Prelims of Maatribhoomi Open India Quiz from January 2018 at Ramjas College. Content by Ankush Bhardwaj, Jayant Verma, and Prithvi Raj

1. The Prelims

2. Ramjas College Students’ Union

5.  There are 30 questions in the prelims.
 Part points awarded wherever necessary or possible.
 Question 11-18 are star marked and would be used to resolve
ties.
 If you find some team using unfair means, please bring it to
the notice of the volunteers or the quizmaster.

6. Roshang/Raham is the old name of Arakan. In the work of Arab
geographer Rashiduddin (1310 AD) it appears as Rahan. British
traveller Ralph Fitch (1586 AD) used the name 'Rocon‘ for the
region. Other names used over the years include Reng, Roung,
Rossawn, Russawn, Rung.
The corruption of these names over the years led to the naming
of which community?

8. RK Sinha is a BJP Rajya Sabha MP representing Bihar. He is the
founder of Security and Intelligence Services, a private security
solutions provider in India and Australia. In 2017, his name appeared
in the now infamous Paradise Papers.When asked for his reaction
over the issue by the reporters, Sinha refused to comment over the
issue but scribbled something on a paper.
What did he write on the paper much to everyone’s amusement?
Looking for a two word term but description works as well.

10. The real reason for the use of this apparatus is not solely to
prevent theft, but also to ensure that the secured article does
not fall and is lost.The other reason is that it prevents its
misplacement by the janitors.
What apparatus, seen by almost everyone?

12. “Hobson and Jobson:A Glossary of Colloquial Anglo-IndianWords and
Phrases” goes on to give an interesting history of these establishments.The
first use of this word was in the mid 19th century when Major JohnTrotter
established one in Roorkee in 1861. “It is a factitious word, invented, we
believe, in the Bombay Presidency, and probably based upon gend-_____
('ball-house'), the name usually given to an English racquet court.”
In English-speaking countries outside the Indian subcontinent, a ________ is
a multi-game equestrian competition held to display the training and
talents of horses and their riders, particularly in speed events.
What?

14. The Dhola-Sadiya bridge is the longest bridge in India stretching
upto a length of 9.15 kms and connectingAssam to Arunachal
Pradesh. It has been designed to handle the weight of 60-tonne
tanks, thus helping the Indian armed forces in transportation
and travel.The bridge is named after someone whose last name
literally means “Commander of a 1000 paiks/ordinary citizens”.
Who?

16. A ___ was a unit of currency used in the South Asian
countries until 1947. In India it was the smallest currency unit,
equal to 1/3 of a paisa, 1/12 of an anna or 1/192 of a rupee.
Minting of the ___ ended in 1942, though it remained in
circulation for a further five years. It was officially demonetized
in 1947 as it had become practically worthless due to inflation.
What is this now only used in a repetitive tone in an idiom?

18. What well known English word, in vogue around late October in
the western countries, comes from Sanskrit word, meaning
pieces, or breaking into them?

20. In 1991, a Copyright Protection Amendment bill was introduced.
Copyright Protection under Indian Law is the lifetime of the creator
and for 50 years after the death of the creator of the work.The
amendment in 1991 extended it to 60 years after the death of the
creator.The prime reason for introduction of amendment bill was to
provide protection to the works of a particular individual which was
about to go in public domain without any copyright protection.The
Copyright holders also insisted in 2001 for extending the protection
further to protect the quality and integrity of the works, but the
government dismissed the request.
Which individual was the reason for this particular amendment?

22. In 1329, the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad BinTughlaq had made the
rash decision of shifting his capital to Daultabad. It was made worse
by the fact that he ordered Delhi’s population to move with him. 8
years later when he decided to move back, many refused. Among
them was Hazrat Syed Zainuddin Shirazi who was forced to shift
back to Delhi but later returned to Daultabad with the permission of
Firoz ShahTughlaq.Years later, a man became deeply influenced by
the saint and requested that he be buried near his grave. Apocryphal
stories of the region say that the person paid for his own grave by
stitching skull caps and that it cost only 14 rupees and 12 annas.
Who?

24. There is difference of opinion among many scholars on the influence
of X on Guru Nanak and founding of Sikhism. Hew Mcloed (Scholar
on Sikh studies) quotes in his various writings that "In its earliest
stage Sikhism was clearly a movement within the Hindu
tradition; Nanak was raised a Hindu and eventually belonged to
the ____ tradition of northern India, a movement associated with
the great X.“
Who is X, who is attributed as the largest non-Sikh contributor to
Guru Granth Sahib?

26. The tournament is held everyAugust with much fanfare in the
region. It was started way back in 1952 and the most successful
club is UBC Kainakary, winning the tournament a record 12
times.
Use the image on the next slide and name the tournament.

29. On whom is the book
based?

31. Paul Horn was an American jazz flautist and saxophonist, and
an early pioneer of new-age music. Best known of his albums
are his "Inside" recordings, which feature airy, echoing sounds
created in places of historical importance. He made such
recordings at Great Pyramid of Giza, Potala Palace among
others. In 1968, he sneaked his tape recorder inside this place
and recorded the song.
Inside which architecture marvel was this album recorded.

34. In 2009, DRDO( Defence Research and Development Organisation)
announced the development of this special kind of hand grenade.
They say the devices will be used to control rioters and in counter-
insurgency operations in a non lethal way. This weapon was
successfully used by the Indian Army in August 2015 to flush out
terrorist Sajjad Ahmed, who was hiding in a cave. It was also
considered as an alternative to pellet guns in Kashmir.
What is so special about this weapon, which causes skin-irritation,
tears and pungent smell?

36. In 2010, Dr. Modhumita Roy fromTufts University published an
award paper titled “Some like it hot: Gender, Class and Empire
in making of the ________ Soup’. A corruption ofTamil words
for pepper and water, the soup was a particular favorite of
British Officers and is one of the earlier “Anglo-Indian” dishes.
Such was its popularity in Madras Presidency that 'Mull' became
a distinctive sobriquet for members of the service.
What is it called?

38. What word which literally means “mother/divine mother” is used to
describe the following group?
 Brahmani
 Vaishnavi
 Maheshvari
 Indrani
 Kaumari
 Varahi
 Chamunda/Chandi
 Narasimhi

40. There are two types of this tree, one 'real', and the other 'fake'.
The real one, has huge leaves, and resembles a Mango tree in its
structure, and is known as Tamrapallav, as its leaves are bronze
initially, and is known as Hempushpa, due to the golden red
flowers, and has medical uses.The fake one, on the other hand,
has leaves similar to young mango leaves, with fewer flowers,
white or yellow in color, and has no medicinal properties.
What tree?

41.  Ashok

42. Born in the Ratnagiri district,Maharashtra, he was considered
amongst the greatest scholars of Sanskrit and Indian history. He
authored several books, especially on religious and civil law using
medieval accounts and scriptures as their basis. He was given the
title of Mahamahopadhyaya( the greatest of the greatest teacher).
Therefore, his name is always prefixed with an MM. He was also the
first Sahitya Akademi Award(Sanskrit) winner in 1956.The Asiatic
Society of Bombay awards a special prize in his honour for valuable
research work inVedic Studies or in Classical Sanskrit.
Who?

44. Jayanthi Nataranjan, Minister of State for Environment and Forests
during International Conference on ‘Biodiversity Conservation and
Education for Sustainable Development - Learning to Conserve
Biodiversity in a Rapidly Changing World’ held at Hyderabad,
announced that X has been selected for the honor. The voting for
the same was done by children who were part of Science Express
Biodiversity Special, a train which has been visiting various stations
across the country.
What is X and what honor was bestowed on X which is relatively
lesser known than others?

46. Louis Banks is an Indian film composer, record producer, jazz
musician-keyboardist and singer. He has often been referred to as
the Godfather of Indian Jazz. In 1988, he along with X were given the
task of composing the tune. Banks was later also retained for
composing the tune for updated version of song which was
launched in 2010 by ZoomTV and directed by Kaliash Sundernath.
Identify the original song and X, who won the National award for
Best music direction in 2006.

48. This is a painting by an artist named Kalam Patua and is housed
in theVictoria & Albert Museum, London. It is a modern take on
a style of painting. What style?
The name of this painting is a sort of reverse-localization of a
famous pun that was first used in a controversial painting by
ClovisseTrouille and now even a famous Indian restaurant.
Name the painting.

51. The Department of Posts, Government of India, launched a
postal stamp on 27 June 2004, commemorating the
establishment of the GreatTrigonometric Survey in Chennai.
The Stamp features two famous Indians associated with the
survey- Nain Singh and X.
Id X, who is often forgotten because his boss tried to please his
predecessor ignoring the established convention. (For half
points name his boss’ more famous predecessor)

54. Premangshu Chatterjee was a left arm medium pace bowler who
used to play for Bengal in the 50’s. In a RanjiTrophy match
in Jorhat in January 1957, he achieved a particular feat that would
later be repeated around 4 decades later by another Indian in an
international match. Chatterjee was the first person to achieve this
feat outside England and also boasts of the third best figures while
achieving this.
What exactly was the feat? Also who was the Indian who achieved
this feat in international cricket?

56. What South Indian city, whose name means "the interior of the
fort", has popular monikerAkshara Nagri, or the City of Letters,
as many papers and magazines are published here, namely
Deepika, Mangalam etc.
Its most famous venture is an annual publication which is
considered useful by people in this room. What publication?

58. The list includes:
 Atikaya
 Akshaya Kumara
 Devantaka
 Naranataka
 Prahasta
 Trishira
What list is this?What entry would make this list exhaustive?

60. _______ Kottam is monument in Chennai, constructed by
Karunanidhi during 1970s in the memory of great poet
___________. All ‘133 chapters and 1330 verses’ of poet`s magnum
opus are inscribed on bas-relief in the front-hall's corridors of the
monument.The construction of monument is similar to a temple
chariot. A life-size statue of poet has been installed in the 39-m-
high chariot.
Who is the poet, who also has a statue in SOAS University of
London?

63. Originally known as MetSat-1, the
satellite was the first launched by
the PSLV-C4 into the Geostationary
orbit on 12th Sep,2002. It was the first
dedicated meteorological satellite to
be launched by ISRO.
On February 5, 2003 Prime Minister
Atal BihariVajpayee announced that
the satellite would be renamed as
______-1.
After whom is the satellite named?

65. She started young and was sent by her mother to receive early
training in classical singing under Ustad Bade GhulamAli Khan.
She started out as a child actor and last acted in a movie in 1963
with film ‘Baaji’ after which she shifted to a career of playback
singing.
Which Queen is this, who died seventeen years ago, after a
history of heart problems, with her two failed marriages
probably contributing to the condition.

67.  On the next slide, you’ll see a picture
of a Rajyasabha MP and his wife.
Their marriage was a cause of great
controversy as there were
allegations that the politician
murdered his wife’s ex who was
himself a rising star in another field.
 Use the image on this slide to work
out who was the ex?

70. Identify the art form.