1. What does the colour saffron represent in the flags of Niger and Ivory Coast? The same is symbolised in the yellow of Chad and Mauritania.
2. Who heads this list: (1) ________, (2) Larisa Latynina 18 (9/5/4); (3) Nikolai Andrianov, 15 (7/5/3); (4) Boris Shaklin, 13 (7/4/2); (5) Edoardo Mangiarotti, 13 (6/5/2)
3. The QR Code was invented by a subsidiary of Toyota in 1994 to track vehicles during the manufacturing process. This is detected as a two-dimensional digital image and allows its contents to be decoded at high speed. What does QR stand for?
4. Which is the only number that has the same number of letters as its actual value?
5. In a recent article MJ Akbar wrote that this politican had made a “quiet and remarkable journey from a constable to the man in executive charge of India’s police forces”. Who is this?
6. With revenues of nearly $25 billion annually, this company is in 119 countries and probably has the highest number of customers in a day. It also distributes the maximum number of toys annually. Which company?
7. The thathovarucha pancham (drought) occurred in 1876-77 when 20 per cent of Madurai’s population perished. What specific construction came about following a commission of inquiry set up by the government?
8. Which founder of Amar Chitra Katha has his own Amar Chitra Katha title?
9. The son of Arikesari Maravarman, this Pandya king ruled between 710 AD and 735 AD. He is remembered for his victorious battles against the Cheras and Cholas. His surname is Ranadhiran. What is his first name which is also the name of an upcoming Rajinikanth movie?
10. All spacecraft are launched in which cardinal direction that allows them to get an additional push from the Earth and requires 5 per cent less overall thrust?
11. Neurologist John Todd described a syndrome associated with migraines, brain tumours or use of psychoactive drugs. Although the eyes are normal, the patient ‘sees’ objects with the wrong size or shape. Things look smaller or larger than they should be and distances look incorrect. The lack of time, and space, and perspective also leads to a distorted sense of velocity. These features led Todd to name the syndrome after a fictional character whose experiences are similar to this syndrome. What is the three-word name of this syndrome?
12. What was the name given by Allied pilots in World War II to the eastern end of the Himalayas, especially the 4,600m Santsung mountain range over which they flew military transport missions originally called the India-China Ferry from India to supply Chiang Kai-Shek and the USAF in China?
13. John Denver, the singer-activist and humanitarian, paid tribute to a famous conservationist, explorer, scientist, inventor and filmmaker in his song Calypso — the name of the conservationist’s research yacht. What is his name?
14. There are three Nobel Peace Prize laureates currently serving as Presidents of their countries. One of them is Barack Obama of the USA. Who are the other two? Clue: Each is on a different continent!
15. In June 2012 SportsPro magazine ranked athletes from across the world on the basis of their marketing potential over the next three years and after considering factors like age, home market, charisma, crossover appeal and value for money. Brazilian football sensation Neymar is ranked No 1. The only two Indians in the Top 50 are ranked (a) 16th and (b) 38th. Who are (a) and (b)?
16. This legislation “The Tamil Nadu Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Bootleggers, Drug-offenders, Forest-offenders, ______, Immoral Traffic Offenders, Slum-grabbers and Video Pirates Act, 1982” has a shorter name (blanked out) by which it is referred to. What name is this?
Answers
1. Sahara desert
2. Michael Phelps, 22 (18-2-2). The largest number of Olympic medals. The numbers in brackets represent gold-silver-bronze medals.
3. Quick Response
4. Four
5. Sushil Kumar Shinde, Union Home Minister
6. McDonalds
7. Mullaiperiyar dam
8. Anant Pai (or) Uncle Pai
9. Kochadaiyaan
10. East. At the equator,the Earth’s surface is rotating eastward at 1675 kilometres per hour! So if we launch the rocket toward the east, it will get another big boost from Earth’s rotational motion.
11. Alice in Wonderland Syndrome
12. The Hump
13. Jacques Yves Costeau
14. Ellen Sirleaf Johnson (Liberia) / Shimon Peres (Israel)
15. Dhoni / Mary Kom
16. Goondas Act