Dry Rounds

1. The French critic and poet Saint Beuve, was born on 23rd December 1804. On one occasion in his life, he was unfortunate enough to get involved in a duel. What was his unusual choice when he was asked to select his weapons?
   A : Spelling
2. What is the Helium-Donald Duck effect?
   A : When you let air from a helium balloon into your trachea, the pitch produced in your voice is two and a half octaves higher (like Donald Duck's!)
3. the Emir, Abu Abdallah, Mujahid Shaykh, Hajj-connect
   A : aliases of osama bin laden..
4. Connect the terms 'top note','middle note',base note' with perfumes.-
   A : The smell when it is sprayed first is top note,after 5-6 hours is middle note and the one which lasts longest is base note.
5. Who is the only person to have a Dewey Decimal Classification named after him?
   A : William Shakespeare
6. As he was led to the executioner's block, he reportedly stated: "I would know by what authority I am brought here. The Commons of England was never a judicial court. I would first know when it came to be so". Name this person, who became known as the Martyr after his death.
   A : Charles I
7. When asked in the early 70's, if he would do any more Bond movies, what is Sean Connery said to have publicly declared ?
   A : "Never Again", Hence The Next Film "Never Say Never Again"
8. Crepuscular-animals-what are they?
   A : who prefer dawn or dusk for their prey.
9. What phrase comes from the Roman custom of adding charcoal to rehabilitate stale wine?
   A : To raise a toast (tostus mean roast in Latin).
10. She is a huge fan of Russian ballet and studied dancing in the same class as Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. She once said that she preferred the company of animals to people. Her first book was about her adventures with a chipmunk. Who is she?
    A : Elizabeth Taylor.
11. What was the first thing with which T.Edison tested his gramaphone?-
    A : Mary Had A Little Lamb.
12. When he was 12 he knew Finnish,Greek,Latin and English. His favourite pastime was inventing new languages. He was a bad student at school and later a bad teacher at college where he taught Anglo-Saxon. Who?
    A : J.R.R.Tolkien
13. Who or what is nicknamed- The Gray Lady of 43rd Street -
    A : New York Times.
14. There is a connection between Satyajit Ray's film 'Gupi Gyan Bagha Byan' and Hitchcock's 'Spellbound'-
    A : last scenes are coloured although rest is B/W.
15. Joseph Pulitzer, in 1885, berated the US public in the “World” in an editorial, “A national disgrace”. What was he referring to?
    A : He was referring to the fact that the Statue of Liberty was ready, there was no money to build a pedestal, due to lack of public response. Soon after, funds poured in and the statue was set up.
16. During the WW-II , the US govt. made an unusual request to Paramount Studios . They asked Paramount to give actress Veronica Lake a new hairstyle . Why ?
    A : Veronica Lake's "peek-a-boo-bang" hairstyle, where the hair covered one of the eyes, was very popular among the wartime factory girls. This hairstyle caused many industrial accidents during that period. So the US Govt. asked Paramount to give her a new hairstyle
17. A Sleeve and a Tray are the principal components of which everyday object?
    A : A Matchbox.
18. The Geneva Bible (published between 1557-1560) had acquired a sobriquet 'Breeches Bible'-why?-
    A : Because in this work Adam and Eve used breeches to cover themselves instead of leaves for the first time in this version of the Bible.
19. In earlier days,in Rome,a public square was formed at the junction of three roads,where the people met and talked about all sorts of things.Which English word originated from this?-
    A : Trivia.
20. An ancient medieval treatise prescribed the following procedure for what-first grind it to minimal, ensure that it is black marble, boil nine times in wine, after each boil, dry for three days under the sun after skimming. Then, after final boil, dry for nine days. What?
    A : This was the procedure for the manufacture of the dust used in hourglasses.
21. Connect : Peas bottom, Cobweb, Mustard Seed & Moth (Hint : Literature)
    A : The 4 fairies in " The Midsummer Night's Dream "

By Sayan Ghosh (CSE II)

1. Prince Vlad Tepes is creditedwith the heroic of saving their country from the aggression of their neighbours Turkey.However we remember him for much notorious reasons.What?
   A : he was the prince on whom Count Dracula was modelled on
2. The only book written by him is "A Cardinals Mistress".Who?
   A : Benito Mussolini
3. Connect George Best & Clint Eastwood
   A : The Good,The Bad & The Ugly
4. If the family begun with Telstar,which is its youngest member till date?
   A : Fevernova(adidas balls used for wc football)
5. 14th march 1927 was given a particular name in the US.What?
   A : Pi-day.In mm-dd-yy format used in US,it was 3.14.27
6. Abbey National Building Society is a famous tourist attraction in London. Why?
   A : it consists of buildings 215-235 baker street including 221-B(Sherlock Holmes)
7. Name the most famous member of a rock band called "Ugly Rumours"
   A : Tony Blair
8. It was started as a research project at stanford university,created by ph.D Candidates.Its staff include a former neurosurgeon,a rocket scientist.Another of them had the job title "Spiderman".Name this company(or institution)?
   A : Google
9. The last Kishore Kumar movie was called "Door Wadiyon Me Kahin".What was unique about that?
   A : No songs in the movie
10. Who was the Time man of the year 1982?
    A : the computer
11. Recently Discovery Kids conducted a survey to elect "kids man of the year 2001". George Bush won the contest.Who was his closest competetor?
    A : Joanne Kathleen Rowling
12. Which Indian myth hero did Megasthanes compare with Hercules in his "Indica"?
    A : Krishna
13. In this event,the team called Devon Wanderera,representing Great Britain,beat France in 1900 Olympics.What?
    A : Cricket
14. Connect -the Sea of Tranquility & Hipparchus
    A : Neil Armstrong,Edwin Aldrin landed on moon on the sea of tranquility Tintin & Calculus landed on moon on Hipparchus
15. What was the first classical Ayurvedic medicine to be branded?
    A : Hajmola pills
16. Dr Joseph Bell,Edinburgh University inspired which character ?
    A : Sherlock Holmes
17. What is the special issue of Playboy based on?
    A : Women of Enron.1O employees were chosen from 300 Enron employees auditioned

Entertainment Round

 

1. Which superstar topped the Forbes 500 celebs lit last year but does not feature this year
   A : Tom Cruise
2. The creator,about his creation-"a combination of all the people i ever disliked"?
   A : Walt Disney,Donald Duck
3. Louis Maxwell,Canada has done something most no of times in the movie world.What?
   A : To act in a Bond movie most no of times(20),in Miss Moneypenny'S role
4. Captain Courageous & Boys Town were two films to be released in consecutive years in 1930s .Connect them?
   A : Spencer Tracy's consecutive Oscars
5. He was the only son of a oil-field worker .His 1st broadway lead was Machinal(1928). He went to hollywood in 30s & tasted success in a series of gangster movies.Gary Cooper refused the role that made him a superhero.Adolf Hitler named him as his favourite actor.Name him.
   A : Clark Gable.Gary Cooper refused 'Gone With The Wind'
6. Name the two non-film personalities acting in "Massey Sahib"
   A : Arundhati Roy & Siddhartha Basu(real quizzzzz!!!!!!!!!)
7. Connect the Oscar nominations of "Give 'Em Hell Harry" (1972) and "Sleuth"(1975)
   A : Entire cast was nominated for Oscars
8. They were initially called Tom & Jerry?
   A : Simon and Garfunkel

Sports Round

 

1. 'White Heather Cricket and Football Club' of England has a claim to fame-what?
   A : First women's cricket club
2. Formula one .. The Monaco Grand Prix is the only World Championship GP with a date decided not by the FIA( head of the F1 racing ) in consultation with FOCA but in consultation with _________ ??
   A : The Roman Catholic Church
3. Back in the 1890s,Three Englishmen - an employee in a lace factory named Kilpin, an employee in a travel agency named Allison and a cobbler named Davies put their proposal to two businessmen - Edwards and Nathan. They wanted to start a sports team. Edwards,president designate, was not known for his generosity and he accepted only because Davies, the cobbler, offered a free workforce and leather to make the players'boots. They named it the _______ Cricket and Football club. Name the club.-
   A : AC Milan.
4. James B. Collony and Charlotte Cooper were first man and woman to achieve what?-
   A : First gold medal in modern olympics.
5. Dr.Benjamin Spokc was the US best-selling author at one time and also a candidate of the presidential election.But he has another claim to fame-
   A : member of US rowing team which won gold in 1924 olympics.
6. In 1968,a change was made which in Wimbledon tennis tournament which made it more attractive than hitherto.What-?
   A : Till then only amateaurs were allowed but now open to professional.
7. The second test vs. England in 1928-29 is unique in Bradman's career.Why?-
   A : Only test in which he was a 12th man.
8. Connect 'Russian','Alekhine','Sicilian','Philodor'-
   A : Different types of defence in chess.
9. In the 1908 London Olympics, in the shooting competitions, the Russians did not land up enabling the Americans to walk away with gold. Why did the Russians fail to turn up?
   A : The Russians were still operating on the Julian Calender whereas the games were scheduled according to the Gregorian calender. The Julian calender was at that point in time about 2 weeks behind the Gregorian. Russia finally converted in 1917
10. When Tom White of Reigate, Surrey, England came out to bat in 1774, he created outrage all around. What resulted?
    A : The current size of the bat - In 1774, White played with a bat that was wide enough to cover all 3 stumps, and the ensuing complaints resulted in the maximum width being reduced to 41/2 inches
11. Who said: "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee !!!" (Hint: This is related to sports)
    A : Muhammad Ali
12. Which sports superstar has earned himself the derogatory moniker "spoon face?"
    A : Michael Schumacher

Topic Selection Round

 

• Try Ur Luck
  1. St Peters was crucified from behind.Why?
     A : bcoz when asked how did he wish to die,he told ,"I dont deserve to die in a way similar to Jesus" (trivia is quizmaster's birth right)
  2. In Rahul Bose's "Everybody Says I'M Fine",Ustad Zakir Hussain is the music composer.In the title track,Ustad Sultan Khan plays the sarangi.Who plays the guitar with him?
     A : Carlos Santana
• Who am I
  1. a.I have written screenplays for 23 films including 'Easter Parade' & 'Annie Get Your Gun'.I also created 4 long running tv series(including Hart To Hart & I Dream Of Jeanie)
     b.I won Tony awards for broadway's 'Redhead' and Academy Awards for 'tHe Bachelor & The Bobby Soxer'
     c.I was included in the Guinness Book as the most translated author.
     A : Sidney Sheldon
  2. a.I was born in Manilla,1937.Being the son of a government engineer,I entered Mapua Institute Of Technology .But I dropped out to be an actor.I was barred by my family to use the family name
     b.I acted in around 100 films ,with usual tough guy roles.I also produced 75 odd films before I changed profession
     c.Then,as i turned to politics,gradually I became Mayor,Senator & Vice- President.Finally when I became the president,I declared myself the 'President Of The Masses'
     A : Joseph Estrada

 

• Cyber
  1. Time Magazine has called a lady called Lara Croft, " One of the Top 50 shakers of the Digital World". Who is Lara Croft? The Answer is ... Sony Corp’s new heroine in a video game called Tomb Raider
  2. Softwares with fancy touches,like brightly coloured interfaces,music etc. are called 'bells and whistles'-so what are the plain and ordinary ones called.?-
     A : Vanilla
  3. Before YAHOO and other search engines were developed, what tool would you use to search anonymous ftp sites ?
     A : Archie (actually arkie - short for Archive)
• Corporate House
  1. With which famous personality would you associate he following quote. "I would suggest that the CEO regard himself as the Chief Disclosure Officer" ?
     A : Warren Buffet, the second richest man in the world and the Chiarman of Berkshire Hathaway
  2. Which restaurant chain was started by Hollywood stars Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Arnold Schwaznegger ?
     A : Planet Hollywood
• Oscars
  1. The 1942 Oscar for Best Actress went to Greer Garson for her role in “Mrs Miniver” What rule change happened as result of that?
     A : The limit on the acceptance speech. She gave a 30 minute acceptance speech
  2. Louise Fletcher who won the Oscar for the Best Actress for her role in the movie, "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". After winning the Oscar for the Best Actress, what was unique about her acceptance speech?
     A : Her parents were deaf. She made in it sign language