Answers to Quiz - 85

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

Braising

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

Mandoline

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

Vandyke

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

Zest

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

The degree of fineness

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

Yakitori

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

Ratatouille

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

Flambé

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

Gazpacho

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

Baker’s Peel

QUIZ - 85

Ten questions about cooking and food

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answeers to Quiz - 84

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

Fear being laughed at

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

Salafis

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

Cayman Islands

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

Nereids

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

Mafic

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

Abyssal Plains

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

Philemon

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

Malanga

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

Easter Island

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

Muslim Brotherhood

QUIZ - 84

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 83

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

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

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

Euclid

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

Computation of the mathematical constant pi to 1.24 trillion decimal places

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

Leonhard Euler

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

Pope Sylvester II

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

The Riemann Hypothesis

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

Pierre de Fermat

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

Andrew Wiles

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

Pythagoras

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

Diophantus

QUIZ - 83

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 82

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

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

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

Dr. Samuel Johnson

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

Robert K Greenleaf

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

Huitzilopochtli

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

Tourette syndrome after Dr. Georges Gilles de la Tourette

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

Johannes Vermeer

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

Tenochtitlan

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

Shofar

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

The Maastricht Treaty signed in Maastricht, Netherlands

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

Manchester United

QUIZ - 82

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 81

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

Louis Washkansky

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

Wallis Simpson

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

John Heysham Gibbon

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

Purkinje Fibres

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

Lub Dub

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

Brachycardia

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

Electrocardiograph

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

Nitinol

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

Mitral valve

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

Graham Greene

QUIZ - 81

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 80

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

Monolithic human figures on Easter Island

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

Chatham House Rule

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

Handwriting

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

Vogue

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

Ergometer

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

Montreal

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

Male pregnancy

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

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

9. Who popularised the economic concept of creative destruction?

Joseph Schumpeter

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

Statism

QUIZ - 80

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Who popularised the economic concept of creative destruction?

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

Answers to Quiz - 79

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

O Henry

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

India

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

Plantains

4. What is the banana problem?

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

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

Dik Browne, who created Hagar the Horrible

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

Antonius Musa

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

The Blue Banana

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

Hands

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

The Cavendish

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

Wilmington in Ohio

QUIZ - 79

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

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

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

4. What is the Banana Problem?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 78

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

Activity Based Costing

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

Xerox, Robert Camp

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

C.K. Prahalad and Gary Hamel

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

Diamond Model

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

Stern Stewart

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

Kurt Lewin

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

Groupthink

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

Motivation and Personality

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

Peter Drucker

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

Albert Humphrey

QUIZ -78

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 77

1. What objects constitute a Hickson Compact Group?

Galaxies

2. What is 51 Pegasi b?

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

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

Paris

4. Who discovered the planet Pluto?

Clyde Tombaugh

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

Plutoid

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

Centaurs

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

Barycentre

8. What are the 3 satellites of Pluto?

Charon, Nix and Hydra

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

Eris

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

Heinrich Olbers (Olbers Paradox)

QUIZ - 77

Ten questions for The International Year of Astronomy 2009

1. What objects constitute a Hickson Compact Group?

2. What is 51 Pegasi b?

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

4. Who discovered the planet Pluto?

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

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

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

8. What are the 3 satellites of Pluto?

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

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

Answers to Quiz - 76

1. What is an orphan drug?

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

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

Atoll

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

Maldives

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

Golden Chainsaw Award

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

Bluestocking

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

The Glorious Revolution

7. Name the largest of the 7 Canary Islands

Tenerife

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

Greenlighting

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

Information about sex offenders

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

Efficient Market Hypothesis

QUIZ - 76

1. What is an orphan drug?

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

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

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

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

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

7. Name the largest of the 7 Canary Islands

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

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

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