AlphaBit Tech Quiz (Q?Bit) 2021 - Prelims

1. AlphaBit’21
Q?Bit - Prelims
Harsaaj Singh | Jaisal Kothari | Pranav Gupta | Manavendra Singh | Divyaansh Seth

2. Rules
1. The prelims contain 20 questions, including 4 star-marked questions, which will be used to
resolve ties.
2. Approximately 1 minute will be given after each question has been shown and read out, to fill
out the answer. At the end of the 20 questions, 2 minutes will be given for the teams to go
through their answers and submit the form. Any responses submitted later than the stipulated
time will not be considered.
3. The questions will be shown in the Teams meeting, so that both participants can see them.
However, only one teammate will fill out the form with the answers. In case more than one
response is received for a team, the response submitted the earliest will be considered.
4. The five highest scoring teams from the prelims will move on to the finals. Any ties will be
resolved using star-marked questions.
5. Cameras must be switched on and mics muted at all times. Teams will be disqualified if this is
not ensured.
Best of luck!

3. Link to the form
https://bit.ly/3nS3yHd

4. Q1.
Around August 10, rumours started doing the rounds on social media that the game X was planning
another collaboration; this time with the game Y, by releasing a game mode modelled on Y.
However, the developers of Y were quick to say that no collaboration was planned. Around a week later, X
released the game mode which was called a blatant rip-off of Y, with some differences.
In the game mode, one team works for the maintenance of The Imagined Order, while the other team’s
goal is to stop them. The game mode also cleverly uses X’s iconic emotes to help the discussion, as it
allows players to quite literally point a finger at others.
Id X and Y.

5. Q2.
Carl Pei, the OnePlus co-founder who parted ways with the company last year, has announced the name
of his next venture, X. “X’s mission is to remove barriers between people and technology to create a
seamless digital future,” he says. “We believe that the best technology is beautiful, yet natural and intuitive
to use. When sufficiently advanced, it should fade into the background and feel like X.”
Give X.

6. Q3*.
It is argued that X was first seen in Apple’s System 7 OS, released in 1991. But there were other uses for
X which precede this; for example, photo or video-editing programs, which require a neutral background,
and in early monitors, which had a classic green-on-black look.
However, most agree that the origin of X lies in coding. “Technical developers have been using X in their
code editors for about as long as I can remember… Many popular code editors, like Visual Studio code,
still offer X today… The current vogue for X may be because we all now clock in a coder’s level of screen
time.”
Id X.

7. Q4.
Id the blacked-out part.

8. Q5.
The North American video game industry was in dire straits in the early 1980s. Japan was a bit ahead of
the curve, having launched the Family Computer (the Japanese version of the NES) in 1983. Locals were
clamouring for X, and Nintendo delivered in 1986. When Nintendo of America got its hands on the title,
however, they found its high level of difficulty to be off-putting. Rather than starting a new project from
scratch, Nintendo simply took an existing title: Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and converted it into X. It was
so successful that Nintendo ultimately brought it back to Japan a few years later as X USA.
Give X.

9. Q6*.
X is an unfortunate byproduct of the digital age. What many people
may not know, however, is that X is named after canned meat.
During World War II, it became a key part of soldiers’ diets due to its
versatility and shelf life. After the war, the canned meat product
surged in popularity around the world. Fast-forward to 1970 when a
Monty Python sketch famously featured X as its focus. In the bit, the
word X was repeated time and again, no doubt in reference to its
perceived ubiquity.
What is X?

10. Q7.
The principle behind X is ion exchange, a chemical strengthening process. X is placed in a salt bath,
heated to about 400°C. At this temperature, sodium ions from the aluminosilicates leave the material, and
are replaced by potassium ions from the bath. These larger ions take up more room and are pressed
together when they are cooled, which creates a compressive stress on the surface of X. This layer of
compression confers on X a certain property which allows it to be better suited to everyday use.
Id X.

11. Q8.
The market is expected to become crowded with knock-offs of
these glasses in 2022. They were first patented in 2012, and
the patent is set to expire in January of next year.
What are these glasses called / what is their purpose?

12. Q9.
X is a popular modification of Y for Android, first released in 2018. Its name is a nod to the fact that X is a
more advanced version of Y, and features no ads.
Id X and Y.

13. Q10.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz, at the recent
IAA 2021 show in Munich, unveiled a new version of its
concept car that uses the “Brain Computer Interface” (BCI)
technology to follow the thoughts of its driver. The high-
tech car aims to seamlessly merge man and machine,
allowing humans to perform “intuitive interaction” with the
vehicle.
Based on the car’s unique functionality and look, what
2009 movie has the name of this car been inspired from?

15. Q11.
USA's X has unveiled a new identity aimed
at attracting more diverse employees but
has refused to disclose the designer behind
its new look. The X website now has a
clean, sans-serif typeface, as well as a new
circular abstract logo with a background of
fractal lines and a border formed of the
words X, similar to it’s previous logo.
What is X?

17. Q12.
Simon Oxley is the creator of the original Twitter bird.
Incidentally, he has also created the mascot, previously called
“Octopuss”, of another company X. X said it struggled designing
the figurine in 2014, because it appears in different drawings as
a quadruped, a biped and a pentaped — but never an octoped.
Making an eight-tentacled octopus felt inauthentic, so X settled
on five. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was later pictured sitting in
front of a statue of the figurine.
Give X.

18. Q13*.
Every time you do this on your phone, you only make it work harder. For a certain sort of smartphone
user, this becomes almost automatic. However, this is a long standing myth. Apple and Google have both
confirmed that doing this does absolutely nothing to improve your battery life. In fact, it might make things
worse.
What is this?

19. Q14.
X is an open-source operating system, developed by Y. It was first “announced” when it appeared as a git
in August 2016, without any release event. The reasoning behind the name X is that it is a reference to
Apple’s first effort at an object-oriented, microkernel-based operating system and the original iPhone’s
codename. Inspection of the code suggested that X could be used for a variety of applications - dash
infotainment systems for cars, traffic lights, digital watches, smartphones, tablets, and even PCs. It differs
from previous OS releases by Y as it is based on the Zircon kernel (formerly called Magenta), rather than
on the Linux kernel.
Give X and Y.

20. Q15*.
A was a character released by B, designed on a Macintosh computer, which drew strong negative
response from many users. As a result, A was disabled by default in B’s next release, and removed
completely from subsequent releases, as it continued to draw criticism, even from B employees.
In 2001, an ad campaign by B for their newest release featured A, showing A struggling with
unemployment, voiced by comedian Gilbert Gottfried - “X… XP.... As in, ex-_________?!).
In July 2021, B, on Twitter, said that they would replace a certain emoji with A if their tweet got 20,000
likes, which it did in no time.
Id A and B.

21. Q16.
Project Cybersyn was a project started in 1971 in Chile, aimed at doing a certain task. It had four modules
- a simulator, custom software to check factory performance, an operations room, and a network of telex
machines, linked to one mainframe computer.
Information coming into the system would be fed into a statistical modelling software that would monitor
production indicators. This information would also be used to predict the outcomes of policy decisions.
What was Cybersyn designed to do?

22. Q17.
The details of X’s physique were casually released to the public for the very first time in August 2021.
Height: 5 feet 8 inches, weight: 57 kg. X usually runs at 5 mph. Surprisingly, the report also mentioned that
X can deadlift over 68 kg. These biometrics don’t seem that impressive, but this is still a huge
achievement for X and what X wants to accomplish.
Identify X.

23. Q18.
A famous mathematics trick is that A% of B is the same as B% of A. One of the most interesting results of
this equation has revealed itself in the release of a certain 2021 list. In the list, the number of users of X
(more popular) who have “looked for” Y is almost the same as the number of users of Y (less popular) who
have “looked for” X; almost all of us are guilty of doing the latter on a new device.
Explain.

24. Q19.
X is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term X was
generally a negative synonym for a being in Norse mythology. In old Norse sources, the being described
as X usually dwelled in isolated rocks, mountains or caves, lived together in small family units ,and were
rarely helpful to human beings.
Which internet terminology is X?

25. Q20.
Id the blacked-out part.

26. Answers

27. Q1.
Around August 10, rumours started doing the rounds on social media that the game X was planning
another collaboration; this time with the game Y, by releasing a game mode modelled on Y.
However, the developers of Y were quick to say that no collaboration was planned. Around a week later, X
released the game mode which was called a blatant rip-off of Y, with some differences.
In the game mode, one team works for the maintenance of The Imagined Order, while the other team’s
goal is to stop them. The game mode also cleverly uses X’s iconic emotes to help the discussion, as it
allows players to quite literally point a finger at others.
Id X and Y.

28. Answer
X – Fortnite
Y - Among Us

29. Q2.
Carl Pei, the OnePlus co-founder who parted ways with the company last year, has announced the name
of his next venture, X. “X’s mission is to remove barriers between people and technology to create a
seamless digital future,” he says. “We believe that the best technology is beautiful, yet natural and intuitive
to use. When sufficiently advanced, it should fade into the background and feel like X.”
Give X.

30. Answer
X - Nothing

31. Q3*.
It is argued that X was first seen in Apple’s System 7 OS, released in 1991. But there were other uses for
X which precede this; for example, photo or video-editing programs, which require a neutral background,
and in early monitors, which had a classic green-on-black look.
However, most agree that the origin of X lies in coding. “Technical developers have been using X in their
code editors for about as long as I can remember… Many popular code editors, like Visual Studio code,
still offer X today… The current vogue for X may be because we all now clock in a coder’s level of screen
time.”
Id X.

32. Answer
X - Dark Mode

33. Q4.
Id the blacked-out part.

34. Answer
Recursion

35. Q5.
The North American video game industry was in dire straits in the early 1980s. Japan was a bit ahead of
the curve, having launched the Family Computer (the Japanese version of the NES) in 1983. Locals were
clamouring for X, and Nintendo delivered in 1986. When Nintendo of America got its hands on the title,
however, they found its high level of difficulty to be off-putting. Rather than starting a new project from
scratch, Nintendo simply took an existing title: Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic and converted it into X. It was
so successful that Nintendo ultimately brought it back to Japan a few years later as X USA.
Give X.

36. Answer
X - Super Mario Bros.

37. Q6*.
X is an unfortunate byproduct of the digital age. What many people
may not know, however, is that X is named after canned meat.
During World War II, it became a key part of soldiers’ diets due to its
versatility and shelf life. After the war, the canned meat product
surged in popularity around the world. Fast-forward to 1970 when a
Monty Python sketch famously featured X as its focus. In the bit, the
word X was repeated time and again, no doubt in reference to its
perceived ubiquity.
What is X?

38. Answer
X - Spam

39. Q7.
The principle behind X is ion exchange, a chemical strengthening process. X is placed in a salt bath,
heated to about 400°C. At this temperature, sodium ions from the aluminosilicates leave the material, and
are replaced by potassium ions from the bath. These larger ions take up more room and are pressed
together when they are cooled, which creates a compressive stress on the surface of X. This layer of
compression confers on X a certain property which allows it to be better suited to everyday use.
Id X.

40. Answer
X - Gorilla Glass

41. Q8.
The market is expected to become crowded with knock-offs of
these glasses in 2022. They were first patented in 2012, and
the patent is set to expire in January of next year.
What are these glasses called/what is their purpose?

42. Answer
Lazy Glasses or Lazy Reader Glasses to read books and watch movies while lying down.

43. Q9.
X is a popular modification of Y for Android, first released in 2018. Its name is a nod to the fact that X is a
more advanced version of Y, and features no ads.
Id X and Y.

44. Answer
X - YouTube Vanced
Y - YouTube

45. Q10.
German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz, at the recent
IAA 2021 show in Munich, unveiled a new version of its
concept car that uses the “Brain Computer Interface” (BCI)
technology to follow the thoughts of its driver. The high-
tech car aims to seamlessly merge man and machine,
allowing humans to perform “intuitive interaction” with the
vehicle.
Based on the car’s unique functionality and look, what
2009 movie has the name of this car been inspired from?

46. Answer
Avatar

47. Q11.
USA's X has unveiled a new identity aimed
at attracting more diverse employees but
has refused to disclose the designer behind
its new look. The X website now has a
clean, sans-serif typeface, as well as a new
circular abstract logo with a background of
fractal lines and a border formed of the
words X, similar to it’s previous logo.
What is X?

48. Answer
X - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

49. Q12.
Simon Oxley is the creator of the original Twitter bird.
Incidentally, he has also created the mascot, previously called
“Octopuss”, of another company X. X said it struggled designing
the figurine in 2014, because it appears in different drawings as
a quadruped, a biped and a pentaped — but never an octoped.
Making an eight-tentacled octopus felt inauthentic, so X settled
on five. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was later pictured sitting in
front of a statue of the figurine.
Give X.

50. Answer
Github

51. Q13*.
Every time you do this on your phone, you only make it work harder. For a certain sort of smartphone
user, this becomes almost automatic. However, this is a long standing myth. Apple and Google have both
confirmed that doing this does absolutely nothing to improve your battery life. In fact, it might make things
worse.
What is this?

52. Answer
Quitting apps from multitasking

53. Q14.
X is an open-source operating system, developed by Y. It was first “announced” when it appeared as a git
in August 2016, without any release event. The reasoning behind the name X is that it is a reference to
Apple’s first effort at an object-oriented, microkernel-based operating system and the original iPhone’s
codename. Inspection of the code suggested that X could be used for a variety of applications - dash
infotainment systems for cars, traffic lights, digital watches, smartphones, tablets, and even PCs. It differs
from previous OS releases by Y as it is based on the Zircon kernel (formerly called Magenta), rather than
on the Linux kernel.
Give X and Y.

54. Answer
X – Fuchsia
Y - Google

55. Q15*.
A was a character released by B, designed on a Macintosh computer, which drew strong negative
response from many users. As a result, A was disabled by default in B’s next release, and removed
completely from subsequent releases, as it continued to draw criticism, even from B employees.
In 2001, an ad campaign by B for their newest release featured A, showing A struggling with
unemployment, voiced by comedian Gilbert Gottfried - “X… XP.... As in, ex-_________?!).
In July 2021, B, on Twitter, said that they would replace a certain emoji with A if their tweet got 20,000
likes, which it did in no time.
Id A and B.

56. Answer
A – Clippy
B - Microsoft

57. Q16.
Project Cybersyn was a project started in 1971 in Chile, aimed at doing a certain task. It had four modules
- a simulator, custom software to check factory performance, an operations room, and a network of telex
machines, linked to one mainframe computer.
Information coming into the system would be fed into a statistical modelling software that would monitor
production indicators. This information would also be used to predict the outcomes of policy decisions.
What was Cybersyn designed to do?

58. Answer
Manage the Chilean economy

59. Q17.
The details of X’s physique were casually released to the public for the very first time in August 2021.
Height: 5 feet 8 inches, weight: 57 kg. X usually runs at 5 mph. Surprisingly, the report also mentioned that
X can deadlift over 68 kg. These biometrics don’t seem that impressive, but this is still a huge
achievement for X and what X wants to accomplish.
Identify X.

60. Answer
X - Tesla Bot

61. Q18.
A famous mathematics trick is that A% of B is the same as B% of A. One of the most interesting results of
this equation has revealed itself in the release of a certain 2021 list. In the list, the number of users of X
(more popular) who have “looked for” Y is almost the same as the number of users of Y (less popular) who
have “looked for” X; almost all of us are guilty of doing the latter on a new device.
Explain.

62. Answer
The number of “bing” searches on X - Google (=8.6M) and the number of “google” searches on Y - Bing
(=8.1M) is almost the same.

63. Q19.
X is a supernatural being in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore. In origin, the term X was
generally a negative synonym for a being in Norse mythology. In old Norse sources, the being described
as X usually dwelled in isolated rocks, mountains or caves, lived together in small family units ,and were
rarely helpful to human beings.
Which internet terminology is X?

64. Answer
X - Troll

65. Q20.
Id the blacked-out part.

66. Answer
CSS

67. See you in the finals!