Infinite Zounds

121IZIZa selection of questions from 2010 and 2011

J. Ramanand

Set IV: Business & Economics, Social Sciences, Culture

Copyright

Infinite Zounds : IZ 121 by J Ramanand is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

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So if you want to use these questions, go ahead. The only request is that you provide adequate credit to this author wherever and whenever you use these questions in the form you found them here.

Dhanyavaad.

Business &Economics

Jim O'Neill is an economist with Goldman Sachs, who contributed the acronym 'BRIC' to the business-political lexicon to collate four emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, and China. Now he has come up with 'MIST', a next set of emerging economies. What are these countries?

Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey.

BIZ-ECO

In 2011, a commemorative Rs. 150/- coin to mark 150 years of the establishment of the Income Tax Department of India was issued. The coin features the outline of a person, and a honeybee sitting on a lotus. This person had once opined that the process of taxation shouldn't be painful for the taxed, and that governments should collect taxes like a bee, sucking just the right amount of honey from the flower allowing both to flourish.

Who was this person?

Image: The Telegraph

Chanakya.

BIZ-ECO

As a teenager, she was part of a synchronized swimming team which even won a bronze medal at the French national championships. According to her:

“It was synchronised swimming that taught me: 'Grit your teeth and smile'. In exactly the same way, [politics is] a sport of resistance and endurance. You're in tension and control.”

After a controversial proposal to amend some of France's labour laws, some related to the cherished number of working hours, she was even dubbed Madame La Gaffe by the local press.

Which lady? (who became the first woman head at a major organization in 2011)

Christine Lagarde, a former French minister and the first woman to head the IMF.

BIZ-ECO

This debuted in The Economist in 1986 and has been a popular albeit farcical method of making a certain economic comparison. It appears annually, though it is updated several times a year.

In 2011, India appeared in the list for the first ever time, but the results must be taken with a pinch of salt, since the Indian version isn’t the same as it is elsewhere.There have been calls to try out other objects, but so far, this has been resisted.

However, this year, The Economist collected the source data via crowdsourcing and not, as it were, from the cow’s mouth.

What is all this about?

The Big Mac Index, which uses the prices of the McDonalds Big Mac burger to compare purchasing power and exchange rates across countries. The chain does not make Big Macs in India because they are made with beef and uses the Maharajah Mac instead.

BIZ-ECO

The first map is the "before" picture, the other is "after". There are 7 distinct colours. The colouring is based on ratings provided by a US-based company. (There are more than seven categories in the data, but in the map above, some of the lower ones have been collapsed into one group for ease of representation.)

This company has been issuing this data since 1916. In 2011, these ratings changed to give the only difference between them), caused much hullabaloo.

What change?BIZ-ECO

The maps represent the long term credit ratings for different countries as assessed by Standard & Poor's. Each country gets a letter code (starting from AAA which indicates the country is in great financial health). The company downgraded the USA to AA from AAA. (The only difference in the above maps is the colour of the USA.)

Images: Wikipedia

The ad has high frequency sounds that dogs can listen to (along with some sounds for the human owners).

BIZ-ECO

The Swiss business giant Nestlé has a dog food product called "Beneful" (under its Nestlé Purina pet care company). What unusual ad, targeted at their real customers, did they launch on Austrian television in October 2011?

What business entity connects the following set of people:

Manas Sarkar, a 17 year 'cadet' footballerPawan Kumar, a senior associate for quality controlAsha Hansda, a tribal beneficiary of the "Tejaswini" ProjectDeepika Kumari, a Commonwealth Gold medallist in ArcheryJyoti Pandey, A Departmental Ethics coordinatorMark Denys, a Dutch researcher, formerly an employee of CorusSadhan Baske, a tomato farmerBachendri Pal, the fifth woman to scale Mt. Everest

BIZ-ECO

These people are featured in the 2011 Tata Steel "Values Stronger Than Steel" ad campaign.

ICM Registry is a company that is sponsoring and organizing a new top-level domain (the likes of ".com" etc.). Businesses and people will be able to buy domain names under this TLD soon. But before that, the company is administering what it calls a "sun-rise" period.

During this fifty day duration, other companies and well-known people who do not want to be associated with this TLD can request that no domain name with their names be sold. There is a process that will look at the validity of such requests and if accepted, a fee is taken from the requester.

For what TLD is this happening?

For the new .xxx top-level domain.

BIZ-ECO

BIZ-ECO

This auto-maker's logo has changed drastically over the last hundred-odd years. First, the logo was a wheel with lime leaves that was said to represent Slavic nations. In the late twenties came the Indian headdress motif that has been constant till this day. To mark twenty years of association with Volkswagen, the lead colour black has given way to green (for the environment) surrounded by a blue ring (for the VW group).

Which car maker?

Škoda.

Images: IN Auto News

Roger Federer.

BIZ-ECO

The bank Credit Suisse has an ad campaign featuring this sporting star, the tagline of which is "Helping __ __ Relax Since 1981." In 2011, a new photo series in this campaign was launched recently.

According to these ads, the star's parents Robbie and Lynette opened a savings account with them (or rather, their predecessors) a few weeks after his birth.

So who is in this campaign?

This is the masthead of the Times of India on Dec 2nd in 2011.

What newly launched product was being advertised on the front and back pages that day?

BIZ-ECO

Toyota Etios - the 'tikkaa'-like ETIOS symbol can be seen on the TOI masthead.

Social Sciences(history, geography, politics, military, the government)

This Roman God lords over the sea and is usually depicted with a beard and not much else. His name appears in association with many fields such as astronomy, sea-faring, geography, and the military.

His weapon of choice was the name of a military operation in May 2011. What was the operation for?

The god is Neptune. His weapon is a kind of spear, more commonly referred to as the Trident. The US operation to kill Osama bin Laden was officially called "Operation Neptune's Spear".

Image: Wikipedia

SOCIAL

This Japanese Chinook military helicopter is about to leave on a 'bombing' run of sorts and was part of a set of four used for this purpose, in March 2011.

What was the helicopter carrying, and why?

Sea water; these were dumped on a damaged reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, in an effort to cool down the overheating there.

Image: Bloomberg & Asahi Shimbun

SOCIAL

He was a 17th century warrior and leader, in the Bundelkhand region (which is spread across present day UP and MP). He was in constant revolt against the Mughals and partnered the Marathas in their struggles against them.

Modern-day Delhi has a sporting venue named after this King, which also saw some track and field events during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. This came back into the news in 2011 thanks to its association with the Anna Hazare campaign.

So what's the name of this warrior?

Raja Chhatrasal. During the Lok Pal agitation, many Anna Hazare supporters gathered at the stadium and were also detained there.

SOCIAL

Ahmed Wali Karzai was the brother of Hamid Karzai, the current President of Afghanistan. A controversial political figure in the area of Kandahar, he was assassinated on 12 July in 2011.

What aspect of his assassination is common to the killing of other leaders such as: * Laurent Kabila (President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo;

killed in 2001) * Carlos Castillo Armas (President of Guatemala; killed in 1957) * Indira Gandhi (PM of India; killed in 1984)

All of them were killed by their own bodyguards.

SOCIAL

Myanmar.

This used to be the flag of this country during the last two years of World War II when under Japanese occupation. The same design has been re-adopted for the new flag (implemented from 21st Oct 2010), except that the peacock has been replaced by a white star.

Which country?

Images: Wikipedia

SOCIAL

The Christian group The Seventh-day Adventist Church is called so is because of its belief in the second coming of Christ (i.e. the Advent). The other reason explains the phrase "Seventh Day". Unlike most other Christian denominations, believers observe the Sabbath (i.e. the day of rest in Semitic religions) on the Saturday of a week, not the Sunday. This is akin to how Jews mark the Sabbath.

In the end of December 2011, a group of Seventh-day Adventists in the little island country of Samoa were faced with a dilemma around this observance, and eventually most parishes decided to observe it on a Sunday from now on.

Why?

Samoa is switching to the west of the International Date Line (the imaginary boundary between calendar days in the Pacific) so as to share the same time zone as its major economic partners such as Australia and New Zealand. This meant they moved from Thursday (29th) to Saturday (30th), losing Friday. The church members begin the Sabbath from Friday evening, which won't be possible this time. To preserve a 7-day cycle, they have decided to switch to a Sunday.

SOCIAL

This begins at the Tso Lhamo Lake in Sikkim and is one of the most important geographical features of the state. Its name probably comes from the fact that at one point it has three channels. A prominent Indian activist shares her name with this entity, and while the person has had a knack of being involved in controversy, the latter has been in the headlines in September 2011 for diplomatic reasons.

Which feature?

"Teesta", the river, the sharing of whose waters with Bangladesh has run into trouble with the West Bengal government. Teesta Setalvad is the activist.

SOCIAL

UNESCO, the UN agency that works in areas such as science and culture, has over 180+ members. Its most recent member was admitted in October 2011 amidst some controversy. The admission of this state (which is not a member of the UN) triggered a US law that automatically cuts American aid to the agency (UNESCO is likely to lose about 20% of its budget as a result).

Which new member is this?

Palestine.

SOCIAL

In April 2011, with Assembly elections in Assam around the corner, the Guwahati High Court issued a special direction to the Election Commission. The court asked the EC to ensure that voters who have been categorised as being in category 'D' are not permitted to cast their vote.

What does 'D' stand for?

"Doubtful". These are marked against names in voter lists which are suspected to not be Indian citizens (primarily Bangladeshi citizens).

SOCIAL

In late November 2010, citizens of Iceland participated in an election, in which 25 people from various walks of life were elected. These 25 people collaborated on producing something which Iceland had never created before. The previous one was borrowed from Denmark, with a few minor changes.

So what did these people work on?

Drafting a new constitution.

SOCIAL

Foreign Policy, an American magazine, along with the research group "The Fund for Peace” publishes an annual index which ranks countries on 12 factors comprising various social, economic, and political dimensions. Usually, countries would not want to be ranked high on this list.

In 2011's list, the top ten sees 7 African countries; Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq make up the rest. Somalia is the unfortunate #1. Pakistan is #12. Expectedly, Scandinavian countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark) and Switzerland are at the very bottom.

Such high ranking countries are described by a two-word geopolitical phrase that indicates the inability of their governments to govern effectively. What term?

"Failed State". This is the "Failed States Index".

SOCIAL

Culture(arts, myth, religion, culture, and food)

The German-American artist Albert Bierstadt painted "Emerald Sea" (also known as "The Shore of the Turquoise Sea") which shows a giant wave about to crash down on the shore.

This painting is seen on a mural on the wall of a floor in a company building; this was the secretive location of a new project by that company. "Emerald Sea" also became the code-name for that project, referring to its critical "sail or drown" nature. The project became public in 2011. What technology project?

CULTURE

"Google+", the new social-networking offering from Google.

Image: AlbertBierstadt.org

Beatification is one of the steps in the process of 'canonising' (or declaring a person as a "saint"), in the Christian religion. In 2011, Pope John Paul II was beatified. During this ceremony, a vial of his blood (drawn during his last days) was used as one of the relics of the late Pope.

The honour of carrying this object was given to Sister Marie Simon-Pierre Normand, a French nun.

Why was she accorded this honour?

To be beatified, a 'miracle' must be attributed to the person in question, in which the person intercedes to help someone who prays to him. In this case, the French nun is supposed to have been suffering from Parkinson's Disease, and was said to have been cured by the Pope in 2006 (after his death). One more 'miracle' is required for canonisation.

CULTURE

This is a music album by a Indian academic and writer (now resident in Britain). Classified as being in the jazz or world music categories, The album is inspired by the likes of John Lennon and Leonard Cohen, and has tracks such as "Saraswati", "Norwegian Wood", and "One Fine Day".

The name "Found Music" refers to artist Martin Duchamp's "found objects" art series in which everyday objects were repurposed as art.

Who is this composer-author?

Amit Chaudhuri, author of books such as "Freedom Song" and "The Immortals".

Image: Wikipedia

CULTURE

Halloween is when a lot of websites put out special pages dedicated to the spooky. In 2011, Bing, Microsoft's search engine that has a background image each day, had the darkest of the lot.

What you see on the right is a well-known architectural figure, seen in many cultures. Apart from their decorative animal shapes, these figures also helped in the draining of water away from building walls.

The name of these figures comes from a French word for "throat". What are they called?

Gargoyles

CULTURE

Image: Bing

Predict the end of the world.

The "Ig Nobels" are a spoof of the Nobels. 2011's winners for Mathematics won it "for teaching the world to be careful when making mathematical assumptions and calculations". Below are their names and the year of their 'achievement':

* Dorothy Martin, USA, 1954 * Pat Robertson, USA, 1982 * Elizabeth Clare Prophet, USA, 1990 * Lee Jang Rim, Korea, 1992 * Credonia Mwerinde, Uganda, 1999 * Harold Camping, USA, Sept 6-7, 1994 and later Oct 21, 2011

What is their common 'achievement'?

CULTURE

The Dance of the Black Hats is often performed in this country on special occasions and religious festivals, particularly to purify the surroundings and dispel evil spirits. This dance commemorates the assassination of a king named Langdarma in the first century AD, by a monk.

What was the occasion for a high-profile performance of this dance in October 2011?

During the wedding of the Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Wangchuck.

CULTURE

Image: Getty Images and Daylife

Chaat! is the in-house magazine of the British Curry Club, an organization that promotes the "British curry industry". In 2011, top spot in a Chaat! survey to determine the most popular dish in Indian restaurants in Britain went to a kind of curry dish, which is described by The Telegraph as:

A hot curry with green chillies, peppers, onion and tomatoes. Marinated meat is fried in oil and spices to produce a dry, thick sauce. Dating from the time of the Mughals, its name comes from [a] Bengali word ___, meaning spicy hot.

What dish is this?

"Jalfrezi". The Bengali word is "Jhaal".

CULTURE

Mewat is a region in North India that is spread across parts of northern Rajasthan, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. It has a large Muslim community that claims its lineage from Rajput clans. Members also practice some traditional Hindu customs.

The community came into attention in 2011 after clashes with Gujjars in the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. What is their name (which derives from the region's name)?

The Meo (or Meo Muslims)

CULTURE

This activity (or rather an absence of one) consists of being photographed while lying prone in a less than common location. These photos invariably make their way to the Internet, which has fuelled this viral craze. Said to have been invented by two Britishers in the 90s, it has since spread to much of the Western world.

Its best known name originated in Australia, also the site of its first known casualty (in May 2011). A man fell to his death attempting the fad on a 7th floor balcony, prompting all manner of health advisories to be issued by top officials.

What's this best known as ?

“Planking”.

CULTURE

Opening to the public on the 12th of Sept 2011, this has 2983 names. These are carved on bronze parapets around two pools (North and South). Each name is associated with a code, the code consisting of a letter and a number. The letter is either N or S, indicating the associated pool, while the number indicates the panel where the name is to be found.

Names are grouped, usually by affiliation. But based on some requests, certain names have been grouped together by family or friendship.

What is this describing?

The 9/11 Memorial, which has the names of all those who perished as a result of the attacks.

CULTURE

The "World Earth Catalog" was created by Stewart Brand in 1968 and published continuously for a short duration of four years. It documented information, products, and ideas, appealing to those who subscribed to the counterculture movements in the US, and were interested in ecology, the environment, sustainable living, etc.

This is the back cover of the last issue in 1974, with a four word phrase (blanked out) on it. In 2005, this burst into prominence and has been with us in one form or another. Once again, in early Oct 2011, it was once again widely quoted.

Which phrase?

"Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish", the quote that Steve Jobs made famous in his 2005 Stanford commencement speech.

CULTURE

Image: The Car Free American Blog

Other setsThis ebook had questions from Business & Economics, Social Sciences, and Culture. The other three sets are:

Set I: India, Sports, Science, and TechnologySet II: Books, Entertainment & Media, Language, and EtymologySet III: VIZuals, Connections, Awards, and Obituaries

About the AuthorJ. Ramanand is a quizzer from Pune, India, and was the youngest winner on the fifth (and so far final, as he likes to remind everyone) edition of BBC Mastermind India programme in 2002. He loves to set and talk about quizzes, and helps run the BCQC, Pune's quizzing group.