QUIZ - 27

1. One of the toughest golf courses in the world has lent its name to a phrase that describes the trauma and shock experienced when a person encounters a harsh reality. What is this term?

2. What system of medical treatment popularized by three times Tour de France champion Louison Bobet relies on the beneficial effect of the marine environment, sea water, sea weeds etc?

3. Name the almond sized and shaped structure of the brain that is responsible for the emotional state of a person

4. What are Arborio, Carnaroli, Vialone nano and Baldo?

5. What is the name for the inherited neurological disorder most often associated with the exclamation of obscene words?

6. Name the creator of ‘The Simpsons’ who named the main characters after members of his own family.

7. Which Italian film has given us the word paparazzi to describe photographers who chase celebrities to get candid photographs?

8. What Latin legal term elucidates the principle that past decisions of the court must be recognized as precedents?

9. Which year is referred to as the ‘year of three Popes’?

10. Who is the Bering Strait, between Russia and North America, named after?

Answers to Quiz - 26

1. Tour de France was started in 1903 as a publicity exercise to boost the circulation of a newspaper. Name the newspaper and its editor,

L’Auto (now L'Equipe) and Henri Desgrange

2. Which country other than hosts France has stamped its dominance on Tour de France, with its cyclists winning the event as many as 18 times?

Belgium

3. The tradition of having the race leader wear the ‘Maillot Jaune’ (Yellow Jersey) began part way through the tour in 1919. What was the reason for this and who was the first rider to whom it was offered?

In order to make the leader stand out in the bunch of riders for the benefit of spectators. The colour was chosen because L’Auto was printed on yellow paper. Eugene Christophe was the first rider to wear the ‘Maillot Jaune’

4. The winner of Tour de France is the rider who completes the race in the lowest cumulative time and thus it is possible to be a champion without even winning a single stage. This has happened only five times, the last one being in 1990. Who was the winner in 1990?

Greg Lemond

5. In addition to the Yellow Jersey for the overall winner, Green and Polka Dot Jerseys are respectively given to the riders who are the best sprinters and mountain climbers. Name the Belgian cyclist and his nickname, who in the year 1969 devoured the opposition by winning all three jerseys.

Eddie Merckx nicknamed 'The Cannibal'

6. Till 1937 the riders had to dismount from their bike and turn the wheels around every time they changed from uphill to downhill and vice versa. What mechanism introduced in 1937 eliminated this cumbersome procedure?

Derailleur Gears

7. Who or what is ardoisier?

The pinion rider on a motorbike who holds up a board giving information on time gap to the breakaway group during the race.

8. What is the term used for the rider who finishes last in the overall classification?

Lanterne Rouge (Red Lantern)

9. What distinctive sign identifies the final kilometer of each stage in the race?

Flamme Rouge (The Red Pennant)

10. Twice in the history of Tour de France, the winner has been disqualified at a later date. In 2006, Floyd Landis was stripped off his title after being found guilty of taking drugs. Why was the champion disqualified in 1904?

He had taken a train to ride part of the race

QUIZ - 26

This year’s Tour de France is currently underway in its final week in the difficult Pyrenees. Here are 10 questions on what is arguably the toughest sporting spectacle on earth.

1. Tour de France was started in 1903 as a publicity exercise to boost the circulation of a newspaper. Name the newspaper and its editor,

2. Which country other than hosts France has stamped its dominance on Tour de France, with its cyclists winning the event as many as 18 times?

3. The tradition of having the race leader wear the ‘Maillot Jaune’ (Yellow Jersey) began part way through the tour in 1919. What was the reason for this and who was the first rider to whom it was offered?

4. The winner of Tour de France is the rider who completes the race in the lowest cumulative time and thus it is possible to be a champion without even winning a single stage. This has happened only five times, the last one being in 1990. Who was the winner in 1990?

5. In addition to the Yellow Jersey for the overall winner, Green and Polka Dot Jerseys are respectively given to the riders who are the best sprinters and mountain climbers. Name the Belgian cyclist and his nickname, who in the year 1969 devoured the opposition by winning all three jerseys.

6. Till 1937 the riders had to dismount from their bike and turn the wheels around every time they changed from uphill to downhill and vice versa. What mechanism introduced in 1937 eliminated this cumbersome procedure?

7. Who or what is ardoisier?
   

8. What is the term used for the rider who finishes last in the overall classification?

9. What distinctive sign identifies the final kilometer of each stage in the race?

10. Twice in the history of Tour de France, the winner has been disqualified at a later date. In 2006, Floyd Landis was stripped off his title after being found guilty of taking drugs. Why was the champion disqualified in 1904?

Answers to Quiz - 25

1. What board game did an out of work architect Alfred Mosher Butts invent in 1938?

Scrabble

2. The motto of which sect or society is “Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth”?

Freemason

3. If Thermogenesis is the process by which body generates heat, what are Thermogenics?

Thermogenics are dietary supplements used to stimulate burning of body fat.

4. Which German town is popularly associated with the almond based confectionery Marzipan?

Lübeck

5. Which English surgeon in the 1860’s wrote the first medical description of Cerebral Palsy, but wrongly attributed it to a lack of oxygen during child birth?

Dr. William Little

6. The world championships of what strange sport has been taking place for the last 12 years in the Finnish town of Sonkajärvi?

Wife carrying, with the winner getting beer equal to the weight of his wife.

7. Name the first female Pharaoh of Egypt?

Hatshepsut

8. Which 600 year old University has a tradition in which fresh students fight each other with shaving foam?

University of St. Andrews in Scotland

9. Name the giant sloth like mythical monster that is believed to inhabit the Amazon rainforest.

Mapinguary

10. What is the language used by kids who don’t want their parents to know what they are talking about?

Pig Latin

QUIZ - 25

1. What board game did an out of work architect Alfred Mosher Butts invent in 1938?

2. The motto of which sect or society is “Brotherly Love, Relief and Truth”?

3. If Thermogenesis is the process by which body generates heat, what are Thermogenics?

4. Which German town is popularly associated with the almond based confectionery Marzipan?

5. Which English surgeon in the 1860’s wrote the first medical description of Cerebral Palsy, but wrongly attributed it to a lack of oxygen during child birth?

6. The world championships of what strange sport has been taking place for the last 12 years in the Finnish town of Sonkajärvi?

7. Name the first female Pharaoh of Egypt?

8. Which 600 year old University has a tradition in which fresh students fight each other with shaving foam?

9. Name the giant sloth like mythical monster that is believed to inhabit the Amazon rainforest.

10. What is the language used by kids who don’t want their parents to know what they are talking about?

Answers to Quiz - 24

1. Which law named after a Dutch Economist correlates growth of output and growth of productivity?

Verdoorn's Law named after Dutch economist, Petrus Johannes Verdoorn

2. Name the popular carbonated soft drink that is regarded as Scotland’s national beverage?

Irn Bru

3. What breakfast item did the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner introduce in 1900?

Muesli

4. The Golden Spike site commemorates the completion of the coast to coast railway line in USA. On 10^th May 1869, the railway lines that originated from either coast were joined at this site. In which state is this historic site located?

Utah

5. Which sea that is a part of the Southern Ocean is named after a British navigator who is believed to have discovered it in 1823?

Weddell Sea

6. Which famous philosopher’s thoughts and discussions are recorded in Analects?

Confucius

7. Name the treaty signed after World War – I that established the borders of Hungary?

The Treaty of Trianon

8. Which act of the Congress signed in 1933, coming in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash separated the commercial and investment banking activities?

Glass – Steagall Act

9. What or who are Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix and Gabrielle?

Some of the names given to the hurricanes of the 2007 season Atlantic Ocean

10. Which Greek poet and writer compiled the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in 2^nd Century BC?

Antipater of Sidon

QUIZ - 24

1. Which law named after a Dutch Economist correlates growth of output and growth of productivity?

2. Name the popular carbonated soft drink that is regarded as Scotland’s national beverage?

3. What breakfast item did the Swiss physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner introduce in 1900?

4. The Golden Spike site commemorates the completion of the coast to coast railway line in USA. On 10^th May 1869, the railway lines that originated from either coast were joined at this site. In which state is this historic site located?

5. Which sea that is a part of the Southern Ocean is named after a British navigator who is believed to have discovered it in 1823?

6. Which famous philosopher’s thoughts and discussions are recorded in Analects?

7. Name the treaty signed after World War – I that established the borders of Hungary?

8. Which act of the Congress signed in 1933, coming in the wake of the 1929 stock market crash separated the commercial and investment banking activities?

9. What or who are Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dean, Erin, Felix and Gabrielle?

10. Which Greek poet and writer compiled the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in 2^nd Century BC?

Answers to Quiz - 23

1) What is the nickname given to Court No. 2 at Wimbledon because many seeded players have been defeated here?

The Graveyard

2) How is the starting date of Wimbledon determined?

The sixth Monday before the first Monday in August

3) Starting from 1902 and continuing for 105 years to the present year, which brand of tennis ball is used at Wimbledon, making it the longest partnership in sporting goods history?

Slazenger

4) Who are the only two unseeded players to have won the men’s title at Wimbledon?

Boris Becker (1985) and Goran Ivanisevic (2001)

5) What is Crow’s Nest on the Wimbledon grounds?

An elevated building housing the scoreboards of Court No.1 and 2 and which affords views of most of the outside courts.

6) What is the silver salver presented to the Women’s champion known as?

Venus Rosewater Dish

7) What is People’s Sunday at Wimbledon?

The middle Sunday is traditionally a day of rest, but when rain badly affects the schedule they have matches with unreserved seating and concessional tickets. This has happened only 3 times - 1991, 1997 and 2004.

8) Which famous American designer is currently contracted for a three year period to outfit the ball boys and ball girls?

Ralph Lauren

9) Which famous player refused to play at the Wimbledon in the early 90’s because of the ‘predominantly white’ dress code?

Andre Agassi

10) Who directed the 2004 film Wimbledon?

Richard Loncraine

QUIZ - 23

Today is the Middle Sunday at Wimbledon. So this set of questions has be about The Championships.

1) What is the nickname given to Court No. 2 at Wimbledon because many seeded players have been defeated here?

2) How is the starting date of Wimbledon determined?

3) Starting from 1902 and continuing for 105 years to the present year, which brand of tennis ball is used at Wimbledon, making it the longest partnership in sporting goods history?

4) Who are the only two unseeded players to have won the men’s title at Wimbledon?

5) What is Crow’s Nest on the Wimbledon grounds?

6) What is the silver salver presented to the Women’s champion known as?

7) What is People’s Sunday at Wimbledon?

8) Which famous American designer is currently contracted for a three year period to outfit the ball boys and ball girls?

9) Which famous player refused to play at the Wimbledon in the early 90’s because of the ‘predominantly white’ dress code?

10) Who directed the 2004 film Wimbledon?

Answers to Quiz - 22

1) Who created the famous Golden Arches logo for McDonald’s?

Jim Schindler

2) Originally called Brad’s Drink, after its creator Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in North Carolina, USA, what is this famous drink called today?

Pepsi Cola

3) Which 18^th Century writer first used the term YAHOO to refer to a race of uncivilized and brutal people?

Jonathan Swift in Gulliver’s Travels

4) The logo of Coca Cola was scripted in this distinctive flowing style by Frank Robinson, who was the book keeper of Coca Cola’s inventor John Pemberton. What script does the logo use?

Spencerian Script

5) What iconic figure based on the company’s founder did the cartoonist Tom Browne create in 1909 that has now become the hallmark of excellence in that product category?

Johnnie Walker

6) What word coined by the nine year old nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner in 1920 has yielded the name of a major brand today?

Googol from which Google is derived

7) Why did the Japanese company Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Ltd. change its brand and company name to Toyota in 1936 when it launched its first passenger car?

The number of strokes to write Toyota in Japanese (eight) was thought to bring luck and prosperity

8) Who designed the swoosh logo of Nike?

Carolyn Davidson

9) Which symbol painted by the World War – I Italian ace pilot Count Francesco Baracca on the sides of his planes can be commonly seen in Formula 1 race circuits?

Prancing Horse of Ferrari

10) What are Slats, Jackie and Tanner?

Names of the lions used for Leo, the mascot for MGM productions

QUIZ - 22

1) Who created the famous Golden Arches logo for McDonald’s?

2) Originally called Brad’s Drink, after its creator Caleb Bradham, a pharmacist in North Carolina, USA, what is this famous drink called today?

3) Which 18^th Century writer first used the term YAHOO to refer to a race of uncivilized and brutal people?

4) The logo of Coca Cola was scripted in this distinctive flowing style by Frank Robinson, who was the book keeper of Coca Cola’s inventor John Pemberton. What script does the logo use?

5) What iconic figure based on the company’s founder did the cartoonist Tom Browne create in 1909 that has now become the hallmark of excellence in that product category?

6) What word coined by the nine year old nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner in 1920 has yielded the name of a major brand today?

7) Why did the Japanese company Toyoda Automatic Loom Works Ltd. change its brand and company name to Toyota in 1936 when it launched its first passenger car?

8) Who designed the swoosh logo of Nike?

9) Which symbol painted by the World War – I Italian ace pilot Count Francesco Baracca on the sides of his planes can be commonly seen in Formula 1 race circuits?

10) What are Slats, Jackie and Tanner?

Answers to Quiz - 21

1) In which sport is the Stimpmeter used?

Golf. It is used to measure the speed of a putting green

2) Name the poisonous herb made famous in an Harry Potter novel and which was also linked to the mysterious death of Bob Woolmer, the coach of Pakistan cricket team

Aconite

3) What trophy is awarded to the world mixed team badminton championships that are played every alternate year?

Sudirman Cup

4) In retailing business what are Category Killers?

A large retail chain store that is dominant in its product category. This type of store generally offers an extensive selection of merchandise at prices so low that smaller stores cannot compete

5) What type of geographical formation is a Tomobolo?

A bar of sand connecting one island with another

6) What is aischrolatreia?

The love of obscene words

7) What is the name of the model developed by economists John Hick and Alvin Hansen in 1937 that has been widely adopted as the universal framework for studying macroeconomics?

The IS-LM Model

8) Who invented the electronic music synthesizer?

Robert Moog

9) Which famous photographer was given the epithet ‘eye of the century’?

Henri Cartier-Bresson

10) Name the term coined by Stanley B Prusiner in 1982 to describe infectious agents solely comprising proteins that cause fatal diseases in animals and humans by affecting the structure of the brain or other neural tissue.

Prion

QUIZ - 21

1) In which sport is the Stimpmeter used?

2) Name the poisonous herb made famous in an Harry Potter novel and which was also linked to the mysterious death of Bob Woolmer, the coach of Pakistan cricket team

3) What trophy is awarded to the world mixed team badminton championships that are played every alternate year?

4) In retailing business what are Category Killers?

5) What type of geographical formation is a Tomobolo?

6) What is aischrolatreia?

7) What is the name of the model developed by economists John Hick and Alvin Hansen in 1937 that has been widely adopted as the universal framework for studying macroeconomics?

8) Who invented the electronic music synthesizer?

9) Which famous photographer was given the epithet ‘eye of the century’?

10) Name the term coined by Stanley B Prusiner in 1982 to describe infectious agents solely comprising proteins that cause fatal diseases in animals and humans by affecting the structure of the brain or other neural tissue.

Answers to Quiz - 20

1) Unlike American Presidents, only one British Prime Minister was assassinated. Who was this unfortunate person?

Spencer Perceval

2) What did the Swiss astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz discover in 1995?

The First Exoplanet, a planet outside our solar system

3) Name the first person to have his genome fully sequenced recently.

James Watson, co-discoverer of the double helix structure of DNA

4) What is Glamping?

Glamorous Camping, living outdoors in luxurious tents

5) The winner of which prestigious literary award is presented along with the cash prize a bronze statuette called Bessie?

The Orange Prize

6) Who created the comic strip character Modesty Blaise?

Peter O'Donnell

7) From which African language does Chikungunya, the mosquito borne disease, derives its name?

Makonde word meaning "that which bends up" in reference to the stooped posture developed as a result of the arthritic symptoms of the disease

8) Name the giant sphere surrounding the solar system, from which all comets are believed to originate.

The Oort Cloud, after the Dutch astronomer who in 1950 postulated its existence

9) Name the anti-consumerism movement, that originated at a San Francisco dinner party in December 2005, whose members take a vow not to buy anything new except, food, medicine and underwear.

The Compact

10) The Smurfs (originally Les Schtroumpfs in French) are a fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live somewhere in the forests of medieval Europe, created by the Belgian cartoonist who used the pseudonym Peyo. What was his real name?

Pierre Culliford

QUIZ - 20

1) Unlike American Presidents, only one British Prime Minister was assassinated. Who was this unfortunate person?

2) What did the Swiss astronomers, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz discover in 1995?

3) Name the first person to have his genome fully sequenced recently.

4) What is Glamping?

5) The winner of which prestigious literary award is presented along with the cash prize a bronze statuette called Bessie?

6) Who created the comic strip character Modesty Blaise?

7) From which African language does Chikungunya, the mosquito borne disease, derives its name?

8) Name the giant sphere surrounding the solar system, from which all comets are believed to originate.

9) Name the anti-consumerism movement, that originated at a San Francisco dinner party in December 2005, whose members take a vow not to buy anything new except, food, medicine and underwear.

10) The Smurfs (originally Les Schtroumpfs in French) are a fictional group of small sky blue creatures who live somewhere in the forests of medieval Europe, created by the Belgian cartoonist who used the pseudonym Peyo. What was his real name?

Answers to Quiz - 19

1) Vorticism was a short lived British art movement of the early 20th century, which grew out of Cubism. Which famous American poet gave this name to the movement?

Ezra Pound

2) Name the founder of Parkour, also known as free running, a physical art of French origin, the aim of which is to move from point A to point B as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the possibilities of the human body.

David Belle

3) 6^th May is observed every year as International No Diet Day. Who started this movement in 1992?

Mary Evans Young

4) Name the late 19^th Century Dutch writer and psychiatrist who coined the term ‘Lucid Dreams’ to describe dreams in which the dreamer is aware that he is having a dream

Frederik van Eeden

5) Who is considered to be the inventor of the mobile phone?

Dr. Martin Cooper

6) Name the 18^th Century German musician and physicist who demonstrated that sound can affect physical matter and has the ability to produce geometrical patterns

Ernst Chladni

QUIZ - 19

1) Vorticism was a short lived British art movement of the early 20th century, which grew out of Cubism. Which famous American poet gave this name to the movement?

2) Name the founder of Parkour, also known as free running, a physical art of French origin, the aim of which is to move from point A to point B as efficiently and quickly as possible, using principally the possibilities of the human body.

3) 6^th May is observed every year as International No Diet Day. Who started this movement in 1992?

4) Name the late 19^th Century Dutch writer and psychiatrist who coined the term ‘Lucid Dreams’ to describe dreams in which the dreamer is aware that he is having a dream

5) Who is considered to be the inventor of the mobile phone?

6) Name the 18^th Century German musician and physicist who demonstrated that sound can affect physical matter and has the ability to produce geometrical patterns

Answers to Quiz - 18

1) Mixolimnion and monimolimnion are the top and bottom layers of a lake whose waters are stratified and do not mix. What is the name for such a lake?

Meromictic lake

2) Name the world’s most prestigious award in architecture, which is commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize for Architecture

The Pritzker Prize

3) Which law named after an English banker says ‘When there is a legal tender currency, bad money drives good money out of circulation"?

Gresham’s Law

4) By what term are mammals that lay eggs (example – platypus and echidna) known?

Monotremes

5) Which species of monkeys almost always give birth to twins?

Marmosets

6) Originally used to describe a specific style of furniture that was popular in 19th Century Vienna, name this term that developed into a description of art, architecture and eventually a middle-class social phenomenon that centered on the family and private life.

Biedermeier

7) Name the legendary red wine grape that is exclusively cultivated across the state of California?

Zinfandel

8) What is the term used by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in their book A Thousand Plateaus to describe theory and research that allows for multiple, non-hierarchical entry and exit points in data representation and interpretation?

Rhizome

9) Name the 19th Century Norwegian mathematician whose pioneering work in group theory led to groups being named after him.

Sophus Lie

10) Who in 1905 founded Sinn Féin, the oldest political movement of Ireland devoted to the cause of Irish Republicanism?

Arthur Griffith

QUIZ - 18

1) Mixolimnion and monimolimnion are the top and bottom layers of a lake whose waters are stratified and do not mix. What is the name for such a lake?

2) Name the world’s most prestigious award in architecture, which is commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize for Architecture.

3) Which law named after an English banker says ‘When there is a legal tender currency, bad money drives good money out of circulation"?

4) By what term are mammals that lay eggs (example – platypus and echidna) known?

5) Which species of monkeys almost always give birth to twins?

6) Originally used to describe a specific style of furniture that was popular in 19th Century Vienna, name this term that developed into a description of art, architecture and eventually a middle-class social phenomenon that centered on the family and private life.

7) Name the legendary red wine grape that is exclusively cultivated across the state of California?

8) What is the term used by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari in their book A Thousand Plateaus to describe theory and research that allows for multiple, non-hierarchical entry and exit points in data representation and interpretation?

9) Name the 19th Century Norwegian mathematician whose pioneering work in group theory led to groups being named after him.

10) Who in 1905 founded Sinn Féin, the oldest political movement of Ireland devoted to the cause of Irish Republicanism?

Answers to Quiz - 17

1) Which day of the year is observed as Pi day?

March 14th (3/14) to commemorate the mathematical constant Pi (3.14). It is also Albert Einstein’s birthday

2) What term describes the difficulty in learning or comprehending mathematics?

Dyscalculia

3) What is often described as the Nobel Prize of Mathematics?

The Fields Medal

4) It was not until 1976 that the four-colour conjecture was finally proven by Kenneth Appel and Wolfgang Haken at the University of Illinois. Who proposed it in 1852 while trying to colour the counties of England on a map?

Francis Guthrie

5) 1729 is the smallest number expressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways. What is this number famously known as?

The Hardy-Ramanujan Number

6) Name the Czech born mathematician who in 1931 published the Incompleteness Theorem, which is widely held to be the most important contribution of 20th Century mathematics.

Kurt Gödel

7) Name the 8th Century Arab mathematician who is considered as the father of algebra and from whose name the word algorithm is derived.

Al-Khwarizmi

8) What term coined by Benoit Mandelbrot in 1975 describes non-regular geometric shapes that have the same degree of non-regularity on all scales?

Fractal

9) For discovering what mathematical entities is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), the first civil liberties group dedicated to protecting the health and growth of the Internet, sponsoring cooperative computing awards, with over half a million dollars in prize money?

Prime Numbers

10) Name the 17th Century French friar who is best remembered today because of his name being associated with a certain class of Prime Numbers?

Marin Mersenne