2. rules
Two generic rounds. Prelims select 12 participants for the knockout round,
followed by the mains to be fought by 8.
Prelims consist of 25 questions, a point for each and bonii for selected
questions. Star-marked questions are tie-breakers. No negatives.
Trust your conscience and play fair. Cheaters are in for major
embarrassment in the finals. C’est la vie.
QM reserves his rights for final judgements.
6. 3
In a recent study, the Nokia 105 which is
marketed as a super-durable, dirt cheap phone
with a long battery life, has shown an increase
in demand for a certain purpose requiring no
apps or camera. Among 10 phones “chosen”
from the sample space, 8 of these popped up.
If I tell you that these phones were arranged
from Kurdistan, what would you say the
purpose of these devices were?
7. 4
Which idiom, origins of which is often traced back to geological events
such as volcanic eruptions in 1980 and 1991, actually means
something with the frequency of 1.16699016 × 10-8 Hz?
9. 6
Former Google SVP Alan Eustace holds 10 patents and 9 publications
to his credit as a computer engineer. Yet, a certain quiet feat of his
back in 2014 eclipsed a well-publicised one of an Austrian daredevil.
Who is the Austrian?
10. 7
Which racetrack was named “The Green Hell” by F1 legend Jackie
Stewart, not just for its S-bends but rather because in its original
configuration, it had an overall elevation change of +/- 300m winding
through dense, inaccessible forest, which contributed to the near-death
of, ironically, the driver who still holds the record there?
11. 8
Peter Jackson, J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg are reported
backers of a startup called Screening Room which aims at bringing
movies still running in theatres to private screenings via a DTH setup
with payments of $50 for 48-hour viewing window.
Again, ironically, who is the entrepreneur behind this?
12. 9
As of 16th of March, 2016, what does the above group depict the
shortlist of? [Alden Ehrenreich, Jack Reynor, Taron Egerton]
16. 13
From the Urban Dictionary definition for a term:
In movies and film, the tendency of the hero's shots to hit more, and the
enemy's to hit less. Summarized as:
The more outnumbered the heroes are, the more the enemies will
miss.
The more impossible and desperate the shot, the more likely it will hit.
17. 14
From the wiki:
X is an online education company offering thousands of video courses in
software, creative, and business skills. Founded in 1995, the company
produces video tutorials taught by industry experts. Members have unlimited
access to watch the videos, which are primarily educational. On April 9, 2015,
Y announced its purchase of X for $1.5 billion. Based in Carpinteria,
California, X has more than 500 employees worldwide, and offers instruction
in English as well as German, French, and Spanish through its branded
division, video2brain.
Gimme X and Y.
18. 15
These young idiots are hopping
away from Columbia Pictures in
1995 after securing funds for their
movie Bottle Rocket. Name these
lovable people.
21. 18
What place in Mumbai literally means “four channels” and is taken as
evidence of the tide-inroads into the western foreshore reclamations,
something which is taken to advantage every year for a certain
festival?
22. 19
Robert Indiana: I knew him very well. The reason he painted _______
is that he liked ________.
Marcel Duchamp: If you take a _______ and repeat it fifty times, you
are not interested in the retinal image. What interests you is the
concept that wants to put fifty _______ on a canvas.
23. 20
Between November 2010 (London Masters) and June 2011 (French
Open), Djokovic enjoyed an unbeaten streak of 43 matches.
Defeats by which player(s) was it preceded and succeeded?
30. 3
In a recent study, the Nokia 105 which is
marketed as a super-durable, dirt cheap phone
with a long battery life, has shown an increase
in demand for a certain purpose requiring no
apps or camera. Among 10 phones “chosen”
from the sample space, 8 of these popped up.
If I tell you that these phones were arranged
from Kurdistan, what would you say the
purpose of these devices were?
32. 4
Which idiom, origins of which is often traced back to geological events
such as volcanic eruptions in 1980 and 1991, actually means
something with the frequency of 1.16699016 × 10-8 Hz?
36. 6
Former Google SVP Alan Eustace holds 10 patents and 9 publications
to his credit as a computer engineer. Yet, a certain quiet feat of his
back in 2014 eclipsed a well-publicised one of an Austrian daredevil.
Who is the Austrian?
38. 7
Which racetrack was named “The Green Hell” by F1 legend Jackie
Stewart, not just for its S-bends but rather because in its original
configuration, it had an overall elevation change of +/- 300m winding
through dense, inaccessible forest, which contributed to the near-death
of, ironically, the driver who still holds the record there?
40. 8
Peter Jackson, J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg are reported
backers of a startup called Screening Room which aims at bringing
movies still running in theatres to private screenings via a DTH setup
with payments of $50 for 48-hour viewing window.
Again, ironically, who is the entrepreneur behind this?
50. 13
From the Urban Dictionary definition for a term:
In movies and film, the tendency of the hero's shots to hit more, and the
enemy's to hit less. Summarized as:
The more outnumbered the heroes are, the more the enemies will
miss.
The more impossible and desperate the shot, the more likely it will hit.
52. 14
From the wiki:
X is an online education company offering thousands of video courses in
software, creative, and business skills. Founded in 1995, the company
produces video tutorials taught by industry experts. Members have unlimited
access to watch the videos, which are primarily educational. On April 9, 2015,
Y announced its purchase of X for $1.5 billion. Based in Carpinteria,
California, X has more than 500 employees worldwide, and offers instruction
in English as well as German, French, and Spanish through its branded
division, video2brain.
Gimme X and Y.
54. 15
These young idiots are hopping
away from Columbia Pictures in
1995 after securing funds for their
movie Bottle Rocket. Name these
lovable people.
60. 18
What place in Mumbai literally means “four channels” and is taken as
evidence of the tide-inroads into the western foreshore reclamations,
something which is taken to advantage every year for a certain
festival? Which festival?
62. 19
Robert Indiana: I knew him very well. The reason he painted _______
is that he liked ________.
Marcel Duchamp: If you take a _______ and repeat it fifty times, you
are not interested in the retinal image. What interests you is the
concept that wants to put fifty _______ on a canvas.
64. 20
Between November 2010 (London Masters) and June 2011 (French
Open), Djokovic enjoyed an unbeaten streak of 43 matches.
Defeats by which player(s) was it preceded and succeeded?
68. 1
This is the Hans Island, a 1.3 x 1.8 km
uninhabited knoll in dispute between
two countries since three decades. Its
so remote, they periodically send
soldiers to take the other guy’s flag off
and replace it with their own and some
of their native drinks.
If the drinks are schnapps and
whiskey, which countries are in
dispute over this?
70. 2
X sometimes refers to the oldest and largest types of traditional
dragons. However, it can also refer to dragons that are specifically
wingless.
Y are quite separate. They are normally depicted as smaller than a full-
sized dragon, but still quite large. They are winged and frequently have
a barbed tail (sometimes poisonous).
72. 3
Michael Edwards is a British skier who in 1988 became the first competitor
to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping. Edwards was informed of
his qualification for the Games while working as a plasterer and residing
temporarily in a Finnish mental hospital due to lack of funds for alternative
accommodation (rather than as a patient). He first represented Great Britain
at the 1987 World Championships and was ranked 55th in the world. This
performance qualified him, as the sole British applicant, for the 1988 Winter
Olympics ski jumping competition. Finishing last in the 70m and 90m events,
he became famous as an example of an underdog or "heroic failure", and of
perseverance and achievement without funding, as conclusion of which he
was bestowed with what sarcastic title?
76. 5
Why is this 63-year-old man in news? He and a
guy called Sri Srinivasan, if the grapevine is to
be trusted, were in the run for the same
position.
78. 6
This balcony appears in a episode of Top Gear where Clarkson
mentions its straight out of someone’s play. If I tell you its in Verona,
Italy, temme why this is worth knowing about.
82. 8
It is generally considered the first recorded speculative bubble (or economic bubble),
although some researchers have noted that the Kipperund Wipperzeit episode in 1619–22,
a Europe-wide chain of debasement of the metal content of coins to fund warfare, featured
mania-like similarities to a bubble. The term "XY" is now often used metaphorically to refer
to any large economic bubble when asset prices deviate from intrinsic values.
The 1637 event was popularized in 1841 by the book Extraordinary Popular Delusions and
the Madness of Crowds, written by British journalist Charles Mackay. According to Mackay,
at one point 12 acres (5 ha) of land were offered for a Semper Augustus X. At the peak of
XY, in March 1637, single X sold for more than 10 times the annual income of a skilled
craftsman.
X and Y for pounce.
84. 9
Mary ______ Perry was a theatre actress and
director. She started acting at the age of 18. She
also produced many successful plays including the
Pulitzer-Prize winning classic ‘Harvey’.
She helped found, and was the chairwoman of the
board and secretary of the American Theatre Wing,
which provided entertainment to servicemen during
World War II in several American cities.
How has she been immortalized in the field of
entertainment?
86. 10
The Dept. of Biochemistry at the University of West Ontario conducted
a study to determine if the preparation of a X has an influence on their
antioxidant capacity; the study found that the Y-Xs were able to break
down H202 and leave only 0.072% of the peroxide behind, versus the
Z-Xs, which left behind 0.157% of the peroxide.
Thus a Y-X has more antioxidants than a Z-X one.
The author himself preferred a Y-X as he believed Z-X had a
diminished flavor.
88. 11
The richest dude to die on-board the Titanic was James Jacob Aster,
widely purported those days as a rich, spoilt dilettante. Nothing else to
show here.
The second richest guy was reckon-able. Died with the love of his life
in his arms, just as shown in the movie.
Who was he and most important, what was his co-preneur?
90. 12
Founded by the cardiologist Dr. Naresh Trehan and Sunil Sachdeva in 2009,
X is one of India's largest and most prestigious multi-super specialty medical
institutes. Primarily known as an institute specializing in cardiology, presently
X has 32 institutions, departments and division that cater to over 20
specialities.
It however shot to fame on August 28, 2011, when a motorcade carrying a
personality (god knows where he is now) headed to X to treat him after a
fortnight of hoopla, all under live coverage on almost all news channels.
X and the personality.
91.
92. 13
Kristian Nairn is a DJ who moonlights as an actor by day. Not much about
him, except that he goes on tour under the label that is a combo of a word
meaning wild parties and the name of the show he is in.
His character in one of his acting jobs has a disorder called the expressive
apahasia which is due to lesions in the inferior frontal gyrus of the left
cerebral hemisphere (front of your brain on the left side) named after the
French surgeon and physician Paul X who first studied this in two patients,
who were basically pushed into each other headlong by their wives.
Give me the name of his tour and X.
93.
94. 14
Blocking the author was
unnecessary but I feel douchy.
The author wrote these books
while writing another very
controversial piece in the 1980s,
because these weren’t
supposed to be novels but
something else.
The QM is planning to be extra-
gracious if you tell him how is
Haroun and Luka relevant to the
author.
95. Salman Rushdie wrote these for his sons Zafar and Milan as bedtime
stories for their 11th and 13th birthdays. Haroun and Luka are their
middle names.
96. 15
Iba X Care, India’s first X cosmetics brand, was launched on
Wednesday in Ahmedabad by Ecotrail Personal Care, a company
headed by two Jain women.
Announcing the launch of Iba X Care, Mauli Teli, Chief Executive
Officer (CEO), Ecotrail Personal Care, said, “We are creating an
entirely new category of cosmetic products - X cosmetic products. X
(meaning ‘lawful’) cosmetic products are entirely hygienic, ethically
manufactured products and meant for usage by everyone.”
X is something that should make you hungry.
98. 16
Ajit (born 1951 in Orissa, India) is widely purported to be Warren Buffet’s successor. He should be
taking over BH soon.
He is an employee of Berkshire Hathaway and currently heads several reinsurance businesses. He is
a strict vegetarian because of his religion.
His cousin, X, was previously head of the Corporate and Investment division, globally responsible for
Y’s corporate finance, sales and trading, and transaction banking business. X is expected to remain a
consultant to the bank until January 2016.
Juergen Fitschen and X served in a rarely known position in Y. Until he retired, X refused to learn
German.
An SRCC alum, he, however, is not a vegetarian.
X, Y and X’s position in Y.
100. 17
X was born in 1934, into a Gujarati family in the Bombay Presidency during the British Raj,
and received a BA from Sydenham College, Mumbai. He then traveled to England to study
at St. John's College, Cambridge, receiving a second BA at Cambridge (in Economics) in
1956. He received the Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1961 for a thesis titled "Essays in International Economics", supervised by Charles P.
Kindleberger.
A naturalized American economist, he is a professor of economics and law at Columbia
University. Bhagwati is notable for his research in international trade and for his advocacy
of free trade. His debates with Amartya Sen on the same or orgasmic for finance geeks.
Along with Amartya Sen and Avinash Dixit, they comprise what is informally known as the
Big 3 of Indian economics.
102. 18
I love Urban Dictionary.
X = noun: Diarrhoea or dysentry contracted by inflicting spicy Pakistani
or Indian food upon an unconditioned constitution.
(Consequently) Y = noun:Diarrhea or dysentery contracted from eating
Indian (i.e., from India) food.
104. 19
Following two weeks of court proceedings, which included testimony about genitalia, how young is too young to
publish a sex tape, and when X stops being X and starts being Terry Bollea, the six-person jury, four women and
two men, awarded X $115 million in punitive damages. The jury came to the decision after six hours of
deliberations.
"Mr. Bollea is exceptionally happy," said his lawyer David Houston. "This is not only his victory today, but also
anyone else who's been victimized by tabloid journalism."
Bollea sued Gawker for $100 million for defamation, loss of privacy and emotional pain. In 2012, the blog
published a snippet of a 2007 sex tape involving Bollea and the wife of local radio personality Bubba the Love
Sponge, aka Todd Clem.
Gawker Media, which had expected to lose at trial, will now appeal. Gawker's main argument is that it has the
First Amendment on its side. Gawker will also argue that because Clem invoked his Fifth Amendment right
against self-incrimination, the jury only heard part of the story. (Clem's previous deposition was entered at trial.)
Who is the poor guy X?
106. 20
In Classical Antiquity, Aristotle claimed that there
was a fundamental set of seven colours, as did
various Renaissance artists who tried to establish
a set of seven from which all other colours could
be mixed. However it was Isaac Newton, who,
influenced by the Greek idea of a harmonic
universe, proposed one of the first 7-colour circles
in which he added orange and indigo to the
original 5 coloursto make a 7 colourscheme.
What was Newton influenced by to add 2 more
colours to the 5 colourcircle?
108. 21
Greek physicians and medical tricksters were often shown as putting
goats and horses to sleep within a matter of minutes by applying
pressure on this vessel, and then revive the subject by releasing
pressure. This was because both horses and goats depend entirely on
this vessel for cerebral blood, due to insufficient vertebral blood
channels.
What blood vessel, that derives its name from the ancient Greek root
karoun meaning “sleep/drowsiness”?
112. 23
Most of you have seen her in the corners of the
Internet.
The stack next to her is the cumulative code
programmed into the Apollo spacecraft headed
to the moon. But again, you knew that.
She popularized the term "software
engineering", coined first by Anthony Oettinger,
which you probably didn’t know.
Please temme her name.
114. 24
Holly Holms defeating Rhonda Roussey, Conor Mc Gregor losing to
Nate Diaz has woken up discussions among the fans of another sport.
Marshall Faulk, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick, Ray Lewis, Donovan
McNabb, Shaun Alexander, and Vince Young all have suffered similar
fates on being a part of something absolutely innocent.
This phenomenon was unknown pre-cursing 1998, as only the picture
of John X appeared in the innocent entity.
Gimme funda and hence the phenomenon.
117. +50/-40
Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), better known by her stage
name Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress.
Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album,
The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist. Her
second album, the similarly multi-platinum Mind Body & Soul, topped
the UK Albums Chart for one week and spawned the top ten hit "You
Had Me", Stone's most successful single on the UK Singles Chart to
date. Both the album and single received one nomination at the 2005
Grammy Awards, while Stone herself was nominated for Best New
Artist, and in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2004 was
ranked fifth as a predicted breakthrough act of 2004. She became the
youngest British female singer to top the UK Albums Chart. Stone's
third album, Introducing Joss Stone, released in March 2007,
achieved gold record status by the RIAA and yielded the second-ever
highest debut for a British female solo artist on the Billboard 200, and
became Stone's first top five album in the US.
118. +30/-20
David Allan "Dave" Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician,
songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful
professional partnership with Annie Lennox. He is usually credited as David A.
Stewart, to avoid confusion with other musicians named Dave Stewart. He won
Best British Producer at the 1986, 1987 and 1990 Brit Awards.
Stewart was born in Sunderland, England, in 1952 and he attended Bede
Grammar School for Boys. Whilst still in his teens, he secured a record deal as
part of folk-rock band Longdancer. Despite being signed to Elton John's record
label, The Rocket Record Company, they did not achieve commercial success.
He also collaborated with Brian Harrison to produce an EP on the Sunderland
Multicord label (label number MULT-SH-1, producer Ken McKenzie), recording
two songs ("Girl" and "Green She Said") from a school musical production
written by teacher Dick Bradshaw, one traditional number ("A Blacksmith
Courted Me") and a song written by Dave and Brian ("Deep December"). After
leaving Wearside Stewart then spent several years living in squats in London.
In late 1976, he was introduced to Annie Lennox by Paul Jacobs. Soon,
Stewart and Lennox became romantically involved. By 1977, the pair had
teamed up with Sunderland musician Peet Coombes, releasing a single on
Logo Records as The Catch. The band then developed into The Tourists who
enjoyed modest success, including a hit in 1979 with a cover of the Dusty
Springfield hit "I Only Want to Be with You".
119. +20/-5
Damian Robert Nesta "Jr. Gong" Marley
(born 21 July 1978), is a Jamaican reggae
artist. Damian is the youngest son of
reggae legend Bob Marley. Damian was 2
years old when his father died; he is the
only child born to Marley and Cindy
Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. Damian's
nickname Junior Gong is derived from his
father's nickname of Tuff Gong. Damian
has been performing since the age of 13.
120. +5/0
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English
singer, songwriter and actor, best known as the lead vocalist and a
co-founder of The Rolling Stones.
Jagger's career has spanned over 50 years, and he has been
described as "one of the most popular and influential frontmen in
the history of rock & roll". His distinctive voice and performance,
along with Keith Richards' guitar style, have been the trademark of
the Rolling Stones throughout the career of the band. Jagger
gained press notoriety for his admitted drug use and romantic
involvements, and was often portrayed as a countercultural figure.
In the late 1960s Jagger began acting in films (starting with
Performance and Ned Kelly), to mixed reception. In 1985 Jagger
released his first solo album, She's the Boss. In early 2009 he
joined the electric supergroup X.
In 1989 Jagger was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
and in 2004 into the UK Music Hall of Fame with the Rolling
Stones. In 2003 he was knighted for his services to popular music.