3. • The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown, on his first
visit to President Barack Obama in the White House in March 2009, gave the
President a gift of a pen holder made from the wood of HMS Gannet,
reflecting her role in Victorian anti-slavery efforts.
• This is where history repeated itself in a way. How?
3
5. Resolute Desks
• Resolute became trapped in the ice and was abandoned. Recovered by an
American whaler, she was returned to Queen Victoria in 1856. Timbers from
the ship were later used to construct a desk which was then presented to
the President of the United States.
5
6. • The origins of the phrase lie in the times when the Khalsa i.e. the original warrior
Sikhs were formed, they would cross canals and attack Mughal camps in a blitzkrieg
attack and then just as they came would retreat leaving the enemy helpless. The
sport of tent pegging also evolved from this camp raiding where the riders would
remove the pegs of the tents trapping the occupants under, what then used to b a
very heavy fabric. While escaping back to their base the Khalsa warriors would
dismantle any temporary bridges constructed by them to prevent the Mughals from
chasing them and sometimes to prevent the enemy from escaping. What phrase did
this give rise to?
6
9. What project?
• The X Project was started in 1988 in order to bring back the look of the
large prehistoric X in a domesticated dog breed. The National American
Alsatian Breeder's Club governs the project and standardizes breeding
practices for this unique large companion dog. Health and temperament
remain the highest priority over the look of the X, so this project is slow and
methodical.
9
15. ID X
• After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Secret Service began to
express concern in relation to potential assassination attempts against the
president, as his limousine at that time was not armoured and had no
protective features. The following day, December 8, 1941, a heavily armored
1928 Cadillac 341A Town Sedan, which had originally belonged to X , was
used to transport the president to the Capitol to deliver his "Infamy" speech.
The car had been confiscated by the Treasury Department following X‟s
arrest and stored in an impound lot until its ironic final duty.
15
21. • AIDS was first reported June 5, 1981, when the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recorded a cluster of Pneumocystis carinii
pneumonia in five men in Los Angeles and was dubbed GRID. What does
GRID stand for?
21
24. • From a far away land rises a mighty hero. The
son of peasants from two different realms, the
one known only as „X‟ protects the people of
Hope Kingdom at all costs and takes on the likes
of „Boosh the Dim‟, „Red Sarah‟ and „Cha-nee the
Grim‟. Which comic hero?
24
27. • In Hindu mythology they were the
community of celestial singers. They are said
to have lived in a land in the extreme north of
India in a province which is today‟s
Afghanistan. Name them?
27
30. • Until very recently, in India, this musical instrument was
only heard in the hills and valleys of Kashmir as an
accompaniment to the hymns of the Sufi mystics. It was
referred to as the „shata tantri veena‟ in Indian musical
history and is named after a Persian word, meaning a
hundred strings. Which musical instrument?
30
33. • Suzuki Motor Corporation Chairman Osamu Suzuki is
a connoisseur of wines. In his personal dining room
and bar where he entertains his guests, there is a bottle
of what he believes is the best liquor brand from each
of the 192 countries the company operates in. Through
which brand is India represented?
33
39. Conceptual artist Aram Bartholl has created an art installation
consisting of eight books with entries arranged in alphabetical
order. Visitors to the exhibit are invited to open to books and
check if their entries are present. There are around 4.7 million
entries sourced from a single source. The exhibit is provocatively
titled, “Forgot your ___?”.
What do the books consist of ?
39
45. FITB
The ____ ____ principle describes an endeavor in which a
deficiency in any one of a number of factors dooms it to
failure. Consequently, a successful endeavor (subject to this
principle) is one where every possible deficiency has been
avoided.
The name of the principle derives from the book ____ ____,
which begins: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy
family is unhappy in its own way.
The book also inspired the name of a popular Bollywood star.
45
51. What term?
In formal logic, this can informally be translated as
“One or both of A or B is known to be true, but they
both imply C, so regardless of which is true, we can
conclude C”.
This term is also used in everyday language albeit in a
slightly different context, still involving two
possibilities.
51
54. Who are we talking about?
A chance meeting with Nelson Annandale, then the director of the Zoological
Survey of India, at the 1920 Nagpur session of the Indian Science Congress
led to Annandale asking him analyze anthropometric measurements of
Anglo-Indians in Calcutta.
He had been influenced by the anthropometric studies published in the journal
Biometrika and he chose to ask the questions on what factors influence the
formation of European and Indian marriages. During the course of these
studies he found a way of comparing and grouping populations using a
multivariate distance measure which was later named after him.
54
58. • The idea of A came to B‟s mind when he listened to a lecture delivered by C, a British writer in 1867 who remarked that a
nation which gains control of ____ , soon acquires the control of gold. Enthusiastic about this idea, B approached the govt.
but was discouraged by their bad attitude. In 1900, he set sail for America. On his way, he met D and was influenced by his
philosophy. When D proposed a new centre for higher education, A showed interest and later built E to fulfil the dream.
Another of his legacy, the F, was conceived when he was shunned from a hotel in Mumbai while visiting with his foreign
guest.
• In America, he convinced (now famous) consulting engineer G to come to India and work for him. Soon after his arrival, G
and H set out to find a suitable site for establishing A. Their search culminated when they arrived at the site of a village called
I on the confluence of River J and K in the forested ramparts of L hills where wild elephants still roam.
• A, founded by H, was incorporated on 26th August 1907. Foreign investors shied away from investments. Nonetheless, when
the announcement came, its Bombay HQ were besieged by Indian investors. The company grew moderately in its first 10
years but then, after WW-I the bottom fell out of ____ industry and A faced ruin. H had to pledge his entire personal fortune
including the famous M diamond of his wife.
• The 1920s were marred by frequent labour unrest too. In all, the company recorded only 4 strikes, the last of which occurred
in 1930 when N became the president of the worker‟s union. In his letter to the chairman of the board, O, he argued for the
Indianization of the company and maternal benefits. Ironically, in WW-II, N went over to join the Axis powers while A
became the only allied ____ plant east of Suez. It built the legendary P tank,that went on to defeat General Rommel in North
African campaign.
• Meanwhile, a city continued to grow around the plant supported by the company‟s pledge to take care of the welfare of its
employees. The town was rechristened Q when Lord Chelmsford visited the plant.
• Soon after, R became the chairman of the board and led the company forward. In 1957, on the 50th anniversary, S inaugurated
the iconic M park and said that Indian needs 500 Q. R,one of the pioneers of aviation industry , established the T which later
became U. R was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
• When liberalisation came, A grew tremendously. The company, now renamed V, became India‟s proud when it went on to
acquire W in Singapore and Y in Thailand. But its proudest moment came when it made a successful bid to acquire Z, the
second largest _____maker in Europe. Together with Z, it has become the world‟s 5th largest ____maker.
58
60. • The idea was of TISCO came to J.N.Tata‟s mind when he listened to a lecture delivered by Thomas Cerlyle, a British writer
in 1867 who remarked that a nation ewhich gains control of ____ , soon acquires the control of gold. Enthusiastic about
this idea, JN TATA approached the ovt. But was discouraged by their bad attitude. In 1900, he set sail for America. On his
way, he met vivekanand and was influenced by his philosophy. When vivekanand proposed a new centre for higher
education, Tata showed interest and later built IISc to fulfil the dream. Another of his legacy, the Taj Mahal Hotel, was
conceived when he was shunned from a hotel in Mumbai while visiting with his foreign guest.
• In America, he convinced (now famous) consulting engineer Charles Page Perrin to come to India and work for him. Soon
after his arrival, Perrin and Dorabji Tata set out to find a suitable site for establishing TISCO. Their search culminated when
they arrived at the site of a village called Sakchi on the confluence of River Khorkai and Subernrekha in the forested
ramparts of Dalma hills where wild elephants still roam.
• TISCO, founded by Dorab Tata, was incorporated on 26th August 1907. Foreign investors shied away from investments.
Nonetheless, when the announcement came, its Bombay HQ were besieged by Indian investors. The company grew
moderately in its first 10 years but then, after WW-I the bottom fell out of ____ industry and TISCO faced ruin. Dorab
Tata had to pledge his entire personal fortune including the famous Jubilee diamond of his wife.
• The 1920s were marred by frequent labour unrest too. In all, the company recorded only 4 strikes, the last of which
occurred in 1930 when Subhash Chandra Bose became the president of the worker‟s union. In his letter to the chairman of
the board, Nowarjee Saklatvala, he argued for the Indianization of the company and maternal benefits. Ironically, in WW-II,
Bose went over to join the Axis powers while TISCO became the only allied steel plant east of Suez. It built the legendary
Tatanagar tank,that went on to defeat General Rommel in North African campaign.
• Meanwhile, a city continued to grow around the plant supported by the company‟s pledge to take care of the welfare of its
employees. The town was rechristened Jamshedpur when Lord Chelmsford visited the plant.
• Soon after, JRD became the chairman of the board and led the company forward. In 1957, on the 50th anniversary, Jawahar
Lal Nehru inaugurated the iconic Jubilee park and said that Indian needs 500 Jamshedpurs. JRD,one of the pioneers of
aviation industry , established the Tata Airlines which later became Air India. JRD was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1992.
• When liberalisation came, TISCO‟s grew tremendously. The company, now renamed Tata Steel, became India‟s proud when
it went on to acquire NatSteel in Singapore and Millenium Steel in Thailand. But its proudest moment came when it made a
successful bid to acquire Corus, the second largest _____maker in Europe. Together with Corus, it has become the world‟s60
5th largest steel maker.
62. Rules
•
•
•
•
•
4 categories.2 questions in each.
+20/no negatives
The 3 trailing teams get to choose a category and an opponent.
1st question to challenging team, 2nd to the opponent.
If the team with direct question fails to answer question bounces to the
opponent.
65. Food1
• Mostly made from condensed milk it is cooked with sugar until it solidifies.
Other varieties include besan _____, made with besan (gram flour) and pista.
The name is derived from „Persian for ice‟ since it is similar to ice in
appearance. What?
68. Food2
• It is a tropical tree, native to India and it was apparently from India that it
reached the Persians. The Arabs called it „Date of India‟. What tree?
72. UL 1:
• In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be Transported by ship and it was also
before the invention of commercial Fertilizers, so large shipments of manure were quite
common. It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when Wet, but
once water (at sea) hit it, not only did it become heavier, But the process of fermentation
began again, of which a byproduct is Methane gas of course. As the stuff was stored
below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build
up below decks and the first time someone came Below at night with a lantern,
BOOOOM! Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just
what was happening.
• After this the sailors were instructed to stow the bags high while they are in transit. This
urban legend explains the origins of which word?
74. UL 2:
• Sometime in 1989, _______ scientists in drilled a borehole some 14.5 kilometers deep into the
Earth‟s crust. The drill broke through into a cavity, and the scientists lowered some equipment to
see what was down there. The temperature was more than one thousand degrees celsius—but the
real shocker was the sound recorded by their instruments.
• They only captured about seventeen horrifying seconds of audio before the microphone melted.
Convinced that they‟d heard the screams of the damned in Hell, many of the scientists quit the
job immediately—or so at least the story goes. Those who stayed were in for an even bigger
shock later that night. A plume of luminous gas burst out of the borehole, the shape of a
gigantic winged demon unfolded, and the words “I have conquered” were seared into the flames.
• Interestingly, an actual site which closely matches the description exists. Which site or explain
how it became so?
75.
76. • The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. While drilling in 1971, Soviet
geologists tapped into a cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath
the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of 70 metres.
To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided the best solution was to
burn it off. Geologists had hoped the fire would use all the fuel in a matter
of days, but the gas is still burning today. Locals have dubbed the cavern
"The Door to Hell“.
85. Cric 1:
• In April 2008, ECB sponsored a T20 match in aid of „The Lord‟s Taverner‟s‟
and „The Himalayan Trust‟, UK. What two teams competed for the „Everest
Test Trophy‟, in what was the highest cricket match ever played?