The Quiz Page
1. *A famous lexicographer upon being approached by a lady thanking him for omitting 4-letter words from his dictionary, is said to have replied with consternation “ So you have been looking for them madam”. Who?
Noah Webster
2. What is the German word for ‘store’ or ‘storehouse’ ?
Lager, therefore Lager beer
3. If your IQ is below 20, you are an ‘idiot’, if it is between 20 and 49 you are an ‘imbecile’. What are you if it is between 50 and 69?
Moron
4. What is a ‘Mexican breakfast’?
A glass of water with a cigarette
5. In the world of Indian fiction, who won the ‘All India Rifle Competition’ in 1975?
Feluda
6. *“ We contemplate the ultimate reality
which is in the earth,
the sky, the heaven,
Let us bring our minds
to meditate in
The glory of the divine
earth
May truth inspire
our reflection “. This is the last prayer of a cult. Which one?
Heaven’s Gate
7. Which sportsman’s name is a corruption of the title ‘Ayo Dele’ which means ‘Joy in the house’ and was bestowed upon him by his Nigerian father while it got corrupted due to a mispronunciation by his Scottish mother?
Daley Thompson
8. What did Thomas Coryate introduce in England in 1601 after
seeing it in use in Italy?
9. In Greek myth when Theseus offered to kill the Minotaur, Ariadne, Daughter of the King of Crete gave him a thread to help him find his way back from the Minotaur’s dwelling. What word came into English language from this?
Clue
10. What commodity was originally called a ‘delirious drug’ in France and ‘a product that causes the shrivelled look of the orient’ in Germany?
Tea
11. Where in the world would you find the only digital Rolex clock?
Wimbledon Centre Court
12. She works 10-12 hours a day. She smokes 5 packets of cigarettes a day while working. She is the daughter of the renowned poet, Manish Ghatak and niece of director Ritwik Ghatak. She runs a tribal welfare organisation called ‘Paschim Bangla Keriya Sabar Kalyan Samiti’. Who?
Mahashweta Devi
13. *‘RUPTUREWORT’ is the largest word that can be made from the letters on the first row of a typewriter. What is the second largest?
Typewriter
14. *What is the female equivalent of a ‘runway’?
Catwalk
15. The fusion of the Chinese ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang’ is the symbol of which organisation in India?
Doordarshan
16. Who is the first Indian to be appointed the Master of the Trinity College at Oxford?
Amartya Sen, now Nobel laureate
17. What did Winston Churchill describe as ‘an ineffectual attempt to direct an uncontrollable object into an inaccessible hole with instruments ill-adapted for the purpose’?
Golf
18. In Table Tennis a ball is so spun on the table that the opponent does not reach it. This inspired a person named Bosanquet to invent something. What?
The Googly in cricket
19. He was recently in India to inaugurate the India Internet World exhibition in Delhi. Originally from Bangalore, he was the co-founder of the popular Hotmail free e-mail service which he sold to Microsoft for $400 million last year. Who?
SAbeer Bahtia
20. *It’s official name is ‘The Albert Victor Conservatory’ and is spread over an area of 2180 sq.m. What are we talking about?
The Glass House at lalbagh, Bangalore
21. This person originally had the surname ‘Little’. Influenced by Elijah Mohd., he joined the Nation of Islam. After a pilgrimage to Mecca, he returned under the name G Haj Malik el Shahbazz, a Sunni Muslim. Who?
Malcolm X
22. Who is the rhythm guitarist of the group ‘Electric Shoes’?
23. In a fit of madness this person killed his wife Megara and their children. In order to atone for his sins he did something. Who and what?
Hercules and he performed the 12 tasks
24. He was named so because he was born in the same year as that his father first tasted success, in the movie ‘Choti Behan’. He cleaned carpets, worked on an oil rig and on a horse farm. He is now settled as a farmer in New Zealand. Who?
Lucky Ali
25. *Its predecessor was codenamed ‘Chicago’. Its codename was ‘Memphis’. It was released about two months ago after a delay of nearly a year. What are we talking about?
Windows 98
26. A 2 word answer: The first word is the common name for a South American shrub whose dried leaves are chewed as a stimulant. The second word is a West African tree whose seed is used as a condiment and tonic.
Coca Cola
27. ‘The god of wind brought about the winds of change in India’. What was once advertised thus?
Maruti
28. Which literary personality’s last work was ‘The Phoenix and the Turtle’?
William Shakespeare
29. In Phantom comics what are the names of the Phantom’s two pet dolphins?
Solomon and Nefertiti
30. Who recently won the “Businessperson of the Year” Award for 1998 instituted by The Economic Times newspaper?
N. Chandrababu NAidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh
© 1998 Gopal Srinivasan <mailgops@iname.com>