2014 KQA Artifacts Quiz by Mitesh Agrawal & Navin Rajaram

KQA presents
The Artifacts & Other Useless Objects
Quiz
By
Mitesh Agarwal & Navin Rajaram

The Artifacts Quiz 2014
Rules
 50 Questions
 All Written
 Multiple parts – 1 point each
 72 points in all -part points where
applicable
 No negatives
 Please switch off all gadgets
Take guesses, all the best!

7 pointer (1A,B,C,D,E,F,G)
In 1814, an Englishman, William ____1A_____ introduced this
design which was nicknamed the _____1B____ bottle thanks to its
shape.
The rounded egg shaped bottom gave shopkeepers little option
but to store them on their side due to the rounded base.
At the time, Why did the inventor think of the bottles being
placed sideways (1C)?
1

In 1875, an Englishman from Camberwell (1D) changed this
bottle design and allowed soda bottles to be stored upright.
Thanks to 1D, a phrase (1E)entered the English language. The
phrase meaning nonsense was essentially a slang term used by
beer drinkers who were disdainful of bottled soft drinks.
1

The Americans took a different approach when it came to fizzy
bottle design. This design consisted of a composite ring
attached to a loop. What was this design called (1F)?
Which brand (1G) made this their defacto design in the late
1800s and early 1900s & thus made it popular?
1

ANSWER

1A – Hamilton Bottle
1B – Torpedo Bottle
1C- The Hamilton bottles had to rest on their side, keeping
the cork in constant contact with the fluid thus keeping it
from drying out & thus shrinking, allowing the gas to escape
1D – Codd Bottle
1E – A Load of Codswallop
1F- Hutchinson Bottle
1G- Coca Cola Bottle

This beautiful brass & copper device is a 1902 patent by a
Birmingham Gunsmith- Frank Clarke.
The device essentially entered public imagination thanks to it
solving a pertinent British problem.
Later electric version was made popular by Goblin but the
device is now just a retro novelty item. Which artefact? Need
a 8 letter answer.
2

Teasmade
The Victorians & Edwardians were mad keen on
their morning cup of tea!
The Teasmade incorporates an alarm clock. Just
before the alarm sounds, boiling water is forced
down the metal pipe into the waiting teapot

This contraption borrows its design from a mouse trap.
However, its domestic use was quite simple &
ingenious.
What was its use?
3

Burglar Alarm

This object would have been a boon & a blessing
to any harassed mother who has a boy/girl scout
at home!
What was this device for?
4

Knot Unpicker

The 2 devices were used for similar purposes.
The name of the device comes from the French word for
honeycomb. It’s Germanic root gave us another food
related word which uses similar but more modern devices.
3 parts
a. What word?
b. What was the purpose?
c. What is the food related word?
5

a. Goffer (from Gaufre meaning
Honeycomb in French)
b. This goffering board and pin was
used to roll collars and cuffs and
give them a corrugated look.
c. Waffle is the German origin for
Goffer

Wartime rationing meant that in the 1940s, almost all households
had this device across the world. Some instructions read like this:
a. No Untidy Ends
b. No Dirty Ends
c. Hold Like This
d. You Pull What You Need & Leave Remainder Tight
6

Cotton Reel Tidy/Cotton Reel Holder

In the 17th century, any drum that was beaten with
hands was called this. The possible origin is from a
Hindi word/term where these drums was used as a
traditional means of communication. An English term
meaning ‘boasting’ thus gets its origin from this
object.
Westerners call the Chinese ‘Chau Gong’ with the
same name as the Hindi term.
A. Give us the Name of the Drum in English
B. Give us the Name of the Hindi Term or the
Western name for the Chau Gong.
7

A. Tom Tom from
TamTam/TamTama
B. Tam Tam

The 1830s were the dawn of a new kind of piano
virtuosity, exemplified by Chopin and Liszt. Robert
Schumann was eager to make his mark, and to try to
speed up the process he constructed a weird device
using a cigar box and some wire.
It is thought that Schumann would have been pianist
if he had not injured himself with this device.
What exactly was the purpose of this device
designed by Schumann and later versions
developed in the US in the early 1900s?
8

It was intended to prop up his fingers while
practicing, the idea being to strengthen
them and develop independence.
Later the device was supposedly improved to
pianists hit the sprawling notes demanded by
the likes of Stravinsky and Debussy.

The jugs in the pictures were found in Exeter/Liverpool and
popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. An inscription typically
challenges the drinker to consume the contents without spilling
them.
Known inscriptions include:
Come drink of me and merry be.
Come drink your fill, but do not spill.
Fill me up with licker (liquor) sweet / For it is good when fun us do meet.
Gentlemen, now try your Skill / I'll hold your Sixpence if you Will / That
you don't drink unless you spill.
Here, Gentlemen, come try your skill / I'll hold a wager if you will / That
you don't drink this liquor all / Without you spill and let some fall.
What are these jugs called?
9

Puzzle Jugs

The Object (A)in the 1800s looked like a Hurley. It was
originally designed for musicians who would use it by
fixing the top of each metal rod.
Later devices used the patent (B) for their basic
design.
Thanks to digitization, Modern devices look like C.
What was/is the purpose of all these devices?
10

A
B
C
10

Page Turners used earlier for Sheet Music
& now there are several electronic
devices to do the same.

George Jennings was an English sanitary engineer
and plumber who invented the first public flush
toilets.
He invented devices with a mechanism that allowed
one to get a clean seat, a towel, a comb and a shoe
shine!
What archaic euphemism (possibly due to
inflation) was used to get this service?
11

A B
11

To Spend a Penny
Gentlemen & Ladies would use the phrase ‘We are
Going to Spend a Penny’ as a euphemism for visiting the
loo

Best described as a ‘collaborative effort’, this object
underwent many design changes & was originally
named "continuous clothing closure."
The modern version, invented by Gideon Sundback in
1917, was originally used for boots and tobacco
pouches.
A marketing group at B.F. Goodrich gave the
invention its catchy name and promoted it primarily
for children’s clothing.
What invention?
12

Zipper

It is a traditional way of serving and drinking tea
in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other post-Soviet
states.
It is still used on Russian Railways & Bus Services
across the area as it is very useful to serve hot
beverages on a moving vehicle.
So tell us what is the Russian word for "thing
under the glass“?
13

Podstakannik

To a casual observer, this looks like a particularly
unpleasant medieval torture device.
However, it was used for a very domestic purpose by
women.
What was this device used for?
14

Knitting Ball Holder

This interesting kitchen contraption had a dual purpose. The
syringe was used to fill Jam/Chocolate into something & the
rear end was used as well.
What is the food item in question?
15

Doughnut filler

Tools like the one shown in the visual are a common
sight on dining tables in the West.
What are they used for?
16

Cherry Pitter

This is an almost forgotten method of preventing fraud
in banks. What American invention?
17

Cheque Stamper

The Brandt Junior Machine
was available at all major
public places for a specific
purpose.
What would people use it
for?
18

For Change (Currency)

Shown in the visual is an early version of what
important kitchen appliance?
19

Sausage Maker

The object shown is amazingly sophisticated. IMHO, a
simple measurement tape would have done the job.
What?
20

Hat Measurer

This object is thought to have been
inspired by Bulldog Drummond- hero of
Sapper's bestselling crime novels.
What particular usefulness did it have?
21

Double Cigarette Holder
Turkish on one side and Virginian on
the other.

The toaster has an iconic design. For simply being a
rectangular box with rounded corners, the kitchen
appliance is still instantly recognizable for what it is.
However, there has always been one basic problem
with the design and it seems finally Kalorik, a Belgian
company has resolved it. What is the simple
innovation which has helped the outcome?
22

A Glass Panel to see if the toast
came out with the right colour

This object saves lives! ___________ is a
vegetable and a staple food in
Central and South America, Asia and
Africa, but one of the two varieties,
contains deadly poisonous prussic
acid. So great care must be taken to
get rid of the acid before eating. This
is done by removing the hard skin,
grating and washing the peeled
vegetable, and squeezing out the
liquid.
Which vegetable?
23

Cassava/Tapioca Root
Accept –
manioc, yuca, balinghoy, mogo, mandioca, kamoteng
kahoy, tapioca-root and manioc root

In April 1975, Gary Dahl was in a bar listening to his
friends complain about their pets. This gave him the idea
for the perfect "pet": a _____.
A _____ would not need to be fed, walked, bathed,
groomed and would not die, become sick, or be
disobedient. He said they were to be the perfect pets, and
joked about it with his friends. However, he eventually
took the idea seriously, and drafted an "instruction
manual" for a pet _____. It was full of puns, gags and plays
on words that referred to the _____ as an actual pet. The
original had no eyes.
What 1970s collectible?
24

Pet Rock

Shown is the coat of arms of the _____ dynasty, the
current ruling royal house of Thailand with the
Head of the House being the King of Thailand.
The ruling member is considered to be a
personification of a divine being with the emblem
of the dynasty paying tribute to this in a sense.
What mythological artifact is this dynasty
named after?
25

Sudarshana Chakra
The Chakri dynasty members consider
themselves personification of Narayana/Vishnu

Taking their name from the French root meaning a
thong for fastening parts of armour or clothing, the
earliest versions of these were created by sailors who
fashioned straps from pieces of rope, hung them
around their neck and tied whatever tools they
needed to these cords, while keeping their hands
free.
Over time, the idea hasn’t changed much but has
evolved to replace swords or sailing tools with high-
tech tools or forms of identification.
What are we talking about?
26

Lanyards

The Daily Mail newspaper, the primary sponsor of the
first live recital by a professional musician, is said to
have persuaded the Marconi Company to design this
object.
Created with a telephone mouthpiece and wood
from a cigar box, the object was put to use on 15
June 1920, in a makeshift studio in Chelmsford
factory, when the lines to Home Sweet Home and
several other favourites were mellifluously rendered,
closing with the National Anthem.
Who was the voice?
27

Dame Nellie Melba

An Arabic surname, the word means “flag” or “sign”,
but is also used for this artifact that was historically
carried into battles as a banner of the clan.
Originally green in colour, it was passed on by
generation until it was last seen in the hands of Al
Abbas Ibn Ali, who is said to have died holding it
aloft; as a result of which later day versions are either
red or black in tribute.
What is it called, perhaps reminding Indians of an
ornament of the world?
In what context would one see it being used
annually?
28

Alam (also synonymous with “world” as
used in Alam Ara)
Muharram Processions

Produced en masse at one point of time in factories
across Northamptonshire, this boot was developed
by the Haynes & Cann manufacturer.
The boots were designed so that the leg of the boot
could be cut away to leave an Oxford shoe.
What were these boots called, in reference to the
act they assisted in?
Who were they designed for?
29

Escape Boots
Pilots felled in enemy territory could
quickly convert to non-military boots
and blend into local crowds

Considered to be one of the earliest art forms that
originated in America, it was practiced by Eskimos as
early as 100 AD.
Using objects that were available in plenty post voyages
and of little commercial value then, the art form involved
smoothening and polishing the surface before needles or
knives could begin etching.
What art form, that is now severely restricted?
Which 19th century literary work brought the art
form into public consciousness?
30

Scrimshaw (made typically from the
tooth/bones of sperm whales)
Moby Dick

While it was not altogether uncommon for hand
plaster casts to have been made in the Victorian age,
this specific artifact is a rare one and resides at
Denbigh Library, North Wales – the birthplace of the
individual.
Having run away to sea as a 17 year old in 1851, he is
said to have opened up the Congo and helped King
Leopold realize his colonial ambitions.
Whose hand, that may have played a part in the
act of making an acquaintance at Ujiji?
31

H M Stanley

Trumpeter William Billy Brittain is said to have used
this to signal something, that was then repeated
through the ranks, although some versions of the
story say many ranks never heard it at all, leading to
tragic miscommunication.
Billy, wounded in the last salvo fired, was brought
back to Scutari clutching the object, where he fought
bravely before succumbing to his wounds.
The object passed on to his father, who also served
the same role as his son.
What did the object signal?
32

Charge of the Light Brigade

The first of its kind, it was built and patented by
grocer William Gould to avoid landowners and
industrialists from benefiting by gaining information.
The device worked by providing a unique token that
would be deposited in the box, at which point a
clock face would register the token.
What object, that was rejected for being too
ahead of its time? (specific answer needed)
33

Secret Ballot Box

A colour etch from 1797 by James Gillray, this
cartoon shows William Pitt, the PM picking the
pockets of a woman, purportedly to fund the
Revolutionary Wars against France.
The strategy would backfire, causing a drain
on gold reserves and severe devaluation.
More importantly, this cartoon was
supposedly the first appearance of what
nickname?
34

Old Lady of Threadneedle Street

After Napier’s logarithmic scale became popular,
another individual had the idea of mapping
logarithms onto a line for ready reference.
He publicized the eponymously named ______’s
scale, a wooden rule with engraved lines, that took
the sting out of laborious calculations and was used
by the Royal Navy up until 1840, before further
improvisations made lives easier.
Who is the individual, often a passing reference in
the context of sporting measurements?
35

Edmund Gunter
(who also gave us Gunter’s chain from
which the 22 yards cricket pitch
measurement arrived)

Sony’s pocket analog radio model -SRF-39FP – is one of
the most affordable on the market at US $30 and is
exclusively sold in the US via Keefe Group, a subsidiary
that supplies it to specific customers via institutional
buyers.
Running on a single AA battery and 40 hours of listening
time, it is unofficially called the “Ipod of FP” and never
seen in the open market, passing on to others when one
owner no longer needs it.
Expand FP in the model name or the nickname
Explain the reason behind why the parts housing
appears like this when unpacked?
36

Federal Prisons
Its clear housing is meant to prevent
inmates from using it to smuggle
contraband

Originally a 3-bladed design was preferred for this
pair of sisters, but later both of them were upgraded
to the 4 bladed version.
The artifact shown was one of 4 and was salvaged by
the Oceaneering International Services Ltd. in 1982.
Today it is loaned out to museums across the world
but is annually the centre of a memorial service at
the Liverpool National Museum.
Who/what used this artifact?
37

RMS Lusitania

A cardboard version of a cross was used previously,
but it did not yield desired results.
In 1924, George Locke, the doctor for X, was close at
hand and he willingly loaned his St. John’s
Ambulance Maltese Cross, that had a shiny enamel
surface and contrasting colours that were just ideal
for the task at hand.
Who was X?
What is the claim to fame of this Maltese Cross?
38

J L Baird
The first object to be transmitted as an
image

Purchased in a store in Knoxville, Tennessee during
WWI, it was bought by Private Doughboy Erine
Coolidge on the day he set sail to Paris.
It was passed on to his son Dan, who fought in WWII
and fearing impending death, gave it to a gunner –
Winocki, to deliver it to his son.
Dan’s son would fight in Vietnam, be captured in a
prison camp and to ensure it passed on to his son,
he hid it in the one place no one would search.
This is the story of what heirloom?
Where might you come across this story?
39

The Gold Watch
Pulp Fiction

Made of goat’s hair, an agal is a black cord
that was historically used by the Bedouins
as a whip or as a rope to secure their
camels.
In many tribes, it is still used as a heirloom
transferred on a leader’s death to the man
who will take charge next.
What is the more practical, current day
use of an agal?
40

To fasten an Arab’s headdress

Throughout the history of wine making, they have played
a very important role and were pioneered by Romans,
who were experts in glass making.
After the Roman Empire fell, their production continued
but with the use of metals, before the Venetians
reintroduced glass varieties with design changes so that
the wine reacted with air.
What are these serving vessels, that take their name
from the chemical process that separates a top layer
of liquid from a precipitate?
What related object, that comes without a stopper,
takes its name from the Persian word for a large
flagon?
41

Decanters, from decantation
Carafe

In the 1970s, when The King, Beefy and this gentleman
played for a certain county, the club went on to win the
Gillette Cup, the Sunday League, B&H Cup in 1981 and
the NatWest Trophy – all within a span of few years.
The autographed boot belongs to this 3rd gentleman in
question and resides in the county museum with jokes
abounding that it might well have fit an ostrich, which, as
we all know, is a _____ ______.
Which gentleman’s boot is this?
Which county’s museum does it reside in?
42

Joel Garner
Somerset

This leather sandal, worn by an author, is a rare example of
how a real life object influenced a character in a 1980s book.
In the first draft, the author described the titular character
wearing “black trousers tucked into the tops of black leather
boots”, resulting in the character perceived as unfriendly.
But when the author sent illustrator Quentin Blake this
Norwegian sandal, the book text changed to "a pair of
ridiculous sandals that for some reason had holes cut along
each side, with a large hole at the end where his toes stuck out“
as did the illustration of the character.
Name the character/title of the book and
the author
43

Roald Dahl
Big Friendly Giant (BFG)

Measuring nearly two metres in length, this model
was displayed in the Kew Botanical Gardens in 2008
and has close to 100 richly detailed human figures.
Created in clay by Rakkal Pal of Krishnanagar, Bengal
for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition in 1886, it
shows a common sight from the times with the
owner of the enterprise standing between two tanks
wearing a white pith helmet.
What is this a model of?
44

Indigo Factory

These giant Doc Marten’s were designed to have
platform support above with metal callipers and
leather straps for attaching to the legs.
Made by the firm Scott Bader, they were designed for
an ‘actor’ who decided to take a role in a 1975
musical, subject to the condition that he could keep
them afterwards.
In 1988, the actor sold them and they are now on
display in the Northamptonshire museum.
Name the actor and the musical/character he
played
45

Elton John
Pinball Wizard/Tommy

The design of this early 1800s artifact was inspired
directly from descriptions of heroes and their
artifacts in Homer’s Illiad.
The designer is said to have maintained a personal
coterie of 500 mercenaries from his personal funds,
as also buy arms and artillery for the upkeep of this
force.
Who was the designer of the object, on whose
coffin at Missolonghi, a sword and this particular
object were placed in honour of the libertarian ideals
he upheld?
46

Lord Byron

The town of Preston in England where this
movement began was known to commission the
production of artifacts such as this to motivate
people with alternatives.
Switching over completely to the contents of this
object made a good pun on a word, which was
coined for an extremely disciplined practice of this
movement’s ideals.
What was the movement name?
What was the word, that was punned on by this
artifact?
47

Temperance movement
Teetotal (Tea total)

Scold’s Bridle was a device used for a bizarre
form of punishment during the 1500s.
It resembled a muzzle or cage for the head with a
padlock on the rear and a projecting spike that
would be held firmly into place in the mouth
when the bridle was closed.
In what could raise more than a few eyebrows
today, who were punished using this device and
for what trivial trait?
48

Gossiping women

One of the oldest, largest and best preserved of its kind,
it is often called the world’s oldest ship and is built out of
Lebanon cedar using Christ’s thorn and Halfah grass.
Built for an individual, it may have served him during his
lifetime, but was primarily a transport for the after-life
where it would have united him with a revered deity.
What is the name of the ship, housed in a museum
right beside a structure named after the individual
himself?
What is the generic name for such ships based
on the deity they honoured?
49

Khufu Ship/Cheops Ship in a museum beside
the Pyramid of Giza
Solar Ships – since they united the king with the
sun god Ra

An ancient tradition in the Yoruba ethnic group, it involves
carving wooden figures called Ibeji (literally twins) to
safeguard the soul of twin babies.
The tradition comes from the high birth rate and low survival
rate of twins among the Yoruba and their belief that twins
share the same soul. When one twin dies, two figures
representing the mortal and spiritual halves of the soul are
carved.
In which country, that boasts an avg. of 150 twins per
1000 births is this tradition followed?
In what biological way are the twins among the Yoruba
different - something that explains the anxiety to keep
them together?
50

Nigeria
Non-Identical/ Dizygotic /Fraternal/
Sororal twins
(two eggs fertilized by two different
sperms)

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