1. What two-word nickname for The Beatles at the height of their fame in the 1960s was coined by Tony Barrow, the head of The Beatles press office?
2. The Government of India’s MSTC (Metal and Scrap Trading Corporation) conducted an e-auction worth `133 crore last year on behalf of an unusual biological product mainly obtained from a place in South India. Together with other places producing this, the trade in this commodity reached `700 crore last year. What product is this that is popular in the West in the fashion industry?
3. At the Lahore Congress Session of 1929 a special theme song was chosen in honour of someone who was imprisoned at the Lahore central Jail at that time. What was the song and who was the prisoner?
4. What minor variation of New Zealand’s rugby union team would yield the name of their national basketball team?
5. The German equivalent of _____ was called Maerklin while the American version was called the Erector Set. By what name do we know this toy whose name is believed to have come from the concept of ‘learning while creating’?
6. In 2007 Apple Inc dropped what word from its name while unveiling a new product?
7. Namche Bazaar is a small town in the Sagarmatha zone of Nepal. It is a popular destination for trekkers to the high Himalayas and is the last stop for Internet access and stores catering to the trekkers’ needs. For what other
important human reason is this stop important?
8. In 1984 eminent jurist Nani Palkhivala wrote ‘the picture that emerges is that of a great country in a state of moral decay... The tricolour fluttering all over the country is black, red, and scarlet — black money, red _____, and scarlet________.’ Fill in the blanks.
9. What English dessert named after the county town of Shropshire, England, is made from dough that contains sugar, flour, egg, butter, and lemon zest? This popular cake /biscuit retains its original British name in India (especially in Pune) although they are a geographically indicated food of UK.
10. It is one of the world’s most ancient techniques of meditation, which was apparently re-discovered by Gautama Buddha. It is a practice of self-transformation through self-observation and introspection. In English, this form of meditation is often referred to simply as ‘insight meditation’. What form of meditation is this whose name is derived from the Pali language meaning ‘clear seeing’ or ‘insight’?
11. The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon occurring in summer months in the polar regions, where the sun remains visible for a continuous 24 hours, mostly north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle. What term sounding like a chess piece describes the night where instead of darkness, there is perpetual twilight?
12. The word nomophobia was coined during a study by the UK Post Office which commissioned a study to look at anxieties suffered by users of ____. The study found that 53 per cent of users suffered from this phobia. What phobia is this?
13. The cricket trophy for the series between Sri Lanka and Australia is named after two great bowlers. It features a replica of the bowlers’ hand holding a cricket ball. Whose hands are these?
14. The sport of fencing gets its name from what word because sword play was considered an important survival skill on the battlefield?
15. This bestselling book made into a movie blockbuster had trouble with its title. The author initially thought up The Silence of Death, White Death, and Leviathan Rising. His father came up with Wha’s That Noshin’ on My Laig and Cunna Linga Here No Longa possibly in jest. Finally with 30 minutes before printing the author came up with ‘the name’. His father and publisher asked what it meant? “No idea,” he said, “At least it’s short.” Name the book.
16. The ‘In Memoriam’ segment in film awards shows features those who died the previous year. Which Indian film star featured in this segment at the BAFTA Awards ceremony 2012?
The Answers
1. Fab Four
2. Hair (from TTD and other temples).
3. Rang de basanti chola / Bhagat Singh
4. Tall Blacks
5. Meccano (Make and Know)
6. Computer (It launched the iPhone beginning its transformation as the world’s largest mobile phone maker.)
7.For altitude acclimitisation to prevent altitude /mountain sickness
8. Tape / Corruption
9. Shrewsbury biscuits
10. Vipassana
11. White Nights
12. Loss or nonfunctioning of mobile phones
13. Warne and Muralitharan
14. Defence
15. Jaws
16. Shammi Kapoor