Prelims round of 2018 Amalthea's quizzing event, Inquizzed. Hosted by quizmaster Shantanu Sharma, the quiz held at IIT Gandhinagar saw participation from more than 300 partcipants.

1. Prelims
QM: Shantanu Sharma
Questions by Abhinav and team

2. Rules
• There will be 21 questions .
• There are twelve one mark questions , six starred one
mark questions and three questions worth two marks
each.
• In the event of a tie, starred questions answered will be
counted.
• Further tie breaker will be used if the tie persists.
2

3. All the best

4. X are shallow crescent shaped lakes formed when a
meander is abandoned by a river. Sometimes a meander
becomes so pronounced that only a narrow neck of land
separates the two ends of it. When the river is in flood, this
neck is broken and the river starts to flow a shorter, more
direct route. Deposition takes place, sealing off the ends of
the meander and creating such a lake.
What is X, named after something in the natural world it is
reminiscent of?
4
1.

5. 5

6. In the late 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, the United States
developed a super-secret plan referred to as Project A119, involving
the Air Force Special Weapons Center. The project’s aim was to set
off a nuclear bomb [redacted]
Its purpose and goal was consistent with the dozens of other
projects going on during the cold war – to simply one-up the Soviets.
The U.S was lagging behind in the space race at the time, and
believed that nuking [redacted] would be a relatively simple thing
to achieve and would be great PR for public perception.
For maximum effect, the detonation was to be at the edge of
_____________
FITB with a term that entered popular consciousness four and a half
decades back?
6
2.*

7. This chess move allows a pawn on a player's fifth rank, the
opportunity to capture the opponent's pawn on an adjacent file
that advances two squares on its first move as though it had
advanced only one square.
What chess move is being talked about?
7
3.

8. Identify the subject of the ad in the next slide who was
in news again recently.
8
4.

9. 9

10. This ancient ceremonial capital, whose earliest remains date
back to 515 BC, was destroyed by Alexander the great during
his marches across west Asia and signaled the final end of an
Empire.
It is also the title of an autobiographical graphic novel by the
Iranian Marjane Satrapi who fled the country following its
1979 revolution.
10
5.

11. Max Levchin, the cofounder of PayPal is known for his
contributions to PayPal’s anti-fraud efforts. He was the first
to commercially implement what is now ubiquitous,
something which is also known as the reverse Turing test.
What?
11
6.

12. Since 2002, there has been a strange tradition in the FIFA
world cup. It’s victims include Brazil and Italy among others.
For all we know, France may be next.
What is being talked about?
12
7.

13. This forest is the
source of something that troubled India recently for the third
time and was of concern during an international 2016 event,
leading some people to cancel participation in the said event.
What is the name of this forest in Uganda?
13
8.*

14. 14

15. In 2009, Stephen Hawking threw a party to test a certain
hypothesis. Hawking didn't send out any of the invitations
until after the reception had passed, which was a critical
component of the experiment he was conducting: "You are
cordially invited to a reception for X," the invitation read.
Unfortunately no one came. Why?
15
9.

16. The furthest living humans from earth were
aboard the Apollo 13 when they circled to the
dark side of the moon as it was reaching its
apogee with earth.
But technically, that’s not true as the credit
belongs to this man. Identify this individual
whose ashes were appropriately aboard the
New Horizons spacecraft.
16
10.*

17. X, the subject of a recent biopic, has been called a
“cosmopolitan Bombaywallah”, by a certain filmmaker,
referring to the mix of Hindi and English in his writing. Who is
being described, whose life became difficult after crossing
border about seven decades ago?
17
11.

18. _______ was conceived on an airplane. That’s where Michael
Tchao pitched the idea to Apple’s CEO, John Sculley in early
1991. It was a handheld PDA–as described by the company.
Some of its features were:
• Could take notes
• Store contacts
• Manage Calendars
• Send a fax
18
12.

19. The two composers of the Baroque era, George Frideric
Handel and X were blinded after undergoing eye surgery at
the hands of an "oculist" called Chevalier John Taylor.
Despite a shared nationality and living in the same city for
quite some time, they never met. Handel would later become
a British national, and would spend a bulk of his career there.
X would later go on to compose the famous Brandenburg
Concertos and Mass in B minor.
19
13 *.

20. In Oct 2016, this 75-year old was named a honorary
ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls by the
United Nations. Some UN staffers did not like the choices for
certain reasons believing that it objectified women, culturally
insensitive, and inability to have an opinion (unless someone
made it on her behalf), to be able to travel and be
interviewed.
Who was this controversial choice?
20
14.

21. Both the former heads on the following slide are described as
“The __________” on the magazine covers. This accusation
dogged them through the later part of their terms. What
headline do they share?
21
15 *.

22. 22

23. This University of Minnesota mascot was also an early alternative
to the world wide web, but was ultimately displaced by the HTTP
(probably have a photo).Its name comes from a burrowing rodent,
endemic to north and central America
The University of Minnesota’s football team is also called by this
alliterative term Golden X.
23
16 *.

24. What is the thing that can also be identified as the “wand of
narcissus”, which has resulted in some unfortunate deaths in
recent times?
24
17.

25. Zcash is a privacy focused cryptocurrency and the 26th most
valuable cryptocurrency, valued at $1.3 billion.
Its developers, Ryan Pierce and Andrew Miller employed X in
their secrecy assuring ceremony earlier this year. X was used
to create low-level gamma and beta radiation – which were
then converted into random numbers used to generate
Zcash’s public cryptography parameters.
25
18.

26. Two Icelandic sagas –titled ‘The Saga of Erik the Red’ and ‘The
Saga of the Greenlanders’ –retell the adventure of a Viking
named X. Both works agree that X travelled west of Greenland
around 1000 CE.
Id X. What was he the first to do, popularly misattributed to
somebody more famous?
(one point each)
26
19.

27. In early July 1881, the president of United States, James
Garfield was slowly dying after being shot by an assassin. As
the doctors couldn't locate the bullet in Garfield's body, X
came up with a machine. It consisted of a battery, condenser,
handle and telephone receiver. Although the life of the
president couldn't be saved, the machine developed by him Y,
became popular, having a wide range of applications today.
X and Y? (one point each)
27
20.

28. This ancient mathematician X, famous for a “sieve” he invented,
was also the first to accurately estimate the circumference of
earth.
Several astronomers and mathematicians before and after him
tried to accurately measure the circumference of the Earth, but
is was X that came through. He found the circumference of the
Earth to be nearly 250,000 stadia (25,000 miles), which is
remarkably close to the modern calculation of 24,901 miles
(along the long meridians).
Bonus points if you can guess what the length of a “stadia” is
based on.
(one point each)
28
21.

29. Answers

30. X are shallow crescent shaped lakes formed when a
meander is abandoned by a river. Sometimes a meander
becomes so pronounced that only a narrow neck of land
separates the two ends of it. When the river is in flood, this
neck is broken and the river starts to flow a shorter, more
direct route. Deposition takes place, sealing off the ends of
the meander and creating such a lake.
What is X, named after something in the natural world it is
reminiscent of?
30
1.

31. 31

32. Oxbow Lake

33. In the late 1950s, in the midst of the Cold War, the United States
developed a super-secret plan referred to as Project A119, involving
the Air Force Special Weapons Center. The project’s aim was to set
off a nuclear bomb [redacted]
Its purpose and goal was consistent with the dozens of other
projects going on during the cold war – to simply one-up the Soviets.
The U.S was lagging behind in the space race at the time, and
believed that nuking [redacted] would be a relatively simple thing
to achieve and would be great PR for public perception.
For maximum effect, the detonation was to be at the edge of
_____________
FITB with a term that entered popular consciousness four and a half
decades back?
33
2.*

34. Dark Side of the Moon

35. This chess move allows a pawn on a player's fifth rank, the
opportunity to capture the opponent's pawn on an adjacent file
that advances two squares on its first move as though it had
advanced only one square.
What chess move is being talked about?
35
3.

36. En passant

37. Identify the subject of the ad in the next slide who was
in news again recently.
37
4.

38. 38

39. Tanmay Bhatt

40. This ancient ceremonial capital, whose earliest remains date
back to 515 BC, was destroyed by Alexander the great during
his marches across west Asia and signaled the final end of an
Empire.
It is also the title of an autobiographical graphic novel by the
Iranian Marjane Satrapi who fled the country following its
1979 revolution.
40
5.

41. Persepolis

42. Max Levchin, the cofounder of PayPal is known for his
contributions to PayPal’s anti-fraud efforts. He was the first
to commercially implement what is now ubiquitous,
something which is also known as the reverse Turing test.
What?
42
6.

43. Captcha

44. Since 2002, there has been a strange tradition in the FIFA
world cup. It’s victims include Brazil and Italy among others.
For all we know, France may be next.
What is being talked about?
44
7.

45. World cups winners being
knocked out in group stage of
the subsequent world cup

46. What is the name
of this forest in Uganda?
The forest is the source of something that troubled India
recently for the third time and was of concern during an
international 2016 event, leading some people to cancel
participation in the said event.
46
8.*

47. 47

48. Zika Forest

49. In 2009, Stephen Hawking threw a party to test a certain
hypothesis. Hawking didn't send out any of the invitations
until after the reception had passed, which was a critical
component of the experiment he was conducting: "You are
cordially invited to a reception for X," the invitation read.
Unfortunately no one came. Why?
49
9.

50. He invited time travellers

51. The furthest living humans from earth were
aboard the Apollo 13 when they circled to the
dark side of the moon as it was reaching its
apogee with earth.
But technically, that’s not true as the credit
belongs to this man. Identify this individual
whose ashes were appropriately aboard the
New Horizons spacecraft.
51
10.*

52. Clyde Tombaugh - The discoverer of Pluto

53. X, the subject of a recent biopic, has been called a
“cosmopolitan Bombaywallah”, by a certain filmmaker,
referring to the mix of Hindi and English in his writing. Who is
being described, whose life became difficult after crossing
border about seven decades ago?
53
11.

54. Saadat Hasan Manto

55. _______ was conceived on an airplane. That’s where Michael
Tchao pitched the idea to Apple’s CEO, John Sculley in early
1991. It was a handheld PDA–as described by the company.
Some of its features were:
• Could take notes
• Store contacts
• Manage Calendars
• Send a fax
55
12.

56. Apple Newton

57. The two composers of the Baroque era, George Frideric
Handel and X were blinded after undergoing eye surgery at
the hands of an "oculist" called Chevalier John Taylor.
Despite a shared nationality and living in the same city for
quite some time, they never met. Handel would later become
a British national, and would spend a bulk of his career there.
X would later go on to compose the famous Brandenburg
Concertos and Mass in B minor.
57
13 *.

58. Johann Sebastian Bach

59. In Oct 2016, this 75-year old was named a honorary
ambassador for the empowerment of women and girls by the
United Nations. Some UN staffers did not like the choices for
certain reasons believing that it objectified women, culturally
insensitive, and inability to have an opinion (unless someone
made it on her behalf), to be able to travel and be
interviewed.
Who was this controversial choice?
59
14.

61. Both the former heads on the following slide are described as
“The __________” on the magazine covers. This accusation
dogged them through the later part of their terms. What
headline do they share?
61
15 *.

62. 62

64. This University of Minnesota mascot was also an early alternative
to the world wide web, but was ultimately displaced by the HTTP
(probably have a photo).Its name comes from a burrowing rodent,
endemic to north and central America
The University of Minnesota’s football team is also called by this
alliterative term Golden X.
64
16 *.

65. Gopher(s)

66. What is the thing that can also be identified as the “wand of
narcissus”, which has resulted in some unfortunate deaths in
recent times?
66
17.

67. Selfie stick

68. Zcash is a privacy focused cryptocurrency and the 26th most
valuable cryptocurrency, valued at $1.3 billion.
Its developers, Ryan Pierce and Andrew Miller employed X in
their secrecy assuring ceremony earlier this year. X was used
to create low-level gamma and beta radiation – which were
then converted into random numbers used to generate
Zcash’s public cryptography parameters.
68
18.

69. Nuclear Waste from Chernobyl

70. Two Icelandic sagas –titled ‘The Saga of Erik the Red’ and ‘The
Saga of the Greenlanders’ –retell the adventure of a Viking
named X. Both works agree that X travelled west of Greenland
around 1000 CE.
Id X. What was he the first to do, popularly misattributed to
somebody more famous?
(one point each)
70
19.

71. X is Leif Ericsson. He was the
first recorded European to have
set foot in the Americas, half a
millennium before Christopher
Columbus

72. In early July 1881, the president of United States, James
Garfield was slowly dying after being shot by an assassin. As
the doctors couldn't locate the bullet in Garfield's body, X
came up with a machine. It consisted of a battery, condenser,
handle and telephone receiver. Although the life of the
president couldn't be saved, the machine developed by him Y,
became popular, having a wide range of applications today.
X and Y? (one point each)
72
20.

73. X- Alexander Graham Bell
Y- Metal Detector

74. This ancient mathematician X, famous for a “sieve” he invented,
was also the first to accurately estimate the circumference of
earth.
Several astronomers and mathematicians before and after him
tried to accurately measure the circumference of the Earth, but
is was X that came through. He found the circumference of the
Earth to be nearly 250,000 stadia (25,000 miles), which is
remarkably close to the modern calculation of 24,901 miles
(along the long meridians).
Bonus points if you can guess what the length of a “stadia” is
based on.
(one point each)
74
21.

75. Eratosthenes, length of a
typical Grecian stadium

76. Thank You