commonly called a chuttuval,
from the words for coiling or spinning (chuttu) and sword
(vaal). Alternative Tamil names for the weapon are surul
val (curling sword) and surul katti (curling knife).
 Visual in the next slide.
44

45. U.
45

46. Answer
46
 Urumi

47. V.
 It is a team sport, played mainly by women in Australia,
that originally combined elements of cricket and tennis,
although in its current form it may be more similar to cricket
and baseball.
 There are two teams of 12 players which will bat and field
two innings each. The aim of the game is for a team to score
more runs than the opposition team.
 There are no overs and the batters bat from one end only. Two
bowlers bowl alternately. If the ball is hit forward of the crease,
the batters must run.
 A run is completed each time both batters safely make it to the
crease at the opposite end of the pitch. Fours and sixes also
apply where the batter hits the ball past the boundary markers.
 Players may be dismissed by the same methods as in cricket.
 Identify the sport.
47

48. Answer
48
 Vigoro

49. W.
49

50. Answer
50
 Water Vole

51. X.
51
 Pumpkin Island is a privately owned island on Keppel
Bay near the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
 It is 13.8 kilometres (8.6 mi) off the coast from
Yeppoon and has an area of 18 acres.
 In 2012, it was the world's sixth most expensive island.
 The island has been temporarily renamed _____
Island after Queensland brewer Castlemaine
Perkins leased it in 2012 as part of a campaign to
promote their beer, Castlemaine _____.
 ____’s three-year lease ends in December 2015 the
island will return to its owner.
 Visual in the next slide.

52. X.
52

53. Answer
 XXXX Island.
53

54. Y.
 Y is a social media Smartphone application.
 It is available for iOS and Android. It allows people
anonymously to create and view ____ within a 5-mile
radius.
 It is similar to other anonymous sharing apps such
as Nearby, but differs from others such as Whisper in that
it is intended for sharing primarily with those in proximity
to the user, potentially making it more intimate and
relevant for people reading the posts.
 All users have the ability to contribute to the stream by
writing, responding, and "voting up" or "voting down"
(liking or disliking) ____s.
 The developers of the app, Tyler Droll and Brooks
Buffington, are both graduates from Furman University in
Greenville, South Carolina.

55. Answer

56. Z.
 _____ refers to an imaginary point directly "above"
a particular location, on the imaginary celestial
sphere. "Above" means in the vertical direction
opposite to the apparent gravitational force at
that location.
 It is the "highest" point on the celestial sphere
(meaning it is the farthest up from the gravitational
force).
 It is sometimes used as a given name, most
commonly for males.
 Its meaning, "highest point," evokes success and
power.
 Fill in the blank.56

57. Answer
57
 Zenith