The MELA Quiz
IIT Kanpur Quiz Club
Quizmaster:
Anshul Roy

Note
1. This quiz has been hastily put together in 2 days. Appy
Polly Logies for the dip in quality.
2. Wikipedia has been assumed to be factually correct
while preparing this quiz.
3. The answer to none of the questions in this quiz is 42.
Answering 42 to any question would result in immediate
disqualifications.
4. The more you stare at the question, the more the answer
stares back at you.
5. Kindly refrain from cybernetic investigations.
6. QM is God, his decisions are final and binding.

Written Round - 1

Rules of the Round
• 5 questions in total based on the topic - ‘Webcomics’.
• +5 points for each correct answer.
• +10 points if you get all 5 answers correct.

Q - 1
ID the blacked out part in this SMBC comic strip.

Q - 2
FITB with the name of a novel/movie.

Q - 3
Which famous poem is being referenced?

Q - 4
FITB with the name of a famous character.

Q - 5
FITB with the name of a Nobel laureate.

Exchange Sheets

Answers
1. Dorian Grey
2. Jurassic Park
3. Ozymandias by P.B. Shelley
4. Mrs. Robinson
5. Bertrand Russel

Infinite Bounce - 1

Rules of the Round
• 11 questions in total.
• +20/-10 on a pounce.
• +10/-0 on a bounce.
• On pounces I need the exact answer. No fundas.

Q - 1
Ken Allen was a Bornean orangutan (image on next slide)
at the San Diego Zoo. He became one of the most popular
animals in the history of the zoo because of his many
successful escapes from his enclosures, which had been
thought to be escape-proof.
Ken Allen's ability to outwit his keepers, as well as his docile
demeanour during his escapes, resulted in fame.
What nickname (punning on the name of a famous
personality) was he given due to his escapades?

Answer
Hairy Houdini

Q - 2
The band’s guitarist Kerry Livgren wrote the song X after
reading a book of Native American poetry. The line that
caught his attention was "For All We Are Is X."
This got him thinking about the true value of material things
and the meaning of success. The band was doing well and
making money, but Kerry realized that in the end, he would
eventually die just like everyone else. No matter our
possessions or accomplishments, we all end up back in the
ground.
Which band? Which song?

Answer
Dust in the Wind by Kansas

Q - 3
This is a special edition fountain pen launched by Mont
Blanc in 1998 as a tribute to which famous author?

Answer
Edgar Allan Poe

Q - 4
Which famous musician has recently opened a shelter
home for abused and neglected young girls called
‘Janie’s House’?
‘Janie’s House’ will have about 14 girls at a time and give
them the support and therapy they need to lead normal
lives after being abused.

Answer
Steven Tyler of Aerosmith

Q - 5
These are some anecdotes related to X, a character
mentioned a lot in the TV series Y, but never shown
onscreen -
• X once was in a mental asylum, and the electroshock
therapy had no effect on him because his synapses were
so large
• X briefly worked at a condom factory in New Jersey
• X sold replica Russian hats in Battery Park
• X made a fortune from the toy paddles with the ball and
rubber band. Supposedly, he came up with the idea for
the rubber band. Before that, people would just hit the ball,
and it would fly away
Identify X and Y.

Answer
X - Bob Sacamano
Y - Seinfeld

Q - 6
In 1926, American writer Max Eastman paid a visit to
Sigmund Freud's apartment in Vienna and claimed to
have seen only two paintings there. One of them was
“The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp” by
Rembrandt.
Considering the theories proposed by Freud and his
research interest, what was the other painting?

Answer
The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli

Q - 7
‘X’ was a hate group present in New Jersey that racially
attacked and threatened South Asians, especially Indians
between 1987-1993.
The name X was derived from the title of a famous 1984
movie and from the shape/appearance of a quintessential
item used by Indian women.
Identify X.

Answer
X - Dotbusters

Q - 8
In the 1985 movie ‘Back to the Future’, the director initially
planned to use a refrigerator as the time machine instead
of the DeLorean car. However he rejected the refrigerator
idea due to a moral reason.
What was the reason?

Answer
So that kids won’t enact the time machine scenes from
the movie by closing themselves in a refrigerator

Q - 9
The title and chorus of the song
X are based on this Chinese
propaganda poster which
contains the slogan - “X holding
hands".
The song was released in 1991,
two years after the Tiananmen
Square uprising when the
Chinese government clamped
down on student demonstrators,
killing hundreds of them.
Which song?

Answer
X - Shiny Happy People

Q - 10
In 1958, Finnish cartoonist Kari Suomalainen drew this cartoon
showing Nikita Khrushchev on a ______ pulled by Eastern bloc
countries shouting "Imperialists!" to the US and UK on the shore.
Which famous painting inspired this cartoon?

Answer
Barge Haulers on the Volga by Ilya Repin

Q - 11
One of the band’s most iconic songs X, which was released
in 1970 was banned by BBC Radio because of its policy
against product placement in songs.
The lead singer Ray Davies was forced to take a 6000 mile
round-trip flight from New York to London, interrupting the
band’s American tour, to change a company’s name into a
generic phrase, for the single release.
Hence, X’s album version contains the company name -
‘Y _____’ whereas X’s single version contains the generic
phrase - ‘Z _____’.
Identify X, Y and Z.

Answer
X - Lola
Y - Coca-Cola
Z - Cherry Cola

Short Connect

Rules of the Round
• 4 image slides in total. All connect to something.
• Marking scheme would be written on each slide.
• On pounces I need the exact answer. No fundas.

+40/-20

+30/-15

+20/-10

+10/-5

Answer
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Infinite Bounce - 2

Rules of the Round
• 11 questions in total.
• +20/-10 on a pounce.
• +10/-0 on a bounce.
• On pounces I need the exact answer. No fundas.

Q - 1
‘Open Casket’ is a 2016 painting made by Dana Schutz,
which was criticised for its perceived racial insensitivity.
Which American personality is the subject of this painting?

Answer
Emmett Till

Q - 2
Richard Nixon's anti-drugs policy angered many prominent
counterculture figures. Many of them believed that if Nixon were to
drop some LSD, he might just see the world a little differently and
change his policies.
In 1970, the famous musician X received an invitation to the White
House for an alumni meet from Nixon's daughter Tricia. Both Tricia
Nixon and X were alumni of Finch College.
X invited the radical Abbie Hoffman as a date to the event, and
they both planned to slip LSD powder into Nixon's tea. However,
this plan failed because the White House security recognised
Abbie Hoffman and they were denied entry.
Identify X.

Answer
X - Grace Slick

Q - 3
William Brodie was a Scottish cabinet-maker, president of a trades
guild, and Edinburgh’s city councillor. He maintained a secret life
as a thief in the 18th century.
By day, Brodie was a respectable cabinet-maker and his work
was to install and repair locks. At night, however, he became a
housebreaker and thief. He used his daytime work as a way to
gain knowledge about the security mechanisms of his customer’s
houses and to copy their keys using wax impressions. As the best
locksmith in the city, he worked at the richest houses in
Edinburgh. He used the stolen money to maintain his second life,
which included a gambling habit and five children from two
mistresses.
The plot of which famous novel was inspired from William Brodie?

Answer
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Q - 4
X is a heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 2014. X is
a parody band of Black Sabbath.
X’s lyrics focus on the umbrella topic of fast food, and the
band has a satirical and condemnatory perspective towards
the corporate food industry, addressing issues such as fast
food’s negative health effects and lack of nutritional value as
well as genetically modified food and consumerism.
Identify X.

Answer
X - Mac Sabbath

Q - 5
‘Inspire’ is an English language online magazine first
published in June 2010.
This magazine is an important brand building tool for the
publishing “organisation”. It is mainly targeted at young
British and American readers and provides translated
messages from this organisation’s founder.
1. Which “organisation” publishes this magazine?
2. Who is the founder of this “organisation”?

Answer
Al-Qaida, Osama Bin Laden

Q - 6
The inspiration for the famous fictional character X came to
the creator Y when he observed his pet dog sitting up on the
passenger seat of his car.
Y stated in an interview - “I had an Alaskan Malamute when I
was writing the film. A very sweet dog, she would always sit
next to me when I was writing. And when I’d drive around,
she’d sit in the front seat. A Malamute is a very large dog -
like a hundred and thirty pounds and bigger than a human
being and very long-haired. Having her with me all the time
inspired me to give Z a sidekick who was like a big, furry dog.
Not quite like a dog, but intelligent.”
Identify X, Y and Z.

Answer
X - Chewbacca
Y - George Lucas
Z - Han Solo

Q - 7
‘X lighting’ is a technique that is
used in studio portrait
photography. It can be achieved
using only one light and a reflector,
and it’s popular as it is capable of
producing images which appear
both natural and compelling with
minimum equipments. ‘X lighting’
is characterised by an illuminated
triangle under the eye of the
subject on the less illuminated
side of the face.
After which famous person has
this technique been named?

Answer
Rembrandt

Q - 8
The mythic creation of X, the mascot of the band Y has been
described in their song ‘Skull Beneath the Skin’ as follow -
“Prepare the patient's scalp
To peel away
Metal caps his ears
He'll hear not what we say
Solid steel visor
Riveted across his eyes
Iron staples close his jaws
So no one hears his cries”
X is a figure who embodies the phrase "See no evil, hear no evil,
speak no evil" and acts as a symbol of censorship. X’s name
stands for ‘victim’ and his surname is derived from what Z’s
mother used to say to him when he used to headbang as a kid.
Identify X, Y and Z.

Answer
X - Vic Rattlehead
Y - Megadeth
Z - Dave Mustaine

Q - 9
Bass Brewery was founded in 1777 by William
Bass in England. The main brand was Bass
Pale Ale, once the highest selling beer in UK.
The company was a pioneer in international
brand marketing. Since 1855, all bottles of Bass
Pale Ale had a characteristic red triangle printed
on them. The Bass Red Triangle was the first
trademark to be registered in UK in 1876.
Which famous painting featured this red
triangle?
(This was the first instance of product
placement in media)

Answer
A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Edouard Manet

Q - 10
Microsoft released Windows 95 with a massive joint
advertisement campaign with X, showing off how their OS
is great at multimedia functions.
Ironically, because of the same campaign, customers saw
X as a more desirable product as it was still supported on
Windows 3.1/DOS and wasn’t actually better on the
expensive Windows 95. As a result, Windows 95 sales
plummeted and it was only the 2nd most installed
software in 1995.
What was the top selling software, X?

Answer
X - Doom

Q - 11
In literary writing, ‘X’s Gun’ is a dramatic principle that states
that every element in a story must be necessary, and
irrelevant elements should be removed. Elements should not
appear to make "false promises" by never coming into play.
This principle was first proposed by the famous author X in a
letter in the form of this statement -
"Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you
say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall,
in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's
not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there.”
Identify X.

Answer
X - Anton Chekhov

Written Round - 2

Rules of the Round
• 4 questions in total based on the topic - ‘Famous
paintings imitated by Pablo Picasso’.
• +10 points for each correct answer.
• +20 points if you get all 4 answers correct.

Q - 1

Q - 2

Q - 3

Q - 4

Exchange Sheets

Answers
1. Las Meninas
2. The Third of May 1808
3. Death of Marat
4. Luncheon on the Grass

So long, and thanks for all
the quiz.

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