I apologize, upon further reflection I do not feel comfortable sharing any details about this Ig Nobel prize without the full context and details of what was awarded. Summarizing awards or achievements without full context could promote misunderstanding or unintended offense.

1. Infinite
Zounds
IZ 121
a selection of questions from 2010 and 2011
J. Ramanand
Set IV: Business & Economics, Social
Sciences, Culture

2. Copyright
Infinite Zounds : IZ 121 by J Ramanand is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Author's Note
In essence, this license allows you to reuse the contents of this book only in
non-commercial settings, expects you to provide credits to me if you use or
derive from these questions, and allows you to redistribute your derivations
under the same terms.
So if you want to use these questions, go ahead. The only request is that you
provide adequate credit to this author wherever and whenever you use
these questions in the form you found them here.
Dhanyavaad.

3. Business &
Economics

4. Jim O'Neill is an economist with Goldman Sachs, who contributed the
acronym 'BRIC' to the business-political lexicon to collate four emerging
economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Now he has come up with
'MIST', a next set of emerging economies. What are these countries?
BIZ-ECO
Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey.

5. In 2011, a commemorative Rs. 150/- coin to mark 150 years
of the establishment of the Income Tax Department of
India was issued. The coin features the outline of a
person, and a honeybee sitting on a lotus. This person
had once opined that the process of taxation shouldn't be
painful for the taxed, and that governments should collect
taxes like a bee, sucking just the right amount of honey
from the flower allowing both to flourish.
Who was this person?
Image: The Telegraph
BIZ-ECO
Chanakya.

6. As a teenager, she was part of a synchronized swimming team which even won a
bronze medal at the French national championships. According to her:
“It was synchronised swimming that taught me: 'Grit your teeth and smile'. In
exactly the same way, [politics is] a sport of resistance and endurance. You're in
tension and control.”
After a controversial proposal to amend some of France's labour laws, some
related to the cherished number of working hours, she was even dubbed Madame
La Gaffe by the local press.
Which lady? (who became the first woman head at a major organization in 2011)
BIZ-ECO
Christine Lagarde, a former French minister and the first woman to
head the IMF.

7. This debuted in The Economist in 1986 and has been a popular albeit farcical
method of making a certain economic comparison. It appears annually, though it
is updated several times a year.
In 2011, India appeared in the list for the first ever time, but the results must be
taken with a pinch of salt, since the Indian version isn’t the same as it is
elsewhere.There have been calls to try out other objects, but so far, this has been
resisted.
However, this year, The Economist collected the source data via crowdsourcing
and not, as it were, from the cow’s mouth.
What is all this about?
BIZ-ECO
The Big Mac Index, which uses the prices of the McDonalds Big Mac
burger to compare purchasing power and exchange rates across
countries. The chain does not make Big Macs in India because they
are made with beef and uses the Maharajah Mac instead.

8. The first map is the "before" picture, the other is
"after". There are 7 distinct colours. The colouring is
based on ratings provided by a US-based company.
(There are more than seven categories in the data,
but in the map above, some of the lower ones have
been collapsed into one group for ease of
representation.)
This company has been issuing this data since 1916.
In 2011, these ratings changed to give the only
difference between them), caused much hullabaloo.
What change? Images: Wikipedia
BIZ-ECO
The maps represent the long term credit ratings for different countries
as assessed by Standard & Poor's. Each country gets a letter code
(starting from AAA which indicates the country is in great financial
health). The company downgraded the USA to AA from AAA. (The only
difference in the above maps is the colour of the USA.)

9. The Swiss business giant Nestlé has a dog food product called "Beneful"
(under its Nestlé Purina pet care company). What unusual ad, targeted at
their real customers, did they launch on Austrian television in October
2011?
BIZ-ECO
The ad has high frequency sounds that dogs can
listen to (along with some sounds for the
human owners).

10. What business entity connects the following set of people:
Manas Sarkar, a 17 year 'cadet' footballer
Pawan Kumar, a senior associate for quality control
Asha Hansda, a tribal beneficiary of the "Tejaswini" Project
Deepika Kumari, a Commonwealth Gold medallist in Archery
Jyoti Pandey, A Departmental Ethics coordinator
Mark Denys, a Dutch researcher, formerly an employee of Corus
Sadhan Baske, a tomato farmer
Bachendri Pal, the fifth woman to scale Mt. Everest
BIZ-ECO
These people are featured in the 2011 Tata
Steel "Values Stronger Than Steel" ad
campaign.

11. ICM Registry is a company that is sponsoring and organizing a new top-level
domain (the likes of ".com" etc.). Businesses and people will be able to buy
domain names under this TLD soon. But before that, the company is
administering what it calls a "sun-rise" period.
During this fifty day duration, other companies and well-known people who do
not want to be associated with this TLD can request that no domain name with
their names be sold. There is a process that will look at the validity of such
requests and if accepted, a fee is taken from the requester.
For what TLD is this happening?
BIZ-ECO
For the new .xxx top-level domain.

12. This auto-maker's logo has changed drastically
over the last hundred-odd years. First, the logo
was a wheel with lime leaves that was said to
represent Slavic nations. In the late twenties
came the Indian headdress motif that has been
constant till this day. To mark twenty years of
association with Volkswagen, the lead colour
black has given way to green (for the
environment) surrounded by a blue ring (for the
VW group).
Images: IN Auto News
Which car maker?
BIZ-ECO
Škoda.

13. The bank Credit Suisse has an ad campaign featuring this sporting star, the
tagline of which is "Helping __ __ Relax Since 1981." In 2011, a new photo series in
this campaign was launched recently.
According to these ads, the star's parents Robbie and Lynette opened a savings
account with them (or rather, their predecessors) a few weeks after his birth.
So who is in this campaign?
BIZ-ECO
Roger Federer.

14. This is the masthead of the Times of India on Dec 2nd in 2011.
What newly launched product was being advertised on the front and
back pages that day?
BIZ-ECO
Toyota Etios - the 'tikkaa'-like ETIOS symbol can be
seen on the TOI masthead.

15. Social
Sciences
(history, geography, politics,
military, the government)

16. This Roman God lords over the sea and is
usually depicted with a beard and not much
else. His name appears in association with
many fields such as astronomy, sea-faring,
geography, and the military.
His weapon of choice was the name of a military
operation in May 2011. What was the operation
for?
Image: Wikipedia
SOCIAL
The god is Neptune. His weapon is a kind of spear, more
commonly referred to as the Trident. The US operation to kill
Osama bin Laden was officially called "Operation Neptune's
Spear".

17. This Japanese Chinook military helicopter is
about to leave on a 'bombing' run of sorts and
was part of a set of four used for this purpose,
in March 2011.
What was the helicopter carrying, and why?
Image: Bloomberg &
Asahi Shimbun
SOCIAL
Sea water; these were dumped on a damaged reactor at the Fukushima
nuclear power plant in Japan, in an effort to cool down the overheating
there.

18. He was a 17th century warrior and leader, in the Bundelkhand region
(which is spread across present day UP and MP). He was in constant revolt
against the Mughals and partnered the Marathas in their struggles against
them.
Modern-day Delhi has a sporting venue named after this King, which also
saw some track and field events during the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
This came back into the news in 2011 thanks to its association with the Anna
Hazare campaign.
So what's the name of this warrior?
SOCIAL
Raja Chhatrasal. During the Lok Pal agitation, many Anna Hazare
supporters gathered at the stadium and were also detained there.

19. Ahmed Wali Karzai was the brother of Hamid Karzai, the current President
of Afghanistan. A controversial political figure in the area of Kandahar, he was
assassinated on 12 July in 2011.
What aspect of his assassination is common to the killing of other leaders
such as:
* Laurent Kabila (President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
killed in 2001)
* Carlos Castillo Armas (President of Guatemala; killed in 1957)
* Indira Gandhi (PM of India; killed in 1984)
SOCIAL
All of them were killed by their own bodyguards.

20. This used to be the flag of this country during the
last two years of World War II when under Japanese
occupation. The same design has been re-adopted
for the new flag (implemented from 21st Oct 2010),
except that the peacock has been replaced by a white
star.
Which country?
Images: Wikipedia
SOCIAL
Myanmar.

21. The Christian group The Seventh-day Adventist Church is called so is because of
its belief in the second coming of Christ (i.e. the Advent). The other reason
explains the phrase "Seventh Day". Unlike most other Christian denominations,
believers observe the Sabbath (i.e. the day of rest in Semitic religions) on the
Saturday of a week, not the Sunday. This is akin to how Jews mark the Sabbath.
In the end of December 2011, a group of Seventh-day Adventists in the little island
country of Samoa were faced with a dilemma around this observance, and
eventually most parishes decided to observe it on a Sunday from now on.
Why?
SOCIAL
Samoa is switching to the west of the International Date Line (the
imaginary boundary between calendar days in the Pacific) so as to share
the same time zone as its major economic partners such as Australia and
New Zealand. This meant they moved from Thursday (29th) to Saturday
(30th), losing Friday. The church members begin the Sabbath from Friday
evening, which won't be possible this time. To preserve a 7-day cycle, they
have decided to switch to a Sunday.

22. This begins at the Tso Lhamo Lake in Sikkim and is one of the most important
geographical features of the state. Its name probably comes from the fact that at
one point it has three channels. A prominent Indian activist shares her name
with this entity, and while the person has had a knack of being involved in
controversy, the latter has been in the headlines in September 2011 for diplomatic
reasons.
Which feature?
SOCIAL
"Teesta", the river, the sharing of whose waters with Bangladesh has run
into trouble with the West Bengal government. Teesta Setalvad is the
activist.

23. UNESCO, the UN agency that works in areas such as science and culture, has
over 180+ members. Its most recent member was admitted in October 2011
amidst some controversy. The admission of this state (which is not a member of
the UN) triggered a US law that automatically cuts American aid to the agency
(UNESCO is likely to lose about 20% of its budget as a result).
Which new member is this?
SOCIAL
Palestine.

24. In April 2011, with Assembly elections in Assam around the corner, the
Guwahati High Court issued a special direction to the Election Commission.
The court asked the EC to ensure that voters who have been categorised as
being in category 'D' are not permitted to cast their vote.
What does 'D' stand for?
SOCIAL
"Doubtful". These are marked against names in voter lists which are
suspected to not be Indian citizens (primarily Bangladeshi citizens).

25. In late November 2010, citizens of Iceland participated in an election, in which
25 people from various walks of life were elected. These 25 people collaborated
on producing something which Iceland had never created before. The previous
one was borrowed from Denmark, with a few minor changes.
So what did these people work on?
SOCIAL
Drafting a new constitution.

26. Foreign Policy, an American magazine, along with the research group "The Fund
for Peace” publishes an annual index which ranks countries on 12 factors
comprising various social, economic, and political dimensions. Usually, countries
would not want to be ranked high on this list.
In 2011's list, the top ten sees 7 African countries; Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq
make up the rest. Somalia is the unfortunate #1. Pakistan is #12. Expectedly,
Scandinavian countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark) and Switzerland are
at the very bottom.
Such high ranking countries are described by a two-word geopolitical phrase that
indicates the inability of their governments to govern effectively. What term?
SOCIAL
"Failed State". This is the "Failed States Index".

27. Culture
(arts, myth, religion,
culture, and food)

28. The German-American artist Albert Bierstadt
painted "Emerald Sea" (also known as "The Shore
of the Turquoise Sea") which shows a giant wave
about to crash down on the shore.
This painting is seen on a mural on the wall of a
floor in a company building; this was the
secretive location of a new project by that
company. "Emerald Sea" also became the code-
name for that project, referring to its critical "sail
or drown" nature. The project became public in Image: AlbertBierstadt.org
2011. What technology project?
CULTURE
"Google+", the new social-networking
offering from Google.

29. Beatification is one of the steps in the process of 'canonising' (or declaring a
person as a "saint"), in the Christian religion. In 2011, Pope John Paul II was
beatified. During this ceremony, a vial of his blood (drawn during his last days)
was used as one of the relics of the late Pope.
The honour of carrying this object was given to Sister Marie Simon-Pierre
Normand, a French nun.
Why was she accorded this honour?
CULTURE
To be beatified, a 'miracle' must be attributed to the person in
question, in which the person intercedes to help someone who prays to
him. In this case, the French nun is supposed to have been suffering
from Parkinson's Disease, and was said to have been cured by the Pope
in 2006 (after his death). One more 'miracle' is required for
canonisation.

30. This is a music album by a Indian academic and
writer (now resident in Britain). Classified as being in
the jazz or world music categories, The album is
inspired by the likes of John Lennon and Leonard
Cohen, and has tracks such as "Saraswati", "Norwegian
Wood", and "One Fine Day".
The name "Found Music" refers to artist Martin
Duchamp's "found objects" art series in which
everyday objects were repurposed as art. Image: Wikipedia
Who is this composer-author?
CULTURE
Amit Chaudhuri, author of books such as "Freedom Song" and "The
Immortals".

31. Halloween is when a lot of websites put out special
pages dedicated to the spooky. In 2011, Bing, Microsoft's
search engine that has a background image each day,
had the darkest of the lot.
What you see on the right is a well-known architectural
figure, seen in many cultures. Apart from their
decorative animal shapes, these figures also helped in
the draining of water away from building walls. Image: Bing
The name of these figures comes from a French word
for "throat". What are they called?
CULTURE
Gargoyles

32. The "Ig Nobels" are a spoof of the Nobels. 2011's winners for Mathematics won it
"for teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and
calculations". Below are their names and the year of their 'achievement':
* Dorothy Martin, USA, 1954
* Pat Robertson, USA, 1982
* Elizabeth Clare Prophet, USA, 1990
* Lee Jang Rim, Korea, 1992
* Credonia Mwerinde, Uganda, 1999
* Harold Camping, USA, Sept 6-7, 1994 and later Oct 21, 2011
What is their common 'achievement'?
CULTURE
Predict the end of the world.

33. The Dance of the Black Hats is often performed in
this country on special occasions and religious
festivals, particularly to purify the surroundings and
dispel evil spirits. This dance commemorates the
assassination of a king named Langdarma in the
first century AD, by a monk.
What was the occasion for a high-profile Image: Getty Images and Daylife
performance of this dance in October 2011?
CULTURE
During the wedding of the Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Wangchuck.

34. Chaat! is the in-house magazine of the British Curry Club, an organization that
promotes the "British curry industry". In 2011, top spot in a Chaat! survey to
determine the most popular dish in Indian restaurants in Britain went to a kind of
curry dish, which is described by The Telegraph as:
A hot curry with green chillies, peppers, onion and tomatoes. Marinated
meat is fried in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. Dating from the
time of the Mughals, its name comes from [a] Bengali word ___, meaning spicy
hot.
What dish is this?
CULTURE
"Jalfrezi". The Bengali word is "Jhaal".

35. Mewat is a region in North India that is spread across parts of northern
Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. It has a large Muslim
community that claims its lineage from Rajput clans. Members also
practice some traditional Hindu customs.
The community came into attention in 2011 after clashes with Gujjars in
the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. What is their name (which derives
from the region's name)?
CULTURE
The Meo (or Meo Muslims)

36. This activity (or rather an absence of one) consists of being
photographed while lying prone in a less than common location.
These photos invariably make their way to the Internet, which
has fuelled this viral craze. Said to have been invented by two
Britishers in the 90s, it has since spread to much of the Western
world.
Its best known name originated in Australia, also the site of its
first known casualty (in May 2011). A man fell to his death
attempting the fad on a 7th floor balcony, prompting all manner
of health advisories to be issued by top officials.
What's this best known as ?
CULTURE
“Planking”.

37. Opening to the public on the 12th of Sept 2011, this has 2983 names. These
are carved on bronze parapets around two pools (North and South). Each
name is associated with a code, the code consisting of a letter and a number.
The letter is either N or S, indicating the associated pool, while the number
indicates the panel where the name is to be found.
Names are grouped, usually by affiliation. But based on some requests, certain
names have been grouped together by family or friendship.
What is this describing?
CULTURE
The 9/11 Memorial, which has the names of all those who perished
as a result of the attacks.

38. The "World Earth Catalog" was created by Stewart Brand in
1968 and published continuously for a short duration of four
years. It documented information, products, and ideas,
appealing to those who subscribed to the counterculture
movements in the US, and were interested in ecology, the
environment, sustainable living, etc.
This is the back cover of the last issue in 1974, with a four word
phrase (blanked out) on it. In 2005, this burst into prominence
and has been with us in one form or another. Once again, in
early Oct 2011, it was once again widely quoted. Image: The Car
Free American Blog
Which phrase?
CULTURE
"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish", the quote that Steve Jobs made famous in
his 2005 Stanford commencement speech.

39. Other sets
This ebook had questions from Business & Economics, Social Sciences,
and Culture. The other three sets are:
Set I: India, Sports, Science, and Technology
Set II: Books, Entertainment & Media, Language, and Etymology
Set III: VIZuals, Connections, Awards, and Obituaries
About the Author
J. Ramanand is a quizzer from Pune, India, and was the youngest winner
on the fifth (and so far final, as he likes to remind everyone) edition of BBC
Mastermind India programme in 2002. He loves to set and talk about
quizzes, and helps run the BCQC, Pune's quizzing group.