QUIZ - 90

Last week I was in the Great Rann of Kutch with a group of birders. Here are 10 questions about birds:

1. What term describes birds that have two toes projecting forwards and two projecting backwards?

2. Measuring 2.5 inches long and weighing 1.6 grams, what is the smallest bird in the world?

3. Many birds have a gland located at the base of their tail, which secretes an oil that the birds use for preening themselves. What is the name of this gland?

4. What term is used to describe birds that have their eyes open at hatching and leave the nest almost immediately after hatching to find food for themselves?

5. With cruising speeds of 65-90 km/hr which is the fastest bird on earth?

6. What is Warbler Neck?

7. What term is used to describe birdwatchers who travel long distances to see a rare bird that can then be ticked off a list?

8. Which bird lays the largest egg weighing as much as 1.4 kg?

9. What is the name of the vocal organ of birds located at the base of the windpipe?

10. Name the bird order that accounts for more than half of all bird species

Answers to Quiz - 89

1. The increase in concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the reason for global warming. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is presently 385 ppm. What was the 19th Century pre-industrial level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

280 ppm

2. The loss of ice from the Petermann and Jakobshavn glaciers are one of the most closely monitored signals of global warming. Where are these two glaciers located?

Greenland

3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 at a UN conference in Rio de Janeiro. By what popular name is this conference known?

Earth Summit

4. What is the popular term used by energy experts for household gadgets that waste power while on standby mode?

Vampires

5. One of the key strategies that will be a major focus at the Copenhagen Conference is REDD, presently not covered under the Kyoto Protocol. What is REDD?

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation

6. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 passed in June 2009 is the first attempt of the US Congress to address climate change through legislation. By what popular name, after its authors, is this act known?

Waxman-Markey Bill

7. As a consequence of massive de-industrialisation that followed the fall of communism, Russia and other East European countries have a huge accumulated pile of unused pollution credits granted by the Kyoto Protocol. What is the popular term for this surplus credit that reportedly runs into billions?

Russian Hot Air

8. What term describes jobs in the environment friendly sector of the economy?

Green Collar Jobs

9. Commissioned by the British Government and released in October 2006, what is the name of the biggest and most widely discussed report on the economic impact of climate change?

The Stern Review

10. What target level above the pre-industrial times has been proposed for limiting the global warming?

2 degree Celsius

QUIZ - 89

The UN Conference on Climate Change in currently in progress at Copenhagen. 10 questions on climate change and global warming:


1. The increase in concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is the reason for global warming. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is presently 385 ppm. What was the 19th Century pre-industrial level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere?

2. The loss of ice from the Petermann and Jakobshavn glaciers are one of the most closely monitored signals of global warming. Where are these two glaciers located?

3. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted in 1992 at a UN conference in Rio de Janeiro. By what popular name is this conference known?

4. What is the popular term used by energy experts for household gadgets that waste power while on standby mode?

5. One of the key strategies that will be a major focus at the Copenhagen Conference is REDD, presently not covered under the Kyoto Protocol. What is REDD?

6. The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 passed in June 2009 is the first attempt of the US Congress to address climate change through legislation. By what popular name, after its authors, is this act known?

7. As a consequence of massive de-industrialisation that followed the fall of communism, Russia and other East European countries have a huge accumulated pile of unused pollution credits granted by the Kyoto Protocol. What is the popular term for this surplus credit that reportedly runs into billions?

8. What term describes jobs in the environment friendly sector of the economy?

9. Commissioned by the British Government and released in October 2006, what is the name of the biggest and most widely discussed report on the economic impact of climate change?

10. What target level above the pre-industrial times has been proposed for limiting the global warming?

Answers to Quiz - 88

1) Government of India has banned cell phones that do not have the IMEI number with effect from 1st December. What does IMEI stand for?

International Mobile Equipment Identity

2) The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge. Name the company owned by Ajit Gulabchand that built this bridge.

Hindustan Construction Company

3) To which town in Gujarat did Tata Motors shift their facility to manufacture NANO after the prolonged agitation in Singur?

Sanand

4) Name the Canada based company that manufactures Blackberry phones

RIM (Research in Motion)

5) This year the CAT for IIM went online. Name the company headquartered in Baltimore, USA which provides this online testing.

Prometric

6) What unique distinction is shared by Bishwanath Das, F.A.Khonglam and Madhu Koda?

Independent legislators who were elected as Chief Ministers

7) What was declared as the most popular English word of 2009?

Twitter

8) Last month Mumbai narrowly escaped being hit by the cyclone Phyan. From what language is the word Phyan, meaning a cherry fallen from tree, derived?

Burmese

9) The most viewed single day sporting event in the world is a race that takes place in England every spring between 2 teams. What is this race which has been held every year since 1856, except during the 2 world wars?

The Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge Universirty on the river Thames in London

10) There is an apocryphal story that William Webb Ellis accidentally invented a new game by committing a foul in another game. Today his name is immortalized with this game by William Webb Ellis Cup being awarded to the World Champions. What game did he invent?

Rugby

11) Which 2 teams compete annually in a Rugby match for the Calcutta Cup?

England and Scotland

12) What term named after a famous Indian cricketer is used to describe the dismissal in which the bowler runs out a non-striking batsman for backing up beyond the crease?

Mankaded after Vinoo Mankad

13) What sport uses the terms - Fletch, Petticoat, Bodkin and Tiller?

Archery

14) Lionel Messi of Argentina has been declared this year's European Footballer of the Year.

What award will be presented to him?
Ballon d'Or or Golden Ball
15) In 1984, Uwe Hohn from the then East Germany threw the Javelin to an amazing 104.8 metres. What change happened as a consequence of this phenomenal throw?
The Javelin was redesigned to keep it within the safe confines of the field and records were restarted
16) On the 2nd Saturday of August every year a spectacular boat race takes place in the Punnamada Lake in Kerala and is witnessed by more than 2 lakh people including foreign tourists. What trophy is awarded to the winners?
Nehru Trophy
17) Who wrote the famous play Charandas Chor?
Habib Tanvir
18) What is the nationality of Hercule Poirot, the famous fictional detective created by Agatha Christie?
Belgian
19) She was born in Russia and her real name was Alisa Rosenbaum. By what name do we know this novelist who achieved cult status with her 2 books that developed the philosophy of objectivism?
Ayn Rand
20) Satyavrat Shastri and Ravindra Kelekar were jointly awarded the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary prize, for year 2006 (declared in 2008). What 2 Indian languages were recognised for the first time by this award?
Sanskrit and Konkani
21) Which Booker Prize winning novel is written in the form of a long letter to the Prime Minister of China?
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
22) What prestigious awards are conferred annually by Columbia University for achievements in American journalism, literature and music from an endowment created by a Hungarian born newspaper publisher?
Pulitzer Prizes
23) Jaswant Singh stirred up a controversy this year by his book on Jinnah. Name his 2006 book which had stirred up a similar controversy suggesting that there was a mole in PM's office.
A Call to Honour: In Service of Emergent India
24) Who recently wrote the book - The Last Bullet?
Vinita Kamte, wife of police officer Ashok Kamte who died during 26/11 Mumbai attack
25) One of the finest examples of viviparous plants are the Mangroves. What are viviparous plants?
They produce seeds that germinate before they detach from the parent
26) The Seahorse is an important member of the Syngnathidae family, the only family in the entire animal kingdom to exhibit a unique characteristic. What is this unique feature?
Male pregnancy
27) The gender of the offspring in crocodiles is determined not by genetics but in another unique way. How?
Temperature at which the eggs are incubated
28) Cavendish is the most widely grown kind of this very popular fruit. What fruit are we talking about?
Banana
29) What volcano is world's longest erupting volcano? It is called the 'Lighthouse of the Mediterranean' as it has continuously erupted several times an hour for thousands of years, guiding sailors
Stromboli
30) BT Brinjal is India's first genetically modified food. What does BT stand for?
Bacillus Thuringiensis, the soil bacteria from which a gene has been transplanted into Brinjal
31) What is the difference between isthmus and strait?
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger landmasses. A strait is a narrow body of water that connects two larger bodies of water
32) At 2600 m located in the Nilgris, what is the tallest peak of South India?
Doddabetta (Big Mountain)

33) Which actor (male or female) has won the maximum number (4) of Oscars?

Katharine Hepburn

34) He was a Norwegian politician who assisted Nazi Germany to invade Norway and then collaborated with them to form a Government. His name has been immortalized in English language to mean traitor. Who is he?

Quisling

35) Washingon, the capital of USA is named after the first American President George Washington. Which is the only other capital city in the world to be named after an American President?

Monrovia, the capital of Liberia after James Monroe

36) Name the king from Greek mythology who was punished with the endless task of rolling a huge boulder up a hill only to see it rolling back down.

Sisyphus

37) He fought in 3 major wars - WWI, WWII and Korean War. President Truman dismissed him for insubordination. He is one of the only 5 men to rise to the rank of General of the Army, the 2nd highest rank in the US Army. One of the most controversial figures in American history, he was nicknamed 'Gaijjin Shogun' (Foreign Military Leader). Name him.

General Douglas MacArthur

38) She had a sweet high pitched voice but during the middle of her career lost it during an illness. When she recovered her voice had acquired a masculine timbre and she continued to sing in a voice that was more powerful than male singers. Name this doyenne of Kirana Gharana.

Gangubai Hangal

39) Name the company founded by Henry, Emanuel and Mayer, the 3 sons of a cattle merchant, after they migrated from Germany to USA in 1850's

Lehman Brothers

40) Who was the first Law Minister of India?

B.R.Ambedkar

41) Bar coding of products is a routine thing today. What was the first product in the world to be bar coded in June 1974?

Wrigley's chewing gum

42) If you ask for Doggy Bag after eating in a restaurant what would you get?

Left over food packed in a bag for taking home

43) What word was crowned as the millionth word of English language in June this year?

Web 2.0

44) What former name of an Indian city also means a lighweight cotton fabric in a checked or striped pattern?

Madras

45) If nano denotes 10 raised to power of minus 9, what is the term for 10 raised to power of plus 9?

Giga

46) What is the name of the symbol & ?

Ampersand

47) What recently became India's highest broad gauge railway station at an altitude of 1722 m?

Qazigund near Srinagar

48) If you have triskaidekaphobia what would you be afraid of?

Number 13

49) Created by an ancient Greek mathematician what is the Sieve of Eratosthenes used for?

For finding prime numbers upto a specified integer

50) A nearly identical eclipse occurs after a period of 18 years 11 days and 8 hours. What is this eclipse cycle called?

Saros Cycle

51) What are the only 2 elements that are liquid at the room temperature of 25 deg C?

Mercury and Bromine

52) Name the endocrine gland in our brain that secretes melatonin, the hormone that regulates our waking and sleeping pattern.

Pineal Gland

53) What is the 10-point Mohs scale used to measure?

Hardness of minerals

54) The 180 million year period during which dinosaurs lived are divided into 3 parts - Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. What is the collective name for this period?

Mesozoic Era

55) Ceres used to be the largest asteroid in the solar system. But in 2006 after International Astronomical Union redefined the term planet, Pluto and Ceres became dwarf planets. What is currently the largest asteroid after this reclassification?

Vesta

56) What is limnology?

Study of inland waters

QUIZ - 88

This is a special quiz. I asked these questions at an Inter-School quiz competition.


1) Government of India has banned cell phones that do not have the IMEI number with effect from 1st December. What does IMEI stand for?

2) The Bandra-Worli Sea Link is the country’s longest cable-stayed bridge. Name the company owned by Ajit Gulabchand that built this bridge.

3) To which town in Gujarat did Tata Motors shift their facility to manufacture NANO after the prolonged agitation in Singur?

4) Name the Canada based company that manufactures Blackberry phones

5) This year the CAT for IIM went online. Name the company headquartered in Baltimore, USA which provides this online testing.

6) What unique distinction is shared by Bishwanath Das, F.A.Khonglam and Madhu Koda?

7) What was declared as the most popular English word of 2009?

8) Last month Mumbai narrowly escaped being hit by the cyclone Phyan. From what language is the word Phyan, meaning a cherry fallen from tree, derived?

9) The most viewed single day sporting event in the world is a race that takes place in England every spring between 2 teams. What is this race which has been held every year since 1856, except during the 2 world wars?

10) There is an apocryphal story that William Webb Ellis accidentally invented a new game by committing a foul in another game. Today his name is immortalized with this game by William Webb Ellis Cup being awarded to the World Champions. What game did he invent?

11) Which 2 teams compete annually in a Rugby match for the Calcutta Cup?

12) What term named after a famous Indian cricketer is used to describe the dismissal in which the bowler runs out a non-striking batsman for backing up beyond the crease?

13) What sport uses the terms - Fletch, Petticoat, Bodkin and Tiller?

14) Lionel Messi of Argentina has been declared this year's European Footballer of the Year. What award will be presented to him?

15) In 1984, Uwe Hohn from the then East Germany threw the Javelin to an amazing 104.8 metres. What change happened as a consequence of this phenomenal throw?

16) On the 2nd Saturday of August every year a spectacular boat race takes place in the Punnamada Lake in Kerala and is witnessed by more than 2 lakh people including foreign tourists. What trophy is awarded to the winners?

17) Who wrote the famous play Charandas Chor?

18) What is the nationality of Hercule Poirot, the famous fictional detective created by Agatha Christie?

19) She was born in Russia and her real name was Alisa Rosenbaum. By what name do we know this novelist who achieved cult status with her 2 books that developed the philosophy of objectivism?

20) Satyavrat Shastri and Ravindra Kelekar were jointly awarded the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary prize, for year 2006 (declared in 2008). What 2 Indian languages were recognised for the first time by this award?

21) Which Booker Prize winning novel is written in the form of a long letter to the Prime Minister of China?

22) What prestigious awards are conferred annually by Columbia University for achievements in American journalism, literature and music from an endowment created by a Hungarian born newspaper publisher?

23) Jaswant Singh stirred up a controversy this year by his book on Jinnah. Name his 2006 book which had stirred up a similar controversy suggesting that there was a mole in PM's office.

24) Who recently wrote the book - The Last Bullet?

25) One of the finest examples of viviparous plants are the Mangroves. What are viviparous plants?

26) The Seahorse is an important member of the Syngnathidae family, the only family in the entire animal kingdom to exhibit a unique characteristic. What is this unique feature?

27) The gender of the offspring in crocodiles is determined not by genetics but in another unique way. How?

28) Cavendish is the most widely grown kind of this very popular fruit. What fruit are we talking about?

29) What volcano is world's longest erupting volcano? It is called the 'Lighthouse of the Mediterranean' as it has continuously erupted several times an hour for thousands of years, guiding sailors.

30) BT Brinjal is India's first genetically modified food. What does BT stand for?

31) What is the difference between isthmus and strait?

32) At 2600 m located in the Nilgris, what is the tallest peak of South India?

33) Which actor (male or female) has won the maximum number (4) of Oscars?

34) He was a Norwegian politician who assisted Nazi Germany to invade Norway and then collaborated with them to form a Government. His name has been immortalized in English language to mean traitor. Who is he?

35) Washingon, the capital of USA is named after the first American President George Washington. Which is the only other capital city in the world to be named after an American President?

36) Name the king from Greek mythology who was punished with the endless task of rolling a huge boulder up a hill only to see it rolling back down.

37) He fought in 3 major wars - WWI, WWII and Korean War. President Truman dismissed him for insubordination. He is one of the only 5 men to rise to the rank of General of the Army, the 2nd highest rank in the US Army. One of the most controversial figures in American history, he was nicknamed 'Gaijjin Shogun' (Foreign Military Leader). Name him.

38) She had a sweet high pitched voice but during the middle of her career lost it during an illness. When she recovered her voice had acquired a masculine timbre and she continued to sing in a voice that was more powerful than male singers. Name this doyenne of Kirana Gharana.

39) Name the company founded by Henry, Emanuel and Mayer, the 3 sons of a cattle merchant, after they migrated from Germany to USA in 1850's

40) Who was the first Law Minister of India?

41) Bar coding of products is a routine thing today. What was the first product in the world to be bar coded in June 1974?

42) If you ask for Doggy Bag after eating in a restaurant what would you get?

43) What word was crowned as the millionth word of English language in June this year?

44) What former name of an Indian city also means a lighweight cotton fabric in a checked or striped pattern?

45) If nano denotes 10 raised to power of minus 9, what is the term for 10 raised to power of plus 9?

46) What is the name of the symbol & ?

47) What recently became India's highest broad gauge railway station at an altitude of 1722 m?

48) If you have triskaidekaphobia what would you be afraid of?

49) Created by an ancient Greek mathematician what is the Sieve of Eratosthenes used for?

50) A nearly identical eclipse occurs after a period of 18 years 11 days and 8 hours. What is this eclipse cycle called?

51) What are the only 2 elements that are liquid at the room temperature of 25 deg C?

52) Name the endocrine gland in our brain that secretes melatonin, the hormone that regulates our waking and sleeping pattern.

53) What is the 10-point Mohs scale used to measure?

54) The 180 million year period during which dinosaurs lived are divided into 3 parts - Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. What is the collective name for this period?

55) Ceres used to be the largest asteroid in the solar system. But in 2006 after International Astronomical Union redefined the term planet, Pluto and Ceres became dwarf planets. What is currently the largest asteroid after this reclassification?

56) What is limnology?

Answers to Quiz - 87

1. What non-profit organization did the famous American astronomer Carl Sagan co-found in 1980 for space exploration?

Planetary Society

2. What is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope?

Apostolic Constitution

3. What is the term for trading platforms where shares can be bought and sold without the details being made public?

Dark Pools

4. What popular term in the retail business originated from the department store started by Edward Filene in the early 20th Century?

Bargain Basement

5. The mass extinction of Dinosaurs 65 million years ago is controversially linked to the collision of earth with an asteroid. Name the impact crater located in Mexico that resulted from this collision.

Chicxulub Crater

6. By what famous name do we know the writer and philosopher who was born as Alisa Rosenbaum?

Ayn Rand

7. In what style of painting are objects depicted with photographically realistic detail to create the illusion of three dimensions?

trompe l'oeil

8. Where are the American war heroes buried?

Arlington National Cemetery

9. What is the name of a series of systematic studies on Unidentified Flying Objects undertaken by the US Air Force between 1952 and 1970

Project Blue Book

10. A unit of measurement called ‘Sagan’ has been humorously defined as a tribute to the famous American astronomer Carl Sagan. How much is one ‘Sagan’?

At least 4 billion

QUIZ - 87

1. What non-profit organization did the famous American astronomer Carl Sagan co-found in 1980 for space exploration?

2. What is the highest level of decree issued by the Pope?

3. What is the term for trading platforms where shares can be bought and sold without the details being made public?

4. What popular term in the retail business originated from the department store started by Edward Filene in the early 20th Century?

5. The mass extinction of Dinosaurs 65 million years ago is controversially linked to the collision of earth with an asteroid. Name the impact crater located in Mexico that resulted from this collision.

6. By what famous name do we know the writer and philosopher who was born as Alisa Rosenbaum?

7. In what style of painting are objects depicted with photographically realistic detail to create the illusion of three dimensions?

8. Where are the American war heroes buried?

9. What is the name of a series of systematic studies on Unidentified Flying Objects undertaken by the US Air Force between 1952 and 1970

10. A unit of measurement called ‘Sagan’ has been humorously defined as a tribute to the famous American astronomer Carl Sagan. How much is one ‘Sagan’?

Answers to Quiz - 86

1. What prestigious film festival showcasing independent films is named after a famous Robert Redford character and where is it held every year?

Sundance Film Festival at Utah in USA

2. Established in 1932 which is the oldest film festival in the world?

The Venice Film Festival

3. Originally known as ‘The Festival of Festivals’, what film festival is considered by many studios as the launch pad to promote their films for the Oscars?

Toronto International Film Festival

4. Name the Paris based international organization responsible for accreditation and supervision of international film festivals

FIAPF (Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films; English: International Federation of Film Producers Associations)

5. Which famous film festival awards the ‘Crystal Globe’ for the best feature film?

Karlovy Vary film festival

6. If Golden Palm is for Cannes and Golden Lion for Venice, what is Golden Bear for?

Berlin Film Festival

7. Which country hosts the Category A San Sebastián International Film Festival?

Spain

8. Started in 1947 which is the world’s oldest continuously running film festival?

Edinburgh International Film Festival

9. What film festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro and 2 others in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center?

Tribeca Film Festival

10. Which Category A film festival awards Golden Leopard to the best film?

Locarno International Film Festival

QUIZ - 86

I am currently in the thick of Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI). Here are 10 questions about Film Festivals


1. What prestigious film festival showcasing independent films is named after a famous Robert Redford character and where is it held every year?

2. Established in 1932 which is the oldest film festival in the world?

3. Originally known as ‘The Festival of Festivals’, what film festival is considered by many studios as the launch pad to promote their films for the Oscars?

4. Name the Paris based international organization responsible for accreditation and supervision of international film festivals

5. Which famous film festival awards the ‘Crystal Globe’ for the best feature film?

6. If Golden Palm is for Cannes and Golden Lion for Venice, what is Golden Bear for?

7. Which country hosts the Category A San Sebastián International Film Festival?

8. Started in 1947 which is the world’s oldest continuously running film festival?

9. What film festival was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro and 2 others in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center?

10. Which Category A film festival awards Golden Leopard to the best film?

Answers to Quiz - 85

1. What cooking process, usually applied to meats, involves covering the item partially in liquid and simmering at low heat for long period of time?

Braising

2. What kitchen tool is used to obtain perfectly uniform slices of vegetables and fruits?

Mandoline

3. What term inspired by a famous 17th Century Flemish painter is used to describe the process of cutting a decorative zigzag pattern around the circumference of fruits and vegetables?

Vandyke

4. What is the term for the outermost coloured part of the peel of citrus fruits that is often used to flavour dishes with their essential oils?

Zest

5. What do the XXX marks on a box of confectioner’s sugar indicate?

The degree of fineness

6. What Japanese dish has small pieces of chicken skewered and grilled?

Yakitori

7. With its origin in Provence region of France, what is the name of the popular vegetable stew of aubergine, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions etc and seasoned with green herbs?

Ratatouille

8. What cooking procedure has alcohol being splashed on the food and ignited to create a dramatic visual presentation?

Flambé

9. Often described as liquid salad, what cold uncooked vegetable soup originated in the Andalusian region of Spain?

Gazpacho

10. What long-handled, shovel like tool is used to move bread or pastries into and out of an oven?

Baker’s Peel

QUIZ - 85

Ten questions about cooking and food

1. What cooking process, usually applied to meats, involves covering the item partially in liquid and simmering at low heat for long period of time?

2. What kitchen tool is used to obtain perfectly uniform slices of vegetables and fruits?

3. What term inspired by a famous 17th Century Flemish painter is used to describe the process of cutting a decorative zigzag pattern around the circumference of fruits and vegetables?

4. What is the term for the outermost coloured part of the peel of citrus fruits that is often used to flavour dishes with their essential oils?

5. What do the XXX marks on a box of confectioner’s sugar indicate?

6. What Japanese dish has small pieces of chicken skewered and grilled?

7. With its origin in Provence region of France, what is the name of the popular vegetable stew of aubergine, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions etc and seasoned with green herbs?

8. What cooking procedure has alcohol being splashed on the food and ignited to create a dramatic visual presentation?

9. Often described as liquid salad, what cold uncooked vegetable soup originated in the Andalusian region of Spain?

10. What long-handled, shovel like tool is used to move bread or pastries into and out of an oven?

Answeers to Quiz - 84

1. If you suffer from Gelotophobia what would you fear?

Fear being laughed at

2. What Islamic sect is based on the principle that the religion should be practiced as per the generation of Prophet Muhammad and the two succeeding generations after them?

Salafis

3. Christopher Columbus named these islands Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles found there. But they owe their present name to Sir Francis Drake who used the local word for alligators. Name these British ruled islands in the Caribbean Sea.

Cayman Islands

4. In Greek mythology who are the sea nymphs living in the Aegean Sea that helped sailors during stormy weather?

Nereids

5. What term is used to describe minerals or rocks that are rich in Magnesium and Iron?

Mafic

6. The flattest parts of earth are found deep under water on the ocean floor. What is the term used for this geographical feature?

Abyssal Plains

7. Who was the ‘spirit guide’ with whom Carl Jung had imaginary conversations?

Philemon

8. One of the oldest root crops in the world, it was first cultivated in the tropical Americas and it has a taste that is more like nuts than potatoes. By what name is it known in Cuba, where it is extremely popular?

Malanga

9. The island, its inhabitants and the language they speak are all known as Rapa Nui. By what more popular name do we know this island?

Easter Island

10. What controversial political movement was founded by the Egyptian choolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928?

Muslim Brotherhood

QUIZ - 84

1. If you suffer from Gelotophobia what would you fear?

2. What Islamic sect is based on the principle that the religion should be practiced as per the generation of Prophet Muhammad and the two succeeding generations after them?

3. Christopher Columbus named these islands Las Tortugas after the numerous sea turtles found there. But they owe their present name to Sir Francis Drake who used the local word for alligators. Name these British ruled islands in the Caribbean Sea.

4. In Greek mythology who are the sea nymphs living in the Aegean Sea that helped sailors during stormy weather?

5. What term is used to describe minerals or rocks that are rich in Magnesium and Iron?

6. The flattest parts of earth are found deep under water on the ocean floor. What is the term used for this geographical feature?

7. Who was the ‘spirit guide’ with whom Carl Jung had imaginary conversations?

8. One of the oldest root crops in the world, it was first cultivated in the tropical Americas and it has a taste that is more like nuts than potatoes. By what name is it known in Cuba, where it is extremely popular?

9. The island, its inhabitants and the language they speak are all known as Rapa Nui. By what more popular name do we know this island?

10. What controversial political movement was founded by the Egyptian choolteacher Hassan al-Banna in 1928?

Answers to Quiz - 83

1. During middle ages there was a curious practice in which Arabs used to carve a pair of ‘Friendly Numbers’, one on each fruit. They would eat one and offer the other to their lover as an aphrodisiac. What were these 2 special numbers?

220 and 284, the simplest pair of ‘Friendly Numbers’

2. Second only to the Bible in the number of editions published, ‘Elements’ is the most influential textbook ever and has been used to teach geometry for more than 2000 years. Who wrote this book?

Euclid

3. What new world record did Professor Yasumasa Kanada and his team create at Information Technology Center of Tokyo University using a Hitachi supercomputer for 400 hours in September 2002?

Computation of the mathematical constant pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places

4. Which famous 18th Century mathematician was referred to as ‘Mathematical Cyclops’ by Frederick the Great because he became blind in one eye?

Leonhard Euler

5. Name the French Pope who at the turn of the last millennium was instrumental in introducing the Arab numerals 1,2,3…to the Western World.

Pope Sylvester II

6. Proposed by a German mathematician in 1859 what is considered as the Holy Grail of mathematics?

The Riemann Hypothesis

7. He was a lawyer by profession and pursued mathematics as a hobby in his spare time. But his work in number theory is of such exceptionally high quality that he is considered as one of the greatest mathematicians of all times. Name this ‘prince of amateurs’ as he was referred to by E.T. Bell in his well known book on the history of mathematics.

Pierre de Fermat

8. Name the British mathematician who finally proved the famous Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1995

Andrew Wiles

9. Name the ancient Greek philosopher who founded a secret society with an inner circle of followers known as ‘mathematikoi’ (priests of mathematicians) who were allowed no personal possessions and were vegetarians.

Pythagoras

10. Which famous ancient Greek mathematician, sometimes known as ‘the father of algebra’ has an algebraic riddle carved on his tombstone to calculate his age?

Diophantus

QUIZ - 83

1. During middle ages there was a curious practice in which Arabs used to carve a pair of ‘Friendly Numbers’, one on each fruit. They would eat one and offer the other to their lover as an aphrodisiac. What were these 2 special numbers?

2. Second only to the Bible in the number of editions published, ‘Elements’ is the most influential textbook ever and has been used to teach geometry for more than 2000 years. Who wrote this book?

3. What new world record did Professor Yasumasa Kanada and his team create at Information Technology Center of Tokyo University using a Hitachi supercomputer for 400 hours in September 2002?

4. Which famous 18th Century mathematician was referred to as ‘Mathematical Cyclops’ by Frederick the Great because he became blind in one eye?

5. Name the French Pope who at the turn of the last millennium was instrumental in introducing the Arab numerals 1,2,3…to the Western World.

6. Proposed by a German mathematician in 1859 what is considered as the Holy Grail of mathematics?

7. He was a lawyer by profession and pursued mathematics as a hobby in his spare time. But his work in number theory is of such exceptionally high quality that he is considered as one of the greatest mathematicians of all times. Name this ‘prince of amateurs’ as he was referred to by E.T. Bell in his well known book on the history of mathematics.

8. Name the British mathematician who finally proved the famous Fermat’s Last Theorem in 1995

9. Name the ancient Greek philosopher who founded a secret society with an inner circle of followers known as ‘mathematikoi’ (priests of mathematicians) who were allowed no personal possessions and were vegetarians.

10. Which famous ancient Greek mathematician, sometimes known as ‘the father of algebra’ has an algebraic riddle carved on his tombstone to calculate his age?

Answers to Quiz - 82

1. When the word "red" is printed in blue identifying the colour of the word takes longer and is more prone to errors than when the word is congruent with its ink colour. Name this paradox based on which a popular cognitive test has been devised to gauge the psychological capacity of a person.

The Stroop Effect after John Ridley Stroop who first reported it in 1935

2. Name the famous 18th Century English litterateur, who earned the disparaging epithet of
‘Great Convulsionary’ because of his facial tics and twitches

Dr. Samuel Johnson

3. Name the management consultant who coined the term ‘servant Leadership’ in his 1970 essay ‘the servant as leader’?

Robert K Greenleaf

4. Literally meaning “Hummingbird of the South”, what was the name of the chief god of the Aztecs?

Huitzilopochtli

5. What medical term, named after the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first described this condition in an 86-year-old French noblewoman, is used for the neurological disorder characterised by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalisations called tics?

Tourette syndrome after Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette

6. Who painted ‘The Milkmaid’, considered as the best attraction of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam?

Johannes Vermeer

7. What was the capital city of the Aztec culture?

Tenochtitlan

8. What is the name of the traditional horn used during Jewish religious services?

Shofar

9. What treaty signed on 7 February 1992 created the European Union and the Euro?

The Maastricht Treaty signed in Maastricht, Netherlands

10. Which famous football club is known by its nickname of Red Devils?

Manchester United

QUIZ - 82

1. When the word "red" is printed in blue identifying the colour of the word takes longer and is more prone to errors than when the word is congruent with its ink colour. Name this paradox based on which a popular cognitive test has been devised to gauge the psychological capacity of a person.

2. Name the famous 18th Century English litterateur, who earned the disparaging epithet of ‘Great Convulsionary’ because of his facial tics and twitches

3. Name the management consultant who coined the term ‘servant Leadership’ in his 1970 essay ‘the servant as leader’?

4. Literally meaning “Hummingbird of the South”, what was the name of the chief god of the Aztecs?

5. What medical term, named after the pioneering French neurologist who in 1885 first described this condition in an 86-year-old French noblewoman, is used for the neurological disorder characterised by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalisations called tics?

6. Who painted ‘The Milkmaid’, considered as the best attraction of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam?

7. What was the capital city of the Aztec culture?

8. What is the name of the traditional horn used during Jewish religious services?

9. What treaty signed on 7 February 1992 created the European Union and the Euro?

10. Which famous football club is known by its nickname of Red Devils?

Answers to Quiz - 81

1. South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on 3rd December 1967. Name the Cape Town grocer who received the transplant.

Louis Washkansky

2. She was the first woman to be named as the ‘Person of the year’ by Time Magazine in 1936. Her memoir is titled ‘The Heart has its Reasons’. Who is this controversial American lady to marry whom English King Edward VIII abdicated his throne in 1936?

Wallis Simpson

3. Name the physician who invented the Heart Lung Machine in 1937

John Heysham Gibbon

4. Named after the 19th Century Bohemian Physiologist, what are the specialised fibres of the cardiac muscle that conduct the electrical stimulus and enable the heart to contract in a coordinated fashion?

Purkinje Fibres

5. What term is used to describe the 2 sounds that are heard during each heart beat?

Lub Dub

6. What term describes the medical condition in which the heart beats at a rate that is below the normal of 65 beats per minute?

Brachycardia

7. For what invention did Willem Einthoven receive the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1924?

Electrocardiograph

8. Stents are devices used to open up blocked coronary artery during an angioplasty. What alloy of Nickel and Titanium is usually used to make stents because of its ‘shape memory’ property?

Nitinol

9. If the tricuspid valve separates the right atrium and the right ventricle, what valve, named after its resemblance to a bishop’s hat, separates left atrium and left ventricle?

Mitral valve

10. Who is the author of the 1948 novel ‘The Heart of the Matter’, which was once included by Time magazine in the 100 best English language novels?

Graham Greene

QUIZ - 81

Ten questions on matters of the Heart to mark WORLD HEART DAY

1. South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on 3rd December 1967. Name the Cape Town grocer who received the transplant.

2. She was the first woman to be named as the ‘Person of the year’ by Time Magazine in 1936. Her memoir is titled ‘The Heart has its Reasons’. Who is this controversial American lady to marry whom English King Edward VIII abdicated his throne in 1936?

3. Name the physician who invented the Heart Lung Machine in 1937

4. Named after the 19th Century Bohemian Physiologist, what are the specialised fibres of the cardiac muscle that conduct the electrical stimulus and enable the heart to contract in a coordinated fashion?

5. What term is used to describe the 2 sounds that are heard during each heart beat?

6. What term describes the medical condition in which the heart beats at a rate that is below the normal of 65 beats per minute?

7. For what invention did Willem Einthoven receive the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1924?

8. Stents are devices used to open up blocked coronary artery during an angioplasty. What alloy of Nickel and Titanium is usually used to make stents because of its ‘shape memory’ property?

9. If the tricuspid valve separates the right atrium and the right ventricle, what valve, named after its resemblance to a bishop’s hat, separates left atrium and left ventricle?

10. Who is the author of the 1948 novel ‘The Heart of the Matter’, which was once included by Time magazine in the 100 best English language novels?

Answers to Quiz - 80

1. What are Moai and where on earth would you find them?

Monolithic human figures on Easter Island

2. What internationally famous rule originally devised in 1927 and subsequently refined in 1992 and 2002 provides anonymity to speakers and encourages openness and sharing of information in meetings?

Chatham House Rule

3. In what field of human activity would the Palmer Method be used?

Handwriting

4. The September Issue is a documentary film about the September 2007 edition of a famous fashion magazine that at 5 pounds and 840 pages is the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. What is this magazine?

Vogue

5. Name the instrument that measures the amount of work done by a muscle or group of muscles during a workout?

Ergometer

6. With over 32 kilometres of tunnels spread over more than twelve square kilometres which city has the largest underground shopping complex in the world?

Montreal

7. What exceptional character in the entire animal kingdom is exhibited by the Syngnathidae family of fish, of which the seahorse is a typical example?

Male pregnancy

8. Spanning over 72 years and more than 15000 episodes, which is the longest running soap opera in the history of television?

Guiding Light. It came to an end on 18th Sept 2009.

9. Who popularised the economic concept of creative destruction?

Joseph Schumpeter

10. What doctrine or concept allows concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of government often extending to government ownership of industry?

Statism

QUIZ - 80

1. What are Moai and where on earth would you find them?

2. What internationally famous rule originally devised in 1927 and subsequently refined in 1992 and 2002 provides anonymity to speakers and encourages openness and sharing of information in meetings?

3. In what field of human activity would the Palmer Method be used?

4. The September Issue is a documentary film about the September 2007 edition of a famous fashion magazine that at 5 pounds and 840 pages is the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. What is this magazine?

5. Name the instrument that measures the amount of work done by a muscle or group of muscles during a workout?

6. With over 32 kilometres of tunnels spread over more than twelve square kilometres which city has the largest underground shopping complex in the world?

7. What exceptional character in the entire animal kingdom is exhibited by the Syngnathidae family of fish, of which the seahorse is a typical example?

8. Spanning over 72 years and more than 15000 episodes, which is the longest running soap opera in the history of television?

9. Who popularised the economic concept of creative destruction?

10. What doctrine or concept allows concentration of economic controls and planning in the hands of government often extending to government ownership of industry?

Answers to Quiz - 79

1. Banana Republic is a derogatory term for small countries ruled by dictators. Originally used for countries of Central America, which famous short story writer coined this term?

O Henry

2. Which is the world’s leading banana producing country in the world?

India

3. What are bananas that needs to be cooked prior to eating called?

Plantains

4. What is the banana problem?

Not knowing where or when to bring a production or operation to a close. This phrase comes from the story of the little girl who said, "I know how to spell 'banana,' I just don't know when to stop."

5. Which famous cartoonist created the mascot for Chiquita, the world’s leading brand of banana?

Dik Browne, who created Hagar the Horrible

6. Name the personal physician to Roman emperor Octavius Augustus who is credited with having popularised the cultivation of banana.

Antonius Musa

7. What term coined by the French geographer Roger Brunet describes the corridor of urbanisation in Western Europe extending from England to Italy?

The Blue Banana

8. Bananas grow in bunches containing 10 to 25 fruits. What is the term used for this bunch

Hands

9. Out of the more than 1000 varieties of bananas, which is the most widely cultivated?

The Cavendish

10. Which American city celebrates an annual festival every June to mark the invention of the famous sundae Banana Split?

Wilmington in Ohio

QUIZ - 79

1. Banana Republic is a derogatory term for small countries ruled by dictators. Originally used for countries of Central America, which famous short story writer coined this term?

2. Which is the world’s leading banana producing country in the world?

3. What are bananas that needs to be cooked prior to eating called?

4. What is the Banana Problem?

5. Which famous cartoonist created the mascot for Chiquita, the world’s leading brand of banana?

6. Name the personal physician to Roman emperor Octavius Augustus who is credited with having popularised the cultivation of banana.

7. What term coined by the French geographer Roger Brunet describes the corridor of urbanisation in Western Europe extending from England to Italy?

8. Bananas grow in bunches containing 10 to 25 fruits. What is the term used for this bunch?

9. Out of the more than 1000 varieties of bananas, which is the most widely cultivated?

10. Which American city celebrates an annual festival every June to mark the invention of the famous sundae Banana Split?

Answers to Quiz - 78

1. What method for determination of accurate costs was introduced in 1987 by 2 Harvard Business School professors, Robert Kaplan and William Bruns?

Activity Based Costing

2. Which organization first practiced the concept of Benchmarking in 1979 and who introduced it to them?

Xerox, Robert Camp

3. Who coined the term core competence in a 1990 article?

C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel

4. What model developed by Michael Porter explains why particular industries become competitive in particular locations?

Diamond Model

5. Which company developed and pioneered the concept of Economic Value Added (EVA), widely held today as the holy grail of corporate performance measure?

Stern Stewart

6. Who developed the principle of Force Field Analysis, which provides a framework for looking at factors that influence a situation?

Kurt Lewin

7. What theory of decision making was postulated by Irving Janis in 1970’s to explain how decisions are taken by groups more interested in maintaining their cohesiveness than evaluating facts realistically?

Groupthink

8. Name the 1954 book in which Abraham Maslow expounded his famous Hierarchy of Needs model?

Motivation and Personality

9. Who introduced the principle of ‘management by objectives’ in the 1954 book, The Practice of Management?

Peter Drucker

10. Name the management consultant who is widely credited with having devised the tool of SWOT Analysis?

Albert Humphrey

QUIZ -78

1. What method for determination of accurate costs was introduced in 1987 by 2 Harvard Business School professors, Robert Kaplan and William Bruns?

2. Which organization first practiced the concept of Benchmarking in 1979 and who introduced it to them?

3. Who coined the term core competence in a 1990 article?

4. What model developed by Michael Porter explains why particular industries become competitive in particular locations?

5. Which company developed and pioneered the concept of Economic Value Added (EVA), widely held today as the holy grail of corporate performance measure?

6. Who developed the principle of Force Field Analysis, which provides a framework for looking at factors that influence a situation?

7. What theory of decision making was postulated by Irving Janis in 1970’s to explain how decisions are taken by groups more interested in maintaining their cohesiveness than evaluating facts realistically?

8. Name the 1954 book in which Abraham Maslow expounded his famous Hierarchy of Needs model?

9. Who introduced the principle of ‘management by objectives’ in the 1954 book, The Practice of Management?

10. Name the management consultant who is widely credited with having devised the tool of SWOT Analysis?

Answers to Quiz - 77

1. What objects constitute a Hickson Compact Group?

Galaxies

2. What is 51 Pegasi b?

The first exoplanet to be discovered. Exoplanets are planets that orbit a star other than the Sun

3. Where is the Headquarters of the International Astronomical Union?

Paris

4. Who discovered the planet Pluto?

Clyde Tombaugh

5. What new category of astronomical objects did the International Astronomical Union create in 2008 following the redefinition of the word planet in 2006?

Plutoid

6. What is the name given to celestial objects between Jupiter and Neptune that act like both asteroids and comets?

Centaurs

7. What astronomical term describes the centre of mass of two bodies that orbit around each other, for example the earth and the moon?

Barycentre

8. What are the 3 satellites of Pluto?

Charon, Nix and Hydra

9. On 21st October 2003, an object bigger than Pluto was discovered and it eventually led to Pluto being stripped of its planetary status. Initially named 2003 UB313, by what name do we know it today?

Eris

10. Name the 19th Century astronomer who posed one of the most interesting problems of astrophysics – ‘why is the sky dark at night?’

Heinrich Olbers (Olbers Paradox)

QUIZ - 77

Ten questions for The International Year of Astronomy 2009

1. What objects constitute a Hickson Compact Group?

2. What is 51 Pegasi b?

3. Where is the Headquarters of the International Astronomical Union?

4. Who discovered the planet Pluto?

5. What new category of astronomical objects did the International Astronomical Union create in 2008 following the redefinition of the word planet in 2006?

6. What is the name given to celestial objects between Jupiter and Neptune that act like both asteroids and comets?

7. What astronomical term describes the centre of mass of two bodies that orbit around each other, for example the earth and the moon?

8. What are the 3 satellites of Pluto?

9. On 21st October 2003, an object bigger than Pluto was discovered and it eventually led to Pluto being stripped of its planetary status. Initially named 2003 UB313, by what name do we know it today?

10. Name the 19th Century astronomer who posed one of the most interesting problems of astrophysics – ‘why is the sky dark at night?’

Answers to Quiz - 76

1. What is an orphan drug?

A drug developed specifically to treat a rare medical condition, a disorder affecting fewer than 200,000 people in USA as per The Orphan Drug Act

2. What term describes a coral island surrounded by a lagoon?

Atoll

3. In which country would you hear the Dhivehi language?

Maldives

4. What is the name of the infamous award given by Greenpeace International for the worst act of deforestation?

Golden Chainsaw Award

5. Deriving its name from a literary society founded in England in the mid 18th Century, what derisive term is applied to a woman who affects literary interests?

Bluestocking

6. What landmark event n 1688 led to the overthrow of King James – II of England and paved the way for establishment of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy?

The Glorious Revolution

7. Name the largest of the 7 Canary Islands

Tenerife

8. What term borrowed from TV and film industry refers to formal financial approval to go ahead with a project?

Greenlighting

9. Under Megan’s Law in United States of America what details are required to be made available to the public?

Information about sex offenders

10. First stated by a French Mathematician Louis Bachelier in 1900 and later developed in 1960’s by Prof. Eugene Fama at University of Chicago, what theory states that the price at which an asset s traded in the market reflects all known information and instantly change to reflect new information?

Efficient Market Hypothesis

QUIZ - 76

1. What is an orphan drug?

2. What term describes a coral island surrounded by a lagoon?

3. In which country would you hear the Dhivehi language?

4. What is the name of the infamous award given by Greenpeace International for the worst act of deforestation?

5. Deriving its name from a literary society founded in England in the mid 18th Century, what derisive term is applied to a woman who affects literary interests?

6. What landmark event in 1688 led to the overthrow of King James – II of England and paved the way for establishment of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy?

7. Name the largest of the 7 Canary Islands

8. What term borrowed from TV and film industry refers to formal financial approval to go ahead with a project?

9. Under Megan’s Law in United States of America what details are required to be made available to the public?

10. First stated by a French Mathematician Louis Bachelier in 1900 and later developed in 1960’s by Prof. Eugene Fama at University of Chicago, what theory states that the price at which an asset s traded in the market reflects all known information and instantly change to reflect new information?

Answers to Quiz - 75

1. Name the 3 Lehman brothers

Henry, Emmanuel and Mayer

2. Which Italian painter is widely referred to as the Rembrandt of Italy?

Caravaggio

3. What is the largest bay on Earth measured by shoreline length?

Hudson Bay

4. What fruit comes in varieties of Burgundy, Duncan and Marsh?

Grapefruit

5. Who was the first American woman to be commemorated on a postage stamp?

Martha Washington, wife of George Washington

6. The Argentines call this place Malvinas. By what name does rest of the world know this place?

Falkland Islands

7. What is the term used for courts that can review and overrule previous judgments given by a lower court?

Courts of Cassation

8. What food was deeply revered by the Incas and referred to as the mother of all grains?

Quinoa

9. What term coined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov describes an obsessive kind of romantic love?

Limerence

10. What psychological term describes the tendency of people to form friendships or romantic relationships with those whom they encounter often

Propinquity Effect

QUIZ - 75

1. Name the 3 Lehman brothers

2. Which Italian painter is widely referred to as the Rembrandt of Italy?

3. What is the largest bay on Earth measured by shoreline length?

4. What fruit comes in varieties of Burgundy, Duncan and Marsh?

5. Who was the first American woman to be commemorated on a postage stamp?

6. The Argentines call this place Malvinas. By what name does rest of the world know this place?

7. What is the term used for courts that can review and overrule previous judgments given by a lower court?

8. What food was deeply revered by the Incas and referred to as the mother of all grains?

9. What term coined by psychologist Dorothy Tennov describes an obsessive kind of romantic love?

10. What psychological term describes the tendency of people to form friendships or romantic relationships with those whom they encounter often

Answers to Quiz - 74

1. What international convention seeks to protect biodiversity against the potential risk of being contaminated by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology?

Cartagena Protocol

2. Who in 1896 developed the Swiss Army Knife and went on to name his company Victoria in memory of his mother?

Karl Elsener

3. Name the American company that introduced the Reclining Chair in 1928 and whose name is today synonymous with that product.

La-z-boy

4. What communication medium did Jack Dorsey create in 2006?

Twitter

5. With students such as Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, who popularized the Method School of acting?

Lee Strasberg

6. What game uses terms like Flop, Fish and Fold?

Poker

7. Which is world’s most active volcano?

Kilauea volcano on Hawaii

8. What is the only country in the world with a solid, single-coloured flag?

Libya. Green colour

9. What are drumlins and eskers formed by?

Glaciers

10. What are the followers of the Unification Church called?

Moonies

QUIZ - 74

1. What international convention seeks to protect biodiversity against the potential risk of being contaminated by genetically modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology?

2. Who in 1896 developed the Swiss Army Knife and went on to name his company Victoria in memory of his mother?

3. Name the American company that introduced the Reclining Chair in 1928 and whose name is today synonymous with that product.

4. What communication medium did Jack Dorsey create in 2006?

5. With students such as Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, who popularized the Method School of acting?

6. What game uses terms like Flop, Fish and Fold?

7. Which is world’s most active volcano?

8. What is the only country in the world with a solid, single-coloured flag?

9. What are drumlins and eskers formed by?

10. What are the followers of the Unification Church called?

Answers to Quiz - 73

1. What word describes a person who only eats food grown or produced locally within a limited area?

Locavore

2. From what fruit is the liquor Kirsch derived?
Cherry

3. What was Professor Stephen Salter’s 1974 invention Edinburgh Duck used for?

Converting wave energy to electricity

4. In what unit is cloud cover of the sky usually reported?

Octa. It ranges from 0 to 8, 0 being clear blue sky and 8 fully overcast sky

5. What is the term used to describe sailors who have not crossed the equator?

Pollywog

6. What is the popular name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the British Open Golf Championships?

Claret Jug

7. What protein in banana is responsible for producing the neurotransmitter Serotonin?

Tryptophan

8. Name the alternative rock band that in 1988 produced the album Daydream Nation, widely regarded by critics as a milestone of the 1980s underground music.

Sonic Youth

9. What recently became the one millionth word of English language?

Web 2.0

10. What is Polysomnography used for?

To study sleep related disorders

QUIZ - 73

1. What word describes a person who only eats food grown or produced locally within a limited area?

2. From what fruit is the liquor Kirsch derived?

3. What was Professor Stephen Salter’s 1974 invention Edinburgh Duck used for?

4. In what unit is cloud cover of the sky usually reported?

5. What is the term used to describe sailors who have not crossed the equator?

6. What is the popular name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the British Open Golf Championships?

7. What protein in banana is responsible for producing the neurotransmitter Serotonin?

8. Name the alternative rock band that in 1988 produced the album Daydream Nation, widely regarded by critics as a milestone of the 1980s underground music.

9. What recently became the one millionth word of English language?

10. What is Polysomnography used for?

Answers to Quiz - 72

1. Who became the world’s first woman president in 1974?

Isabel Perón of Argentina

2. Who in 1960 became the world’s first elected woman Prime Minister?

Sirivamo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka

3. Who is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize?

Marie Curie in 1903

4. Name the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal

Charlotte Cooper in 1900

5. Who was the first woman to climb Mount Everest in 1975?

Junko Tabei

6. Who was the first woman to land on moon?

Till today no woman has landed on moon.

7. Who in 1889 became America’s first female corporate CEO?

Anna Bissell

8. Who was the first woman to win the Grand Slam in tennis?

Maureen Connolly in 1953

9. Who in 1762 became the first woman newspaper editor?

Ann Franklin

10. Who in 1976 became the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for the Best Director?

Lina Wertmüller

QUIZ - 72

Ten questions to mark International Women’s Day

1. Who became the world’s first woman president in 1974?

2. Who in 1960 became the world’s first elected woman Prime Minister?

3. Who is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize?

4. Name the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal

5. Who was the first woman to climb Mount Everest in 1975?

6. Who was the first woman to land on moon?

7. Who in 1889 became America’s first female corporate CEO?

8. Who was the first woman to win the Grand Slam in tennis?

9. Who in 1762 became the first woman newspaper editor?

10. Who in 1976 became the first woman to receive an Oscar nomination for the Best Director?

Answers to Quiz - 71

1. Named after a Boston endocrinologist, what term describes the most common sex chromosome disorder in which the affected male has an extra X chromosome?

Klinefelter’s Syndrome

2. Only two chemical elements exist as liquids at normal room temperature. What are they?

Bromine and Mercury

3. Name the historical event that took place between May 25 and September 17 in 1787 that resulted in drafting of the constitution of United States of America.

The Philadelphia Convention

4. Which king once famously said ‘I am the State’?

Louis XIV

5. What is the term in economics to describe highly liquid assets that are not cash but can be easily converted into cash?

Near Money

6. What term that literally means ‘Mountain Fortress’ denotes the popular Chinese subculture of pirated brands and goods?

Shanzhai

7. In professional wrestling who are jobbers?

Wrestlers who are scripted to lose their match

8. What word borrowed from German describes the feeling of delight at the suffering of others?

Schadenfreude

9. What rare mineral named after a famous crystallographer has displaced diamond as the hardest substance?.

Lonsdaleite

10. What term describes sharing of office space between employees who are on different shifts or schedule?

Hot Desk

QUIZ - 71

1. Named after a Boston endocrinologist, what term describes the most common sex chromosome disorder in which the affected male has an extra X chromosome?

2. Only two chemical elements exist as liquids at normal room temperature. What are they?

3. Name the historical event that took place between May 25 and September 17 in 1787 that resulted in drafting of the constitution of United States of America.

4. Which king once famously said ‘I am the State’?

5. What is the term in economics to describe highly liquid assets that are not cash but can be easily converted into cash?

6. What term that literally means ‘Mountain Fortress’ denotes the popular Chinese subculture of pirated brands and goods?

7. In professional wrestling who are jobbers?

8. What word borrowed from German describes the feeling of delight at the suffering of others?

9. What rare mineral named after a famous crystallographer has displaced diamond as the hardest substance?.

10. What term describes sharing of office space between employees who are on different shifts or schedule?

Answers to Quiz - 70

1. Which specie of bird is widely believed to have propelled Charles Darwin in his postulation of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?

Finch

2. At a meeting of which well known scientific society did Charles Darwin present his famous theory of evolution on 1st July 1858?

The Linnean Society

3. Which British naturalist independently proposed the theory of natural evolution and thereby precipitated Charles Darwin’s decision to publish his own theory?

Alfred Russell Wallace

4. The inheritance from which famous family, to which he was connected through both his mother and wife, helped Charles Darwin in his chosen vocation?

Wedgwood

5. Who was the captain of HMS Beagle that took Charles Darwin on his 5 year long path breaking scientific expedition?

Robert FitzRoy

6. What marine creature did Charles Darwin study for 8 long years from 1846 to 1854 to train himself in zoology?

Barnacles

7. Name the renowned Geologist whose work deeply influenced Charles Darwin.

Sir Charles Lyell

8. What did Charles Darwin study in Edinburgh between 1825 and 1827 before abandoning it for theological studies in Cambridge?

Medicine

9. Name the famous botanist and explorer with whom Charles Darwin struck a deep friendship and whom he described as "the one living soul from whom I have constantly received sympathy".

Joseph Dalton Hooker

10. What was the strange subject of Charles Darwin’s last book published in 1881, a year before his death?

Vegetable Mould and Worms

QUIZ - 70

February 12 marks the 200th birth anniversary of one of the all time great scientists, Charles Darwin. This quiz is dedicated to his memory.

1. Which specie of bird is widely believed to have propelled Charles Darwin in his postulation of the Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection?
2. At a meeting of which well known scientific society did Charles Darwin present his famous theory of evolution on 1st July 1858?

3. Which British naturalist independently proposed the theory of natural evolution and thereby precipitated Charles Darwin’s decision to publish his own theory?

4. The inheritance from which famous family, to which he was connected through both his mother and wife, helped Charles Darwin in his chosen vocation?

5. Who was the captain of HMS Beagle that took Charles Darwin on his 5 year long path breaking scientific expedition?

6. What marine creature did Charles Darwin study for 8 long years from 1846 to 1854 to train himself in zoology?

7. Name the renowned Geologist whose work deeply influenced Charles Darwin.

8. What did Charles Darwin study in Edinburgh between 1825 and 1827 before abandoning it for theological studies in Cambridge?

9. Name the famous botanist and explorer with whom Charles Darwin struck a deep friendship and whom he described as "the one living soul from whom I have constantly received sympathy".

10. What was the strange subject of Charles Darwin’s last book published in 1881, a year before his death?

Answers to Quiz - 69

1. What is the most common language spoken by Kurdish people?

Kurmanji

2. What term describes the naturally occurring phenomenon of dense concentration of harmful algae in marine bodies that lead to the death of fish?

Red Tide

3. The national film awards of France are given out every year in February and are named after the sculptor who designed the trophies. What are these awards called?

César Awards after César Baldaccini

4. The Haute Route is considered to be the most challenging ski tour in the world. Between which two points in the Alps does this route stretch?

Chamonix in France and Zermatt in Switzerland

5. Who are schmooseoisie?

The people who make their living by talking

6. What term describes food derived from genetically modified plants and animals?

Frankenfood

7. The Henry Draper Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for contributions to astrophysics. What did Henry Draper pioneer?

Astrophotography

8. Which chemical compound has the highest melting point of all known substances in the world at 4215 Degrees C?

Tantalum Hafnium Carbide

9. 50 years ago the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman delivered a famous lecture
‘There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom’. What concept did this lecture give birth to?

Nanotechnology

10. What famous bridge was known by the nickname of Galloping Gertie?

The Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge which collapsed dramatically on 7th Nov 1940.

QUIZ - 69

1. What is the most common language spoken by Kurdish people?

2. What term describes the naturally occurring phenomenon of dense concentration of harmful algae in marine bodies that lead to the death of fish?

3. The national film awards of France are given out every year in February and are named after the sculptor who designed the trophies. What are these awards called?

4. The Haute Route is considered to be the most challenging ski tour in the world. Between which two points in the Alps does this route stretch?

5. Who are schmooseoisie?

6. What term describes food derived from genetically modified plants and animals?

7. The Henry Draper Medal is awarded by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences for contributions to astrophysics. What did Henry Draper pioneer?

8. Which chemical compound has the highest melting point of all known substances in the world at 4215 Degrees C?

9. 50 years ago the Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman delivered a famous lecture ‘There is Plenty of Room at the Bottom’. What concept did this lecture give birth to?

10. What famous bridge was known by the nickname of Galloping Gertie?