QUIZ - 60

1. Name the French monk of the Dominican order and a close friend of Pierre de Coubertin who coined the slogan of the modern Olympics - Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).

2. The distance over which the Marathon was run at the first Olympics in Athens in 1896 was 24.85 miles (40kms). In which Olympics was an extra 2 kms added and why?

3. Name the Russian gymnast who holds the record of having won the most number of Olympic medals (18)

4. Where is the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee?

5. What dubious distinction is held by the Swedish modern pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwal?

6. What is the ‘Antwerp Ceremony’ held during the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games?

Answers to Quiz - 59

1. What American political action group composed of conservative, fundamentalist Christians was founded in 1979 by evangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell?

Moral Majority

2. What famous German youth movement was started in 1901 in the town of Steglitz?

Wandervogel

3. What is the name given to the biological process of a living organism approaching an advanced age?

Senescence

4. Name the term coined by Dr. Bruce McEwan of Rockefeller University to describe the damage suffered by the human body as it fights and adapts to a stressful environment.

Allostatic Load

5. What are Habstars?

Stars that could set up favorable conditions for life as we know it on Earth

6. What did Alfred Winslow Jones, a sociologist and financial journalist pioneer in 1949?

The world’s first modern Hedge Fund

7. In which sport would you encounter the term En passant?

It is a special capture mode by pawn in the game of chess

8. Name the 15th Century king of Hungary, known often as the ‘raven king’, who is most famous for having built one of the finest libraries

Matthias Corvinus

9. After what fictional character is the famous coffee chain Starbucks named?

Captain Ahab’s first mate in Hermann Melville’s book Moby-Dick

10. Name the largest crater of earth’s moon, which until recently was also believed to be the largest of our solar system

South pole Aitken

QUIZ - 59

1. What American political action group composed of conservative, fundamentalist Christians was founded in 1979 by evangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell?

2. What famous German youth movement was started in 1901 in the town of Steglitz?

3. What is the name given to the biological process of a living organism approaching an advanced age?

4. Name the term coined by Dr. Bruce McEwan of Rockefeller University to describe the damage suffered by the human body as it fights and adapts to a stressful environment.

5. What are Habstars?

6. What did Alfred Winslow Jones, a sociologist and financial journalist pioneer in 1949?

7. In which sport would you encounter the term En passant?

8. Name the 15th Century king of Hungary, known often as the ‘raven king’, who is most famous for having built one of the finest libraries

9. After what fictional character is the famous coffee chain Starbucks named?

10. Name the largest crater of earth’s moon, which until recently was also believed to be the largest of our solar system

Answers to Quiz - 58

1. What term describes a snatch of song or music that keeps playing itself in one’s mind?

Earworm

2. Established in 2000 and referred to as African Booker, what is the annual award for African writing?

The Caine Prize

3. What are aerological days?

Days agreed upon internationally to carry out intensive observation of the earth’s atmsosphere.

4. What parasitic fungus that grows on caterpillars found in certain parts of Nepal is highly prized as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine?

Yarchagumba

5. What style of novel writing actually describes a real-life story thinly disguised as fiction?

Roman à clef

6. What medical term describes the condition of excessive body hair?

Hypertrichosis or Werewolf Syndrome

7. What or who is the Tasmanian Devil

The largest carnivorous marsupial which is found in the wild only in the Australian island state of Tasmania

8. What substance is responsible for the yellow colour of turmeric?

Curcumin

9. What kind of commercial fishing technique uses hundreds of baited hooks strung out on a single line?

Longlining

10. What term in linguistics describes a word or phrase that is borrowed from another language by literal word to word translation?

Calque

QUIZ - 58

1. What term describes a snatch of song or music that keeps playing itself in one’s mind?

2. Established in 2000 and referred to as African Booker, what is the annual award for African writing?

3. What are aerological days?

4. What parasitic fungus that grows on caterpillars found in certain parts of Nepal is highly prized as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine?

5. What style of novel writing actually describes a real-life story thinly disguised as fiction?

6. What medical term describes the condition of excessive body hair?

7. What or who is the Tasmanian Devil

8. What substance is responsible for the yellow colour of turmeric?

9. What kind of commercial fishing technique uses hundreds of baited hooks strung out on a single line?

10. What term in linguistics describes a word or phrase that is borrowed from another language by literal word to word translation?

Answers to Quiz - 57

1. What is the name of the stretch of sea that separates mainland England from the Isle of Wright?

The Solent

2. What term in archaeology and anthropology is used to describe the transition from a nomadic way of life to a permanent settlement?

Sedentism

3. What is the name of the vast depression covering as much as 40% of the surface of Mars, believed to be the largest asteroid impact crater known anywhere in the solar system?

Borealis Basin

4. Who is a pescatarian?

A person who is a vegetarian with the exception of eating fish

5. Which civilization is credited with having created the first known pottery in the world?

Jomon people in Japan, dating back to 14th Century BC

6. What is the name of the new theory developed in 2004 to explain the origin of the planets in our solar system?

Nice Model, after the city of Nice in France, where the scientists met to put forward the theory

7. In honour of whose martyrdom is the bull running ceremony observed in the streets of the Spanish town of Pamplona every July?

Saint Fermin

8. What are Imbrium, Serenitatis, Crisium and Nectaris?

Prominent craters on the moon

9. Name the English intellectual, pamphleteer and inventor who had a great influence on American and French revolutions through such powerful works like Common Sense and Rights of Man.

Thomas Paine

10. What is the name of the former landmass in the North Sea that connected Great Britain and mainland Europe?

Doggerland

QUIZ - 57

1. What is the name of the stretch of sea that separates mainland England from the Isle of Wright?

2. What term in archaeology and anthropology is used to describe the transition from a nomadic way of life to a permanent settlement?

3. What is the name of the vast depression covering as much as 40% of the surface of Mars, believed to be the largest asteroid impact crater known anywhere in the solar system?

4. Who is a pescatarian?

5. Which civilization is credited with having created the first known pottery in the world?

6. What is the name of the new theory developed in 2004 to explain the origin of the planets in our solar system?

7. In honour of whose martyrdom is the bull running ceremony observed in the streets of the Spanish town of Pamplona every July?

8. What are Imbrium, Serenitatis, Crisium and Nectaris?

9. Name the English intellectual, pamphleteer and inventor who had a great influence on American and French revolutions through such powerful works like Common Sense and Rights of Man.

10. What is the name of the former landmass in the North Sea that connected Great Britain and mainland Europe?

Answers to Quiz - 56

1. What term named after a famous American singer-actress describes the phenomenon on the internet when an attempt to remove or block a piece of information backfires and actually increases its popularity?

The Streisand effect

2. What branch of applied chemistry deals with the production of industrial chemicals from agricultural feedstock?

Chemurgy

3. Name the social psychologist who conducted a series of famous experiments on ‘obedience to authority’ at Yale University in 1961-1962, in which ordinary people were found willing to give apparently harmful electric shocks to protesting victims, simply because a scientific authority commanded them to.

Stanley Milgram

4. What endangered animal of New Zealand, resembling a lizard, is often termed as ‘living fossil’?

Tuatara

5. What hallucinogenic substance is derived from certain types of mushrooms called magic mushrooms or shrooms grown in parts of South America and Mexico?

Psilocybin

6. What is the popular name of the 1984 US Law that stimulated the generic drugs industry and gave it considerable clout in patent litigation?

Hatch Waxman Act

7. Name the American tailor who in 1924 invented and patented the necktie as we know it today.

Jesse Langsdorf

8. In which part of Europe is the language Euskara widely spoken?

The Basque province in North-East Spain

9. Name the Hungarian writer who in 1929 proposed in his short story ‘Chains’ the concept of ‘Six Degrees of Separation’, according to which everyone in this world is separated from everyone else by six links.

Frigyes Karinthy

10. What are metabolomes?

The complete set of intermediates and products of the process of metabolism in a living cell.

QUIZ - 56

1. What term named after a famous American singer-actress describes the phenomenon on the internet when an attempt to remove or block a piece of information backfires and actually increases its popularity?

2. What branch of applied chemistry deals with the production of industrial chemicals from agricultural feedstock?

3. Name the social psychologist who conducted a series of famous experiments on ‘obedience to authority’ at Yale University in 1961-1962, in which ordinary people were found willing to give apparently harmful electric shocks to protesting victims, simply because a scientific authority commanded them to.

4. What endangered animal of New Zealand, resembling a lizard, is often termed as ‘living fossil’?

5. What hallucinogenic substance is derived from certain types of mushrooms called magic mushrooms or shrooms grown in parts of South America and Mexico?

6. What is the popular name of the 1984 US Law that stimulated the generic drugs industry and gave it considerable clout in patent litigation?

7. Name the American tailor who in 1924 invented and patented the necktie as we know it today.

8. In which part of Europe is the language Euskara widely spoken?

9. Name the Hungarian writer who in 1929 proposed in his short story ‘Chains’ the concept of ‘Six Degrees of Separation’, according to which everyone in this world is separated from everyone else by six links.

10. What are metabolomes?

Answers to Quiz - 55

1. What term originating from London’s Savile Row, usually applied to a suit is used to describe something that is made exactly to a customer’s specification?

Bespoke

2. Name the behavioural economist who suggested ‘The Endowment Effect’, according to which people place a higher value on objects they own than objects that they do not.

Richard Thaler

3. Robot, introduced and popularized by Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R, is derived from the Czech word robota. What does robota mean in the Czech language?

Labour

4. It is referred to as Contraterrene in Science Fiction. By what name do physicists call it?

Antimatter

5. The site of what cataclysmic event that took place on June 30, 1908 is marked by a totem pole dedicated to Agdy, the God of Thunder?

Tunguska Explosion

6. A sequel continues a story begun in a previous film. A prequel narrates the story prior to that of a previous film. But what is a requel?

A movie with the same subject matter as an earlier film, but not a remake of that film

7. What kind of fear is Scolionophobia?

Fear of schools

8. In what field do you use the term Jansen’s Alpha?

Finance, specifically portfolio management

9. What is the practice of people consuming insects for food known as?

Entomophagy

10. Name the pioneering Rock and Roll musician whose trademark instrument was the rectangular guitar?

Bo Diddley

QUIZ - 55

1. What term originating from London’s Savile Row, usually applied to a suit is used to describe something that is made exactly to a customer’s specification?

2. Name the behavioural economist who suggested ‘The Endowment Effect’, according to which people place a higher value on objects they own than objects that they do not.

3. Robot, introduced and popularized by Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R, is derived from the Czech word robota. What does robota mean in the Czech language?

4. It is referred to as Contraterrene in Science Fiction. By what name do physicists call it?

5. The site of what cataclysmic event that took place on June 30, 1908 is marked by a totem pole dedicated to Agdy, the God of Thunder?

6. A sequel continues a story begun in a previous film. A prequel narrates the story prior to that of a previous film. But what is a requel?

7. What kind of fear is Scolionophobia?

8. In what field do you use the term Jansen’s Alpha?

9. What is the practice of people consuming insects for food known as?

10. Name the pioneering Rock and Roll musician whose trademark instrument was the rectangular guitar?

Answers to Quiz - 54

1. Believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus is a rare nocturnal bird found in the south-eastern part of India. What is its popular name after its original discoverer in 1868?

Jerdon’s Courser

2. What is name given to the portable wooden or metal board used in monasteries to summon the faithful to prayer?

Talanton

3. What are words derived from names of places called?

Toponym

4. What term coined by Robert Fuller describes the discriminatory and exploitative practice towards people who rank lower in a hierarchy?

Rankism

5. Produced in the gut, which hormone stimulates our appetite?

Ghrelin

6. What is a tuxedo designed for a woman called?

Tuxeda

7. In which sport, would you use the phrase Charity Stripe?

Basketball, The Free-Throw line

8. What language uses the Katakana script?

Japanese

9. Literally meaning white liquor, what popular Chinese spirit distilled from grains is classified according to its fragrance?

Baijiu

10. What is the name of the carpets, often used as prayer rugs, produced in many parts of Central Asia by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat surface?

Kilims

QUIZ - 54

1.Believed to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1986, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus is a rare nocturnal bird found in the south-eastern part of India. What is its popular name after its original discoverer in 1868?

2. What is name given to the portable wooden or metal board used in monasteries to summon the faithful to prayer?

3. What are words derived from names of places called?

4. What term coined by Robert Fuller describes the discriminatory and exploitative practice towards people who rank lower in a hierarchy?

5. Produced in the gut, which hormone stimulates our appetite?

6. What is a tuxedo designed for a woman called?

7. In which sport, would you use the phrase Charity Stripe?

8. What language uses the Katakana script?

9. Literally meaning white liquor, what popular Chinese spirit distilled from grains is classified according to its fragrance?

10. What is the name of the carpets, often used as prayer rugs, produced in many parts of Central Asia by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat surface?

Answers to Quiz - 53

1. Despite path breaking inventions like printing, compass, gunpowder etc, scientific and industrial revolutions that took place in the western world eluded China. Name the reputed British Sinologist who posed this interesting conundrum, which is since then identified with his name.

Joseph Needham, Needham’s Grand Question

2. Instituted in 2001, the Ashden Awards are given for excellence in the field of sustainable energy. By what popular name are these awards called?

Green Oscars

3. What is the name of the energetic freestyle dance form that originated among the African-American community on the streets of Los Angeles as a creative outlet for youths on the edge of criminal activities?

Krumping

4. This month we are celebrating the centenary of an accidental invention by Thomas Sullivan, a New York merchant. What is this invention used by millions of people today?

Tea Bag

5. Which awards are widely touted as the Oscars of the food world?

James Beard Foundation Awards

6. What solo collection for Dior catapulted Yves Saint Laurent into stardom at the age of 21 in 1958?

Ligne Trapeze

7. What does the Baltic Dry Index measure?

Bulk shipping rates

8. In United States what does a Code Red Day signify?

Unhealthy levels of air pollution

9. Name the economist considered as the first proponent of Value Investing?

Benjamin Graham

10. Name the French town that hosts world’s leading international festival for animated films in every June?

Annecy

QUIZ - 53

1. Despite path breaking inventions like printing, compass, gunpowder etc, scientific and industrial revolutions that took place in the western world eluded China. Name the reputed British Sinologist who posed this interesting conundrum, which is since then identified with his name.

2. Instituted in 2001, the Ashden Awards are given for excellence in the field of sustainable energy. By what popular name are these awards called?

3. What is the name of the energetic freestyle dance form that originated among the African-American community on the streets of Los Angeles as a creative outlet for youths on the edge of criminal activities?

4. This month we are celebrating the centenary of an accidental invention by Thomas Sullivan, a New York merchant. What is this invention used by millions of people today?

5. Which awards are widely touted as the Oscars of the food world?

6. What solo collection for Dior catapulted Yves Saint Laurent into stardom at the age of 21 in 1958?

7. What does the Baltic Dry Index measure?

8. In the United States what does a Code Red Day signify?

9. Name the economist considered as the first proponent of Value Investing.

10. Name the French town that hosts world’s leading international festival for animated films in every June.

Answers to Quiz - 52

1. Coined by the American writer Sylvia Wright in 1954, what term describes the misinterpretation of a line or lyric due to hearing it wrongly and mistaking it for similar sounding words or phrases?

Mondegreen

2. What measures the effect of food on our blood glucose levels?

Glycemic Index

3. Which American Civil War General dubbed as ‘Young Napoleon’ by the press was sacked by Abraham Lincoln and went on to challenge him unsuccessfully in the presidential election of 1864?

George B McClellan

4. Name the popular Italian bread which in Italian means slipper, because of its resemblance to slipper?

Ciabatta

5. What ancient port city is the precursor to modern city state of Singapore?

Temasek

6. What did the American circus acrobat George Nissen invent in his garage in 1936?

Trampoline

7. George W Ferris built the first Ferris Wheel in 1893 for the World Fair at Chicago to commemorate a very famous event. What event?

400^th Anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s landing in America

8. The House of Habsburg has ruled many countries in Europe, among them Austria, Hungary and Spain. But in which country is the seat of origin of the Habsburg Dynasty located?

Switzerland

9. Glioblastoma is an aggressive and near incurable form of tumour. Which part of the body does it affect?

Brain

10. What is the name given to the uprising led by the Russian army in December 1825 to protest against Nicholas I’s ascension to the throne?

The Decembrist Revolt

QUIZ - 52

1. Coined by the American writer Sylvia Wright in 1954, what term describes the misinterpretation of a line or lyric due to hearing it wrongly and mistaking it for similar sounding words or phrases?

2. What measures the effect of food on our blood glucose levels?

3. Which American Civil War General dubbed as ‘Young Napoleon’ by the press was sacked by Abraham Lincoln and went on to challenge him unsuccessfully in the presidential election of 1864?

4. Name the popular Italian bread which in Italian means slipper, because of its resemblance to slipper?

5. What ancient port city is the precursor to modern city state of Singapore?

6. What did the American circus acrobat George Nissen invent in his garage in 1936?

7. George W Ferris built the first Ferris Wheel in 1893 for the World Fair at Chicago to commemorate a very famous event. What event?

8. The House of Habsburg has ruled many countries in Europe, among them Austria, Hungary and Spain. But in which country is the seat of origin of the Habsburg Dynasty located?

9. Glioblastoma is an aggressive and near incurable form of tumour. Which part of the body does it affect?

10. What is the name given to the uprising led by the Russian army in December 1825 to protest against Nicholas I’s ascension to the throne?

Answers to Quiz - 51

1. What is the name of the membranous sac that surrounds and protects the embryo in mammals?

Amnion

2. In which city would you find the hotel Mr. President, with each room designed and named after a current or past world leader?

Belgrade

3. Who is believed to be the originator of the term ‘Epiphenomenalism’, which holds the view that mental events are caused by physical events in the brain.

T.H.Huxley

4. In what field are the Whitley Awards given out?

Conservation of Nature

5. What device invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented in 1801 is used in expensive mechanical watches to maintain accurate time?

Tourbillon

6. What famous incident took place in the British House of Commons on May 7 and 8 of 1940, which ultimately led to the resignation of the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain?

Norway Debate

7. What term coined by C.H.Waddington in 1942 describes the idea that environmental factors can cause an organism’s genes to behave differently?

Epigenetics

8. He died in a plane crash in 1998 and in 1999 an annual award for Global Health and Human Rights was instituted in his name. Name this former director of World Health Organisation’s special programme on AIDS.

Jonathan Mann

9. What are microbes that thrive in extreme physical conditions called?

Extremophiles

10. What diagram was popularized by the American Libertarian party to illustrate their view that libertarianism stands for both economic freedom and personal freedom?

The Nolan Chart

QUIZ - 51

1. What is the name of the membranous sac that surrounds and protects the embryo in mammals?

2. In which city would you find the hotel Mr. President, with each room designed and named after a current or past world leader?

3. Who is believed to be the originator of the term ‘Epiphenomenalism’, which holds the view that mental events are caused by physical events in the brain.

4. In what field are the Whitley Awards given out?

5. What device invented by Abraham-Louis Breguet and patented in 1801 is used in expensive mechanical watches to maintain accurate time?

6. What famous incident took place in the British House of Commons on May 7 and 8 of 1940, which ultimately led to the resignation of the then Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain?

7. What term coined by C.H.Waddington in 1942 describes the idea that environmental factors can cause an organism’s genes to behave differently?

8. He died in a plane crash in 1998 and in 1999 an annual award for Global Health and Human Rights was instituted in his name. Name this former director of World Health Organisation’s special programme on AIDS.

9. What are microbes that thrive in extreme physical conditions called?

10. What diagram was popularized by the American Libertarian party to illustrate their view that libertarianism stands for both economic freedom and personal freedom?

Answers to Quiz - 50

1. Name the famous Roman statesman, orator and writer who has given two eponyms to English language, one for a tour guide and the other for ornate language.

Marcus Tullius Cicero and the eponyms are Cicerone and Ciceronian

2. A 19^th Century novel has provided two eponyms – one derived from the book’s title (and also the name of one of the main characters) for a man’s hat and the other derived from the name of another main character for a person who manipulates and exercises excessive control over another person. Name the author of this novel.

George du Maurier and the eponyms are Tilby and Svengali

3. Pierre Alexis, Viscount of Ponson du Terrail, the prolific French writer of 19^th Century, is best remembered for his fictional character, whose name has been adopted in English language as an adjective for fantastic or incredible. Name this character.

Rocambole and the eponym is rocambolesque

4. Which 19^th Century American soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas revolution has lent his name for a certain kind of knife?

James Bowie

5. Which word used to describe a loud booming voice is derived from the Greek herald in the Trojan War whose voice was said to be as powerful as the voices of 50 other men?

Stentorian after Stentor

6. After which mythical character is a phrase meaning a watery grave for sailors derived?

Davy Jones

7. Name the 17^th Century play written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher which has given us the word Abigail, from a character of the same name

The Scornful Lady

8. A stable owner living in Cambridge, England in the 16^th/17^th Century made his customers take the horse nearest to the door. His name today is associated with a choice that appears free but actually provides no alternative. What is his name?

Thomas Hobson, Hobson’s Choice

9. Which 20^th Century American banker has provided two eponyms – one for a rose coloured gem and the other for acquiring control over an entire industry for the sake of profit?

J.P. Morgan and the eponyms are Morganite and Morganize

10. The practice of filing down a horse’s teeth to make it look younger is derived from the name of the person who first employed this deception. What is the surprising term for this practice?

Bishop

QUIZ - 50

The 50^th edition of this Quiz is all about Eponyms, words derived from the names of people - real, fictional or mythical.

1. Name the famous Roman statesman, orator and writer who has given two eponyms to English language, one for a tour guide and the other for ornate language.

2. A 19^th Century novel has provided two eponyms – one derived from the book’s title (and also the name of one of the main characters) for a man’s hat and the other derived from the name of another main character for a person who manipulates and exercises excessive control over another person. Name the author of this novel.

3. Pierre Alexis, Viscount of Ponson du Terrail, the prolific French writer of 19^th Century, is best remembered for his fictional character, whose name has been adopted in English language as an adjective for fantastic or incredible. Name this character.

4. Which 19^th Century American soldier who played a prominent role in the Texas revolution has lent his name for a certain kind of knife?

5. Which word used to describe a loud booming voice is derived from the Greek herald in the Trojan War whose voice was said to be as powerful as the voices of 50 other men?

6. After which mythical character is a phrase meaning a watery grave for sailors derived?

7. Name the 17^th Century play written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher which has given us the word Abigail, from a character of the same name

8. A stable owner living in Cambridge, England in the 16^th/17^th Century made his customers take the horse nearest to the door. His name today is associated with a choice that appears free but actually provides no alternative. What is his name?

9. Which 20^th Century American banker has provided two eponyms – one for a rose coloured gem and the other for acquiring control over an entire industry for the sake of profit?

10. The practice of filing down a horse’s teeth to make it look younger is derived from the name of the person who first employed this deception. What is the surprising term for this practice?

Answers to Quiz - 49

1. What are Tanngrisni and Tanngniost?

The two goats that draw the Thunder God Thor’s chariot.

2. If short sight is Myopia and long sight is Hyperopia, what is the progressive diminishing of the eye’s ability to focus on near objects, brought on by aging?

Presbyopia

3. What term coined by German art critic Franz Roh in mid 1920’s to describe the style of painters trying to show reality in a new way was subsequently extended to describe the literary style of a lot of Latin American literature?

Magical Realism

4. If Grammy is for music and Emmy is for television productions, what are Freddie awards given for?

Best Frequent Flyer Programmes

5. The El Rocio pilgrimage held every year in May in Spain involves the display and veneration of a statue of Virgin Mary discovered in a tree trunk by a hunter in the 15^th Century. By what popular name is the El Rocio Virgin known as?

Madonna of the Dew

6. What is the name of the supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago before breaking up into the continents as we know them today?

Pangaea

7. What term describes the extra electric power made available through the use of energy efficient electric appliances?

Negawatt Power

8. What traditional method of fishing practiced in Japan for 1300 years uses the cormorant bird to catch the fish?

Ukai

9. The term Wonk is believed by some to be the reverse of Know and some others expand it to WithOut Normal Knowledge. What does Wonk mean?

An expert who studies a subject or issue thoroughly and excessively.

10. In 1790 Abraham Louis Breguet, regarded as the greatest watch maker of all times, invented a device which became the forerunner of all shock protection systems used in wristwatches. What is this device called?

Pare-Chute

QUIZ - 49

1. What are Tanngrisni and Tanngniost?

2. If short sight is Myopia and long sight is Hyperopia, what is the progressive diminishing of the eye’s ability to focus on near objects, brought on by aging?

3. What term coined by German art critic Franz Roh in mid 1920’s to describe the style of painters trying to show reality in a new way was subsequently extended to describe the literary style of a lot of Latin American literature?

4. If Grammy is for music and Emmy is for television productions, what are Freddie awards given for?

5. The El Rocio pilgrimage held every year in May in Spain involves the display and veneration of a statue of Virgin Mary discovered in a tree trunk by a hunter in the 15^th Century. By what popular name is the El Rocio Virgin known as?

6. What is the name of the supercontinent that existed 250 million years ago before breaking up into the continents as we know them today?

7. What term describes the extra electric power made available through the use of energy efficient electric appliances?

8. What traditional method of fishing practiced in Japan for 1300 years uses the cormorant bird to catch the fish?

9. The term Wonk is believed by some to be the reverse of Know and some others expand it to WithOut Normal Knowledge. What does Wonk mean?

10. In 1790 Abraham Louis Breguet, regarded as the greatest watch maker of all times, invented a device which became the forerunner of all shock protection systems used in wristwatches. What is this device called?

Answers to Quiz - 48

1. She published her first novel Delphine in 1802. Napoleon had her exiled in 1804. Name her.

Anne Louise Germaine de Staël

2. Name the grape known as Spain’s Noble Grape used for making red wines, so named because it ripens earlier than the other traditional varieties.

Tempranilo (Spanish word Temprano for early)

3. Name Spain’s best known cheese that is produced from sheep’s milk from a specified region on the La Mancha plateau.

Manchego

4. Worn by those taking part in outdoor winter sports and also race drivers, it covers the whole head exposing only the upper part of the face. It derives its name from a Crimean town, where it was used by the British troops during the Crimean war. What is it?

Balaclava

5. Coined by the newspaper Sunday Telegraph, YAWN is an acronym for people who are rich but who live frugally below their means and are socially committed. Expand YAWN.

Young And Wealthy but Normal

6. What is the name of the infamous medical experiment conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the US Government on 399 black men suffering from advanced stage of syphilis?

Tuskegee Experiment

7. What style of Italian opera, realistically depicting contemporary everyday life, which was started in the late 19^th Century, is also the brand name of Starbucks espresso machine?

Verismo

8. What literary device, widely used in children’s books, attributes human like qualities to animals and other inanimate objects?

Anthromorphism

9. What is the Case-Shiller index a measure of?

The housing market in USA

10. What pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Arabic music is often considered as the predecessor of the western Lute?

Oud

QUIZ - 48

1. She published her first novel Delphine in 1802. Napoleon had her exiled in 1804. Name her.

2. Name the grape known as Spain’s Noble Grape used for making red wines, so named because it ripens earlier than the other traditional varieties.

3. Name Spain’s best known cheese that is produced from sheep’s milk from a specified region on the La Mancha plateau.

4. Worn by those taking part in outdoor winter sports and also race drivers, it covers the whole head exposing only the upper part of the face. It derives its name from a Crimean town, where it was used by the British troops during the Crimean war. What is it?

5. Coined by the newspaper Sunday Telegraph, YAWN is an acronym for people who are rich but who live frugally below their means and are socially committed. Expand YAWN.

6. What is the name of the infamous medical experiment conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the US Government on 399 black men suffering from advanced stage of syphilis?

7. What style of Italian opera, realistically depicting contemporary everyday life, which was started in the late 19^th Century, is also the brand name of Starbucks espresso machine?

8. What literary device, widely used in children’s books, attributes human like qualities to animals and other inanimate objects?

9. What is the Case-Shiller index a measure of?

10. What pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in Arabic music is often considered as the predecessor of the western Lute?

Answers to Quiz - 47

1. Named after the patron saint of sailors, what term describes the bright bluish glow that is seen on top of the masts of ships during thunderstorms?

St. Elmo’s Fire

2. What does the Flanker Test assess?

Attention in the presence of distracting information

3. What is the process of growing plants in air without the use of soil called?

Aeroponics

4. Name the Swiss scientist who synthesized LSD in 1938 while working for Sandoz and serendipitously discovered its hallucinogenic effect in 1943

Albert Hofmann

5. What is the name given to the medical disorder which is characterized by an abnormal appetite for non-nutritive substances like soil, chalk, paper etc?

Pica

6. The astrophysicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter put forward the theory in 1973 that the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry are precisely the values you need if you want to have a universe capable of producing life. What is this theory called?

The Anthropic Principle

7. Edward de Bono, who pioneered the concept of Lateral Thinking, also coined a term PO to propagate this concept. What does PO stand for?

Provocation Operation

8. What word was coined by the famous economist philosopher Jeremy Bentham from the Latin phrase for ‘he himself said’ to describe non-utilitarian political arguments?

ipsedixitism

9. Proposed by the psychologist Claude Steele, what term describes the fear that a person’s behaviour will confirm an existing stereotype of the group with which that person is identified?

Stereotype Threat

10. First described by Colette Dowling, who wrote a book on women's fear of independence, what term describes as an unconscious desire to be taken care of by others, based primarily on a fear of being independent?

The Cinderella Complex

QUIZ - 47

1. Named after the patron saint of sailors, what term describes the bright bluish glow that is seen on top of the masts of ships during thunderstorms?

2. What does the Flanker Test assess?

3. What is the process of growing plants in air without the use of soil called?

4. Name the Swiss scientist who synthesized LSD in 1938 while working for Sandoz and serendipitously discovered its hallucinogenic effect in 1943

5. What is the name given to the medical disorder which is characterized by an abnormal appetite for non-nutritive substances like soil, chalk, paper etc?

6. The astrophysicist and cosmologist Brandon Carter put forward the theory in 1973 that the fundamental constants of physics and chemistry are precisely the values you need if you want to have a universe capable of producing life. What is this theory called?

7. Edward de Bono, who pioneered the concept of Lateral Thinking, also coined a term PO to propagate this concept. What does PO stand for?

8. What word was coined by the famous economist philosopher Jeremy Bentham from the Latin phrase for ‘he himself said’ to describe non-utilitarian political arguments?

9. Proposed by the psychologist Claude Steele, what term describes the fear that a person’s behaviour will confirm an existing stereotype of the group with which that person is identified?

10. First described by Colette Dowling, who wrote a book on women's fear of independence, what term describes as an unconscious desire to be taken care of by others, based primarily on a fear of being independent?

Answers to Quiz - 46

1. An important but controversial economic concept postulates that happiness and income are not correlated. Name the American Professor of Economics who presented this concept in a 1974 paper and who has lent his name to it.

Richard Easterlin, Easterlin Paradox

2. Who in 1996 invented Palm Pilot, the first hand-held computer?

Jeff Hawkins

3. Name the Wikipedia style knowledge repository being built by Google

Knol

4. What is the name given to phrases in a piece of writing that that merely promotes the subject instead of imparting real information?

Peacock Terms

5. ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ is a term to describe the economic conflict between individual interests and the common good of the society. Who popularized this term in 1968 with an essay of the same title?

Garrett Hardin

6. What is the name of the psychometric questionnaire for personality assessment based on the theory of Carl Jung?

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

7. Who invented a type of lens that is named after him, for use originally in lighthouses?

Augustin-Jean Fresnel

8. What term describes a fake online identity used for the purpose of deception within an Internet community?

Sock Puppet

9. What martial art cum dance form was developed in Brazil during the 16^th Century by slaves brought in from Africa?

Capoeira

10. What is the name given to the woman who lived about 140,000 years ago in Africa and to whom all the currently living humans can trace their descent?

Mitochondrial Eve

QUIZ - 46

1. An important but controversial economic concept postulates that happiness and income are not correlated. Name the American Professor of Economics who presented this concept in a 1974 paper and who has lent his name to it.

2. Who in 1996 invented Palm Pilot, the first hand-held computer?

3. Name the Wikipedia style knowledge repository being built by Google

4. What is the name given to phrases in a piece of writing that that merely promotes the subject instead of imparting real information?

5. ‘The Tragedy of the Commons’ is a term to describe the economic conflict between individual interests and the common good of the society. Who popularized this term in 1968 with an essay of the same title?

6. What is the name of the psychometric questionnaire for personality assessment based on the theory of Carl Jung?

7. Who invented a type of lens that is named after him, for use originally in lighthouses?

8. What term describes a fake online identity used for the purpose of deception within an Internet community?

9. What martial art cum dance form was developed in Brazil during the 16^th Century by slaves brought in from Africa?

10. What is the name given to the woman who lived about 140,000 years ago in Africa and to whom all the currently living humans can trace their descent?

Answers to Quiz - 45

1. If dyslexia is the disability to learn, what is orthorexia?

Fixation on righteous eating.

2. The Erdős number has been coined in honour of the famous Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős. What unique concept does it describe?

It describes the "collaborative distance", in regard to mathematical papers, between an author and Paul Erdős. Direct collaborators with Paul Erdős are assigned the Erdős number 1.

3. Birmabright is the name of the proprietary alloy used for the body of Land Rover and other classic British vehicles. Which two metals mainly constitute Birmabright?

Aluminium and Magnesium

4. Tailgating refers to the practice of driving too closely behind another vehicle. In the world of finance, what does tailgating mean?

The action of a broker buying or selling a security for his client and then immediately making the same transaction in his own account.

5. Name the mathematician and meteorologist who coined the term ‘Butterfly Effect’ to describe how minor variations in atmospheric conditions can trigger off big changes in the weather.

Edward Norton Lorenz

6. Named after the Russian word for lightning, what highly elliptical orbits with an orbital period of about 12 hours are used by many Russian communication satellites?

Molniya Orbit

7. What was the code name for the first nuclear test conducted on July 16, 1945 by United States of America?

Trinity

8. Name the founder of Christian Monastic communities, who also laid down rules for monks living in such communities.

Saint Benedict

9. Which people are regarded as the first human inhabitants of the Americas some 13000 years ago?

Clovis

10. Located in the heart of Tokyo, Tsukiji is the largest market of its kind in the world. What is sold in this market?

Fish

QUIZ - 45

1. If dyslexia is the disability to learn, what is orthorexia?

2. The Erdős number has been coined in honour of the famous Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős. What unique concept does it describe?

3. Birmabright is the name of the proprietary alloy used for the body of Land Rover and other classic British vehicles. Which two metals mainly constitute Birmabright?

4. Tailgating refers to the practice of driving too closely behind another vehicle. In the world of finance, what does tailgating mean?

5. Name the mathematician and meteorologist who coined the term ‘Butterfly Effect’ to describe how minor variations in atmospheric conditions can trigger off big changes in the weather.

6. Named after the Russian word for lightning, what highly elliptical orbits with an orbital period of about 12 hours are used by many Russian communication satellites?

7. What was the code name for the first nuclear test conducted on July 16, 1945 by United States of America?

8. Name the founder of Christian Monastic communities, who also laid down rules for monks living in such communities.

9. Which people are regarded as the first human inhabitants of the Americas some 13000 years ago?

10. Located in the heart of Tokyo, Tsukiji is the largest market of its kind in the world. What is sold in this market?