General Quiz(With Answers)

By Sarthak PanditContributions from Roopak and Soham.

1.Who is he & Why was he on the cover of TIME?

Osman Ali Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad

Richest man in the world when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1937

2. Sitter:

The Oxford English Dictionary records the use of this term as a suffix attached to anything to indicate ‘scandal involving’ since 1973. What term?

-gate

3. International Symbol of??? :P

4. What is common to these parties:

Telugu Desam PartySamajwadi PartyKerala CongressJammu & Kashmir National Panthers Party, Manipur People’s Party.

Bicycle symbol

5. Created in 1974 by a designer fascinated with notions of space, it came into its own only in 1980 when the socialist government of that country permitted its export to the West. Since 2007, it has seen a bit of a resurgence, selling more that 15 million units, because, as one analyst says, “in troubled times, adults are looking for things that remind them of happier days”. YouTube features 38000 videos dedicated to this object, and an organisation called WCA brings enthusiasts together for international meets.

What am I talking about?

Rubik’s cube

6. U was launched on January 5, 2005, by X ,also known as "Chronarion", and pseudonymous partner called "Stillwaters" or "Euniana". Both X and “Stillwaters” were previously editors at W. U's stated goal is to "provide the world's _______________ in the least redeeming and most searingly sarcastic and humorous way possible, through satire". U has three main rules: "Be funny and not just stupid", "Don't be a dick", and "Dance like you've never danced before!" . Identify X.

Jonathan Huang

(Creator of Uncyclopedia)

7. Identify the player.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

8. “Conventional electro-magnetic energy meters did not record consumption if the load was very small. The indicator tended not to move when at night there was no electrical load”

What misnomer popular in India does the above quote explain?

Zero-watt bulbs

9. It is an English surname, originally a nickname for a person with closely cropped hair. It’s an uncommon first name. The name is well known due to just one fictional character; so well known that it has become acceptable as a common noun in English especially used ironically to address somebody who has stated the obvious. Literally means “fair-haired” in Old English.

Sherlock

10. In Hindu mythology, what do the following guard - Kubera, Yama, Indra,Varuna, Isana, Agni, Vayu, Nirruti, Vishnu and Brahma?

The Ten Directions

11. What denomination?

The Zero-Rupee note

12. Michel Thaler, author of the book 'The Train from nowhere', called the ______ an "invader, dictator, usurper of our literature". Considering the novel a step towards literature comparable with the artistic impact of Dadaism and surrealism, Thaler surmised, "The _____ is like a weed in a field of flowers. You have to get rid of it to allow the flowers to grow and flourish. Take away the ______ and the language speaks for itself." Thaler went so far as to organize a well-attended, tongue-in-cheek funeral for the __________.

A line from the book-What luck! A vacant seat, almost, in that train. A provisional stop, why not? So, my new address in this nowhere train: car 12, 3rd compartment, from the front. Once again, why not?

Fill in the blanks.

Verb

13. Establishments founded by Pandit Gayaprasad Shivcharan (1872), Kanhaiyalal Durgaprasad Dikshit (1875) and Pandit Babu Ram Devi Dayal (1888) still survive of the original nine establishments that gave this location in Delhi its name. These three outfits continue to draw tourists and foodies.

Which location?

Parathewali gali

14. Tongue in cheek (or rather facepalm) explanation of the creation of what?

15. The Church of __________________ is a highly controversial political organization started by the Reverend Chris Korda in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. The organization's website describes it as "A non-profit educational foundation devoted to restoring balance between humans and the remaining species on Earth", its one commandment as "Thou shalt not procreate", and four 'pillars' as "Suicide“,"Abortion", "Cannibalism" and "Sodomy". Some of its slogans include "Save the Planet, Kill Yourself", "Six Billion Humans Can't Be Wrong", and "Eat a Queer Fetus for Jesus". One of the controversial posts on the website consisted of instructions on how to commit suicide by asphyxiation using helium; this post was removed after a 52-year-old woman followed them and committed suicide, resulting in legal threats against the organization.

Fill in the blank.

Euthanasia

16.Identify the movie from this Minimal Poster

Damini

17. During the English civil war, Royalists mounted a powerful cannon on top of St.Mary' s church tower in Colchester. In the summer of 1648, the enemy hit the church and the top of the tower was blown off sending the cannon crashing down. The Royalists tried in vain to mend the cannon. According to the East Anglia tourist board in England how is this incident commemorated?

Humpty Dumpty

18. Tribute to whom/ what!?

Albert Hoffman/ LSD

His trip to home on a bicycle after administering himself with LSD for the first time.

19. What we see here is a stringed instrument which takes its name from a musically-inclined mythical character. It is a two-string stick fiddle from Northwest India used by bhopa singers to accompany the epic tales of Pabuji, a fourteenth century hero.

Either identify the instrument or the character after whom it is named. (Visual follows.)

Ravanahatta

(named after Ravana)

20. According to an apocryphal story, it owes its existence to a section of tightly packed seats behind the home plate at Fenway Park in Boston. These seats were so close together that whenever a fan had to stand up to get a beer, it caused annoyance to people nearby. It caught worldwide attention in 1986. What phenomenon am I talking about?

Mexican Wave

21. In an interview, Wendy Northcutt said that ‘a recent heat wave gave her the idea to air-condition her sweltering home: She pried up an oubliette floor grate in her hallway, intending to install a fan to suck up the basement’s cooler air. But she left to answer the phone, and hours later she strode back down the hall and obliviously stepped into the gaping hole. In the milliseconds as her body swooshed down, she thought “Oh nooooooooooo! I’m gonna win my own ____.”’

Fill up the blank and/or tell me her claim to fame.

Wendy Northcutt initiated the Darwin Awards

22.You have seen this design somewhere! Where?

23. Which portmanteau name was given by Dr. Stanley Prusiner to the infectious agents composed primarily of protein that are the cause of a number of diseases in mammals, including BSE or “mad cow disease”?

All known _____ diseases affect the structure of the brain or other neural tissue and all are currently untreatable.

Prion

(From ‘protein’ and ‘infection’)

24. The meat dish ćevapčići or cevapi is served all over the former Yugoslavia, as also in several other Central European countries. This name is derived from a rough and ready culinary invention created by Persian soldiers who had nothing but meat, sword and fire.

What is its familiar name?

Kebab

25. Id the advertiser and tell me what is it trying to promote?

Government of India,

Save the Girl Child campaign

26. Urban myth attributed a number of car accidents to (male) drivers being distracted by these advertisements. These ads were used by the Sara Lee company in US, UK and Europe to improve the sales of X. Identify X or the model.

Wonderbra

Model: Eva Herzigova

27. Originally named Ramchandra, he was raised as a girl, and made to wear a nose ring (or nath). This because all the male children born before him to his parents had died in infancy. This earns him his infamous nickname X. Born in a place now more famous as Sharad Pawar's power- house,he was made to stand trial for a crime he committed, and it is said his defence made the audience switch sides. A judge remarked that if the audience had been the jury, he would surely have been let off. The man who 'chased and nabbed' him after the crime was later awarded the Ashok Chakra, an Indian military decoration.

Identify X.

Nathuram Godse

28. Identify this print ad.

Harley Davidson

29. The dummy, named Stooky Bill (Glasgow slang for anything made of wood) was used by X in his early experiments to transmit __________ between rooms in his laboratory at 22 Frith Street, London. It was used because the heat generated by the equipment was too great for human subjects to bear.

Identify X.

(Visual Follows)

John Logie Baird

First attempt at making a television

30.Connect!

Left: Dance of DeathCentre: Book written by vocalist Bruce DickinsonRight: An ‘iron maiden’

31. WX was born in 1923. During WWII X was exempt from military service due to X's poor health. Subsequently WX became a singer-cum-drummer and also held a day job as an electrical engineer. WX was the drummer teacher of Mitch Mitchell, Micky Waller and Mick Underwood among others. With the help of Dudley Craven X developed prototypes of Y. The 6th prototype produced 'the X sound' (in WX's words), that revolutionized music.

Identify WX.

Jim Marshall

(Marshall Amplifiers)

32. X is a businessman who propounded the corporate philosophy of ‘Collective Materialism’, that advocates collective growth through collective sharing and caring. X is the founder and chairman of Y, the second largest employer in India after Indian Railways. Y owns the Grosvenor House Hotel, UK (the erstwhile home of the Dukes of Westminister). X was awarded the 'Indian Business Icon of the Year' in 2011. X was also awarded by the Indian Television Academy Awards for his contribution to Indian Television.

Identify X.

Subrata Roy,Founder of Sahara India Parivar

33. In psychology, X is an apparently paradoxical psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and have positive feelings towards their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them. These feelings are generally considered irrational in light of the danger or risk endured by the victims, who essentially mistake a lack of abuse from their captors for an act of kindness. It is named after the robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg in _____________ , in which bank employees were held hostage from Aug 23rd to Aug 28th , 1973. In this case, victims became emotionally attached to their captors, and even defended them after they were freed from their six-day ordeal.

Identify X

Stockholm Syndrome

34. Name the Actor/ Character

Saswata Chatterjee

(Bob Biswas in the movie Kahaani)

35. Identify the movie (Video)