1. What catchy phrase was used to publicise an unusual match in 2007 between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal when they played on a court that was half grass and half clay?
2. Which common prefix seen in Indian restaurant menus, usually applied to mildly flavoured, rich, creamy gravies that may also contain nuts and dried fruits, refers to the fact they were originally designed for royal consumption?
3. In 2005 there were calls to delete word ‘X’ from our national anthem and substitute it with word ‘Y’. The argument was that ‘X’ was no longer a part of India after 1947. Opponents of this proposal held that ‘X’ referred to a geographical feature and to a community’s culture and that this community is an integral part of India’s cultural fabric.
The Supreme Court of India declined to change the national anthem and the wording remains unchanged.
ID ‘X’and ‘Y’.
4. In classical education the four difficult subjects were arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. The three relatively simple subjects were logic, grammar and rhetoric.
What were these three together called? (Clue: One quizzy word)
5. Which 16th century Vaishnava saint and social reformer was sometimes referred to by the names Gaura (Sanskrit for golden one) due to the light complexion of his skin, and Nimai due to his being born underneath a Neem tree?
6. The non-profit organisation ‘X’ opened a petition proclaiming that a popular website ‘Y’ “is a masterpiece of human creative genius and is also of universal human value”. If successful, ‘Y’ would become the first digital entry on a prestigious UNESCO roster of international cultural and natural wonders that includes Giant’s Causeway, Stonehenge and Westminster Abbey. ID X and Y.
7. This city is associated with motorsport and gave its name to a unique type of race start where racers line up across the street from their cars and run across the street and jump into their cars, get in, start the engines, reverse and begin the race, all without any assistance. This mad scramble in the beginning of each race became an iconic aspect of this race, which, however, was later discarded, on grounds of drivers going around without fastening their safety harnesses! Name this city.
8. White, Black, Javan and Sumatran are four of five currently existing species of what animal; and can you name the fifth type?
9. The UN estimates that 50 per cent of the world’s living standards are influenced by ________, which create sustainable ways to increase the standard of living for entire populations without over-exploiting natural resources. Therefore in autumn last year, just as global population reached 7 billion people, The UN declared 2012 as the International Year of the _____?
10. The blackbuck, Indian gazelle and the wild ass which are fast vanishing in other regions of India are present in large numbers in the Thar Desert.
The numbers are attributed to adaptation — they are smaller than similar animals elsewhere and they are nocturnal.
What specific human intervention has contributed to their healthy population?
11. Starting his career at number 11, this player was part of the world record test partnership for the last wicket;. He later went on to open the batting and broke the record for the test opening partnership. He also set two records which will never be broken.
Who was he?
12. Walter Elias Disney started Disney Bros with his brother Roy. What two personal changes did he make to appear more like a studio boss?
13. In order to contain China’s ambitions in the South China Sea, the US is planning to increase its military presence in which Asian country?
14. This word first appeared in 1948 in a paper titled A Mathematical Theory of Communication by C E Shannon in Bell Systems Technical Journal.
(This paper is one of the seminal works of modern information theory).
The relevant sentence is, “The choice of a logarithmic base corresponds to the choice of a unit for measuring information.
If the base 2 is used the resulting units may be called ________s, or more briefly ___s, a word suggested by J W Tukey.” Fill in the two blanks (the first blank represents two words)
15. This hair style was originally sported by the Yale University rowing team in the 1890s and was later adopted by the US armed forces during World War II, and became a civilian fashion for men throughout the 1950s. What is its name that reflects its origin?
THE ANSWERS
1. Battle of the Surfaces
2. Shahi
3. Sindh / Kashmir
4. Trivia (or trivium)
5. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
6. X = Wikimedia and Y =
Wikipedia
7. Le Mans. The race is called
‘The 24 Hours of Le Mans’
8. Rhinoceros, Indian
9. Cooperatives
10. Bishnoi community
11. Wilfred Rhodes. He took
4,204 first class wickets and
played his first test aged 21
and his last one aged 52 — the
longest career ending as the
oldest ever test player.
12. He shortened his name to
Walt, and grew a moustache.
His original family name was
D’Isney — they immigrated from
Kilkenny, Ireland.
13. Phillipines
14. Binary Digits / Bits
15. Crew Cut (after the rowing crew)
navinjay@yahoo.com