baqc february quiz
TRANSCRIPT
BAQC February Quiz2016/02/14Swaroop Ramaswamy*
*Includes contributions from Anand Aiyer and Jayadev Bhaskaran
Warm-up
1Which Russian-American is credited with creating the hit TV series, Dexter’s
Laboratory and Samurai Jack?
2Which famous English house lends its name to a fruit cultivar, an experiment to
measure the value of a physical constant, and the Department of Physics at the
University of Cambridge?
3The name of this dish literally translates to “oily or fatty rice” in Malay, in this context
however it is taken to be “rich or creamy rice”. Which dish?
4Which early 20th century political reform movement, considered responsible for the
Armenian Genocide, lends its name to a phrase meaning “youthful person who rebels
against authority or societal elements”?
5Which American-born French Dancer, with nicknames such as Black Pearl and Bronze
Venus became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture?
6Which contemporary name for the devil is the inspiration for the title of a 1954 work
by William Golding?
7Besides athletics, there are only two sports (not events) in the summer olympics in
which men are not allowed to participate. Name both.
8Which Hank Levy composition for the Don Ellis Orchestra soared in popularity
following the releasing a modern Hollywood classic, in 2014?
9By what alternative name is the play within a play, Murder of Gonzago known?
10In 1964, which two sovereign regions joined to form Tanzania, a portmanteau of the
two names?
Exchange Sheets
1Which Russian-American is credited with creating the hit TV series, Dexter’s
Laboratory and Samurai Jack?
Genndy Tartakovsky
2Which famous English house lends its name to a fruit cultivar, an experiment to
measure the value of a physical constant, and the Department of Physics at the
University of Cambridge?
Cavendish
3The name of this dish literally translates to “oily or fatty rice” in Malay, in this context
however it is taken to be “rich or creamy rice”. Which dish?
Nasi Lemak
4Which early 20th century political reform movement, considered responsible for the
Armenian Genocide, lends its name to a phrase meaning “youthful person who rebels
against authority or societal elements”?
Young Turks
5Which American-born French Dancer, with nicknames such as Black Pearl and Bronze
Venus became the first black woman to star in a major motion picture?
Josephine Baker
6Which contemporary name for the devil is the inspiration for the title of a 1954 work
by William Golding ?
Beelzebub
7Besides athletics, there are only two sports (not events) in the summer olympics in
which men are not allowed to participate. Name both.
Rhythmic Gymnastics and Synchronized Swimming
8Which Hank Levy composition for the Don Ellis Orchestra soared in popularity
following the releasing a modern Hollywood classic, in 2014?
9By what alternative name is the play within a play, Murder of Gonzago known?
Mousetrap
10In 1964, which two sovereign regions joined to form Tanzania, a portmanteau of the
two names?
Tanganyika and Zanzibar
Bounce - Clockwise
1In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really
feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia/MMORPG known as the OASIS.
Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital
confines .But when Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by
players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to
survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to
escape.
Plotline of which modern classic?
2The difference between these two type of birds, X and Y, is rather vague and many trained bird
watchers have difficulty distinguishing between them. The difference depends more on
appearance than biology. The word X comes from a French word that means ‘Silver Y’, lending to
further confusion. Some common differences are,
● X are commonly pure white in colour, but Y exhibit various colours.
● Y have a nice and clean flight, but X do not.
● X have significantly black legs and yellow beak, which is not very common among Y.
Identify X and Y.
X - EgretsY - Herons
3In mathematics, quaternions are a number system that extend complex numbers. They
were first described by this Irish mathematician, who supposedly discovered the
fundamental formula for them while on his way to the Royal Irish Academy. As the
story goes, he could not resist his urge to carve the formula on the bridge he was
walking on.
Which famous mathematician, whose best known contribution is a reformulation of
Newtonian mechanics?
William Rowan Hamilton
4Blythe Masters is an economist and former executive at JPMorgan Chase. In 1994, J.P.
Morgan had extended a $4.8 billion credit line to X, which faced the threat of $5
billion in punitive damages.
A team of J.P. Morgan bankers led by Masters then purchased credit protection against
the credit line to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development to cut the
capital which J.P. Morgan was required to hold against X's default, thus reducing its
own risk. J.P. Morgan later bundled together packages of such exposures and offered
them to market, thus creating a new financial instrument.
What financial instrument? Why did X face a threat of $5 billion in damages?
Credit Default SwapsThe company was Exxon and they faced punitive damages for the Exxon Valdez Oil
Spill.
5Once while this show was filming in Georgetown at about three o'clock in the
morning, an irate lady reportedly came out in a bathrobe with a bunch of guys. She
said: “What the hell's going on? I have an early morning at the State Department. And,
by the way, you people don't even have a Secretary of State on your show. And I think
you should have one and it should be a woman.”
Which show and who was this irate lady?
The West WingMadeleine Albright
6Secret Garden, by Johanna Basford has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide and
its popularity has to led to it being translated to 14 different languages, which is very
unusual for a book of this nature. The setting for the book is the Brodick Castle
Gardens on the Isle of Arran where Basford played as a child. Two sequels, Enchanted
Forest and Lost Ocean, have been published following the wild success of Secret
Garden.
Many have credited Johanna with sparking a new cultural revolution, with the
publication of Secret Garden. What revolution?
Coloring Books for Adults
7The name of this city means “sticks of fire” in the language of the Calusa, a Native
American tribe, which lived in the region. Many historians believe that this might be a
reference to the many lightning strikes that the area receives during the summer
months.
The city is home to a popular NHL team, which is also named for the same reasons.
Which city?
TampaTampa Bay Lightning
8This region spread across the tribal districts of Odisha, Maharashtra and Chattisgarh is
largely populated by the Gondi people. The region is part of the northern Deccan
plateau. Much of it is rugged and hilly and geologically it is mostly Pre-Cambrian rock.
In 1885, Eduard Seuss, an Austrian scientist and paleontologist, hypothesized the
existence of X based on evidence found in this region. Id X.
Gondwanalandfrom Gondwana
9It was designed by Alec Fraser-Brunner, who was the curator of the Van Kleef
aquarium, for the logo for the tourism board. It does not feature in any local folklore or
myth.
Doctors in the country use it as verb to refer to the act of vomiting, probably due to
the constant gushing of water from the mouth.
What?
Singapore’s Merlion
10In addition to the 3 famous ones, others include,
● Faythe, a trusted advisor, courier or intermediary
● Wendy, a whistleblower, is an insider with privileged access who may be in a
position to divulge the information
● Charlie, a third participant
● Dave, a fourth participant
● Mallory, a malicious attacker
Name the 3 famous ones.
Alice, Bob and Eve
11...
1984 : baseball (men), tennis (men and women)
1988 : badminton (men and women), baseball (men), bowling (men and women), judo
(women), taekwondo (men and women)
1992 : Basque pelota (men and women), roller hockey (men), taekwondo (men and
women)
1996 : None
2000 : None
2004 : None
2008 : None
2012 : None
What two-word term connects?
Demonstration Sports
12If El Dorado was the legendary city of gold, La Canela was the legendary valley of
what?
Cinnamon
13 1 Oksana Baiul
2 ______________
3 Chen Lu
4 Surya Bonaly
5 Yuka Sato
6 Tanja Szewczenko
7 Katarina Witt
8 ______________
Fill in both the blanks.
Nancy KerriganTonya Harding
14X Castle was the inspiration for the Y mansion
from the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane, a
fictionalization of X's career. It was not used as a
location for the film, which used Oheka Castle in
New York, as well as buildings in San Diego's
Balboa Park.
Commercial filming is rare and most requests are
turned down. Since the property was donated to
the state of California only two projects have been
granted permission: Stanley Kubrick's Spartacus,
which used it to stand in as Crassus’ villa; and Lady
Gaga's music video for “G.U.Y.”
X - Hearst CastleY - Xanadu
15This discrepancy arises from the fact that in Medieval England, most of the peasants
were English speaking and commonly used words of Germanic origin. However, most
of the aristocracy, either spoke French or expressed strong admiration for French
culture. While the peasants performed most of the labour, they were hardly rich
enough to afford nutritious meals and persisted largely on a diet of bread and
vegetables. The aristocracy could afford to spend on better meals and had a much
more varied diet. What discrepancy did this lead to?
Different names for meat and living animalspork - pigbeef - cow
venison - deer etc.
16Prior to its closure in 1998, this was considered one
of the most technically challenging airports for
pilots. Runway 13, which was the only functional
runway when the airport was shut down was
considered particularly dangerous. At the northern
end of the runway, buildings rose up to six stories
just across the road. The low altitude manoeuvre
required to line up with the runway was so
spectacular that some passengers claimed to have
glimpsed the flickering of televisions through
apartment windows along the final approach.
Which airport and which city is it in?
Kai Tak International AirportHong Kong
17____ sessions : Songs from a Tin Can is the first album by this artist. It was released in
mid-2015.
It features 11 songs - Big Smoke, Beyond the Terra, Feet Up, I Wonder if She, Caroline
Jewel In The Night, Daughter of My Sins, Window of My Mind, Space Lullaby, Farm
Auction and Ride that Lightning. In addition to these, there is also a bonus track.
Who is the artist ? Also name the bonus track.
Chris HadfieldSpace Oddity
18Iconic poster for an iconic movie
parodying an iconic poster for another
iconic movie.
Identify both movies.
The Rocky Horror Picture ShowJaws
19Officially known as Autodrome Jose Carlos Pace, it is better known by its former
name. That name comes from the fact that the neighbourhood it is located in lies
between two large artificial lakes, Guarapiranga and Billings. What name?
InterlagosSite of the Brazilian Grand Prix
20Clip from a 1997 movie called “George of the Jungle”. What is this a reference to?
“Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”
Lloyd Bentsen to Dan Quayle
21"Critical Film Studies" is the 19th episode of the second season of Community.
The episode is centered almost entirely on two characters—Jeff and Abed—conversing
in an upper class restaurant. The two engage in what is seemingly a deep conversation
about their life-changing experiences. Abed acts unusually social and normal, which
Jeff finds weird. . Having opened himself up to Jeff, Abed then insists that he and Jeff
have a "real conversation". Jeff responds by saying that he doesn't believe in real
conversation. In the process of explaining himself, he inadvertently lets out his
insecurities. As he is getting comfortable with opening himself to Abed, the waiter
stops by and accidentally reveals that the dinner was a reenactment of _____.
What was it a reenactment of ?
My Dinner with Andre
22Fiumicino is a stream in the heavily industrialized Emilia Romagna. Savignano di
Romagna, the town the stream runs through is a very industrial town and as a result
the it is extremely polluted. Exploitation of underground waters along the upper
course of the has reduced its flow. The presence of the stream has been recorded since
the ancient times, when it was named for its distinctive coloration, owing to the
presence of mud deposits. It has lost its natural route, except in its upper course
between low and woody hills. In 1933, Benito Mussolini renamed it and ever since it
has been the subject of great debate. Why?
Rubicon
23In 1934, X ran in the California gubernatorial election as a Democrat.
Speaking about his loss he later said, “The American People will take Socialism, but
they won't take the label. I certainly proved it in the case of EPIC. Running on the
Socialist ticket I got 60,000 votes, and running on the slogan to 'End Poverty in
California' I got 879,000. I think we simply have to recognize the fact that our enemies
have succeeded in spreading the Big Lie. There is no use attacking it by a front attack,
it is much better to out-flank them.”
Time magazine called him “a man with every gift except humor and silence.” He is
remembered for coining the famous line: “It is difficult to get a man to understand
something, when his salary depends upon him not understanding it.”
Upton Sinclair
24Odaiba is a large artificial island in Tokyo Bay, Japan, across the Rainbow Bridge from
central Tokyo. The name comes from six artificial islands built by Egawa Hidetatsu for
the Tokugawa shogunate in 1853 to host defensive batteries. What specific threat were
they built in response to?
Commodore Perry’s Black Ships
25This classic NYC building, X, occupied two city
blocks from 7th to 8th Avenue and from 31st to
33rd Streets. It was considered a masterpiece of the
Beaux-Arts style and one of the architectural jewels
of the city. As patronage decreased through the
1950s, a decision was made to destroy the above-
ground portions of the building. This decision
galvanized support for architectural preservation
across the United States, leading to the advent of
modern historical preservation. The plan was
carried out in 1963 and a different building, Y,
stands in the above-ground portion today. The new
building is the 4th building of the same name.
Name both buildings.
Pennsylvania StationMadison Square Garden
26While X is not the largest city in the country, it was the historical capital and the
country was known as the “Kingdom of X”. The name for the country is still X in
many South Asian languages, including Persian and Urdu. Various European names
for the country, including its English name, are derived from the name of the city.
The red walls of the city, built by Ali ibn Yusuf in 1122–1123, have given it the
nickname, “Red City”.
Today, the city has established itself as a cultural, religious, and trading centre for the
Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa. The biggest landmark in the city, Jemaa el-Fnaa, is
considered one of the busiest squares in all of Africa.
Which city and which country?
Marrakesh and Morocco
Valentine’s Day Specials!
27X is a world heavyweight champion and is considered one of the greatest boxers of all
time. He is nicknamed Mr. Steelhammer and has fought in 28 heavyweight title fights,
more than any heavyweight champion in the sport's history. He also holds the record
of having defeated the most boxers with an undefeated record, at 12.
Y is an American actress known for her role as cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC
series Heroes and Juliette Barnes in the ABC musical drama series Nashville.
Id X and Y.
Wladmir Klitschko and Hayden Panettiere
28Other popular characters include,
● The Baby
● The Constable
● Joey the Clown
● The Crocodile
● The Skeleton
● The Doctor
Name the two important characters that I have left out.
Punch and Judy
29In Bridget Jones’s Diary, Renee Zellweger plays a single women facing pressures from
society to couple up. Colin Firth plays a reserved English gentleman, pretty wealthy,
with high morals and a habit of rescuing people.
The characters played by Renee Zellweger and Colin Firth are based on which famous
couple?
Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy
30In response to an earthquake, X, who was then the Secretary of Labour, established a
fund to raise money to aid the victims. He devised a plan to have an "artistic festival" as
a fundraiser, and invited radio and film actors to participate. It was at this festival that
he met Y.
Y was well loved by the people of her country. In 1951, she was urged by the public
announce herself as the vice presidential candidate (X was the sitting president). She
refused due to declining health and was later made the Spiritual Leader of the Nation.
Id X and Y.
Juan Peron and Eva Peron