QUIZ - 101

Now that I have crossed the 100 mark, I can afford to shirk off my discipline and post randomly. This is the first such attempt. The answers to the following 10 questions can be found in today’s newspapers. Test yourself how sharply you read the morning papers.


1) Who is the new Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission?

2) Where is the International Tattoo Convention currently underway?

3) The Fragile X Syndrome is the most common genetic cause of what condition?

4) Government is currently auctioning BWA spectrum. What is BWA?

5) What distinction has been conferred on the 160 m tall Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi?

6) Name the trumpet that is expected to be heard frequently during the World Cup Football matches in South Africa?

7) Which company’s steel plant is threatening to cause damage to Bapu Kuti, a heritage site associated with Mahatma Gandhi in Wardha District?

8) The President of which African country is planning to fund a UNESCO sponsored prize for Life Sciences?

9) What rare blood group is named after an Indian city?

10) Where is Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide at the time of Bhopal Tragedy, living now?

Answers to Quiz - 100

1) Born in Lahore and studying in Madras, he went on to become a US citizen and received the Physics Nobel Prize in 1983 for his work on the structure and evolution of stars.

S Chandrasekhar

2) This British engineer invented the hovercraft.

Christopher Cockerell

3) This French naval officer, explorer and oceanographer co-developed the Aqualung for Scuba diving.


Jacques Cousteau

4) This Japanese director is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers. Among his most important films are Seven Samurai, Ran, Rashomon and Yojimbo.

Akira Kurosawa

5) He co-invented the transistor along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, for which they received the Nobel Prize in 1956.

William Shockley

6) Born in Taiwan, he became a Japanese citizen after World War II and invented Instant Noodles in response to the problem of food shortage.

Momofuku Ando

7) He designed the first working programmable computer, Z3 in 1941

Konrad Zuse

8) Known as Freddie among friends, this British philosopher is known for promoting Logical Positivism – a school of philosophy that combines Empiricism and Rationalism.

A J Ayer

9) She became part of a notorious criminal gang that looted small stores, gas stations and banks in the Central United States during the Great Depression. She and her partner went on to become cult figures and have been immortalized through a 1967 film bearing their names.

Bonnie Parker

10) A highly influential blues musician, he is widely regarded as the first to use the Electric Guitar.

T-Bone Walker

QUIZ - 100

To mark the 100th edition of this Quiz, I bring you a set of 10 questions built around the centenary theme. The answers to all these 10 questions are people who were born in 1910; so this is their centenary year. Hope you enjoy the Quiz.


1) Born in Lahore and studying in Madras, he went on to become a US citizen and received the Physics Nobel Prize in 1983 for his work on the structure and evolution of stars.

2) This British engineer invented the hovercraft.

3) This French naval officer, explorer and oceanographer co-developed the Aqualung for Scuba diving.

4) This Japanese director is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers. Among his most important films are Seven Samurai, Ran, Rashomon and Yojimbo.

5) He co-invented the transistor along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, for which they received the Nobel Prize in 1956.

6) Born in Taiwan, he became a Japanese citizen after World War II and invented Instant Noodles in response to the problem of food shortage.

7) He designed the first working programmable computer, Z3 in 1941

8) Known as Freddie among friends, this British philosopher is known for promoting Logical Positivism – a school of philosophy that combines Empiricism and Rationalism.

9) She became part of a notorious criminal gang that looted small stores, gas stations and banks in the Central United States during the Great Depression. She and her partner went on to become cult figures and have been immortalized through a 1967 film bearing their names.

10) A highly influential blues musician, he is widely regarded as the first to use the Electric Guitar.

Answers to Quiz - 99

1) What is the name of a crescent shaped water body formed when the bend of a river is cut off from the main river by forces of erosion?

Oxbow Lake

2) What is the term for a tributary that runs parallel to the main river before eventually joining it?

Yazoo

3) Water bodies that have excessive nutrients are called ‘Eutrophic’. What term describes nutrient deficient water bodies?

Oligotrophic

4) What is the name given to the thin layer in a large water body like ocean or lake, where the temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below?

Thermocline

5) Name the Greek historian who coined the term ‘Delta’ for the landform created at the mouth of a river because of it’s resemblance to the uppercase Greek letter Delta.

Herodotus

6) An estuary is a water body that forms a transition between a river environment and an ocean environment. Name the largest estuary in the world.

Gulf of Saint Lawrence

7) Over the edge of which mountain in Venezuela does the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, drop?

Auyantepui

8) What term describes a watershed from which there is no outflow of water?
Endorheic Basin

9) What is the legendary water spirit of German mythology that assumes human form but constantly shifts shapes?

Nix

10) Named after a pioneering Norwegian oceanographer what unit is used to measure the volume of water transported by ocean currents?

Sverdrup after Harald Sverdrup

QUIZ - 99

Water, the final element in the 5 part series.


1) What is the name of a crescent shaped water body formed when the bend of a river is cut off from the main river by forces of erosion?

2) What is the term for a tributary that runs parallel to the main river before eventually joining it?

3) Water bodies that have excessive nutrients are called ‘Eutrophic’. What term describes nutrient deficient water bodies?

4) What is the name given to the thin layer in a large water body like ocean or lake, where the temperature changes more rapidly with depth than it does in the layers above or below?

5) Name the Greek historian who coined the term ‘Delta’ for the landform created at the mouth of a river because of it’s resemblance to the uppercase Greek letter Delta.

6) An estuary is a water body that forms a transition between a river environment and an ocean environment. Name the largest estuary in the world.

7) Over the edge of which mountain in Venezuela does the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls, drop?

8) What term describes a watershed from which there is no outflow of water?

9) What is the legendary water spirit of German mythology that assumes human form but constantly shifts shapes?

10) Named after a pioneering Norwegian oceanographer what unit is used to measure the volume of water transported by ocean currents?

Answers to Quiz - 98

1) What does an Arenophile collect?

Sand

2) What is the Geological term for grotesquely shaped rocks?

Hoodoos

3) Named after the Swedish Chemist Albert Atterberg, what does the Atterberg Limits classify?

Soil

4) What Geological term is used to describe an isolated rock formation or hill that abruptly rises from the surrounding plain ground, like the Ayers Rock in Australia?

Inselberg

5) What term describes ash and rocks that are ejected from a volcano and flies through the air?

Tephra

6) Green sand beaches are rare. What mineral imparts the green colour to this sand?

Olivine

7) What term in the Geological vocabulary defines a depression formed by the collapse of the cone of a volcano?

Caldera

8) Who proposed the Gaia Hypothesis, which views the Earth as a self- regulating organism?

James Lovelock

9) When is Earth Day celebrated each year and who founded it in 1970?

22nd April, Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator

10) Name the 12 point scale used to measure the intensity of an Earthquake.

Mercalli intensity scale

QUIZ - 98

Earth, the fourth element in the 5 part series.


1) What does an Arenophile collect?

2) What is the Geological term for grotesquely shaped rocks?

3) Named after the Swedish Chemist Albert Atterberg, what does the Atterberg Limits classify?

4) What Geological term is used to describe an isolated rock formation or hill that abruptly rises from the surrounding plain ground, like the Ayers Rock in Australia?

5) What term describes ash and rocks that are ejected from a volcano and flies through the air?

6) Green sand beaches are rare. What mineral imparts the green colour to this sand?

7) What term in the Geological vocabulary defines a depression formed by the collapse of the cone of a volcano?

8) Who proposed the Gaia Hypothesis, which views the Earth as a self- regulating organism?

9) When is Earth Day celebrated each year and who founded it in 1970?

10) Name the 12 point scale used to measure the intensity of an Earthquake.

Answers to Quiz - 97

1) If Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire, who was the Greek God of Fire?

Hephaestus

2) What is the highest grade of sacred fire in Zoroastrian Temples?

Atash Behram

3) In 1667 Johann Joachim Becher postulated a scientific theory (now defunct) stating that all combustible substances contain within a fire-like element, which is released during the process of combustion. What name did he give to this fire-like element?

Phlogiston

4) What happened at the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on 2nd September 1666?

The Great Fire of London

5) What term describes the property of a substance that will spontaneously ignite in air?

Pyrophoric

6) The Olympic flame commemorates the theft of fire from Greek God Zeus by Prometheus. In which modern Olympics was the practice of lighting the flame introduced?

1928 Amsterdam

7) What does Haines Index measure?

The potential for forest wildfire growth

8) What is Pyrolatry?

Worship of Fire

9) Fahrenheit 451, a cult science fiction by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 describes a futuristic American society. What is the significance of the number 451 in the book’s title?

Paper catches fire by itself at 451 degrees Fahrenheit. The protagonist in the novel is a fireman who burns books

10) What enzyme is responsible for the glow in fireflies?

Luciferase

QUIZ - 97

After Wind and Clouds (Sky), it is the turn of Fire this week.


1) If Vulcan was the Roman God of Fire, who was the Greek God of Fire?

2) What is the highest grade of sacred fire in Zoroastrian Temples?

3) In 1667 Johann Joachim Becher postulated a scientific theory (now defunct) stating that all combustible substances contain within a fire-like element, which is released during the process of combustion. What name did he give to this fire-like element?

4) What happened at the bakery of Thomas Farriner on Pudding Lane, shortly after midnight on 2nd September 1666?

5) What term describes the property of a substance that will spontaneously ignite in air?

6) The Olympic flame commemorates the theft of fire from Greek God Zeus by Prometheus. In which modern Olympics was the practice of lighting the flame introduced?

7) What does Haines Index measure?

8) What is Pyrolatry?

9) Fahrenheit 451, a cult science fiction by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 describes a futuristic American society. What is the significance of the number 451 in the book’s title?

10) What enzyme is responsible for the glow in fireflies?

Answers to Quiz - 96

1) First observed only in 1885, these are the highest cloud in earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 80 km. They are normally too faint to be seen, and are visible only when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the earth's shadow. What is the name of this not so well understood cloud?

Noctilucent Cloud

2) Name this cloud that has been often mistaken for UFO because of its characteristic lens like appearance and smooth saucer-like shape.

Lenticular Cloud

3) These clouds form when there are two parallel layers of air that are usually moving at different speeds and in difference directions. What is the name of this cloud that looks like a breaking wave in the ocean?

Kelvin-Helmholtz cloud

4) Name this extremely rare cloud that forms when a rush of moist air from the Gulf Stream gets trapped between layers of dry air.

Jellyfish Cloud

5) Name these thin wispy fair weather clouds

Cirrus Clouds

6) Name this smooth cloud that forms on the top of a major geographic feature, like a mountain

Pileus Cloud

7) Seen mostly during winter at high latitudes like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada, these clouds are mostly visible within two hours after sunset or before dawn when they blaze unbelievably bright with vivid and slowly shifting iridescent colours. What are they called?

Nacreous clouds, sometimes called mother-of-pearl clouds

8) Name this low, horizontal tube-shaped cloud associated with a thunderstorm front

Roll Cloud

9) Very ominous in appearance these clouds are harmless and are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed. What is the name of this cloud with its characteristic pouch like structures?

Mammatus Cloud

10) What is the name given to cloud-like vapour trail that forms behind an aircraft flying in cold, clear, humid air from the water vapor contained in the engine exhaust?

Contrail

QUIZ - 96

The idea for this Quiz on Clouds was planted in my head by a person whose twitter handle is Blue Sky (in translation). Since the last Quiz was on Wind, I decided to do a series on the 5 elements of nature – Wind, Sky (Clouds), Fire, Water and Earth. The Ash Cloud from the erupting volcano in Iceland is a curious coincidence and not the inspiration for this Quiz.

1) First observed only in 1885, these are the highest cloud in earth’s atmosphere at altitudes of 80 km. They are normally too faint to be seen, and are visible only when illuminated by sunlight from below the horizon while the lower layers of the atmosphere are in the earth's shadow. What is the name of this not so well understood cloud?

2) Name this cloud that has been often mistaken for UFO because of its characteristic lens like appearance and smooth saucer-like shape.

3) These clouds form when there are two parallel layers of air that are usually moving at different speeds and in difference directions. What is the name of this cloud that looks like a breaking wave in the ocean?

4) Name this extremely rare cloud that forms when a rush of moist air from the Gulf Stream gets trapped between layers of dry air.

5) Name these thin wispy fair weather clouds

6) Name this smooth cloud that forms on the top of a major geographic feature, like a mountain

7) Seen mostly during winter at high latitudes like Scandinavia, Iceland, Alaska and Northern Canada, these clouds are mostly visible within two hours after sunset or before dawn when they blaze unbelievably bright with vivid and slowly shifting iridescent colours. What are they called?

8) Name this low, horizontal tube-shaped cloud associated with a thunderstorm front

9) Very ominous in appearance these clouds are harmless and are usually seen after the worst of a thunderstorm has passed. What is the name of this cloud with its characteristic pouch like structures?

10) What is the name given to cloud-like vapour trail that forms behind an aircraft flying in cold, clear, humid air from the water vapor contained in the engine exhaust?

Answers to Quiz - 95

1) What is the name of the winds blowing from east to southeast in Canada and USA that bring with them extreme cold air, so cold that it freezes all that it touches including hair and beards.

The Barber

2) What is the name of the sudden violent cold gust of wind that descends from mountain to sea in the Straits of Magellan and is a constant threat to ships sailing around Cape Horn?

Williwaw

3) Derived from Greek mythology what is the name of the warm and gentle westerly breeze that blows during summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

Zephyr

4) Lasting as briefly as 20 minutes, this extremely hot dust laden wind blows across the deserts of Arabia. Named after the Arabic word for poison, it is responsible for reshaping the sand dunes of the desert in summer. What is it called?

Simoom

5) What is the name of the wind that funnels though the Strait of Gibraltar and is usually accompanied by a characteristic Banner Cloud on top of the Rock of Gibraltar?

Levanter

6) Named after the Arab word for wind, what is the name of the sand/dust storm that occurs on an average of 24 times in a year in Khartoum, Sudan?

Haboob

7) What is the generic term for a warm and very dry wind that descends on the leeward side of a mountain barrier?

Föhn Wind

8) Where would you expect to encounter ‘The Brickfielder’, a strong, hot, dry and dusty wind?

Southern Australia

9) With what sea would you associate the wind Meltemi?

Aegean Sea

10) What is the name of the warm dry wind that periodically occurs late afternoons in the Santa Barbara area of Southern California?

Sundowner

QUIZ - 95

Ten questions on Wind names

1) What is the name of the winds blowing from east to southeast in Canada and USA that bring with them extreme cold air, so cold that it freezes all that it touches including hair and beards.

2) What is the name of the sudden violent cold gust of wind that descends from mountain to sea in the Straits of Magellan and is a constant threat to ships sailing around Cape Horn?

3) Derived from Greek mythology what is the name of the warm and gentle westerly breeze that blows during summer in the Northern Hemisphere?

4) Lasting as briefly as 20 minutes, this extremely hot dust laden wind blows across the deserts of Arabia. Named after the Arabic word for poison, it is responsible for reshaping the sand dunes of the desert in summer. What is it called?

5) What is the name of the wind that funnels though the Strait of Gibraltar and is usually accompanied by a characteristic Banner Cloud on top of the Rock of Gibraltar?

6) Named after the Arab word for wind, what is the name of the sand/dust storm that occurs on an average of 24 times in a year in Khartoum, Sudan?

7) What is the generic term for a warm and very dry wind that descends on the leeward side of a mountain barrier?

8) Where would you expect to encounter ‘The Brickfielder’, a strong, hot, dry and dusty wind?

9) With what sea would you associate the wind Meltemi?

10) What is the name of the warm dry wind that periodically occurs late afternoons in the Santa Barbara area of Southern California?

Answers to Quiz - 94

1) What is the study of butterflies and moths called?

Lepidopterology

2) Name the smallest butterfly which has a wingspan of less than half an inch.

Western Pygmy Blue

3) When an adult butterfly emerges from the pupa it expels the metabolic waste product through the anal opening. What is the name given to this blood like red fluid?

Meconium

4) What metaphorical term in Chaos Theory attributed to mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz describes how small variations can affect giant and complex systems?

The Butterfly Effect

5) Name the collection of cells located at the base of the butterfly’s antennae that is responsible for maintaining its sense of balance and orientation during flight.

Johnston's organ

6) What is the term for a group of butterflies?

Rabble or Swarm

7) What is the term for modified wing scales on male butterflies that release pheromones to attract females?

Androconia

8) Which is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do?

The Monarch

9) What is the significance of 86 degrees F in a butterfly’s life?

They can fly only if their body temperature is above 86 degrees F

10) What is the biggest butterfly of the world with a wingspan of up to one foot found in the forests of Papua New Guinea?

Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing

QUIZ - 94

1) What is the study of butterflies and moths called?

2) Name the smallest butterfly which has a wingspan of less than half an inch.

3) When an adult butterfly emerges from the pupa it expels the metabolic waste product through the anal opening. What is the name given to this blood like red fluid?

4) What metaphorical term in Chaos Theory attributed to mathematician and meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz describes how small variations can affect giant and complex systems?

5) Name the collection of cells located at the base of the butterfly’s antennae that is responsible for maintaining its sense of balance and orientation during flight.

6) What is the term for a group of butterflies?

7) What is the term for modified wing scales on male butterflies that release pheromones to attract females?

8) Which is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration as birds do?

9) What is the significance of 86 degrees F in a butterfly’s life?

10) What is the biggest butterfly of the world with a wingspan of up to one foot found in the forests of Papua New Guinea?

Answers to Quiz - 93

1) How many different types of flags are used by the race marshals to convey different messages?

Ten

2) Name the highly flame retardant material used for the overalls of drivers and pit crew that has revolutionized safety in Formula One racing.

Nomex

3) When and where was the first Formula One race held?

1950, Silverstone Circuit, England

4) Name the infamous corner on the Imola Circuit where on 1st May 1994, Ayrton Senna died in a horrific crash, an event which became a major turning point of Formula One sport.

Tamburello

5) What is the name given to the warm up lap before the start of the race?

Formation Lap

6) The tightest and the slowest corner in Formula One racing is a hairpin bend on the Monaco Circuit and is named after a hotel located nearby. What is its name?

The Loews Hairpin

7) What is the name given to the contract between Formula One teams and FIA, the governing body of the sport?

Concorde Agreement

8) Name the British engineer and founder of Lotus Engineering Company who revolutionized the design of Formula One car in 1950’s and 1960’s and whose influence can be felt even today.

Colin Chapman

9) What is common to the Formula One circuits in Istanbul, Sao Paolo, Singapore and Abu Dhabi?

They are the only ones to run in anticlockwise direction

10) Name the World War – I ace Italian fighter pilot from whose plane the prancing horse logo of Ferrari has been derived.

Francesco Baracca

QUIZ - 93

1) How many different types of flags are used by the race marshals to convey different messages?


2) Name the highly flame retardant material used for the overalls of drivers and pit crew that has revolutionized safety in Formula One racing.


3) When and where was the first Formula One race held?


4) Name the infamous corner on the Imola Circuit where on 1st May 1994, Ayrton Senna died in a horrific crash, an event which became a major turning point of Formula One sport.

5) What is the name given to the warm up lap before the start of the race?


6) The tightest and the slowest corner in Formula One racing is a hairpin bend on the Monaco Circuit and is named after a hotel located nearby. What is its name?


7) What is the name given to the contract between Formula One teams and FIA, the governing body of the sport?

8) Name the British engineer and founder of Lotus Engineering Company who revolutionized the design of Formula One car in 1950’s and 1960’s and whose influence can be felt even today.


9) What is common to the Formula One circuits in Istanbul, Sao Paolo, Singapore and Abu Dhabi?


10) Name the World War – I ace Italian fighter pilot from whose plane the prancing horse logo of Ferrari has been derived.

Answers to Quiz - 92

1) What is the Davie Brown Index used to measure?

A celebrity’s ability to influence brand

2) What does the Drake Equation calculate?

Potential number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our galaxy

3) What term describes the certification of a spacecraft as worthy of transporting human beings?

Man-Rating or Human-Rating

4) Name the Swedish American meteorologist who first explained large scale motions in the atmosphere in 1940’s

Carl-Gustaf Rossby

5) The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered between 1947 and 1956 are widely believed to be the library of which Jewish religious group?

Essenes

6) Established in 1930 with it’s headquarter in Basel, Switzerland name the international organization of central banks.

Bank for International Settlements

7) Named after a Swiss agricultural chemist, what law states that an animal’s metabolic rate is proportional to ¾ power of its mass?

Kleiber’s Law

8) What did the French men Émile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau invent in 1943?

Aqua-Lung

9) The only silent film to win a ‘Best Picture’ Oscar is also the first Oscar winning film for the year 1927-28. Name the film.

Wings

10) Name the German women’s rights activist who conceived the first International Women’s day on 8th March 1911.

Clara Zetkin

QUIZ - 92

1) What is the Davie Brown Index used to measure?


2) What does the Drake Equation calculate?


3) What term describes the certification of a spacecraft as worthy of transporting human beings?


4) Name the Swedish American meteorologist who first explained large scale motions in the atmosphere in 1940’s


5) The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered between 1947 and 1956 are widely believed to be the library of which Jewish religious group?


6) Established in 1930 with it’s headquarter in Basel, Switzerland name the international organization of central banks.


7) Named after a Swiss agricultural chemist, what law states that an animal’s metabolic rate is proportional to ¾ power of its mass?


8) What did the French men Émile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves Cousteau invent in 1943?


9) The only silent film to win a ‘Best Picture’ Oscar is also the first Oscar winning film for the year 1927-28. Name the film.


10) Name the German women’s rights activist who conceived the first International Women’s day on 8th March 1911.

Answers to Quiz - 91

1) What do we call a person who repairs stringed musical instruments?

Luthier

2) Name the town in Northern Italy which has a distinguished history of manufacturing musical instruments, specially violins

Cremona

3) What is the name for the scientific method of dating past events through study of tree ring growth?

Dendrochronology

4) Atonal Music describes music that does not conform to the system of tonal hierarchies that characterizes classical European music between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. Who is regarded as the father of Atonal Music?

Arnold Schoenberg

5) What is philematology the study of?

Kissing

6) What cuisine would use ‘gomasio’, a dry condiment made from sesame seeds?

Japanese

7) The Aztecs did not have a written language. But what language did they speak?

Nahuatl

8) Homo floresiensis is a small brained primate that was discovered on the Indonesian island of Flores in 2003. By what more popular name do we know this species?

Hobbit

9) The Jewish scriptures were translated into Greek in Alexandria, Egypt between 300 – 200 BC. By what famous abbreviation do we know this translation?

LXX, after the 70 scholars who were commissioned for the translation

10) Derived from the Japanese word for cleverness, name the logical puzzle invented in 2004 by the Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto

KenKen