Finals - General Quiz - The Tenreads Kaikuu College Quiz Fest '15

The Tenreads Kaikuu College Quiz Fest 2015
The General Quiz
Finals

Acknowledgements
Major Chandrakant Nair
Navin Rajaram
Rohan Naidu
Rama Subramanian
Madhusudan Sampath

The Menu
 2 Written Rounds.
 2 Infinite Pounce Rounds.
 44 questions in all.
 Good luck!

Format
 8 questions.
 5 points for each correct answer.
 No negatives, as always. Take guesses.
 Topic – Famous Families.

1.
Constructed in the early 2000s amidst much controversy over permissions
owing to its environmentally critical surroundings, in whose honour would you
find this memorial in his home city?

2.
Known to us from a different field, he was elected to the Russian
Parliament in 2011 as a member of Putin’s United Russia Party
representing Nizhny Novgorod. In 2012, he also voted in favour of a
controversial legislation in the Parliament that sought to ban the adoption
of Russian orphans by US citizens.
Who?

3.
The loss of magnetic properties in a material beyond a certain temperature is a
phenomenon named after which multi-faceted pioneer of the early 20th
century?

4.
An active member of politics at the Oxford Union through the 70s, this person
ran a successful campaign to become the President of the Union in 1976 which
many observers at the time felt was pointless given the far greater peaks that
lay ahead.
Political campaigns at college that involved this person often contained bitter
references to the family’s riches and misdeeds back home at the time, with
many suggesting the Union was merely a springboard for a definite future in a
country’s politics.
Who’s the student being referred to, who also was the first Asian student to
head the prestigious Oxford debating society?

5.
A renowned flautist in his time, this musician spent much of his life in the 1930s
playing at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, trying hard to make ends meet
during the time of The Great Depression.
One particular show of his was visited by a local industrialist tycoon who was
so impressed with this performance that he supposedly helped him with a job
and pulled him out of his economic hardships.
The musician thus decided to honour him in the form of a middle name for his
second son, who was born in 1939 and went on to become one of the all time
greats in the field of entertainment.
Who was this son?

6.
Amassing an incredible 642 runs and playing an instrumental part in
India’s first ever series win over the West Indies in 1970-71, he had
managed to resuscitate his fledgling career with a performance for the
ages and was dubbed as the ‘renaissance man of Indian cricket’.
In 2007, the BCCI decided to institute an award in his honour for the Man
of the Series every time India and the West Indies played each other ever
since.
Who?

7.
Identify the people introducing themselves to the protagonist in this video.

8.
The following is an image of a statue situated in the middle of Pristina city, the
capital of present day Kosovo.
It is intended as a tribute to someone who was instrumental in driving out the
erstwhile Serbian forces from the region in the 90s.
Who?

Format
 14 questions.
 +10, -5 on the pounce.
 Pounce only if you have all parts of an answer. No
part pounces.

1.
Found on one of the small arches on the eastern side of the Charminar is
this barely noticeable motif of a face. There are reportedly other
replications of this across the structure which have hardly ever gone
noticed but seem like a brilliant metaphor in hindsight, given the origins.
What is its significance? OR What does it intend to convey?

The face of a cat, to denote the city’s victory
over the rats that caused the plague.

2.
AP photographer Richard Drew talking about the most iconic moment of his career –
“When I’m there I get in a zone and do my job and capture what’s there. I don’t really
think about if I’m scared or not. You have to commit to journalism, remember what your
job is, and not get emotionally involved. The camera captured the photograph in a
sequence, since it had a motor drive on it, so it captured a moment. If it functioned a
fraction of a second earlier, I wouldn’t have had that picture. It was the camera that
captured the photograph, not my eye and quick finger. This may sound cold, but it’s one
of the images that I shot that day that’s become an iconic picture. I have never looked at it
as an iconic picture. I’ve looked at it as an ‘Unknown Soldier’ that I hope represents
everyone who had that same fate.”
What famous image, that went on to epitomize a grave disaster, is being talked about?

3.
i. Acquiring the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, this city in
Somerset is often referred to as England’s most beautiful small city.
It gets its name from structures like these which are remnants of the Roman
occupation starting in 60 AD. By Georgian times, the city had become a resort
for ailing men and women of fashion. It was an eighteenth century health farm
with a clientele that included almost every layer of the ‘gentler’ classes, from
royalty to parsons. Almost everyone had heard of the famous but mystical
healing properties of the city.
Which city is being referred to?

ii. The city’s most famous resident, who lived there in the early 19th century, now
has an exhibition center in memory which is a great tourist attraction.
It offers a snapshot of what it would be like to live in the Regency times - the
fashion, food, society - everything that would have inspired this person’s timeless
works. It is set in a classically decorated Georgian town house with characteristic
props such as bonnets, top hats, shawls, fans and dresses.
Who was this famous resident?

4.
In early democracies such as Greece and Rome, oratory was always considered
more important than writing, which was so mangled that a single reading would
never suffice to comprehend it. Despite the efforts of disgruntled librarian
Aristophanes in the 3rd century to correct this, it was subsequently discarded by
the Romans who believed in the cult of public speaking.
In the 4th and 5th century, which saw the decline of Rome’s pagans and the rise
of Christianity as a religion, its followers believed in writing down psalms and
gospels to spread the message of God, as opposed to the word of mouth – and
got down to extending Aristophanes’ efforts, which soon gained acceptance
across Europe and laid the foundation for what it is today.
What are these the origins of?

5.
Commissioned for construction to famous architects Wallace K. Harrison and Max
Abramovitz and completed in 1953, this imposing structure was deliberately
intended to convey the country’s growing clout and supremacy in an alien land
that was increasingly seeming to be associated with a rival.
It came back to light in the mid 2000s when it featured billboards that aired
messages in Spanish which said – “How sad that all of you who know how to run
the country are driving taxis or cutting hair. If yours was indeed a free country,
you wouldn’t need permission to leave it.” This naturally did not go down too
well with the erstwhile local ruler who imposed 148 black flags at the building.
What building, that has recently come into use courtesy a cooling down of
hostilities?

6.
Earlier this year, scientists at the Queensland Institute of Technology came up with
this submersible robot equipped with a specially trained computer vision
program. Additionally, it has the functionality of extending a syringe and exuding
a dose of bile salts.
The creators reveal that this innovation has been necessitated by a long standing
problem first documented in 1962, which has since then posed a grave threat to
the national heritage of the country.
What is this robot intended for?

To terminate the starfish that destroy the
Great Barrier Reef.

7.
In this image from the National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi are a set
of cesium devices and a Hydrogen maser.
Working on these instruments everyday is listed as one of the top projects
carried out in this laboratory, as per its website. Simultaneous research is
carried out on enhancing the accuracy of these operations with more
advanced devices.
What makes these specific instruments relevant across the country?

The clocks that fix the Indian Standard Time.

8.
The chief bidders to host the 2022 Winter Olympics – the process concluded
earlier this year – were the cities of Almaty in Kazakhstan and Beijing in China.
Almaty ran its campaign on the relevant catch-line ‘Keeping It Real’ and was seen
as the overwhelming favourite to clinch the bid. And yet, the International
Olympic Committee chose to award the Games to Beijing instead. In doing so, it
flouted and bypassed a key criterion that has always been used in deciding the
host for the Winter Games, thereby setting a bad precedent for the future –
according to several sports commentators.
What yardstick is being talked about, that is becoming increasingly difficult to
satisfy around the world?

The presence of natural snow.
Beijing will rely completely on artificial snow to organize the Games.

9.
Pan Am's choicest passenger aircraft back in the 70s, the 707 Clipper, came
with a whole host of new facilities to give travelers a unique sense of
convenience and luxury.
Along with this was the addition of a flower vase on every table of the First
Class section which, apart from adding to the aesthetic appeal, helped the
company in advertising the unique flying experience that the aircraft had to
offer.
How exactly did it help in the advertisements?

The 707 Clipper provided a unique ‘vibration-free’ flying
experience which was novelty back in the day. Thus the addition of
flower vases to prove it could be done without the fear of them
falling over and breaking.

10.
The chief manufacturer of this product world over is the Freed of London factory
in Hackney that has been making it since 1929.
Workers at this factory often receive customized orders and believe in a
meticulous low-tech and hand-made manufacturing process – using satin,
hessian, paper and pincers – that has barely changed over the past 80 years. The
distinguishing factor in the creation of the product is an ‘inside out’ technique,
that guarantees lightness as well as solidity which are both uncompromising
requirements in its usage. A shortcoming on either of them could result in
serious injury and put one out of action for a while.
What product is this, that is said to be indispensable and “half the job done” for a
certain profession of people?

The shoes used by ballet dancers.

11.
James Modarelli, former head of a famous Research Reports Division, viewed this
wind-tunnel model of a radical supersonic airplane configuration designed for
efficient flight at the city of Ames. Featuring a cambered and twisted arrow wing
with an upturned nose, the sleek model deeply impressed Modarelli as a symbol of
the leading-edge aeronautical efforts.
During a subsequent visit to Langley in late summer, he saw another highly swept
and cambered arrow wing model that had been tested in the Langley Unitary
Tunnel at supersonic speeds.
Inspired by these two visits, what did he do to symbolize the growing efforts in the
field of aeronautical research?

The red shape in NASA’s insignia.

12.
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (MAOIs) are chemicals that have a long history of
use in the treatment of depression and Parkinson’s disease.
Once a regular choice, its use has fallen out over the years and has been
relegated to being the last line of treatment, owing to the discovery of dangerous
side effects and potentially lethal interactions with certain common foods such as
cheese, liver, red wine, beer and beans among others.
The most prominent endorsement of this fact came at the Baltimore State
Hospital in 1991 from a famous multi-faceted doctor, who had established quite a
reputation for himself all over the country back in the day.
Who was he? OR What made him famous?

13.
Braving economic and legal risks, the sales of these bricks in the Napa Valley
during the 1920s took place in an environment of uncertainty.
Viewed as a viable alternative by several people in these regions, they grew
popular in no time to the extent that the price per ton was a staggering $375
with a 3,847% increase across 4-5 years. The bricks came with a common
instruction that required users to wait for about 21 days before realizing their
optimum utility.
What made these bricks so popular?

Wine bricks, to evade Prohibition laws.
Dissolving them in water produced the finest quality of
wine and helped vineyard businesses survive the
economic impacts of the Prohibition age.

14.
Symphony No 3 by Beethoven is a composition of great emotional depth, which
marked the beginning of the creative middle-period of his life.
He had initially declared it to be a tribute to democratic and anti-monarchical
ideals – so much so that he even went to the extent of sketching out important
historical events in chronological order within the symphony’s movements.
However, in 1804, just before its release, Beethoven was infuriated by a change of
events to the extent that he seized the top of the title page, tore it in half and
threw it on the floor. It had to be recopied, and the symphony was renamed.
What or whom did he initially dedicate the symphony to? What prompted the
withdrawal?

It was originally dedicated to Napoleon, who was
seen as a messiah of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

The dedication was withdrawn when he declared
himself Emperor of France in 1804.

Format
 8 questions.
 5 points for each correct answer.
 No negatives, as always. Take guesses.
 Topic – Numbers.

1.
Initially putforth in 1976 by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken at the UIUC,
this theorem was ‘proven’ with a set of 1,936 maps, each of which cannot be a
smaller counterexample to the proposed hypothesis. If they did, they would be
like one of the 1,936 sample maps. This contradiction that completed the proof
was initially challenged but eventually proved in 2005 to confirm the validity of
the theorem.
How do we better know this theorem, that was inspired from cartography and
holds the distinction of being the first major theorem to be proved using a
computer?

2.
Introduced as a precursor to the compact cassette, this magnetic tape technology
in the 1960s and the 1970s was a welcome departure from its bulky and unwieldy
predecessors, gaining popularity particularly in the automobile industry owing to
its convenience and portability.
What was this technology called, that shares its name with a modern day giant of
the industry established by David Porter in 2006?

3.
The following image taken from auction house Bukowski’s site contains a chess
set that went under the hammer for one million Swedish crowns from
Stockholm in 2009, close to 4 decades after it attained worldwide popularity.
What made it famous?

4.
This solar farm claims to be the largest at any sporting facility in the world, with
39,312 solar modules providing 9.0 megawatts of capacity, enough to power
about 1,000 homes. Developers claim the project will save more than 10,000
tonnes of carbon a year.
The initiative is a guilt tripping exercise from the organizers of the annual event
which is held on the last weekend of May and has the unfortunate reputation of
being amongst the greatest offenders in terms of the carbon footprint.
What is the event being referred to?

5.
On which famous building would you be able to take this dizzying CGI-powered
elevator journey, that animates the transition of the site through history?

6.
The following is an image from a famous courtyard in Fatehpur Sikri that catered
to a favourite royal pastime.
The yard was divided into red and white squares, with a the stone representing
the central point. Sixteen young players from the harem then made up the rest
of the game that Emperor Akbar took a great fancy to playing on a large scale.
How is this game better known?

7.
As part of an exhibition called A Brief History of Humankind in Israel earlier this
year was this 2000 year old Dead Sea Scroll, believed to be the oldest complete
copy of its kind, that was on display for the first time in the country. It is, in fact,
so brittle that it was returned to a secure, pitch-black, climate controlled facility
immediately after the show.
What does the scroll contain, whose original contents were obtained after a
penance of forty days and forty nights?

8.
Released in 2011, what popular work has this film been inspired by?

The chess game from The Seventh Seal.

6.
The following is an image from a famous courtyard in Fatehpur Sikri that catered
to a favourite royal pastime.
The yard was divided into red and white squares, with the stone representing
the central point. Sixteen young players from the harem then made up the rest
of the game that Emperor Akbar took a great fancy to playing on a large scale.
How is this game better known?

1.
Unusual as it may seem now – as it did back in the day – Mahatma Gandhi was
vehemently opposed to its advent and spread throughout the latter half of the
19th century.
Considering it to be a destructive influence, he believed it only helped rich
businessmen leverage profits from remote areas and sabotaged local self-
sufficiency, while strengthening the British hold over the country. He also feared
it contributed to the spread of communicable diseases such as the bubonic
plague and warned the country of consequences.
What organization was this subject of his angst?

Pictures from an art project being carried out on an experimental basis near the
Schipoli airport in Netherlands for the last 2 years.
Deriving inspiration from 17th century German scientist Ernst Chladni’s efforts in
this area, artist Paul de Kort – in collaboration with scientists at the Netherlands
Organization For Applied Scientific Research – sought to implement this on a
trial and error basis to see if Chladni’s theoretical model could be applied in the
open field. Talks are already doing the rounds of an extension of this technique to
areas surrounding other airports around the world, which could greatly benefit
from this idea.
What is the purpose of this art?
2.

The ridges reduce the noise of the jets.
The distance between the ridges is maintained at the wavelength
associated with the noise from aeroplanes. The ridges, therefore,
absorb the noise to a great extent, with local reports suggesting a
reduction by half.

3.
The Beau-Rivage Palace Hotel overlooking Lake Geneva is a favourite for
hosting the most lavish weddings and banquets in all of Europe.
However, it enjoys a special place in history books. Its claim-to-fame was hosting
a historic accord on 24 July 1923 that would overthrow one of the most famous
regimes of the times, transform the boundaries – and the destiny – of a certain
country forever. The meeting gave the hotel the excuse to install a state of the
art wireless Marconi telegraph system and a brand new telephone exchange, as
it claims.
The hotel was also in the news earlier this year for hosting more than 140
delegates from various countries in a precursor to a critical geopolitical meeting.
Which two important events are being referred to?

The treaty of Lausanne that dissolved the
Ottoman Empire and defined the new
boundaries of Turkey.

4.
Founded as Gebal by the Phoenicians circa 3000 BC, this coastal city in Lebanon
has had a series of different names through the ages. Known as Gibelet during
the crusades, and later called Jbeil by the Arabs – the way we know it today is by
the Greek interpretation of the original Gebal, since the Greeks had imported all
of their Egyptian papyrus through this city and thus made it popular all over the
world.
How does this connect with a bizarre crisis faced by the United States in 1943
due to a shortage in manpower and in raw materials like paper and leather
owing to the war, perhaps the only such for a product that has otherwise been
abundantly sold?

The Greek interpretation was ‘Byblos’ – later anglicized to ‘Bible’ –
which initially meant ‘paper’ or ‘scroll’ and eventually became the
name of the book.
The United States faced a one-of-a-kind shortage in the copies of
the holy book owing to war time constraints.

5.
Released in 1991 and selling for a mere $20, the F-91W model of the digital Casio
wristwatch is a worldwide bestseller. It’s waterproof, precise, has a stopwatch,
seconds timer, an alarm, an hourly beep, a backlight, is easy to modify, and has an
average battery life of seven years – which is probably more than triple the
product lifecycle of most modern technologies. An additional important feature is
that of a compass which is purported to point in a certain specific direction.
Recent Wikileaks documents suggest that all these features have cemented the
association of this product with a certain organization, in the view of US agencies,
to the extent that most people who own the watch are assumed members.
What explains this strong association?

Most commonly used timer in bomb
detonators.

6.
Pictured is a famous bronze lamp that hangs in the inner dome of the Taj Mahal,
over the false mausoleums of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal.
It was installed in 1908 by a man for whom preserving India’s heritage was part of
his own ‘civilizing mission’. Devoting his unqualified attention to the Taj, he restored
the mausoleum’s gardens, reconstructed the outer courts and even ensured that
the attendants were dressed in authentic Mughal attire.
While in Cairo on his way to London in 1904, he was struck by the lamps hung
from a popular mosque and flew the local artiste all the way to India to replicate it
at the Taj. The lamp also carries a personalized message in the calligraphic script
seen at the monument.
Who was this man, severely unpopular in East India around the same time?

Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of India.

7.
Created in 1881 and at the center of the world’s attention ever since, this British
location was one of the choicest targets of the Nazi blitz during the Second
World War. On 6th November 1940, the nearby vicinity bore the brunt of 67
incendiaries – each weighing a kilo, causing heavy and long lasting damage.
(images follow).
For as long as the war lasted, it was made a prominent first aid point and
mortuary. It also became a camping ground for important members of the
British Army and was thus always on the Nazi radar. The surrounding area,
meanwhile, became home to a small farmyard that was stocked with rabbits,
pigs and hens.
Which famous location, that underwent an image makeover 6 years ago?

The Center Court at Wimbledon.

8.
According to separate studies carried out in the UK and in North America, there
has been a steady decline in crime rates across all states in the 1990s and 2000s.
It has been observed that a certain change brought about to a commonly used
commodity in the 1970s and 1980s had a cause-and-effect relationship which
helped in achieving crime reduction 20 years later. This phenomenon, according
to physiologists, is because of a powerful neurotoxin in the older version that
spread the ill-effects of causing headaches, reduced IQ, aggressive behavior,
poor impulse behavior and executive functioning among others.
What commodity is this, that underwent a change and drastically brought down
crime 20 years later?

The switch from leaded to unleaded
petrol.

9.
Since its discovery by Robert Ballard in September 1985, this place of historical
importance is crumbling.
Among those responsible for this damage are the Teredo navalis and iron-
eating microbes that have been feasting on it. But the prime culprits – as is
often the case – are humans, who not only inflict damage but also steal
precious artifacts.
It was subsequently declared as a UNESCO Historical Site in 2012, giving
preservationists new legal recourse for protection. Additionally, it could soon
come under the jurisdiction of Canada which could open new doors for its
restoration.
What unusual symbol of cultural heritage is this?

10.
Constructed in the 12th century and in continuous use ever since, the spatial
dimensions of this religious structure parallel the lengths of the four ages of
classical Hindu thought. Thus the visitor who walks the causeway to the main
entrance and through the courtyards to the final main tower is metaphorically
travelling back to the first age of the creation of the universe.
However, historians are keen to note an anomaly in the structure that goes
against an auspicious feature seen in most other structures of its kind and
followers of the faith world over, which has led to the popular theory of it being a
mausoleum apart from a place of worship.
Which place is this? What is the unusual feature being referred to?

The temple is West facing, as opposed to East which
is the norm as per Hindu traditions.

11.
One of NVIDIA’s latest innovations is the Maxwell-class Graphical Processing Unit
(GPU) that comes equipped with a powerful new visual computing technology
called ‘global illumination in real time’ that dynamically captures the impact of
light from different sources onto a single object.
While introducing this to the world, the company remodeled a certain specific
setting and demonstrated how the object under observation, even while in the
shadows, appeared to be illuminated owing to the presence of a Teflon-heavy
light source in its vicinity.
Apart from showing off its new technology, what exactly was the company
trying to explain?

Proof that the moon landing was
genuine.

12.
In the yard of St. Peter’s Church located in the Liverpool district of Woolton
lies the final resting place of this popular and enigmatic figure. Born in
Menlove Avenue, a recent investigation reveals that she had a solitary life
marked by unfortunate personal tragedies at all stages, and passed away
with a brain haemorrhage in 1939.
In the years to follow, the yard was a common meeting place for two famous
residents of the area. Biographers believe this was the seed of an idea that
resulted in a poignant eponymous tribute to her life in 1966, which was
considered an unusual departure in style but turned out to be successful.
How do we better know her? OR What was this tribute?

13.
Unprecedented in the 1950s, this event involved the services of up to 14 cameras
and cost about a crore rupees, significantly more than the norm at the time.
The complicated lighting requirements were provided by the headlights of 500
trucks and about 100 reflectors. Set in a replica of the Sheesh Mahal in Lahore
Fort, almost everything used was authentic and greatly added to the costs. And
yet, the saviours of the show were a few pieces of strategically placed cloth and
layers of wax which helped solve a problem that nearly sabotaged the event after
all the expenses.
What grand event is being referred to? How did the layers of wax help?

Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya from the filming of
Mughal-e-Azam.

Wax coated upon mirrors helps reduce the
glare from the multiple strong reflections.

14.
First incorporated onto the Douglas DC-3 model in the 1940s, this special
feature of an aircraft was electro-hydraulically operated, saved time and offered
a sense of independence.
However, it has gone out of favour through the years owing to concerns of
weight and the advent of modern, convenient alternatives now seen all over the
world. Having featured on the Boeing 727, DC-9s and the Airbus 320 often in
the form of a clamshell, it also played to the convenience of hijackers. Today, the
Air Force One is probably the only aircraft to persist with this feature, for entirely
different reasons.
What is the feature being referred to? Why would the Air Force One still want to
have it?

Air-stairs, as opposed to mobile stairways.

For security reasons, to prevent the possibility
of a local sabotage of the staircases.

Finals - General Quiz - The Tenreads Kaikuu College Quiz Fest '15

Finals - General Quiz - The Tenreads Kaikuu College Quiz Fest '15

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Finals - General Quiz - The Tenreads Kaikuu College Quiz Fest '15