Answers to Quiz - 108

1) Ug99 is a fungus that threatens to destroy wheat crop worldwide. Why is it called so?

From its country of origin (Uganda) and the year of naming (1999)

2) Three Gorges Dam is the world’s biggest hydroelectric project (22500 MW). Across which Chinese river is it constructed?

Yangtze

3) Name the three-headed dog that guards the gates to the underworld in Greek and Roman Mythology.

Cerberus

4) What is the name of the international medical humanitarian organization founded by doctors and journalists in France in 1971? It received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)

5) What two countries did the Mandelbaum Gate separate till it was dismantled in 1967?

Israel and Jordan

6) What is the name of the first practical bicycle invented by a German baron in 1817?

Draisine named after Karl Christian Ludwig Drais von Sauerbronn

7) Name the Canadian professor of English and communication specialist who coined expressions like “Global Village” and “The Medium is the Message”.

Marshall McLuhan

8) What sport was born on Repack Road in California in 1976?

Mountain Biking

9) Panhellenic Games refers to the four sports festivals held in ancient Greece. One of them was the Olympic Games. What are the names of the other three games?

Pythian, Nemean and Isthmian Games

10) Which two nations resolved their border dispute by the Treaty of 1818?

United States of America and United Kingdom

QUIZ - 108

1) Ug99 is a fungus that threatens to destroy wheat crop worldwide. Why is it called so?

2) Three Gorges Dam is the world’s biggest hydroelectric project (22500 MW). Across which Chinese river is it constructed?

3) Name the three-headed dog that guards the gates to the underworld in Greek and Roman Mythology.

4) What is the name of the international medical humanitarian organization founded by doctors and journalists in France in 1971? It received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999.

5) What two countries did the Mandelbaum Gate separate till it was dismantled in 1967?

6) What is the name of the first practical bicycle invented by a German baron in 1817?

7) Name the Canadian professor of English and communication specialist who coined expressions like “Global Village” and “The Medium is the Message”.

8) What sport was born on Repack Road in California in 1976?

9) Panhellenic Games refers to the four sports festivals held in ancient Greece. One of them was the Olympic Games. What are the names of the other three games?

10) Which two nations resolved their border dispute by the Treaty of 1818?

Answers to Quiz - 107

1) Who lives in “The Lodge”?

Prime Minister of Australia

2) Who is the God of thunder in Celtic mythology?

Taranis

3) What famous organization has recently changed its name to “The Y”?

YMCA

4) What term describes the 19th century American belief that their country was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean?

Manifest Destiny

5) What public transportation concept was pioneered by the French town of La Rochelle in 1974?

Bicycle Sharing System

6) Which country rules Galapagos Islands made famous by Charles Darwin?

Ecuador

7) Which country’s borders were dramatically redefined by the Treaty of Trianon signed in 1920 at the end of World War I?

Hungary

8) What organs of the human body are affected by the Zollinger – Ellison Syndrome?

Pancreas and / or Duodenum

9) What is JCVI-syn1.0?

World’s first artificial living organism created with a synthetic genome on 20th May 2010

10) Which country’s woman Prime Minister is referred to as “Tatra Tigress”?

Slovakia

QUIZ - 107

1) Who lives in “The Lodge”?

2) Who is the God of thunder in Celtic mythology?

3) What famous organization has recently changed its name to “The Y”?

4) What term describes the 19th century American belief that their country was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean?

5) What public transportation concept was pioneered by the French town of La Rochelle in 1974?

6) Which country rules Galapagos Islands made famous by Charles Darwin?

7) Which country’s borders were dramatically redefined by the Treaty of Trianon signed in 1920 at the end of World War I?

8) What organs of the human body are affected by the Zollinger – Ellison Syndrome?

9) What is JCVI-syn1.0?

10) Which country’s woman Prime Minister is referred to as “Tatra Tigress”?

Answers to Quiz - 106

1) Pagophagia is regarded as a sign of anemia. What is Pagophagia?

Craving to eat ice

2) In which Indian state would you get to drink a local rice beer called Yu?

Manipur

3) Name the Filipino chieftain who engaged Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan and eventually killed him

Lapu Lapu

4) Which is the only Indian company among the 8 sponsors of the FIFA World Cup 2010?

Mahindra Satyam

5) Which company is the official ball supplier for World Cup Football since 1970?

Adidas

6) What sporting record does Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner hold?

Longest women’s tennis match lasting 391 minutes in 1984

7) In which country is petrol the cheapest?

Venezuela at Rs. 2.31 per litre.

8) He is known variously as Arquero, Portero, Guardavalla, Cuidapalos, Cancerbero in different parts of South America. Who is he?

The Goalkeeper

9) For what distinction are Lady Gaga and President Obama in neck to neck competition?

To reach 10 million fans on Facebook

10) Name the head of Mossad, who is embroiled in a controversy over the assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai in January.

Meir Dagan

QUIZ - 106

1) Pagophagia is regarded as a sign of anemia. What is Pagophagia?

2) In which Indian state would you get to drink a local rice beer called Yu?

3) Name the Filipino chieftain who engaged Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan and eventually killed him

4) Which is the only Indian company among the 8 sponsors of the FIFA World Cup 2010?

5) Which company is the official ball supplier for World Cup Football since 1970?

6) What sporting record does Vicki Nelson and Jean Hepner hold?

7) In which country is petrol the cheapest?

8) He is known variously as Arquero, Portero, Guardavalla, Cuidapalos, Cancerbero in different parts of South America. Who is he?

9) For what distinction are Lady Gaga and President Obama in neck to neck competition?

10) Name the head of Mossad, who is embroiled in a controversy over the assassination of a Hamas commander in Dubai in January

Answers to Quiz - 105

1) 16 year old girl Abby Sunderland attempting to sail solo around the world went missing in the Indian Ocean. What is the name of her boat?

Wild Eyes

2) Who scored the first goal of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?

Siphiwe Tshabalala

3) What is Trichology?

Branch of medicine that deals with hair and scalp

4) India is poised to become a member of the SCO. What is SCO?

Shanghai Cooperation Organization

5) Whose autobiography is titled – Before Memory Fades?

Fali Nariman, the distinguished constitutional lawyer

6) Which 2 teams are currently battling it out for the NBA title?

LA Lakers and Boston Celtics

7) Which hormone is called the Love Hormone?

Oxytocin

8) In which airline is Kalanithi Maran, the CEO of Sun TV Network, taking a big stake?

SpiceJet

9) Who created the fictional character of Lisbeth Salander?

Stieg Larsson

10) What is WAG the acronym for in British tabloids?

Wives And Girlfriends of high profile football players

QUIZ - 105

1) 16 year old girl Abby Sunderland attempting to sail solo around the world went missing in the Indian Ocean. What is the name of her boat?

2) Who scored the first goal of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?

3) What is Trichology?

4) India is poised to become a member of the SCO. What is SCO?

5) Whose autobiography is titled – Before Memory Fades?

6) Which 2 teams are currently battling it out for the NBA title?

7) Which hormone is called the Love Hormone?

8) In which airline is Kalanithi Maran, the CEO of Sun TV Network, taking a big stake?

9) Who created the fictional character of Lisbeth Salander?

10) What is WAG the acronym for in British tabloids?

Answers to Quiz - 104

1) Name the painting by S.H. Raza that was sold for $3.49 million at Christie’s, thereby becoming India’s priciest piece of modern art.

Saurashtra

2) The Orange prize is given for English language novels by women. Who is this year’s Orange prize winner and what’s the title of the novel?

Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna

3) Who is writing the foreword to Nelson Mandela’s new book – Conversations with Myself?

Barack Obama

4) What is the popular term for the South African national football team?

Bafana Bafana

5) A sub species of the bird that appears on the state flag of Louisiana is under severe threat because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What is this bird?

Brown Pelican

6) In which country has a leather shoe worn about 5500 years ago been discovered in a cave

Armenia

7) Fabio Capello, coach of the England football team is using ‘Victoria’ to ensure that his team’s training pitches are safe. What or who is ‘Victoria’?

A Falcon to ensure that the pitches are free of rodents and snakes

8) What is the name of the genetic condition that lowers the immunity level of the new born baby to such an extent that it has to be kept shielded in a sterile pouch?

Bubble Baby Syndrome

9) Who will captain the MCC team in a T20 match against the visiting Pakistanis later this month?

Saurav Ganguly

10) The man who developed the fingerprinting system was also the first to make rigorous weather maps. He was one of the great polymaths of the 19th Century. Who is he?

Francis Galton

QUIZ - 104

1) Name the painting by S.H. Raza that was sold for $3.49 million at Christie’s, thereby becoming India’s priciest piece of modern art.

2) The Orange prize is given for English language novels by women. Who is this year’s Orange prize winner and what’s the title of the novel?

3) Who is writing the foreword to Nelson Mandela’s new book – Conversations with Myself?

4) What is the popular term for the South African national football team?

5) A sub species of the bird that appears on the state flag of Louisiana is under severe threat because of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. What is this bird?

6) In which country has a leather shoe worn about 5500 years ago been discovered in a cave

7) Fabio Capello, coach of the England football team is using ‘Victoria’ to ensure that his team’s training pitches are safe. What or who is ‘Victoria’?

8) What is the name of the genetic condition that lowers the immunity level of the new born baby to such an extent that it has to be kept shielded in a sterile pouch?

9) Who will captain the MCC team in a T20 match against the visiting Pakistanis later this month?

10) The man who developed the fingerprinting system was also the first to make rigorous weather maps. He was one of the great polymaths of the 19th Century. Who is he?

Answers to Quiz - 103

1) What prestigious literary prize has been awarded this year to the former Czech President Vaclav Havel?

Franz Kafka Prize

2) What word has been coined as the slogan for World Cup Football by MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone operator?

Ayoba

3) Name the Spanish fashion chain that is entering the Indian market this week without launching an advertising campaign?

Zara

4) Why is Moti Singh in the news these days?

He was the collector of Bhopal during the gas tragedy in December 1984

5) Name the former Zimbabwe fast bowler who was forced to flee the country following his black arm band protest during the 2003 World Cup. He is currently a singer.

Henry Olonga

6) Name the controversy ridden woman of Indian roots who has won the Republican nomination for the Governorship of South Carolina

Nikki Haley Randhawa

7) With an issue of $21.6 billion in 2006, which company holds the world record for the biggest IPO?

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China

8) Where will the Mr. Universe contest be held next week?

Miami

9) What is the name of the airport at Bhopal?

Raja Bhoj Airport

10) Who is the new President of Philippines?

Benigno Aquino III

QUIZ - 103

Yet another Quiz based on the day’s newspapers.


1) What prestigious literary prize has been awarded this year to the former Czech President Vaclav Havel?

2) What word has been coined as the slogan for World Cup Football by MTN, Africa’s largest mobile phone operator?

3) Name the Spanish fashion chain that is entering the Indian market this week without launching an advertising campaign?

4) Why is Moti Singh in the news these days?

5) Name the former Zimbabwe fast bowler who was forced to flee the country following his black arm band protest during the 2003 World Cup. He is currently a singer.

6) Name the controversy ridden woman of Indian roots who has won the Republican nomination for the Governorship of South Carolina.

7) With an issue of $21.6 billion in 2006, which company holds the world record for the biggest IPO?

8) Where will the Mr. Universe contest be held next week?

9) What is the name of the airport at Bhopal?

10) Who is the new President of Philippines?

Answers to Quiz - 102

1) By what popular moniker do we know the Brazilian footballer Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite?

Kaka

2) ‘World One’, world’s tallest residential building (117 storey, 450m) is planned to come up at Lower Parel, Mumbai. Where is the world’s current tallest residential building, Q1 (80 storey,323m) located?

Gold Coast, Australia

3) What is the name of the soon to be launched 24 hour Bengali news channel that will be the mouthpiece of Trinamool Congress?

Ekhon Samay

4) What is the medical term for the inability to speak?

Aphonia

5) What is the pixel density of the ‘Retina Display’ of iPhone4?

360 Pixels per inch

6) Name the 89 year old news correspondent called as “dean of the White House press corps” who resigned after her controversial comments on Israel and Palestine.

Hellen Thomas

7) What is the name of the space habitat planned for 2016 by the Bigelow Aerospace Company?

Sundancer

8) Name the volcano located close to the Philippines capital, Manila that is reportedly getting active.

Taal

9) After its acquisition of Zain, Bharti Airtel is poised to become world’s 5th largest mobile phone operator. Which company is the number 1 mobile phone operator in the world with a subscriber base of 522 million?

China Mobile

10) With a width of 2000 km and a depth of 8 km, which is the biggest impact crater on Mars?

Hellas Basin

QUIZ - 102

Another Quiz based on today’s newspapers.


1) By what popular moniker do we know the Brazilian footballer Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite?

2) ‘World One’, world’s tallest residential building (117 storey, 450m) is planned to come up at Lower Parel, Mumbai. Where is the world’s current tallest residential building, Q1 (80 storey,323m) located?

3) What is the name of the soon to be launched 24 hour Bengali news channel that will be the mouthpiece of Trinamool Congress?

4) What is the medical term for the inability to speak?

5) What is the pixel density of the ‘Retina Display’ of iPhone4?

6) Name the 89 year old news correspondent called as “dean of the White House press corps” who resigned after her controversial comments on Israel and Palestine.

7) What is the name of the space habitat planned for 2016 by the Bigelow Aerospace Company?

8) Name the volcano located close to the Philippines capital, Manila that is reportedly getting active.

9) After its acquisition of Zain, Bharti Airtel is poised to become world’s 5th largest mobile phone operator. Which company is the number 1 mobile phone operator in the world with a subscriber base of 522 million?

10) With a width of 2000 km and a depth of 8 km, which is the biggest impact crater on Mars?

Answers to Quiz - 101

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

Former Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan

2) Where is the International Tattoo Convention currently underway?

Bogota, Colombia

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

Autism

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

Broadband Wireless Access

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

Guinness World Records has recognized it as the 'furthest leaning manmade tower'

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

Vuvuzela

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

Uttam Galva Metalics Limited

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

Equatorial Guinea

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

Bombay Blood Group

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

Long Island, New York

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?