1. This form of Vishnu emerged from the churning of the ocean of milk (samudra manthan) and is considered a ‘ratna’ bearing another ‘ratna’. Name this
form of Vishnu considered the god of a
certain profession.
2. The iconic ‘HOLLYWOOD’ sign in the Santa Monica Mountains of Los Angeles has been unofficially altered many times. Which letter was dropped during the 1978 visit of Pope John Paul II to the city?
3. ‘RR’ started his cartoon feature Champs and Chumps dealing with sports trivia in the New York Globe newspaper in 1918. He later changed the title when he included trivia on general topics in 1919. What was the new title of his feature?
4. The Greeks called it the Hyrcanian Ocean while Hindu texts referred to this place as Kashyap Sagar after the mythological sage. This geographical feature links the borders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. What place is this?
5. The original emblem of the Rolls Royce has the letters ‘RR’ in red. What change did it undergo following the death of Charles Rolls who was the first Briton to die in a flying accident?
6. The working title of which award was Eddie after its inventor? The final award is named after the invention.
7. Which UNESCO World Heritage Site is located in both India and Bangladesh?
8. What ‘strong gust of air’ fought off a ‘typhoon’ to bag 20 billion USD in February 2012?
9. Who guest starred in the 500th episode of The Simpsons by telephonically recording his lines?
10. This best-selling reader-friendly series began in 1991 with a book by computer science writer Dan Gookin. The book, with its characteristic standard format devised by Gookin, and cartoons by Rich Tennant, became popular due to the rarity of beginner-friendly materials for using ‘X’. While initially the series focused on software and technology topics (and still does), it now includes many general and diverse topics such as acne, chess, and fishing. Name this series and what is ‘X’?
11. According to Pliny the name of this fruit supposedly originating from Armenia comes from the fact that it ripened early (or precociously). He described it thus, “The Asiatic peach ripens at the end of autumn, though an early variety (praecocia) ripens in summer — these were discovered within the last 30 years... ” Name the fruit.
12. The genus name of the Indian Rhino is ‘Rhinoceros’. The species name reflects its appearance and is the same as a mythical animal with the addition of the letters ‘____is’. What animal is that?
13. Centuries ago, when Arabia did not have formal schools, students went to masters who taught them. Upon completion of his study, the graduate then acted as a master with his own students. This tablet expresses one such genealogy and is derived from the Arabic word for ‘link’. This certification of a master having a verifiable chain of masters was the only acceptable document. What word is this that became familiar to us following an Amitabh Bachchan movie?
14. The Chemistry IgNobel Prize for 2011 went to Makoto Imai, Naoki Urushihata, et al, for determining the ideal density of airborne ______ to awaken sleeping people in case of a fire or other emergency, and for applying this knowledge to invent the ______ alarm. What popular food condiment did they use as
an alarm?
15. According to Hindu mythology, when Kama, the god of love was burnt by the third eye of Shiva, Rati waited a long time for him. Then in her next birth, she assumed the name X and worked as a cook in the house of the asura Sambara. What name did she take in her rebirth, a name that is also now the name of a mammoth force
in India?
The Answers
1. Dhanvantari (the God of Indian medicine). He carries the pot of amrit in his hand.
2. L (Holywood)
3. Believe It or Not (by Robert Ripley)
4. Caspian Sea
5. The letters were coloured black in mourning and have remained so till date.
6. Grammy
7. Sunderbans
8. Rafale. India decided to purchase the Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft from France over the Eurofighter Typhoon. The word “rafale” means “a strong gust of air” in French.
9. Julian Assange. He is under house arrest in England and therefore could not record his lines in person.
10. The _____For Dummies series. X is the computer programme DOS
11. Apricot which gets its name from ‘precocious’. Its scientific name is Prunus armeniaca.
12. Unicorn (Rhinoceros unicornis)
13. Silsila
14. Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
15. Mayawati