6. Acknowledgements
Major Chandrakant Nair and Navin Rajaram for playing
Siskel and Ebert to perfection.
Special thanks to M Sree Nihit, Kartik Reddy and Abhishek
Bhan for general endorsement and goodwill.
7. 46 questions in all.
2 Written Rounds.
2 Infinite Pounce Rounds.
Good luck!
The Deal
9. Format
8 questions.
10 points each.
Part points wherever applicable.
No bonus points for getting them all right.
Topic – Famous Meetings.
10. 1.
The Washington Hilton is one of the city’s oldest and most iconic hotels,
whose international ballroom is the largest along the east coast.
Since 1920, this place has hosted a famous recurring event that has lately
become annual with worldwide viewership. While the initial performers
until WWII were singers and other big stars, the programme has assumed
a lighter note since 1983 and has stayed that way ever since.
What event, whose performances often acquire instant popularity?
11.
12. 2.
Established by a Hungarian-born American icon in 1917, this annual
practice at the Columbia School of Journalism involves picking 120
distinguished people from around the country who are then divided into
20 groups which proceed to have confidential meetings.
What do these groups do, whose work over the years has carried the
criticism of having a liberal, anti-conservative bias?
13. 3.
In 1932, John Rockefeller met with and commissioned a famous painter to
create a color fresco in his lobby, with the theme of man being at the
crossroads and looking forward to a hopeful future.
However, the fresco was ordered to be demolished soon for the public
outrage it generated and soon became a symbol of artistic freedom and
dissent. It was eventually recreated in a neighbouring country retaining the
controversial elements that had resulted in this ouster.
Who was the painter? Why was the fresco demolished?
14.
15. 4.
The Rape of Lucretia is an enigmatic painting from around 500 BC that
depicts the ghastly events surrounding the Roman matron, culminating in
murder, for which the son of the King was held responsible. He was an
unassuming acquaintance of hers and the incident inspired a rebellion
that overthrew the monarchy.
More than five decades ago, this painting served as a foreshadowing of a
similar event, conveying repressed emotions and an eventual exhibition of
unprovoked male aggression although this one was driven by the greed
for money.
What iconic and ghastly fictional meeting was this?
16.
17. 5.
A triple conjunction is a special celestial event where two planets or a planet
and a star meet each other thrice within a short period, which leads to an
unusually bright illumination in the sky.
One of the better known triple junctions is between Jupiter and Saturn which
is said to occur once every 900 years – and like most such events, lends itself
to the fancy propositions of astrologers world over. One such famous
occurrence inspired a much revered and extensively chronicled meeting that
came about with the royal command to attend a ceremony.
By what name has this particular instance of the celestial event come to be
known? What meeting did it inspire?
18. 6.
In one of the (made up) scenes of Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Steve
Jobs, Steve Wozniack interrupts the back-stage preparations for the
launch of the iMac and confronts Jobs about the credit he deserves for
all that the company had become.
The argument soon turns personal with Wozniack comparing the
relationship to another famous duo who had similar issues of credit with
one of them stealing the limelight among fans while the other was
considered by many to be more skillful within the larger team.
Which two people, part of an enormously popular group through the
60s and 70s, are being compared to Jobs and Wozniack?
19.
20. 7.
The season finale of BBC’s The Night Manger features the two protagonists
– who head a money laundering empire – sitting at the Nefertiti Hotel in
Cairo and chalking out their next big move that would let them reign
control in the field across the Middle East.
They compare themselves to two British civil servants – one a celebrated
national figure serving as the Colonial Secretary to the Middle East and the
other his famous protégé with a celebrated biopic, who met at an iconic
conference in 1921 that sealed the future of several countries in the region.
Who were these two British officers?
21.
22. 8.
In 1957, New York based real estate baron Walter O’Malley and owner of
the Brooklyn Dodgers had a standoff over several meetings with the city’s
mayor since he wasn’t granted the required land and had to move the
team to Los Angeles, much to the dismay of the locals.
A resident of Brooklyn then, aged 16, noted how big money could easily
forsake popular interests and described it as a brutal act which impacted
the region in a very significant way – strongly believing that the entity in
question belonged more to the people than to the owners.
Who was this, whose long-held beliefs were shaped in part by this move of
the franchise?
24. 1.
The Washington Hilton is one of the city’s oldest and most iconic hotels,
whose international ballroom is the largest along the east coast.
Since 1920, this place has hosted a famous recurring event that has lately
become annual with worldwide viewership. While the initial performers
until WWII were singers and other big stars, the programme has assumed
a lighter note since 1983 and has stayed that way ever since.
What event, whose performances often acquire instant popularity?
28. 2.
Established by a Hungarian-born American icon in 1917, this annual
practice at the Columbia School of Journalism involves picking 120
distinguished people from around the country who are then divided into
20 groups which proceed to have confidential meetings.
What do these groups do, whose work over the years has carried the
criticism of having a liberal, anti-conservative bias?
31. 3.
In 1932, John Rockefeller met with and commissioned a famous painter to
create a color fresco in his lobby, with the theme being that of man being at
the crossroads and looking forward to a hopeful future.
However, the fresco was ordered to be demolished soon for the public
outrage it generated and soon became a symbol of artistic freedom and
dissent. It was eventually recreated in a neighbouring country retaining the
controversial elements that had resulted in this ouster.
Who was the painter? Why was the fresco demolished?
36. 4.
The Rape of Lucretia is an enigmatic painting from around 500 BC that
depicts the ghastly events surrounding the Roman matron, culminating in
murder, for which the son of the King was held responsible. He was an
unassuming acquaintance of hers and the incident inspired a rebellion
that overthrew the monarchy.
More than five decades ago, this painting served as a foreshadowing of a
similar event, conveying repressed emotions and an eventual exhibition of
unprovoked male aggression although this one was driven by the greed
for money.
What iconic and ghastly fictional meeting was this?
41. 5.
A triple conjunction is a special celestial event where two planets or a planet
and a star meet each other thrice within a short period, which leads to an
unusually bright illumination in the sky.
One of the better known triple junctions is between Jupiter and Saturn which
is said to occur once every 900 years – and like most such events, lends itself
to the fancy propositions of astrologers world over. One such famous
occurrence inspired a much revered and extensively chronicled meeting that
came about with the royal command to attend a ceremony.
By what name has this particular instance of the celestial event come to be
known? What meeting did it inspire?
43. The Star of Bethlehem.
The 3 wise kings at Christ’s birth.
44. 6.
In one of the (made up) scenes of Danny Boyle’s adaptation of Steve
Jobs, Steve Wozniack interrupts the back-stage preparations for the
launch of the iMac and confronts Jobs about the credit he deserves for
all that the company had become.
The argument soon turns personal with Wozniack comparing the
relationship to another famous duo who had similar issues of credit with
one of them stealing the limelight among fans while the other was
considered by many to be more skillful within the larger team.
Which two people, part of an enormously popular group through the
60s and 70s, are being compared to Jobs and Wozniack?
49. 7.
The season finale of BBC’s The Night Manger features the two protagonists
– who head a money laundering empire – sitting at the Nefertiti Hotel in
Cairo and chalking out their next big move that would let them reign
control in the field across the Middle East.
They compare themselves to two British civil servants – one a celebrated
national figure serving as the Colonial Secretary to the Middle East and the
other his famous protégé with a celebrated biopic, who met at an iconic
conference in 1921 that sealed the future of several countries in the region.
Who were these two British officers?
54. 8.
In 1957, New York based real estate baron Walter O’Malley and owner of
the Brooklyn Dodgers had a standoff over several meetings with the city’s
mayor since he wasn’t granted the required land and had to move the
team to Los Angeles, much to the dismay of the locals.
A resident of Brooklyn then, aged 16, noted how big money could easily
forsake popular interests and described it as a brutal act which impacted
the region in a very significant way – strongly believing that the entity in
question belonged more to the people than to the owners.
Who was this, whose long-held beliefs were shaped in part by this move of
the franchise?
59. 1.
The following visuals are from a heritage building in Hyderabad constructed in
the final decade of the 18th century, which remains a minor tourist attraction
to this day but is used for other purposes.
In the early 19th century, the activities of this place courted some controversy
owing to the inter-racial affair between the British Resident at Hyderabad
James Kirkpatrick and a local noblewoman Khair-un-Nissa. Kirkpatrick was
eventually summoned to Calcutta by the powers-that-be and dismissed.
How did this tale come into popular consciousness a decade and a half ago?
How does the original name of this building, an apt local word, survive today?
64. The building was called Koti - local word for ‘mansion’ –
and lent its name to the area.
65. 2.
The pupillary sphincter is a muscle in the eye that encircles the pupil of the
iris and controls its adjustment in times of dim and bright light. Apart from
its regular behavior – it is observed that in the final hours of one’s life, the
control over this muscle is entirely lost which leads to its involuntary
relaxation and the subsequent dilation of the eyes.
The functioning of this muscle was a matter of particular interest to a
certain duo last year, who spent hours trying to study this complex
anatomical process in detail to achieve a desired effect.
What were they working on?
70. 3.
One of the earliest examples of this questionable trend comes from early
Chinese culture where the Emperor always lived in a certain specific part of the
country while the rest of his subjects were supposed to look up to him.
The most definitive shift toward this trend came courtesy Gerardus Mercator’s
landmark work in 1569 – with the aim of helping explorers, who were mostly of
European origin, go about their business with maximum success and efficiency.
What geographic trend, that has often been disputed over the years and also
contributed to colloquial and psychological bias?
74. 4.
First developed for conventional warfare during the Cold War, these
objects of strategic importance were pushed towards completion in the
1990s but abandoned in 2004 by the US Department of Defense.
However, it appears that they were being designed in secret nevertheless
– by modifying existing alternatives with changes like adding special
coatings to the skin to absorb beams, replacing sharp edges with curved
ones that scatter them in many directions and having an addition that
resembles a dishpan.
What objects are these? How were these features made public five years
ago, owing to an unforeseen accident?
77. The crash at Bin Laden’s compound in
Abbottabad.
78.
79. 5.
Artisan families in states like UP and Punjab – specifically in the towns of
Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Saharanpur and Rajpura – are known to
specialize in this annual business that gets them purchases in various places
in North India for a few weeks.
This business took a serious hit last year with prices falling by about 40%
owing to the rising costs of canvas and bamboo sticks. In a normal year, a
few hundred of these creations are sold at a price of about 1-2 lakh rupees
each – that helps sustain the business year after year.
What do these artisans produce, seen by many as wasteful usage every
year?
82. 6.
These annual preparations involve a dedicated crew working round the
clock to put together a mixture of limestone, slag and 88,000 pounds of
brick residue during completely dry weather conditions for optimal effect.
The thicknesses of the respective materials are strictly adhered to, the
whole mixture is watered everyday, covered briefly and then treated with
Calcium Chloride to maintain the required toughness and colour. A
reserve of 11,000 pounds of brick is maintained to account for wear and
tear that is normally expected every year.
What exactly are these annual preparations, about 20 in number?
86. 7.
Recent archaeological findings conducted around the northern parts of
India suggest the possibility of the region of Haryana having the earliest
evidence of agriculture and sedantism, even before the Indus Valley
Civilization.
The region was believed to be free of the dangers of snow-fall or
unexpected floods unlike most other regions and marked by a more
stable manner of cultivation, with rich growth of barley and wheat, as
opposed to rice in the Gangetic plains.
What popular legend does this evidence claim to substantiate? What
famous annual practice supposedly resulted from this particular growth of
barley around the region?
89. Offering barley on the occasion of the spring festival of
Sarasvati Puja on the day of Vasant Panchami.
90. 8.
The Italian-American Civil Rights League was an active organization that
sought to address charges of racial discrimination which were vogue in
the late 1960s.
One of their biggest movements took place in the initial years of their
operation, staging several rallies across New York City, raising more than
$500,000 for the cause and trying to arm-twist their adversary into
submission. A peaceful out-of-court settlement was finally reached when
the other party agreed to avoid using a controversial word that was
viewed as offensive and stereotypical of the community.
What famous and peculiar omission does this incident explain?
93. 9.
Mark Sunderland, textile engineer at the University of Philadelphia, has recently
come out with these outfits whose unique features will be used for the first
time in a certain field. An initial layer comes with a moisture barrier and a
second layer comes with an anti-microbial finish which kills micro-organisms.
This invention, meant for a specific group of people, has been necessitated by
the extreme pollution levels prevalent in a place that will soon attract over
1,400 people from around the world. Despite assurances of cleaning, recent
samples tested in this region reveal 14 million to 1.7 billion adenoviruses per
1000 mg/ml.
Which group of people is this outfit for? What filthy place will it be used at?
97. At Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, the
rowing venue for the Rio Olympics.
98. 10.
One of the busiest and most rewarding professions in the world, this job’s
selection process involves 3D problem solving scenarios to test one’s
analytical skills – with basic prerequisites being the ability to perform
numerical computations, possess an excellent short-term memory, have
superior situational awareness to make several decisions in a short time,
the ability to communicate in English and not carry conditions of
hypertension or any mental illnesses since they are often seen to be
dangerous to the job’s requirements.
What profession, that exists in most important cities of the world and
comes with a mandatory 30 minute break every two hours?
101. 11.
Recent breakthroughs around the mountain of Monte Smith on this Aegean
Sea island have uncovered enormous stone foundations around this temple
site that supposedly answers an age old mystery.
Remains around the site from several hundreds of years ago were believed to
be sold off to Arabian merchants and evaded further study – some of which,
according to texts, included several iron bars, bronze plates, rivets and rings.
The site’s erstwhile attraction is also said to have inspired a key design choice
for an international trans-atlantic project in the 1870s.
What is the subject of this historical research? What is the design choice or
project being talked about?
107. 12.
IBM’s successful history in the field of accounting and data is well known.
One of its largest clients in the 20th century sought assistance in business
services, data collection and data tabulations – a deal that was inked in
1933. Initial calculations produced about half a million entries while the
final number stood close to 2 million, each given a unique identification
number instrumental to the client.
Besides the punch cards used for this purpose, IBM also later oversaw the
efficient and punctual functioning of the client’s transport system that had
over 50 wagons in action each day for 4 straight years – about 1600 in all.
Who was this client? What were these wagons transporting?
112. 13.
One of China’s most bizarre economic phenomena has changed
significantly over the last 50 years, with objects like thermos bottles,
radios, furniture, watches and sewing machines experiencing a rise in
sales at different points of time.
Today, these goods have been replaced by exorbitant prices to the tune
of over $30,000 in the business whose reasons have been attributed to a
stark rural-urban divide and a famous government move instituted in
1978 that is being gradually phased out since last year.
What business is this, whose variant has often been seen in India? What
government move was largely responsible for this?
116. 14.
Held in the UK about 15 times from 1608 to 1814, these unique fairs
lasted for a period of a month or two. The most celebrated of them was
in 1683-84 and was documented to include events of general
entertainment for the public such as bull-baiting, horse and coach races,
puppet plays and interludes – giving it the feel of a much needed carnival
for its people.
However, they often came to abrupt ends that sometimes resulted in
damage to the goods used in the fairs and the animals. Owing to
unfavourable circumstances, they could not be revived after the early 19th
century.
Where exactly were these fairs held?
119. 15.
Eyam is an English village located in Derbyshire that was formerly
industrial but now serves only as a transit point close to Manchester.
Its fame comes from events that occurred in the 17th century when the
village literally brought itself to a standstill – roads were left to crumble,
gardens and crops were overgrown and much of its supplies came from
neighbouring towns. Boundary stones were marked and laced with
vinegar for its desired effect and special cottages in the village today are
honoured with green plaques for their significance through that period.
What role did this village play that earned it a distinct place in history
books?
123. Format
8 questions.
10 points each.
Part points wherever applicable.
No bonus points for getting them all right.
Topic – Nomenclature.
124. 1.
A recent probe launched by the Madhya Pradesh government found
atleast 114 doctors who gained admission by fraud since 2009, apart
from several practicing ones who could have similar lack of credentials.
Suspecting complicity from government officials, it was also determined
that many of these malpractices were due to imposters writing
examinations with their photos on the ID cards.
What appropriate nickname was this scam given in the media, a
comparison to something from popular culture more than a decade ago?
125. 2.
Usually referred to by the name Cis-Jordan in the Latin languages, this
contested territory has had a checkered ownership history with significant
changes in armistice agreements in 1949 and a defining move in 1967
whose repercussions exist to this day.
What is the common geopolitical name of this place, that is a convenient
relative reference to the Jordan river?
126. 3.
Alec Swann is a former Northamptonshire opening batsman and now a
cricket writer whose famous coinage sticks to this day.
Talking about a teammate of his who joined the club in the 2001 season,
Swann recalls him being a quiet introvert who was so dedicated to the
game’s practice sessions he was always the first to start and the last to
leave – desperate to show what he could do after failing to be picked by
his country even at the age of 26.
Who was this cricketer? As a result of his commitment to the game, what
name did Swann and his teammates give him?
127. 4.
Michael Barratt is a renowned American physician working at a unique
place since the 90s. Dealing with unusually primitive equipment, his most
common treatments are for back pain and vision changes.
One of his foremost challenges is liquid containment, with surface tension
causing blood to adhere to the surface rather than pool in. He uses a
special device – a fluid filled dome placed over the operating area
through which he could manipulate instruments and scalpels – all while
being unable to use an inhaled anaesthetic on the patient due to the
conditions that are often contaminated with all sorts of bacteria.
Where does he work? What similar fictional character from a series,
known to us since the 60s, is he usually compared to at work?
128. 5.
Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, the Nazi Economics minister, summoned the
ambassador to Germany from a certain country in 1935 and conveyed a
suggestion for an image make-over, based on the country‘s people.
Soon after, the head of this country was convinced about its merit and
brought about the official changes needed to make it happen. While
supporters of this change found it ‘noble’ and unifying, detractors
claimed it damaged the cultural heritage of the country and aligned them
with a pro-Nazi sentiment.
What change was this? Why exactly was it viewed as pro-Nazi?
129. 6.
Until the mid 19th century, European travel to India was complicated, with
travelers having to journey across a narrow isthmus after crossing the
Mediterranean Sea and then waiting at Aden to be collected by the next
steamer bound for India. To pass time, a lavish hostel was built at Aden.
However, this stopover was no longer necessary a little later and the
hostel, having fallen into disuse, fetched a whopping 9,300 rupees in the
Europeans’ hands. This money was then used to set up an affluent place
in India that is an anglicization of the local words for ‘temple’ and ‘creek’
referring to the place’s vicinity.
Why was this transit no longer necessary? What place, that maintains its
elite ways till today, was thus set up?
130. 7.
Mason Plumlee is a professional NBA player who currently plays for the
Portland Trail Blazers.
His claim to fame was his signing up on a rookie-scale contract in 2013
with the Brooklyn Nets, where his exploits surprised one and all. As a
result, he was given a moniker that combined his surname with a famous
blockbuster from the 2000s that also similarly dealt with an overachieving
storyline.
What was the nickname given to him?
131. 8.
Owned by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, this camp has opened its
arms to successive waves of refugees – the Hungarians in 1956, the
Czechs and the Romanians in 1968, Vietnamese boat people among
others.
When the Chileans fleeing Pinochet landed up in the early 1970s, they
made it their home and began carrying out several productive activities in
the region – and therefore decided to give it an appropriate name of a
similar place in South America, introduced through an iconic 1967 work,
that was shaped from nothing by Chilean refugees.
What name did they give it, that has eventually stuck to the region?
133. 1.
A recent probe launched by the Madhya Pradesh government found
atleast 114 doctors who gained admission by fraud since 2009, apart
from several practicing ones who could have similar lack of credentials.
Suspecting complicity from government officials, it was also determined
that many of these malpractices were due to imposters writing
examinations with their photos on the ID cards.
What appropriate nickname was this scam given in the media, a
comparison to something from popular culture more than a decade ago?
137. 2.
Usually referred to by the name Cis-Jordan in the Latin languages, this
contested territory has had a checkered ownership history with significant
changes in armistice agreements in 1949 and a defining move in 1967
whose repercussions exist to this day.
What is the common geopolitical name of this place, that is a convenient
relative reference to the Jordan river?
140. 3.
Alec Swann is a former Northamptonshire opening batsman and now a
cricket writer whose famous coinage sticks to this day.
Talking about a teammate of his who joined the club in the 2001 season,
Swann recalls him being a quiet introvert who was so dedicated to the
game’s practice sessions he was always the first to start and the last to
leave – desperate to show what he could do after failing to be picked by
his country even at the age of 26.
Who was this cricketer? As a result of his commitment to the game, what
name did Swann and his teammates give him?
143. 4.
Michael Barratt is a renowned American physician working at a unique
place since the 90s. Dealing with unusually primitive equipment, his most
common treatments are for back pain and vision changes.
One of his foremost challenges is liquid containment, with surface tension
causing blood to adhere to the surface rather than pool in. He uses a
special device – a fluid filled dome placed over the operating area
through which he could manipulate instruments and scalpels – all while
being unable to use an inhaled anaesthetic on the patient due to the
conditions that are often contaminated with all sorts of bacteria.
Where does he work? What similar fictional character from a series,
known to us since the 60s, is he usually compared to at work?
147. 5.
Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, the Nazi Economics minister, summoned the
ambassador to Germany from a certain country in 1935 and conveyed a
suggestion for an image make-over, based on the country‘s people.
Soon after, the head of this country was convinced about its merit and
brought about the official changes needed to make it happen. While
supporters of this change found it ‘noble’ and unifying, detractors
claimed it damaged the cultural heritage of the country and aligned them
with a pro-Nazi sentiment.
What change was this? Why exactly was it viewed as pro-Nazi?
151. 6.
Until the mid 19th century, European travel to India was complicated, with
travelers having to journey across a narrow isthmus after crossing the
Mediterranean Sea and then waiting at Aden to be collected by the next
steamer bound for India. To pass time, a lavish hostel was built at Aden.
However, this stopover was no longer necessary a little later and the
hostel, having fallen into disuse, fetched a whopping 9,300 rupees in the
Europeans’ hands. This money was then used to set up an affluent place
in India that is an anglicization of the local words for ‘temple’ and ‘creek’
referring to the place’s vicinity.
Why was this transit no longer necessary? What place, that maintains its
elite ways till today, was thus set up?
155. 7.
Mason Plumlee is a professional NBA player who currently plays for the
Portland Trail Blazers.
His claim to fame was his signing up on a rookie-scale contract in 2013
with the Brooklyn Nets, where his exploits surprised one and all. As a
result, he was given a moniker that combined his surname with a famous
blockbuster from the 2000s that also similarly dealt with an overachieving
storyline.
What was the nickname given to him?
158. 8.
Owned by the Austrian Ministry of the Interior, this camp has opened its
arms to successive waves of refugees – the Hungarians in 1956, the
Czechs and the Romanians in 1968, Vietnamese boat people among
others.
When the Chileans fleeing Pinochet landed up in the early 1970s, they
made it their home and began carrying out several productive activities in
the region – and therefore decided to give it an appropriate name of a
similar place in South America, introduced through an iconic 1967 work,
that was shaped from nothing by Chilean refugees.
What name did they give it, that has eventually stuck to the region?
163. 1.
Made entirely from raw material that is tanned and cured using only natural
ingredients without chemicals, these objects are known for their versatility
and usefulness in the hot and sweaty months of the summer – all of which
have contributed to the claims of them having medicinal properties.
Over the last one year, the raw materials used for them have become sharply
more expensive in the prime manufacturing town – prohibiting their
availability and escalating costs for both producers and consumers, which
has led to the decline in livelihood of several stakeholders, apart from that of
the product’s own popularity.
What objects are these, known by the place of their manufacture? Why the
decline recently?
167. 2.
Prevalent almost throughout every country in the Middle East is the
Sharia Law that prohibits consumption of alcohol – especially in public –
with severe penalties of jail terms or flogging.
However, recent circumstances in one of the countries has necessitated an
innovative solution to this problem, with special courts that will be set up
over the next few years to deal with the issue – taking inspiration from a
similar move adopted in an African nation about 8 years ago.
What are these circumstances that have compelled the otherwise
conservative authorities to consider relaxing the stringent norms on
alcoholism for their own profits?
171. 3.
Established in Ohio in 1947, this US military department’s services soon
required to be moved to Los Angeles – the city that was responsible for most
of the demand. To this day, the department has had hundreds of clients who’ve
sought the help of the military in their high budget activities.
However, the most unfriendly such association came with a client in 1996
whose product made the highest money in its field that year. The dispute –
which primarily centered around a highly classified military base – forced the
department to pull out of the collaboration with its client, the only such case in
its history.
What does this department of the military do? Who or what was this client in
1996?
175. 4.
As the Prohibition was drawing to a close in the 1930s, this Chicago-
based kingpin needed to find an alternative way to sustain business and
thus moved on to the distribution of milk instead of illicit liquor.
Having already acquired a Robin-Hood-like status in the city with his
largesse during the Depression, he lobbied with the Chicago City Council
for a law to introduce a certain feature to his milk sales with the idea of
protecting the city’s children from harm. With the lack of regulation, he
conquered the market and set in place a landmark feature that soon
extended to other products as well.
Who was this person? What addition to the product was this, that is still
seen by some to be the cause of wastage worth $165 billion every year?
179. 5.
Driven by the fact that concussions are a common feature in the NFL,
researchers at the Toronto Western Hospital recently came up with these
protective collar-bands that constrict the blood flow out of the head by
applying light pressure to the veins in the neck, which retains more blood in
the skull acting as a cushion against potential damage to the brain.
Further research also suggested that this elaborate protective mechanism
need not be gone through by teams such as the Denver Broncos and the
Arizona Cardinals since their likelihood of having concussions was found to
be about 30% less.
What creatures, from the natural world, served as the inspiration for this
mechanism? Why would these teams not require this equipment?
184. Woodpeckers – which have bones that wrap all the way
around the head, constrict blood and offer protection.
185. The stadia are located at very high altitudes – so the brain
is automatically supplied more blood for oxygenation.
186.
187. 6.
Abbott Thayer was a French-turned American painter from the early 20th
century. Besides his usual paintings, he also harboured an interest in
nature, illustrating books on the topic written by his son.
These two interests of him are juxtaposed in paintings like these where
animals are his objects of observation. His biggest contribution from
these interests, however, was initially dismissed by the British
establishment but eventually found favour with the Americans and has
been in use world over ever since.
What was this contribution, that has come to define a certain group of
people?
190. The Answer is …
Camouflage uniforms
used by the military.
191. 7.
Gerald Bull was a Canadian space scientist who worked in the 1960s on the High
Altitude Research Project (HARP) developing these instruments with the aim of
firing weather probes into sub-orbit and removing multiple rocket stages for
each orbit – a much cheaper alternative.
Devoid of funding for a very long time, he was finally approached by a client in
1981 owing to the country’s immediate requirements and had the instrument
prepared by 1988 – that could launch a 2000 kg rocket assisted projectile
carrying a 200 kg satellite. However, it all came to an end a year later when he
was assassinated.
Who was this client, who came forward to provide funding? How did this play a
part in a major geopolitical event more than two decades later?
196. Contributed to the Weapons of Mass Destruction
myth and the subsequent invasion of Iraq.
197. 8.
The Germanwings Flight 9525 air crash in 2015 was one of the worst
aviation disasters in recent memory, that killed all 150 passengers and
crew on board.
The cause was attributed to the deliberate taking down of the flight by
pilot Andreas Lubitz who was later ascertained to be psychologically ill.
The plot was made possible by the co-pilot who had exercised some
laxity on his part and couldn’t amend the situation when things got
worse, owing to a security feature that has been in place for over a
decade.
What security feature thwarted his attempts at saving the flight? Why or
when was this feature introduced in the first place?
201. 9.
In 1849, while Charles Dickens was writing the ending to one of his famous
works, he was inspired by Sidney’s Australian Hand-Book that helped him dispel
his notions of the country as being filled with jails. The subsequent discovery of
gold in Australia also improved his impression of the country.
He thus featured it as a significant plot point in this unfinished work as it was
suddenly seen to be a place worth going to. He was approached to make a
historic visit on a lecture tour in 1862 by a company called Spiers and Pond, but
couldn’t make the trip.
What plot point was influenced in the 1849 work? Whom did these organizers
call for the first time to the country instead of him, a visit that would gain further
significance 20 years later?
203. The emigration of the Micawber family to
Australia in David Copperfield.
204. Invited the English Cricket Team for their first ever
bilateral series, which got dubbed The Ashes in 1862.
205. 10.
As part of its expansion strategy in the Middle East after considerable
success in Asia, USA and Europe in the recent past – this company
recently managed to raise a whopping $3.5bn funding from Saudi
Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Such a heavy investment in one particular country was unprecedented in
the company’s history and was met with much skepticism and online
protest campaigns from a certain section of the local population who saw
it as exploitative and mutually beneficial to both the company and the
country’s conservative minded administration.
Which company was this? What was the protest all about?
208. Women not being allowed to drive and therefore
naturally becoming Uber’s customers.
209. 11.
American and European societies in the Victorian era of the mid-1800s
were beginning to undergo dramatic changes in fashion, with middle and
upper class women taking to long, trailing skirts.
However, this interest waned in the late 1800s when a certain group of
people in the society raised strong objection to these outfits – inspired by
the research publication of a German who came up with four defining
postulates in his field, and also won the Nobel Prize in 1905. As a result,
the clothing eventually grew unpopular and was shunned by the public.
Who was this person? Why was he objecting to these outfits?
213. Proved tuberculosis was contagious and being
spread by skirts that swept germs from the streets.
214. 12.
Researchers at the Geological Society of America have lately been using 3D
computer modelling to study rock formations at some specific points in the
country – particularly those in Pennsylvania.
The rocks around Cemetery Hill, Little Round Top and Seminary Hill were
found to be largely dolomites – a harder form of carbonates which, along
with its embedded materials, makes it difficult to weather or erode – thereby
producing landscapes with a steady height difference.
How did this setting have a major influence in the area 150 years ago? What
culminating historic event at the following location in the same town (second
image) was possible because of this?
220. 13.
One of the major problems of online advertising is that of credit
attribution, where a shopper learns of a product via an ad based on a site
while the purchase might be made based on an ad elsewhere.
To study the implications of this phenomenon, Harvard Business School
introduces an analogy to a major business practice from the 19th century
that has now become a historical footnote – where similar problems of
ownership often became the subject of much conflict among various
entities, all of which had the incentive and the effort to claim a top prize
that fetched in excess of $10,000 back in the day.
What business practice is this? What work from the mid-19th century lays
down rules for credit attribution in this practice?
224. 14.
Damian O’Brien is a senior leader in the internationally renowned HALO Trust
who was given his most difficult work assignment at the turn of this decade.
Having to work on all kinds of stretches of lands – that are broad swaths, part of
an isthmus or sandy soils on the coast – with a target area of over 150 million
square meters, the following tools have been used to simplify a difficult task
that employees have all sorts of troubles carrying out, including identifying
patches of land that have changed dramatically over the years, while the
crackdown on international organizations lately has also stifled these efforts.
In which island was this activity commissioned? What exactly is the nature of this
job?
233. 15.
Introduced in the 1950s in response to demands of efficiency in its field,
these devices today range in size from 15 to 24 inch, are equipped with
custom designed hardware for best stability and come with compatibility
across various operating systems.
While the initial ones worked on the principle of using mirrors to achieve
undetectable reflections, advancements and convenience brought about
computer-based variants that have been used ever since – with many
people preferring to use two of them at every instance lately, instead of
just one, to achieve optimal effect and ease.
What devices are being described?