RESEARCHED AND CONDUCTED BY

MAHENDRA “LORD” MOHAN DASUTKARSH SHARMA

The Not-so-funnyGeneral Quiz

prelims

Mahendra Mohan Das

Disclaimer

This is a Google doodle, Amul ad, Oreo ad and minimalist poster-free quiz. Really. Now shut up.

I couldn’t get enough sleep for the last few days, you-know-why. For your own sake, don’t angry me. (Grammatical mistake, you say? Dare you show me.)

I may be on the side of the angels, but don’t think for one second that I am one of them. Don’t angry me. I am thy God. I am Sherlock Holmes Jr.

Preliminary Investigation

26 questions.A to Z.No negative.Starred Q for tie-breakers.

Elementary, dear friends.

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And here we go…

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A) Which monument? Where is it situated?

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B) Which term?

In 1896 the American writer, Richard Harding, wrote: ‘The Central Americans are like a gang of semi-barbarians in a beautifully furnished house, of which they can understand neither its possibilities of comfort nor its use.’

Three years later the American-owned United Fruit Company was founded, and grew ____s on an industrial scale in Central America. The company acquired such power over the governments of these countries that they came to be known as ___ ___.

Quoted in David Spurr, The Rhetoric of Empire, 1993.

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C) Pretty easy.

There are two island nations in Mediterranean sea. If one is Malta, what is the other?

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D) ID.

This recreated version is preserved and exhibited in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. What is this?

Hint: Florence.

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E) Which famous company?

This flower, called Thistle is the national flower of Scotland and features on

many a national symbols of Scotland like coins,

awards etc.The most significant presence of this flower is

found on the logo of a company, founded in Scotland in the 1770s. The company claims to have been successful due to contributions from more than 110 Nobel Laureates and five American presidents. Which company?

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F) Connect. One word is enough.

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G) Who?

William Harrison Ainsworth's 1841 historical romance “___ ___” portrays ___ in a generally sympathetic light, and transformed him in the public perception into an "acceptable fictional character". ___ subsequently appeared as "essentially an action hero" in children's books and penny dreadfuls such as The Boyhood Days of ___ ___; or, The Conspirators of Old London, published in about 1905.

(pic on the next slide)

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This is George Cruikshank's illustration of ___ ___, published in William Harrison Ainsworth's novel.

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H) Id.

Who was made an honorary member of the Bradford City Supporters’ Club because of the huge boost he gave to the sales of club scarves since his arrival in 2002?

(pic on the next slide)

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9) Logo of which event?

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J) Which Indo-Chinese personality?

X’s father Kranti ___, hailed from a family of freedom fighters and Leftists. X’s mother, Yelan ___, was born in Tianjin, and is a granddaughter of a Gandhian named Tseng. Yelan first came to India in 1977 with her grandfather to visit the Sevagram ashram, where she translated Gandhi's autobiography and other works into Chinese language.

Born on 1980, X is a 7 times national champion in his/her field.

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K) Which famous poster?

X was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War , intended to raise the morale of the British public in the aftermath of widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. The poster was third in a series of three. The previous two posters from the series, "Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might" and "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" were issued and used across Britain for motivational purposes.

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L) Connect these two firsts (hints?).

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M) Whose car?

X has a long-running feud with the unseen driver of a light blue Reliant Regal Supervan III. This conflict originated when the Reliant's driver held the Mini up on the way to a mathematics exam.

The Mini was used for a 1997 feature film. After filming ended, the original Mini used in filming was sold to Kariker Kars to be hired for various events. It was then temporarily displayed as a major attraction at the Rover Group's museum. In 1997, it was purchased by the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum and is now on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

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N) Who is he?

After the death of his father, who was a former chief minister, he was elected as a member of parliament for the 11th Lok Sabha in the by-election. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel & Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce, and Member Library Committee of Parliament. A year later when the party he represented split, he founded a new party named after his father and has been elected as the chief minister of the state three times.

Id the person.

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O)

He gave various explanations for the origin of his pen name. In 1909 he gave an interview to The New York Times, in which he gave an account of it:

It was during these New Orleans days that I adopted my pen name of ___. I said to a friend: "I'm going to send out some stuff. I don't know if it amounts to much, so I want to get a literary alias. Help me pick out a good one." He suggested that we get a newspaper and pick a name from the first list of notables that we found in it. In the society columns we found the account of a fashionable ball. (contd.)

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"Here we have our notables," said he. We looked down the list and my eye lighted on the name ___, "That'll do for a last name," said I. "Now for a first name. I want something short. None of your three-syllable names for me." "Why don’t you use a plain initial letter, then?" asked my friend.

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P)

What’s the Thai word for sapphire, which is in news for not-at-all-a-good-reason in Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal and the India?

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Q)

This company is backed by Matrix Partners India, Omidyar Network, Norwest Venture Partners and invested in by eBay Inc.

It was formerly known as Kijiji.What’s the present name?

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R) What is X?

X was invented in 1974 and Hungarian patent HU170062 was obtained for the X in 1975 . The first test batches of the product were produced in late 1977 and released to Budapest toy shops. In September 1979, a deal was signed with Ideal Toys to bring the X to the Western world, and the X made its international debut at the toy fairs of London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York in January and February 1980. "The Gordian Knot" and "Inca Gold" were the other names considered but it was marketed as X.

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S)

Identify the structure.

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T) Who is he? Hint is in the picture.

He is an Indian columnist, humorist, writer and playwright. In 2008, SAB TV started a show that is based on his column.

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U) Logo of what?

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V) Id X.

In Norse mythology, a/an X (meaning "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who decide which soldiers die in battle and which live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the Xs bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin.

Who are they?(pic on the next slide)

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W)

These are 2 paintings by German romantic landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich. These are have said to inspired the setting for something. What?

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X) What is being talked about?

These jokes often feature university-level subjects, although many are written in such a way that a clear understanding of the subject is not required to get the punch line. Romance is another subject often visited in the comic, with many strips not intended to be humorous

some recurring characters can be identified by their visual features (for example, hats) and mannerisms:

Black Hat, a man who looks like a normal stick-figure; A recurring female character, known as Megan; A beret-wearing existentialist and eccentric Psychotic female

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Y) Who?

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Z) Who and what?

Argentina's Pedro Monzón was the first to receive it in 1990 and was quickly followed by Argentina’s Gustavo Dezotti.

Marcel Desailly of France received it in 1998 and John Heitinga of Netherlands received it in 2010.

Who received it in 2006? What (rather infamous) feat?

Answers

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A) Which monument? Where is it situated?

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Answer

Biwi Ka Maqbara.Aurangabad.

You seriously didn’t think that I’d give the picture of Tajmahal for you to identify, did you?

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B) Which term?

In 1896 the American writer, Richard Harding, wrote: ‘The Central Americans are like a gang of semi-barbarians in a beautifully furnished house, of which they can understand neither its possibilities of comfort nor its use.’

Three years later the American-owned United Fruit Company was founded, and grew ____s on an industrial scale in Central America. The company acquired such power over the governments of these countries that they came to be known as ___ ___.

Quoted in David Spurr, The Rhetoric of Empire, 1993.

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Answer

Banana republic.

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C) Pretty easy.

There are two island nations in Mediterranean sea. If one is Malta, what is the other?

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Answer

Cyprus.

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D) ID.

This recreated version is preserved and exhibited in Palazzo Vecchio, Florence. What is this?

Hint: Florence.

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Answer

Death mask of Dante Alighieri.

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E) Which famous company?

This flower, called Thistle is the national flower of Scotland and features on

many a national symbols of Scotland like coins,

awards etc.The most significant presence of this flower is

found on the logo of a company, founded in Scotland in the 1770s. The company claims to have been successful due to contributions from more than 110 Nobel Laureates and five American presidents. Which company?

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Answer

Encyclopedia Britannica.

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F) Connect. One word is enough.

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Answer

Facebook.

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G) Who?

William Harrison Ainsworth's 1841 historical romance “___ ___” portrays ___ in a generally sympathetic light, and transformed him in the public perception into an "acceptable fictional character". ___ subsequently appeared as "essentially an action hero" in children's books and penny dreadfuls such as The Boyhood Days of ___ ___; or, The Conspirators of Old London, published in about 1905.

(pic on the next slide)

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This is George Cruikshank's illustration of ___ ___, published in William Harrison Ainsworth's novel.

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Answer

Guy Fawkes.

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H) Id.

Who was made an honorary member of the Bradford City Supporters’ Club because of the huge boost he gave to the sales of club scarves since his arrival in 2002?

(pic on the next slide)

Mahendra Mohan Das

Mahendra Mohan Das

Answer

Harry Potter.

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I) Logo of which event?

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Answer

Mahendra Mohan Das

J) Which Indo-Chinese personality?

X’s father Kranti ___, hailed from a family of freedom fighters and Leftists. X’s mother, Yelan ___, was born in Tianjin, and is a granddaughter of a Gandhian named Tseng. Yelan first came to India in 1977 with her grandfather to visit the Sevagram ashram, where she translated Gandhi's autobiography and other works into Chinese language.

Born on 1980, X is a 7 times national champion in his/her field.

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Answer

Jwala Gutta.

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K) Which famous poster?

X was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of the Second World War , intended to raise the morale of the British public in the aftermath of widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. The poster was third in a series of three. The previous two posters from the series, "Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might" and "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory" were issued and used across Britain for motivational purposes.

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Answer

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L) Connect these two firsts (hints?).

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Answer

Lux ad.

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M) Whose car?

X has a long-running feud with the unseen driver of a light blue Reliant Regal Supervan III. This conflict originated when the Reliant's driver held the Mini up on the way to a mathematics exam.

The Mini was used for a 1997 feature film. After filming ended, the original Mini used in filming was sold to Kariker Kars to be hired for various events. It was then temporarily displayed as a major attraction at the Rover Group's museum. In 1997, it was purchased by the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum and is now on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu.

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Answer, Mr. Bean!

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N) Who is he?

After the death of his father, who was a former chief minister, he was elected as a member of parliament for the 11th Lok Sabha in the by-election. He was a member of the Consultative Committee of Ministry of Steel & Mines, Member of Standing Committee on Commerce, and Member Library Committee of Parliament. A year later when the party he represented split, he founded a new party named after his father and has been elected as the chief minister of the state three times.

Id the person.

Mahendra Mohan Das

Answer

Naveen Patnaik.Biju Janata Dal, named after Biju Patnaik

after the split of Janata Dal.

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O)

He gave various explanations for the origin of his pen name. In 1909 he gave an interview to The New York Times, in which he gave an account of it:

It was during these New Orleans days that I adopted my pen name of ___. I said to a friend: "I'm going to send out some stuff. I don't know if it amounts to much, so I want to get a literary alias. Help me pick out a good one." He suggested that we get a newspaper and pick a name from the first list of notables that we found in it. In the society columns we found the account of a fashionable ball. (contd.)

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"Here we have our notables," said he. We looked down the list and my eye lighted on the name ___, "That'll do for a last name," said I. "Now for a first name. I want something short. None of your three-syllable names for me." "Why don’t you use a plain initial letter, then?" asked my friend.

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Answer

O. Henry.

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P)

What’s the Thai word for sapphire, which is in news for not-at-all-a-good-reason in Thailand, Myanmar, Nepal and the India?

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Answer

Phailin.

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Q)

This company is backed by Matrix Partners India, Omidyar Network, Norwest Venture Partners and invested in by eBay Inc.

It was formerly known as Kijiji.What’s the present name?

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Answer

quikr.

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R) What is X?

X was invented in 1974 and Hungarian patent HU170062 was obtained for the X in 1975 . The first test batches of the product were produced in late 1977 and released to Budapest toy shops. In September 1979, a deal was signed with Ideal Toys to bring the X to the Western world, and the X made its international debut at the toy fairs of London, Paris, Nuremberg and New York in January and February 1980. "The Gordian Knot" and "Inca Gold" were the other names considered but it was marketed as X.

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Answer

Rubik’s cube.

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S)

Identify the structure.

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Answer

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T) Who is he? Hint is in the picture.

He is an Indian columnist, humorist, writer and playwright. In 2008, SAB TV started a show that is based on his column.

Mahendra Mohan Das

Answer

Taarak Mehta.

Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashma.

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U) Logo of what?

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Answer

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V) Id X.

In Norse mythology, a/an X (meaning "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who decide which soldiers die in battle and which live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the Xs bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin.

Who are they?(pic on the next slide)

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Mahendra Mohan Das

Answer

Valkyrie.

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W)

These are 2 paintings by German romantic landscape painter Caspar David Friedrich. These are have said to inspired the setting for something. What?

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Answer

Waiting For Godot.

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X) What is being talked about?

These jokes often feature university-level subjects, although many are written in such a way that a clear understanding of the subject is not required to get the punch line. Romance is another subject often visited in the comic, with many strips not intended to be humorous

some recurring characters can be identified by their visual features (for example, hats) and mannerisms:

Black Hat, a man who looks like a normal stick-figure; A recurring female character, known as Megan; A beret-wearing existentialist and eccentric Psychotic female

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Answer

xkcd.

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Y) Who?

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Answer

Yelena Isinbayeva.

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Z) Who and what?

Argentina's Pedro Monzón was the first to receive it in 1990 and was quickly followed by Argentina’s Gustavo Dezotti.

Marcel Desailly of France received it in 1998 and John Heitinga of Netherlands received it in 2010.

Who received it in 2006? What (rather infamous) feat?

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Answer

Zinedine Zidane.Red card in WC final.

Be patient.Finals in 5 minutes.

Hail Sherlock Holmes.