The Quiz Page
1. * " Some day they will go down together, And
they will bury them side by side. To a few it means grief, To the law
its relief, But its death to ________." Fill
in the blank.
Ans: Bonnie and Clyde.
2.This person as a cub reporter of the Times of
India in 1944 had the memorable assignment of interviewing
Mahatma Gandhi which he says was the most inspiring
moment of his life. Who?
Ans: K.R.Narayanan
3.* ‘Pheri Betaunia’ was the first movie of which Bollywood actress?
Ans: Manisha Koirala. It was a Nepali movie
4.The first person from Harvard University to be knighted has a street in London named after him. Who?
Ans: Sir George Downing and Downing Street.
5.* This phrase, originated from the name of a
British clothes shop, where men could buy their suits and everything
else required for their outfits. It originally
meant just the opposite of what it means today. What phrase?
Ans: The Full Monty. The name of the shop was Montague-Burton’s.
6.* The film ‘Bobby’ which resurrected Raj Kapoor
after the mega debacle of Mera Naam Joker was based on a script
originally written in Tamil by whom? Ans: Murasoli
Maran
7. Tazio Secchiaroli, a photographer died in June this year. What is his claim to fame?
Ans: He was the original paparazzo who inspired the Paparazzo in Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
8. * Minutes before his death, he had his will
testified in which he said, "My ashes may be sunk in the holy Sindhu
river, when she will again flow freely under
the aegis of the flag of a unified Hindustan. It hardly matters even if
it took
a couple of generations for realising my wish.
Preserve the ashes till then.." Who?
Ans: Nathuram Godse.
9. This French company started publishing a road
guide. As it became popular it soon started reviewing the hotels and
inns on the major routes. Name this company and
what was the outcome of this practise?
Ans. The company was Michelin Tyres and The Star Ratings came out of it.
10. M.M.Hasham’s family business of Rice exports
was lost when the Government nationalised it in 1941.
Undeterred he plunged into the oil business and
founded Western India Vegetable Products. In 1947, during
partition he was offered a ministerial post by
Jinnah if he went to Pakistan. But he chose to stay on in India. At the
time
of his death in 1967 his company had done reasonably
well had two popular oil brands Sunflower and Camel. His son
took over the business and entered a new field
in which it is the leader today. How do we know this company?
Ans: WIPRO
11. * All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All play and no work makes him a ___ ___. Fill in the blanks.
Ans: a mere toy.
12. Which term was coined by Don Hoeffler in 1971
writing in "electronic News’ describing a particular area of the
USA?
Ans: Silicon Valley.
13. * Gandhiji’s ashes were carried on a scheduled
train from Allahabad to Delhi for immersion. But something was
different about the train on that journey. What?
Ans: There were no first and second class coaches since Gandhiji always travelled by third class.
14. Which Indian musical instrument’s name when translated into English means Royal Flute?
Ans: Shehnai
15. According to Islamic lore , two lumps of clay
were left after God created the universe. One was fashioned into the
camel. What happened to the other?
Ans: It became the date palm tree.
16. * Which invention of confectioner George Smith was named after a famous race horse of the early 20th Century?
Ans: Lollipop
17. Dwight Davis was the secretary of war during the regime of Edgar J. Hoover. What is his claim to fame?
Ans: The Davis Cup is named after him.
18.Why are Bill Clinton and Pamela Anderson in the Guinness Book?
Ans: Most mentioned male and female names on the Internet.
19. * The oaths in Christianity were always taken
by the name of the Lord’s mother. Hence all agreements were taken
to be true and definite when this phrase was
uttered. Which word came from this practise?
Ans: Marry from Virgin Mary
20. What was originally built by King Joonkar
as a wedding gift for his wife Sheba, queen of Tigra so that he could
spend the first night of his marriage with her,
there?
Ans: The Jade Hut at Keela Wee in Phantom
21. * In feudal times peasants were not allowed
to climb trees or cut them down for firewood by the landlords. They
could use only branches lying on the ground or
those that they could pull down. How do we remember this practise?
Ans: By the phrase ‘By hook or crook’. The peasants
used a hook to pull down branches and a crook to gather those on
the ground.
22. The Houston Astrodome was the first place
where it was tested and was appreciated by the teams who took part
in a local baseball match. What?
Ans: Astroturf
23. * The HAM operators creed has been now adopted by a product as its ad-line. Product and line?
Ans: ‘One world. One Language’ and Durex Condoms.
24.Whose advertisement in the London Times read "Are you happy? If not consult _____ , 17, Richmond Street"?
Ans: Parker Pyne
25. Connect Boardwalk, Rue de la Paix, Schlossallee, Paseo De L Prado and Mayfair.
Ans: The costliest properties in different language versions of Monopoly.
26. This magazine was the first to feature a nude
male in the centrefold under the editorship of Curly Brown. This
model posed for the April 1972 edition. Model
and Magazine?
Ans: Burt Reynolds and Cosmopolitan.
27.It was originally made of wood. The revised
version was initiated by Sir Peter Colechurch. and was finally
completed in 1831. It was designed by John Rennie
and cost 1,458,000 Pounds. What?
Ans: The London Bridge
28. What is the Celtic word for ‘bush’?
Ans: Perth
29. * Fill in the blank in this work of John Derrick(1593)
-" ……. free school of Gulderforde, he and his fellowes did
runne and play there at ________ and other plaies."
Ans: Cricket. The first recorded use of the word.
30. She made her debut in ‘Raja Ki Aayegi Baarat’ and was suppose to play Priety Zinta’s role in Dil Se.. . Who?
Ans: Rani Mukherjee
31. 22 of the world’s best cricketers battled
it out at Lord’s in the one-dayer between the MCC XI led by Mike
Atherton and the Rest Of The World XI led by
Sachin Tendulkar on July 18, 1998 ( Diana Memorial Match). Why
that particular date?
Ans. It was the 150th birth anniversary of W.G.Grace
32. It comes in two types - The English type and
the Indian type. The English styled one is made of ashwood and the
semi-circular extension is smaller than its Indian
counterpart which is made of mulberry wood. What are we talking
about?
Ans: A hockey stick.
33. A graduate of SSG Medical College, Baroda,
he got his PhD. From Mumbai University in 1987 where his
Doctorate thesis was "Anatomy of human body in
Dance’. Later he got an Honorary doctorate from Zoroastrian
College, Mumbai in 1990. He writes for Science
Express and conducts gym classes for Bollywood Elite. Who?
Ans. Dr. Ali Irani, former physiotherapist of the Indian Cricket team.
34. It comes from the Phoenician word meaning
‘house’. It is said to have had its origins in a Hieroglyphic sign for
a
ladder and others continue to insist it comes
from the sign for the crane. What?
Ans: The letter ‘B’.
35. If ABCDs are American Born Confused Desis, what are BBCDs?
Ans: Bombay born Confused Desis
36. This music group’s name is a direct dig at
the British scepticism of the India Business scene in London and has its
origins in an old British joke about an Indian’s
attitude in setting business establishments. Name the group.
Ans: Corner Shop
37. On the banks of which river does Jammu stand?
Ans: River Tawi
38. Herodotus wrote his first book on History in the V Century B.C. Name the book.
Ans: History. That’s why History is called History.
39. * Poor Anglo-Indians during the Raj could
not afford Fowl for their Christmas dinner and instead came up with a
cheaper substitute. This when blended with Indian
spices
tasted exactly like Fowl thus getting its English name. What?
Ans: Bombay Duck
40. * Fill in the missing words in this epitaph
found on a grave in Kirklees, Yorkshire near Halifax. – "Here
underneath this Latil Staen, Laiz ______________________,
Nea Arcir Ver Az Hae Sae Geud, An Pipl Kauld
Him __________ , Sich Vtlaz Az He And Hizmen,
VII England Nivr Si Agen"
Ans: The Earl of Huntingdon And Robin Hood.
© 1998 Gopal Srinivasan <mailgops@iname.com>