The Really Difficult Quiz about 2020

1)     On 8^th December, 90-year-old Margaret Keenan became the first person to be vaccinated against COVID19. outside of clinical trials. What is the name of the Filipino nurse who administered the vaccine?

2)      A capsule containing asteroid dust landed in the Australian desert on 14^th December. It was part of the Japanese space mission Hayabusa-2. What is the name of the asteroid from which the dust samples were collected?

3)      Corona Chocks are made out of wood. What are they used for?

4)      Dr Li Wenliang, who worked at a hospital in Wuhan, became famous as a whistleblower for alerting people about the outbreak of COVID19 as early as in December 2019. The authorities admonished him for this act. Later he contracted the infection and died on 7^th February. What medical branch did Dr Li Wenliang practice in?

5)      Many celebrities passed away in 2020. Sean Connery, the British actor famous for his roles as James Bond, passed away on 31^st October. What is the name of the 1954 film in which he made his debut as an uncredited extra?

6)      A helicopter crash on 26^th January killed the iconic basketballer Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others. What company established by a Russian – American aviator manufactured the ill-fated helicopter?

7)      The scientific world was shocked in June, when The Lancet, the top medical journal, retracted a paper that raised alarms about the use of Hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID19. Which American healthcare analytics company did The Lancet blame for not providing enough data for peer review?

8)      In November, Joe Biden was elected as the President of USA. At 78, he will be the oldest President to take office. John Kennedy was the youngest elected President to assume office in 1961 at 43. But who became the youngest President at the age of 42 in 1901?

9)      20^th April will go down in history as the day when the US crude oil price went into negative territory because of demand collapse. What is the exact rock bottom price touched on that day?

10)   In September, the detection of a gas in the atmosphere of Venus was touted as a possible sign of extraterrestrial life. But subsequently these hopes were dashed as it was attributed to an error in data processing. What is the name of this gas that raised our hopes?

World Heritage Day

Today (18^th April) is World Heritage Day. India has 38 World Heritage Sites.

Here are 10 sites from different parts of the country. Can you identify them?
All photos shot by me. 

1)    This temple was built around 1150 AD by the emperor of one of the iconic and longest ruling dynasties in world history. What is the name of the temple? Where is it located?

2)      A collection of 7 churches in Old Goa have been collectively designated as a world heritage site. Name this church which was built in 1597.

3)     These carvings are from an iconic structure in Gujarat that is perhaps unique to India. Name this 11^th C monument, which is one of the finest and largest examples of this kind of structure. It is also featured on the new Hundred Rupee note.

4)     Name this architect, the pioneer of the Modern Movement, whose building projects in 7 different countries and 3 different continents have been collectively designated as world heritage site.

5)      This was an important learning centre for 700 years from 5^th C to 12^th C.

6)    These wonderful gargoyles embellish this still functional building, considered to be one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic architecture.

7)      The king who built these monuments also founded a city that is named after him.

8)     Half a dozen hill forts scattered across the state of Rajasthan have been designated as world heritage sites. Name this fort.

9)    3 mountain railways of India have been collectively designated as world heritage site. A 4^th line is on the tentative list. Name the railway line featured in this picture.

10)   Name this site, which is India’s first “Mixed Heritage” site representing both natural and cultural elements.

THE REALLY DIFFICULT QUIZ ABOUT 2019

Test your knowledge about the year that just passed into history. 

1) On 3^rd January, China became the first country to land a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon. The Chinese probe Chang’e-4 landed in a crater located in the South Pole – Aitken basin on the far side of the moon, that never faces earth. The crater where the probe landed is named after a famous Hungarian-American mathematician and aerospace engineer noted for many key advances in aerodynamics. Who is he?

2) On 12^th February, a country renamed itself by adding the label “North” to its name. This renaming followed 30 years of dispute with a neighbouring country, which accused it of appropriating its cultural identity and heritage. What are these 2 countries?

3) On 10^th April, the world was blown away by the first ever image of a Black Hole. The Black Hole is located in the Messier 87 galaxy, 500 million trillion kms away from us. Astronomers soon named the Black Hole as M87*, the asterisk mark indicating a “black hole”. But a Hawaiian language professor came up with a poetic name, which means “embellished dark source of unending creation”. What is this unofficial name of the Black Hole?

4) On 30^th April, Emperor Akihito stepped down to become the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 200 years. This brought to an end the Heisei Era. The next day, his son, Naruhito ascended the throne to usher in a new era. What is the name of this new era, which has been inspired from the 7^th Century collection of Japanese poetry called Manyoshu?

5) On 6^th May, Archie was born, seventh in line to the British throne. What would be his pompous title, if his parents choose not to let him grow up as a private citizen?

6) On 18^th June, Marta Vieira da Silva of Brazil became the leading goal scorer in women’s or men’s World Cup tournaments by scoring her 17^th goal in the 1-0 win against Italy in Valenciennes, France. Whose record did she eclipse?

7) The Hong Kong protesters, who were in news for most of 2019, use colour coded maps to identify establishments that are sympathetic to their movement and those against. What 2 principal colours are used for this code?

8) On 18^th August, a group of around 100 people walked up a mountain and installed a plaque to mourn a passing away. The plaque mentioned “415 ppm CO2” as the cause of the tragic demise. What was being mourned?

9) On 18^th October, 50 years after man first set foot on Moon, two NASA astronauts, Christina Koch and Jessica Meir, created history through their first all-woman spacewalk. They spent 7 hours outside the International Space Station to replace a faulty power control unit. This historic spacewalk was originally scheduled for March but had to be postponed. What was the reason for this reschedule?

10) On 27^th June, Matty Roberts, a 21-year old college student created a storm on the Internet by asking people to raid a top-secret military base in Nevada, that has been associated with aliens and UFOs. It brought FBI knocking on his door. What was this event touted as on Facebook?

11) A photo editing app is fuelling a fashion revolution on the Internet, which is characterized by female teenagers dressing and acting in a certain manner that is indistinguishable from each other. What is this meme called?

12) Finally, Donald Trump, who became the third American President to be impeached. At the heart of the controversy was Trump’s alleged request to his Ukrainian counterpart, to investigate Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, about his work with Burisma Holdings Limited, a large energy exploration and production company. Where is the headquarters of Burisma located?