The Pearl Farewell General Quiz 2016 - Finals

Q : The BPHC Quiz Fest
Pearl 2016
The Farewell Quiz
Finals

Content and Presentation
Sameer Dharur
Ranganathan Ramkumar

Acknowledgements
Suraj Menon.
The Hashmi Brothers.
Raghav Pandey.
Rama Subramanian.

The Menu
 3 Written Rounds.
 3 Infinite Pounce Rounds.
 61 questions in all.
 Good luck!

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

1.
Following a physically testing few years, this person quit his world famous exploits
in a certain profession in 2001 and decided take to a new calling. The Andhra
Pradesh government instantly agreed to help in his endeavor, gifting 5 acres of
land in a prime location. Mobilizing finances by mortgaging his own home, his
facility has been known to be fully self-sufficient and of the world’s highest
standards in the field.
Confessed to be a hard task-master who turns down roughly two new entrants
everyday, he also ran into rough weather with his most prized protégé a couple of
years ago who quit and moved elsewhere to train under different tutelage.
What internationally renowned place is this? Who is the protégé being referred to?

2.
The following images are from a 1922 excavation that continues to be a
top tourist destination to this date. It helped resuscitate the fledgling
career of its archaeologist who then went on to become an all time great
in his profession.
What location is this?

3.
The following images are from a place north of Santa Barbara along the
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, excavated first in 1990 using advanced ground-
penetrating radar and fully unearthed with all its artifacts only in 2014.
History has it that the place went into obscurity in the 1950s following
deliberate usage of dynamite and bulldozers with the idea of leaving no trace
behind.
Where would we have famously seen visuals from this place which serves as a
reminder of the pre-technology era?

4.
Located 120 metres inside a sandstone mountain on the island of
Spitsbergen, this place is easily one of the most secure in the world. The
island isn’t ever rocked by any tectonic activity, is 130 metres above sea
level to guard against global warming and rising levels – and has all the
natural protection one could possibly hope for.
For about 10 years now, it has carried out a special function for nations
world over precisely because of the indispensable security its location
offers.
Which place?

5.
In her recently released book The Lonely City, author Olivia Laing explores urban
spaces that capture the experience of solitude.
Of all the places explored, one from 1942 particularly caught the author’s
attention and was described as ‘our most poignant, ceaselessly replicated
romantic image of American loneliness’. Quoting the description further – “Green
shadows were falling in spikes and diamonds on the sidewalk. There is no colour
in existence that so powerfully communicates urban alienation. The diner was a
place of refuge, the room was sealed, with no visible entrance or exit and made
complete by a window both solid and transparent that fused the twin feelings of
confinement and exposure”.
What exactly is being described?

6.
Last September, British Airways announced a maiden flight to a certain British
Overseas Territory – one of the remotest places in the world – that had, until
then, only been connected by the Royal Mail Ship. Made famous in the early 19th
century primarily because of its seclusion, it has been a subject of bilateral
diplomatic relations – with Britain willfully acceding a certain house in 1858 to a
country that viewed it as national heritage.
For about 25 years, the territory served an important purpose for Britain that
ended in circumstances which remain controversial among historians to this day.
What territory is this? What purpose was it used for in the 1800s?

7.
This building is one of Britain’s most recognizable structures. At one point of
time, it was also purported to be the site of a new stadium for Chelsea and has
been referenced multiple times across film, music and other media.
This 42-acre site is no longer used for its original purpose. Instead the right to
renovate and redevelop it has been sold off to a consortium consisting of
companies headed by two very famous architects. The new complex will consist
of 1300 apartments and a hotel. Interestingly, the two sites of each architect’s
most famous work (in Germany and Spain) are approximately the same distance
from the site.
What building? Who is the architect in the middle of the image?

8.
In the 19th century with the advent of British rule, Devadasis (and temple
performers) started losing their status in society. Bharatanatyam started to be
treated as a vulgar art form and was shunned by the lower castes.
Along with E. Krishna Iyer, this dancer played a key role in reviving the classical
dance forms. The two of them did this through various public performances that
removed the stigma surrounding the participation of the upper castes in these
dance forms. Iyer was also instrumental in the formation of an organisation that
helped the cause of music in South India. Which organisation?
The dancer, in question was a theosophist who founded a cultural academy
along with her husband in 1936. Name the dancer and the academy.

The Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy.

Saina Nehwal, who had a fallout with her long
time coach after the 2014 season.

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault.

The exile and eventual death of Napoleon.

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

1.
The Aga Khan Trust for Culture recently turned its eyes on Hyderabad for
undertaking an important restoration project with the aim of propelling it to the
status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once a sight to behold for medieval
travelers from Europe for its fabulous green hues, it lies in ashen decay today
along with its surrounding 108 acres that contained exotic gardens and fountains
which are now just barren lands – hoping to be restored by the 10 year, 100 crore
worth project.
Given the distinctive colour, it was often compared by travelers to similar structures
from a central Asian city that earned the tag of a World Heritage Site in 2001.
Which site in Hyderabad? What was it compared to?

2.
At the peak of the Cold War during the 1950s and 1960s, the USA and the USSR
were fiercely competing to contrast their ideologies and proclaim supremacy.
As part of this endeavor, the CIA chose to sponsor something that was initially
much despised by the American people. One of the main subjects of this
patronage was viewed by the CIA to be the icon of American values –
individualistic, wild, raw, nonconformist, irreverent to existing norms of the day and
symbolic of the unmitigated will of a human being with immense creativity and
intellectual power. This continued even after his premature death, with the huge
backing of the Rockefeller foundation at one of its centerpiece properties in New
York city that is one of the most influential of its kind in the world.
Who was the subject of this patronage, a pioneer in his field? What location is
being talked about?

3.
First discovered courtesy NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in 2010, there are
about 3,200 of these cracks discovered on about 75% of the moon’s surface. They
are believed to be as young as a hundred million years and are responsible for
shrinking the distance between the moon’s centre and surface by about 300 feet.
When examined in detail, most of them appeared to run east to west near the
moon’s poles and north to south by its equator – a curious thing, as they should
have appeared randomly across the moon’s surface, like they do on other planets
and moons where scientists have observed them. This led to the scientists’
conclusions on the source of these cracks being a result of action-reaction and
certain striking parallels.
So what is the official documented cause for these cracks on the moon?

Earth’s gravitational or tidal forces!
The patterns of the cracks are strikingly similar to Earth’s own tidal
patterns at the poles and the equator, thus confirming that the
Earth’s tidal forces are acting on the moon’s surface just as the
moon influences Earth’s oceans.

4.
Tracing its origins back to Renaissance Art involving deities and saints, it was
always one of the highest priced dyes and long associated with prestige and
royalty.
In 1821, it gained further mainstream importance with the arrival of US President
James Monroe from a riverboat. In the early 20th century, it was often used by
rail-roads for passengers on important trains. However, it wasn’t until the 1920s
that it became synonymous with a certain industry whose annual event employs
a 65,000 square foot version that is the subject of much paparazzi attention.
What item is being talked about?

5.
The NFL is the most popular gambling sport in USA. People bet on up to $85
million every year during the Superbowl. A certain change in the sport during
the 2012 season caused a lot of concern for gamblers across the country and
led to fluctuation in odds.
In response, bookmakers decided to adjust the odds by giving the home team
an extra half point.
Viewers were not happy with this change, “Humiliating and disgraceful. Not
professional enough” were phrases used to describe the NFL during this period.
What change, that apparently had the same effect on gambling odds as Tom
Brady missing a match through injury?

Referees went on strike.
The replacements were just not good enough and were easily swayed by
the cheering of the home team’s fans.

6.
In aviation, a holding pattern is a maneuver designed to delay the landing of an
aircraft in flight, while keeping it within a certain airspace.
One of the popular ‘close-in’ versions is the Pingo Holding Pattern that comes
with a certain minimum height where aircraft can wait, while their requests are
serviced by the nearest Air Traffic Control system.
In late 2008, this minimum height had to be unusually increased by one of the
world’s busiest airports following a change in its city’s ambient skyline.
Why the change?

The construction of the Burj Khalifa.

7.
First making their appearance in the Sherlock Holmes story The
Adventure of the Priory School published in 1904, these footwear saw a
huge spurt in usage roughly two decades later all over the United States,
particularly in areas with forests and meadows.
An important means to carrying out everyday activity for people of a
specific occupation, they were basically strips of metal to which
appropriate wooden blocks were attached to bring about a desired effect.
Who were these people? How did these footwear help?

8.
At some time around 500 BC, in the twilight of his life well after his other
famous discoveries, Pythagoras was confronted with a problem of consonance
and dissonance.
Delving into a subject that was still a mystery, he went about his experiments
with the aid of four similar strings with different weights attached to them.
Following observations made on their behaviour and mathematical
calculations, he extended his observations to establish a convention that
metaphorically ‘turned the hands to 12 and set the clock running’ thereby
revolutionizing a certain field.
What did he come up with?

The musical scale from pure fifths and octaves,
that would form the basis for all of world music.

9.
A recent publication in the Science journal sheds light on an interesting volcanic
phenomenon around present day Mumbai about 65 million years ago. Upon
examination of layers of ancient lava in the Deccan Trap, it was ascertained that
they were a result of a massive rise in volcanic eruption rate that was
presumably caused in an unprecedented manner around the world. The study
also goes on to describe the after effects, notably – the noxious trapping of
sulphur and carbon dioxides within the atmosphere that laid waste to the
ecosystem.
These eruptions have now been proven to be an additional cause for a event,
along with evidence that exists at a place called Chicxulub in the Gulf of Mexico.
What is the event being referred to?

The extinction of dinosaurs.
The crash of the asteroid is said to have triggered off the worst
volcanoes and earthquakes in the history of the planet that were
as much a cause for the extinction as the impact of the crash itself.

10.
This British author was living in France when WW2 broke out and was arrested by
the Germans. In 1941, he was taken to a Berlin hotel and asked to do broadcasts
of a non-political nature. Due to the harmless nature of his broadcasts, most
observers did not condemn him for his actions. However there were a few voices
who called for him to be tried as a traitor after the war. Notable amongst these,
was a fellow countryman and author who also served in the Army.
To get back at him for his comments, sly and demeaning references were made in
a number of his works – “Some baloney, no doubt, about how he hugs his teddy
bear and dreams of angels. Yes, that is what he is doing, writing poetry about
Timothy … well, when I tell you that he refers to him throughout as ‘Timothy
Bobbin,’ you will appreciate what we are up against.”
Who was the author arrested? Whom is he taking a dig at in the above lines?

11.
Low background steel is steel that was produced prior to a certain mid-
20th century event whose consequences were felt all around the world.
Devices that are sensitive to certain contaminated elements necessarily
require this variety of steel and cannot use steel produced after the event.
Today, the major source of low background steel is from Scapa Flow, a
body of water off Scotland’s coast. This is one of the few places that
wasn’t influenced by this event.
What event? What’s the unlikely source of this steel?

Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, background radiation levels increased all
over the world. Devices such as Geiger counters need steel that is free of
any contamination.

Underwater Warships.
The primary source of low-background steel are ships or submarines that
have been under water since before the Trinity test, most famously the
scuttled German WWI battleships in Scapa Flow.

12.
Blind Man’s Bluff is an unconventional form of poker where the player sees all
cards in play except his own, which is followed by a comparison of who has
the card of the highest value – to determine the winner.
A variation of this game played itself out on celluloid in 2009 that caught the
attention of history fans, for its appropriate contextual reference to a World
War I tussle between the two alliances over alleged espionage and femme
fatale, whose principal subject now has the following tributes in Netherlands
as seen in the images.
Where would you have seen this game, played out before mayhem?
What is this espionage story all about? OR Why was it an appropriate
reference to make?

Mata Hari, uttered by and seen on the card of
one of the German soldiers – an apt reference to
the Dutch lady spy character.

13.
Towards the end of September last year, NASA confirmed the discovery of
summery water flows on Mars, raising odds of finding life on the planet.
However, what should have been a landmark announcement was instead
received with much skepticism and suspicion by several observers who
viewed this as nothing more than a publicity gimmick, owing to the
involvement of the Johnson Space Center in Houston in a high profile
$108 million project.
Why was this news not received with seriousness?

Coincided with the release of The Martian.

14.
According to scientists from IBM’s San Jose Research Center, quartz crystals have
the unique ability to store, amplify and transfer thoughts and information – just
as they do with memory on electronic devices. It holds a special place in psychic
research for ‘magnifying many times over the pulsations of our conscious selves’.
Quartz crystals were thus chosen as the material to be used in the construction
of a famous site in the 1980s in a capital city – with the additional intention of
making it seem like a river in flow – that attracts several tourists everyday. It is
also manned by guards at specific locations of the site for preserving a legacy.
What place is this, an official predecessor to a present day location? What is it
with the guards?

The path where Indira Gandhi was
assassinated.

Manned to this day by Sikh guards, as a
mark of respect.

15.
In October last year, the Dawn newspaper in Pakistan brought out a report on a
recent tragedy that had claimed over 2400 lives according to official figures.
This was the eighth and, by some distance, the worst disaster of its kind in
history that was later blamed on factors outside one’s control, much to the
dismay of the official research agency sanctioned by the government whose
specific annual recommendations often go ignored.
The report also compared this to another incident from a completely different
field in 1987 which, although on a much smaller scale, brought about definitive
changes from standing terraces to seated pavilions in the United Kingdom.
What two incidents are being talked about?

The 2015 stampede during the Hajj
pilgrimage.

Format
 8 questions.
 Topic – Controversies.

1.
What incident of international significance from September 2012 inspires
these two clips?

2.
Temperatures in Dubai in the month of July often hit 50 degrees and even
go above. However, a lot of weather reports don't quite reflect this,
reportedly because of a difference between atmospheric and ground
temperature.
Technicalities aside, what is the real reason for this lapse?

3.
Off the coast of West Africa on the Spanish island of Lanzarote, several life-like
statues were recently dropped to the bottom of the ocean floor to create
Europe’s first underwater sculpture museum.
The following images are from one of the exhibits that depicts the ongoing
humanitarian refugee crisis and draws parallels with the hapless abandonment
suffered by over 150 people in an early 19th century incident which occurred
around present day Mauritania, that went on to become a huge international
controversy with the blame being pinned on the incompetence of the French
captain.
How do we better know this incident?

4.
Ossur is an Icelandic company that manufactures equipment of carbon fiber
which helps with maintaining rigidity and a high strength-to-weight ratio.
In 2004, they were approached by a certain client whose unique requirement,
after two previous failed attempts due to broken products, had them design a
product that had to be put together using 30 to 50 sheets of the material and
moulded into its desired shape. Research about its capability indicates a
reduction in energy expenditure of up to 25% which created legal hurdles on
grounds of unfairness, which it eventually overcame. It continues to be used to
this day with great success.
What product is this, that resurrected the career of its owner?

5.
According to recent reports from the European Geosciences Union, giant
craters on the seabed of Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean have been
discovered, marking areas where massive bubbles of methane may have
repeatedly exploded.
The large chasms on the ocean floor are believed to have been caused
by gas leaking from deposits of oil buried deeper in the sea floor, bursting
through the sea bed and into the waters – with the possibility of methane
seepage only strengthened by radar reports.
These findings are said to explain what peculiar phenomenon from a
location further West, that has baffled observers since records began in
1851?

6.
While the annual celebrations of this musician’s works take place with great pomp
at various orchestras around the world, a certain country has always been
conspicuous in its boycott since the mid 20th century.
Any attempts at performing his music invites national outrage in the country, with
several greats including Zubin Mehta having to apologize for doing so. A stalwart
of the 19th century, the musician’s political views throughout his living days were
rooted in deeply racist bias towards his contemporaries and went on to enjoy a
lasting patronage from his countrymen in the decades to come, which left a
shadow on his legacy as brilliantly depicted in this commemorative statue.
Who? What specific act of his countrymen in March 1933 started off this boycott?

7.
During the EU Summit in Brussels in 2013, news came out that the NSA
had been spying on Angela Merkel for a long time. Naturally, this news
did not help relations between the two countries.
In what was seen as a rather apt response to this news, Merkel
unintentionally made quite a statement with her arrival at the summit the
next day.
What number, best associated with another European country, featured
on the plate of her car?

8.
Famous for her self portraits, this Mexican painter once said, “I paint myself
because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”
She and her illustrious husband in the same field, were staunch Communists.
In 1936, they played host to a rising international leader at their residence
‘The Blue House.’ A member of the original Politburo along with Stalin and
Lenin, Lenin’s death saw him fall out of favour and launched into exile by the
Stalin government.
He reportedly had an affair with the painter in question and was eventually
assassinated in 1940 in Mexico by one of Stalin’s agents.
Which famous painter? Who was this leader?

The US embassy attack in Benghazi.

Deliberate underplaying of the heat from the
Met Department to keep people at work.

The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore
Gericault.

Oscar Pistorius’ prosthetic legs.

Music used at Nazi concentration camps for cultural
intimidation.

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

16.
John Cleeves Symes was an American army officer who travelled around the
country giving multiple lectures. Sometime around the mid 19th century, he
petitioned Congress for funding for a trip he wanted to take to Siberia with “a
hundred strong men, reindeer and sleds.”
Unsurprisingly, Congress refused to grant his wishes for an expedition that was
more science-fiction staple rather than reality. However, the President at the
time, John Quincy Adams interestingly stepped in and offered to fund Symes’
journey.
What was Symes aiming to do, inspired by a contextual fad of the time?

17.
According to a top-selling book released in November last year – TN Seshan, then
cabinet secretary to Rajiv Gandhi, made a frantic call to Chandipur to a certain
senior government functionary on May 22 1989.
The conversation revolved around apparent pressure from the US and NATO,
which the recipient of the call was only too swift to dismiss as an irrelevant concern
and asserted that it was too late to refrain, or make any changes to the itinerary.
He added that the day’s weather would be of far greater concern to him and his
activity. Eventually, Seshan gave in and agreed that things should go ahead as
planned.
Who was this person at the other end of the line? What were they talking about?

The first launch of the Agni missile.

18.
In October last year, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency – a US
government organization that creates maps – released a series of them that
depicted shipping routes and borders in the geopolitical landscape of the seas
that are often strongly contested among USA, Russia and China.
Unlike most older maps released by the agency, these maps – which were
declassified recently for public viewing – caught the attention of people world
over for the addition of completely new places and paths to the already fierce
competition, that is seen as a worrying sign for multiple reasons and was
attempted to be remedied in a major effort towards the end of the year.
What are these new routes? OR How did they spring up on the map?

19.
The excavations carried out at a town in northern Israel in 2009 yielded an ancient
synagogue with artifacts from 29 AD, the most important being this stone which
seemed to be a three dimensional representation of the Herodian Temple, the
most sacred Jewish place of worship.
One side of the stone depicts the inner sanctum of the Temple and a chariot with
fire under its wheels – a doubtless reference to the chariot-throne of God
described in the book of Ezekiel, therefore establishing the sanctity of this chariot
as early as in the first century which is a correction to the knowledge historians
believed until now.
Apart from this, what other long standing legal confusion does this discovery
supposedly settle, that has forever baffled interpreters?

The blasphemy charges on Jesus Christ which led
to his crucifixion.
He had claimed that people would see him “seated at the right hand of power
and coming with clouds of glory” – a description eerily similar to that of the
chariot imagery which incensed the High Priest of the day who proceeded to
pronounce him guilty of blasphemy.

20.
Seismic Reflection Profiling is a geophysical technique that deals with mechanical
turbulences through propagation of waves which are subsequently reflected,
captured appropriately and projected to form 2D or 3D images for further
observation.
In recent years, this process that has widespread commercial usage has come
under fire from several eco-activists who claim, rightfully, that it poses a grave long
term danger to the survival of one of the largest endangered species in the world
– a lethal fallout that is not often considered to be a cause of death, and made
possible by an important difference of a physical property between mediums.
What is this process typically used for? How is it hazardous to the species in
question?

Used to determine the right place to drill
for oil on the ocean floors.

The sound waves generated cause extensive noise pollution,
made possible by the faster travel of sound in water, which
desensitizes whales over time and makes them collide with ships.

21.
Following PM Modi’s visit to the USA last September very closely were a small
group of disgruntled-people-turned-activists who have been ‘fighting for justice’
to be paid compensation for years and finally earned the attention of the MEA.
In 2008, more than two decades later, Muammar Gaddafi paid out an overall
compensation cheque of $1.5 billion which, according to US laws, did not trickle
down to the Indians who were supposed to be on the receiving side, unlike the
41 Americans who were promptly paid. The responsibility lay squarely on the
shoulders of the USA, who were now seen to be indulging in discrimination.
What is this story all about, that would have caught our attention in the recent
past?

The Indian victims of the
1986 Pan Am hijacking.

22.
In April, 1982 Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands in a bid to
establish its sovereignty over the area. The British government, under PM
Margaret Thatcher were quick to respond. They sent a naval task force and
followed it up with an amphibious assault. Within 10 weeks, they had reclaimed
the islands.
At a certain point, a few years after the war, representatives from the two
countries were close to an agreement. However all talks were cancelled after a
certain action by an Argentinian that enraged the British. Finally, diplomatic
relations were resumed only in 1990.
What event or action put off the resumption of diplomatic relations between
the two countries?

Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’.

23.
As observed between October 2015 and the end of the year, several ships
travelling between Asia and Africa seemed to be taking a much longer route of
passing all the way through the Cape of Good Hope instead of the usual
shorter alternative.
Subsequently, it has been reported that a 19th century state-owned entity
which took nearly 20 years and 1.5 million workers to build has suffered
serious financial losses of the kind it has never seen before. There is no good
news on the horizon with the bizarre status quo looking likely to continue,
according to various business experts.
What entity is this? Why exactly are ships taking the longer route?

Falling oil prices has made it cheaper to take
the longer route than pay the fee for using the canal.

Format
 8 questions.
 Topic – Clothing.

1.
In a moment of enormous irony, why exactly did this outfit at Wimbledon 2015
land Nick Kyrgios in trouble?

2.
For about two decades since its inception, this organization was enamored by
the European school of fashion and chose to impose it as a standard for all of
its employees in order to pander to its large base of international customers.
However, this changed in the 1970s when India began to emerge as an
attractive tourist destination. Following this change, most of its employees were
most sought after by advertising agencies and became popular all over the
country – cementing the association of the brand with the clothing item.
What item is this, whose use has been discontinued since last year?

3.
This particular item of clothing is preserved in a climate-controlled vault outside
Washington because it was feared that public display of this item would cause
mass hysteria. The temperature is maintained carefully and the air is changed
every three hours to make sure the wool and fabric do not decay over time. The
vault is not to be opened until 2103. In 2103, the item will be allowed to be
displayed only if the members of the family consent.
The original material was sourced from Chanel, in Paris but the tailoring was
done by a New York store, Chez Ninon to maintain the illusion of ‘patriotism’.
What famous piece of clothing?

4.
In the mid-19th century, this was considered a colour of mourning and not
something that was suited to happy occasions.
Queen Victoria however decided to buck the trend by wearing this at a certain
event in Feb 1840. At the time, this drew a lot of criticism and her outfit was
considered too restrained, with no jewels, no crown and no embroidery.
However, today this has become the norm at such events.
What fashion trend did Queen Victoria start?

5.
Although this has probably been around since the late 1800s, it first came into
public view when a leader of a certain nation wore it at a victory ceremony in
1949. Since then, it has become synonymous with this leader and people from
his country in general.
It was utilitarian, came in muted colours only and was designed to project a
new, confident country that could stand up to the superpowers of the day.
The four pockets on the front were supposed to represent propriety, justice,
honesty and a sense of shame.
Which article of clothing, now named after the leader who first wore it?

6.
Robert Meuleman is a multi-faceted sportsman from Western Australia
who won the Australian State Junior Squash Championships in 1967 and
1968.
Ever since, he’s been confined to the back stage and been helping
younger players out as a coach. His most illustrious client was a famous
fellow sportsman who represented the same state for 14 years and
turned to him for advice in February 2007, to which he gladly responded
with an unconventional and eventually controversial suggestion to
improve one’s grip.
Who was this client? OR What was the suggestion made?

7.
Deborah Landis is an accomplished Hollywood costume designer whose claim to
fame happened with a short film she worked on in the early 1980s, released as
one just to be nominated for the Oscars.
Speaking about the iconic piece of clothing she rendered in the film with the
objective of making the subject appear virile, she says – “I had sketched different
looks, but I found ultimately that the V with the extended shoulders was the best
fit. It was graphic and structural, and I wanted a good silhouette. It really echoes
the pyramidal shape of the choreography, with the subject at the head of the
chevron, and everybody working their way down the street towards the viewer.”
What famous item of clothing did she design, that was free of any ornaments
and whose color was chosen to contrast the fog and mystery in the setting?

8.
One of the most recognizable players of his generation, this Dutch
footballer was compared to a pitbull by Louis Van Gaal for his aggression
and hard-tackling style of play.
In 1999, he underwent surgery for glaucoma. A direct consequence of
this event is his use of a certain item that we have now come to associate
with him.
Which footballer? What item?

His official Wimbledon headband violated the
tournament dress code of all-whites!

Jackie Kennedy’s suit from JFK’s assassination.

Adam Gilchrist, who used a squash ball
in his glove at the 2007 World Cup final.

Michael Jackson’s red jacket in Thriller.

24.
Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have developed small bots
that they claim can be used in sites affected by war and disasters. These robots
are to be used to go through collapsed buildings.
Modelled on real life organisms, these robots are designed to “run through small
spaces, withstand pressure 900 times their weight and be as durable as possible”
Interestingly, one of the top comments on The Guardian article describing this
work, read “You would have thought they’d have learnt their lesson from Julia
Forman and Xymos”
What are these bots modelled on? Which Michael Crichton work is the Guardian
user referencing in his comment?

Prey.
The book features the creation of nanobots with artificial intelligence
who eventually turn on their masters.

25.
The Battle of Plassey in June 1757 was a lopsided battle with the Bengal Army
being bribed to desert Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah by Robert Clive, making him an
exorbitantly rich ruler overnight by virtue of all that he inherited.
So astounding was his fortune that he attributed it to providence and wanted to
thank the Lord, but couldn’t because the only church in Calcutta was destroyed
by the Nawab. However, Clive’s Persian interpreter and clerk – a zamindar
named Nabakrishna Deb stepped in and hosted Clive at his mansion.
What alternative celebration did Clive carry out, that later went on to become a
practice of sycophancy to the Raj by zamindars in the region and continues to
this day?

Worshipped Durga instead, and thus spawned
the annual Durga Puja tradition.

Galvanism – named after prominent Italian doctor Luigi Galvani – was an 18th
century concept that suggested the rebirth of dead animals by electrocution. It
came about after Galvani was able to make a frog’s legs twitch when he hooked
the animal up to an electric charge.
Owing to the fact that electricity was still a matter of some novelty around the
world back then, the idea lingered for a while and convinced several people of the
possibility that component parts of a dead creature might be brought together
and resuscitated with vital warmth.
These findings were instrumental in inspiring whose efforts at the University of
Ingolstadt in Bavaria that gained popularity around the same time?
26.

27.
One of the primary reasons for the rise in water contamination in several parts of
the USA over the last few years is the excessively high amounts of arsenic in the
soil.
The origins of these dangerously high levels of arsenic content goes back to the
latter half of the 19th century, to a certain profession that used arsenic for its
purpose of mass transportation across various parts of the country. Although
arsenic was banned for this in the early 20th century, the disproportionate usage
of 4 ounces of arsenic acid per gallon of water in this massively profitable
business had done enough damage to the soil whose effect is felt to this date,
especially around certain specific places in every city.
What transportation business was this? OR What places are the sources of these
toxins?

Cemeteries from the Civil War.
Arsenic was the chief embalming fluid used to prevent
corpses from decaying while they were transported
for burial to the places of origin of the victims – having
a lasting effect on the soil especially around
graveyards even to this day.

28.
Geoengineering involves the manipulation of an environmental process in
such a way, either deliberate or otherwise, that it affects the Earth’s climate.
Researchers at ETH Zurich point to a subtle dimming of sunlight from the
1950s to 1980s owing to pollution that sent up excessive smog to the
atmosphere, which was later curtailed. Despite this, it has been observed in
recent years that light often scatters and fails to fully percolate down to
various parts of the globe due to the presence of haze and icy crystals that
are formed from water vapour added to the atmosphere on a daily basis,
altering the climate.
What is widely believed to be the source of this obstruction, an unnatural
form of geoengineering?

29.
Master Vithal, an early 20th century cultural icon of Mumbai, was often referred
to as the Douglas Fairbanks of India for the expertise in performing stunts.
First recognized in 1924, he joined the famous Sharada Studio to hone his craft
better. However, this association was severely ruptured in 1930 when he was
enticed by another project and was keen to be part of it, at the expense of his
existing contract. He was sued for this, and turned to the city’s best legal eagle
of the times, who had also incidentally embarked upon a stage career with a
Shakespearean company while studying law in England and successfully
managed to defend Vithal’s right to take up this lucrative proposal.
What project was this? Who was this lawyer, later a crusader for other purposes?

Alam Ara.
Master Vithal was the male protagonist in India’s first talkie film.

30.
According to a recent BBC report, about 350 to 400 people in Britain are
trained every year for this vocation, half of whom leave the country for
China or the oil rich nations in the Middle East.
Incomes in this industry have been soaring, with those at home earning
about $60,000 to $90,000 annually and those in the Gulf earning close to
$150,000 particularly when aided by good references from the mighty
and wealthy classes – for their multidimensional skills and work ethic.
Who are these people? Why has there been a massive spurt in the trend
of hiring them, over the last 5 years?

31.
In the last few years, breeds of this species that have been around for centuries
have been slowly nearing extinction. The population of the Kangeyam variety
has fallen from 11.74 lakh in 1990 to 15,000 today. The Alambadi is completely
extinct. This drastic fall can be directly attributed to a controversial ban.
Despite the protests of several activists on the negative implications, the ban
actually results in a depletion of numbers and causes various breeds to go
extinct.
What is this ban all about? How does the fall in population come about?

They would otherwise be sent to slaughterhouses.

32.
This generic, decrepit building in Shivaji Nagar, Pune that houses a real estate
firm called Ajinkya Developers also carries a heavy historical baggage.
It makes news briefly on the 15th of November every year when the owners
come out in the open to organize a commemorative ceremony. The importance
of the place is due to the remains – that are preserved to this day – of the
owner’s grandfather who was, among several things, a tailor on the
neighbouring street to start off with. He quit the city in the 1930s for a greater
cause, became a newspaper editor in the process among other things and
eventually a controversial public figure, to put it mildly.
Whose remains are these, and why do they continue to exist?

Wanted his ashes to be disposed in the
Indus river of a reunited India.

33.
Andrew Ross Sorkin is an American journalist, a financial columnist for the New
York Times and a co-anchor on CNBC who is also credited as a co-creator of
the recent Showtime drama, Billions.
In October 2009, he came out with a book about the recession that became a
huge hit and won multiple awards. The title is a phrase that is now inextricably
linked with the recession, those that it affected and the government’s strategy
at the time. The book was also made into a TV Film by HBO, with the same
title.
What phrase, that has come to symbolize privilege in political discourse?

34.
The digital film and TV industry widely use 24fps as a standard for display in
theatres. In recent times, directors such as Peter Jackson and David Cameron
have experimented with 48fps.
A certain movie scheduled to come out this year, has a much lower frame rate
than standard movies. Initially shot at around 12 frames per second, it was later
sped up digitally to enhance the movie watching experience. The low frame rate
is due to a specific method of filming the production team used.
Whom is the movie paying homage to? What unique method was used to shoot
the movie?

Each individual frame consists of hand drawn oil paintings
including a bunch of Van Gogh’s works.

35.
In one of sports’ most infamous moments, Shane Stant in April 1994 attacked
and injured an American figure skater who was at the top of his game. He later
revealed that he had done so at the behest of a fellow American skater’s ex-
husband who wanted to ensure that the former would not compete at the
upcoming Lillehammer Olympics.
However, as karma would have it, she recovered and went on to win silver at the
Olympics while the latter finished 8th. In their news coverage of this incident, The
New York Times came out with an evocative headline that referenced an iconic
event from the 1980 Winter Olympics and the jealousy that caused this act.
Who are the two Olympians involved? What was the headline?

Nancy Kerrigan, Tonya Harding.

Jealousy on Ice, a play on Miracle on Ice.

36.
5555perframe.com was created to highlight the ‘absolute increase’ in how
consumers are exploited in capitalist USA. It intends to provoke discussions on
the current value of art in commerce.
The website consists of 900 unique prints that have been consolidated into a 30
second video. This video is intended to portray the overwhelming effects of a
recurring phenomenon in the field of advertising.
Where are these frames sourced from? Where does the site get its name from?

The exorbitant price per frame to air
these ads.

37.
Earlier this year, the House of Lords decreed to stop a certain controversial
practice for financial reasons. However, the Cabinet Office swooped in and has
decided to provide money from its own budget so that this tradition might
continue. Critics have long called for a switch to a digital format, but the
authorities claim that the current format is more durable, saying – “We do not
know what path digital technology will take in the future. With this, we at least
know where we are.”
Animal rights activists have now added to the mix, claiming that continuing it is
barbaric and unnecessary cruelty.
What practice is this? Why are animal rights activists protesting against it?

The use of Vellum.
In UK, laws are still printed on vellum, which is made of calf or goat skin.

38.
Jeans is a 1998 Tamil movie directed by Shankar. After its initial schedule
was completed, the team set out on a whirlwind tour around the world to
shoot a song, ‘Poovukul Olinthirikum’
While the shooting of this song was supposed to take only 30 days, the
Paris leg of their shoot was delayed due to a certain tragic incident that
caused security to be heightened in Paris and clearances to shoot at the
Eiffel Tower were tough to obtain.
What incident?

The Pearl Farewell General Quiz 2016 - Finals

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The Pearl Farewell General Quiz 2016 - Finals