Aurabinda Misra Memorial General Quiz 2019 Finals

Acknowledgements
▪ Silicon Quiz Club for inviting me here
▪ All the participants who came (and those who
didn’t)

Theme Round-1
▪ 5 questions on Psychology
▪ Written Round
▪ Each question carries 8 points
▪ Bonus of 10 points if you get all 5 correct
▪ So a total of (8*5) + 10 = 50 points to play for

• In 1993, L. Z. Vogel and Stavroula Savva published a paper about
the psychological type of a group of people. Their research
concerned individuals who, as children, were asked to provide
comprehensive psychological support for their family of
origin.
• They took on adult responsibilities from a very young age
with the result of missing important aspects of their childhood..
They cite Buffy from Buffy The Vampire Slayer as an example
• What name do they give to such people, taking inspiration from
someone from Greek mythology who has a lot resting on his
shoulders?
1.

• This psychological condition has been part of a
galore of popular culture. Called the paradise
syndrome, it is the central theme in the Simon And
Garfunkel song "Richard Cory" which was part of
their album Sound of Silence. The song explores the
life of Cory, and the workers in his factory who
envy him for his riches. The song ends with Cory
committing suicide at the end.
• We also get a glimpse of this phenomenon when
Agent Smith interrogates Morpheus in the movie The
Matrix.
• What exactly is the paradise syndrome?
2.

• This expression was first used by Dr. Fredric Wertham in
his 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent.
• According to his description, people who are affected by this
give themselves an unhealthy feeling of responsibility.
They feel the need to save everyone around themselves
and that no one can do their job better than they can do it
themselves.
• Clinically however, this phenomenon has never been proven.
• What did Wertham name this psychological
phenomenon as, taking inspiration from the world of
comics?
3.

• Madonna–whore complex is the inability to maintain sexual arousal
within a committed, loving relationship.
• First identified by Sigmund Freud, this psychological complex is said
to develop in men who see women as either saintly Madonnas or
debased prostitutes. Men with this complex desire a sexual partner
who has been degraded (the whore) while they cannot desire the
respected partner (the Madonna).
• This trope has been used in shows like The Handmaid's Tale, in which
women characters either wear red(a sign of fertility) or
blue(signifying their sainthood).
• What specifically were the inspirations behind the choice of
colors?
4.

• This syndrome is a feeling of grief and
loneliness parents may feel when their
children leave home for the first time, such
as to live on their own or to attend a college or
university.
• Especially common in full time mothers, what
name does it take seeking inspiration from
the avian world?
5.

a person suffers a feeling
of dissatisfaction despite having
achieved all their dreams.

• Madonna–whore complex is the inability to maintain sexual
arousal within a committed, loving relationship.
• First identified by Sigmund Freud, this psychological complex is
said to develop in men who see women as either saintly Madonnas
or debased prostitutes. Men with this complex desire a sexual
partner who has been degraded (the whore) while they cannot
desire the respected partner (the Madonna).
• This trope has been used in shows like The Handmaid's Tale, in
which women characters either wear red(a sign of fertility) or
blue(signifying their sainthood).
• What specifically were the inspirations behind the choice of
colors?
4.

Blue signifying Virgin Mary
Red signifying either Mary
Magdalene or menstrual blood(2
acceptable answers)

Clockwise Round
- 16 questions
- Pounce & Bounce
- Direct - +10/0
- Pounce - +10/-5

• This is a massive natural fortress in Iran. It was besieged by
Alexander the Great, finds mention in the Persian Book of Kings and
was the only fortress to ever resist Tamerlane.
• Yet despite its central role in Iranian history, the town feels more
Indian than Persian. Bollywood music blares out of local shops.
• In the centre of the town, there is however a sandstone tomb
covered in floral stucco reliefs, which is reminiscent of Mughal
Architecture. The Empire never reached Iran, but the building is
strikingly similar to Safdarjung’s tomb in Delhi, and unmistakably
the work of Mughal craftsmen.
• Whose tomb is located here, and how did he manage to get
Mughal craftsmen?
1.

Kalat-e-Naderi,
the tomb of
Nader Shah
The worksmen were
captured during the siege of
Delhi in 1739.

• This is an interactive art installation earlier this year
showcased by artist Michael Pinsky in early 2018. Each
of these 5 unique pods simulates a different location and
duplicates the conditions at these places. These domes
were set up and maintained by a Danish tech firm.
• In this installation, conditions of four cities of the world
Beijing, X, London and Sau Paulo, of which only Beijing
and X are in Asia, were compared with Norway's
Tautra, which served as the benchmark.
• What is this art installation all about?
• What is X?
2.

• The ________ (6) is the native South American and
Caribbean name for a wooden framework or hurdle on
which meat was slow-roasted or smoked over a fire.
Spaniards called the same process "barbacoa", later
"barbecue”.
• The term gives rise to a term X for pirates or
privateers, as in the Caribbean, seafarers used the
wooden frames for smoking meat.
• Identify both the terms.
3.

• The lead actor of this 2017 Bollywood film directed by Anurag
Kashyap was influenced by two major incidents which went
towards shaping the film. He recalled that he had seen a
sportsperson senior of his who had been forced to make ends
meet and was caught stealing luggage at Varanasi Railway
station. The lead actor was himself a national level basketball
payer and knew the hardships sportspersons have to face.
• Also, he wanted to tell his story on the silver screen and was
adamant that he played the lead in the story. He added that he
was particularly inspired by the movie X, which released in the
mid 70's and narrated a similar tale.
• Which movie of 2017 and what is the earlier movie X?
4.

Jaime Duque Park is a Colombian theme
park located just outside Bogota. It has
various structures which were built after
taking inspiration from wonders from
around the world.
Two of these structures are on the next
slides.
Simply identify their inspirations.
5.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon
St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow

• Students and researchers at Indraprastha Institute of Information
Technology (IIIT) in Delhi are developing a kit that would allow one
to assemble his or her own robot that would respond to voice and
music commands.
• According to the developers, the robot follows command from
stories that are being recited. It picks up the cue for actions from
certain key words, while its mood is determined by the music played.
• For instance, if the story is about a thirsty camel roaming in the desert,
then a keyword like roaming would determine the action of the robot.
Also, the raag ‘Desh’ depicts a happy mood of the robot, while ‘Jaunpuri’
shows gloom and ‘Shree’ displays anger.
• What name did they give to the robot, inspired from those who
play sidekicks in traditional folk theatre while demonstrating that
user who commands and the robot share a master-sidekick bond?
6.

7.• In November 2018, NASA ordered an emergency
safety review of the two companies it has hired to fly
astronauts to the International Space Station, Boeing
and SpaceX, and examine “everything and anything
that could impact safety” as the companies prepare
to fly humans for the first time. This was after an
infamous Joe Rogan podcast.
• What prompted the emergency safety review?

Elon Musk smoking weed and having
whisky while on a podcast.

8.• Eddy Merckx, the prolific Belgian cyclist, was once the
subject of a Sports illustrated article which said he had
the highest oxygen uptake, also known as VO2
max, which is an indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness
and thus a determinant of endurance during
prolonged exercise.
• John Collins, then a US Navy Commander, used this
argument to say that cyclists were thus the fittest of all
athletes, but this did not go down with athletes and
swimmers who begged to differ.
• What event was born out of this discussion?

• The Human Rights Campaign Fund, founded in 1980, was
primarily a fund for supporting pro-fairness congressional
candidates. It rebranded itself as the Human Rights
Campaign in 1995 to announce that they are much more than
a fund.
• A new logo was the final touch to the rebranding, with the
new name and logo reflecting the wider goals and influence
of the organization. From 10 possible designs, the chosen
logo a bold and simple one. Before long, the HRC logo was as
visible at pride celebrations and other LGBTQ events as the
iconic rainbow flag.
• What appropriate mathematical operator constitutes the
logo of the Human Rights Campaign?
9.

• When this personality was interviewed by The Hindu in
2010, he revealed that along with the numerous gifts and
cards that he receives, he is specially thrilled to receive 3
cards per year from a paan wallah from Ahmedabad.
• According to him, the paan wallah sends him one card on
New Year's, one on his birthday and another on 2nd
April, the day of his achievement, which happened
nearly three and half decades ago.
• Which person is described here whom The Hindu
appropriately described as Down To Earth ?
10.

• While this famous play wasn't ever intended to portray a
living king, its main character hit too close to home during
the reign of King George III.
• The monarch was plagued with periods of insanity
and he was both blind and deaf when he died on
January 29, 1820. Out of sensitivity, all performances of
any version of this play were banned during King George's
reign between 1810 to 1820.
• The fictional monarch's mental illness paralleled the
real life ruler's struggles just a little too much for the
monarchy's comfort.
• Which play?
11.

• The Chakri dynasty is the ruling royal house of the
Kingdom of Thailand. The dynasty has ruled Thailand
since the founding of the Rattanakosin Era and the city
of Bangkok in 1782 following the end of King Taksin of
Thonburi's reign, when the capital of Siam shifted to
Bangkok. It was founded by Rama I and the current
leader is Rama X ( King Maha Vajiralongkorn).
• According to their belief, every monarch is seen as an
incarnation of gods Shiva and Vishnu.
• Appropriately enough, what two objects are depicted on
their emblem?
12.

• Pokhara is a town in Central Nepal. This picturesque town
is known as the tourism capital of Nepal. Each year, it
hosts a race known as the "Doko Race". In the race,
participants put 25kg bags of sand into their doko – a
traditional wicker basket carried on their backs.
• It involves a 5km uphill run that has to be completed in
less than 48 minutes. A gruelling and tough race, this race
has participants in the age group of 18-21 competing for
coveted positions. The tough nature of this race has led
to the mushrooming of self-styled coaching institutes in
Nepal, with the promise of selection through the race.
• For what important positions does this race take place
which sees such a huge competition?
13.

Gurkha entry in the British Army is
determined by this race

• The Guardian carried an article in October 2018 about how
AI is changing the composition of music apart from their
use in music streaming services like Spotify. The article
analysed that it is probably not too early to think of a future
when an AI program can itself compose a song without any
human help.
• The headline of the article is a wordplay on the name of
famous sci-fi novel by Philip K Dick, essentially changing
the last word into an appropriate word denoting the
basic unit of time in a music piece. The book was later
turned into a Hollywood movie later by Ridley Scott in 1982.
• What is the title of the article?
14.

• A X heel is a short, slender heel, usually from 3.5 centimeters (1.5
inches) to 4.75 centimeters (1.75 inches) high, with a slight curve
setting the heel in from the back edge of the shoe.
• The style was popularized by Audrey Hepburn, and more recently by
Theresa May, Michelle Obama, and Hillary Clinton. They were
introduced in the late 1950s as formal fashion attire for young
adolescent girls, as higher heels would have been considered
unseemly for girls as young as thirteen because of, for instance,
unease of walk.
• They were sometimes referred to as "trainer heels" in the US,
indicating their use in getting young girls used to wearing high heels.
• What is the furry name of the heel, which is a nod to the fact that
these heels started out as trainer heels to stilettos?
15.

• Stone Mountain is a quartz monzonite dome
monadnock and the site of Stone Mountain Park near
Stone Mountain, Georgia. At its summit, the elevation is
1,686 feet (514 m) above sea level and 825 feet (251 m)
above the surrounding area.
• However this beautiful mountain remains highly
controversial because of its association with the entity X.
X consider the mountain sacred because of
something which happened here more than a century
ago on a Thanksgiving day.
• Which group?
16.

Theme Round-2
5 questions
▪ Written Round on Death
▪ Each question carries 8 points
▪ Bonus of 10 points if you get all 5 correct
▪ So a total of (8*5) + 10 = 50 points to play for
.

• During the height of the Afghan Civil War in early 1988,
the two sides, namely The Communists and the The
Mujahideen declared a ceasefire at the height of tensions.
• This decision was taken to allow the peaceful funeral
ceremony of an important leader, whose death in
Peshawar prompted the Afghan president to visit the
deceased inspite of a great security threat. Then Indian
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi went to Peshawar to pay his
tributes despite the fact that General Zia ul-Haq attempted
to stall his attendance citing security reasons.
• Who was this leader?
1.

• Which two actors have to their
credits posthomous Academy awards
for acting?
• Coincidentally both the actors are
Australian.
2.

• Gene Shoemaker, was an American geologist and one of
the founders of the field of planetary science. He is best
known for co-discovering the Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with
his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy.
• This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994, providing the first direct
observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System
objects. Shoemaker was killed in a car crash in 1997.
• After his death, on the suggestion of another astronomer
Carolyn Porco, Shoemaker was given a fitting otherworldly
burial.
• What makes his burial special?
3.

• Che Guevara was executed in Bolivia in 1967. After his execution,
Guevara's body was lashed to the landing skids of a helicopter and
flown to Vallegrande, where photographs were taken of him lying on
a concrete slab in the laundry room of the Nuestra Señora de Malta.
• Several witnesses were called to confirm his identity. Put on display,
as hundreds of local residents filed past the body, Guevara's corpse
was considered by many to represent a "Christ-like" visage. Such
comparisons were further extended when English art critic John
Berger, two weeks later upon seeing the post-mortem photographs,
observed that they resembled two famous paintings.
• If one was Andrea Mantegna's Lamentation over the Dead
Christ, which was the other famous painting?
4.

• George Frederick Cooke was an English actor who lived
from 1756 to 1812, finally breathing his last in New York
City. He was as famous for his thorough acting chops as he
was for his erratic drinking habits.
• Throughout his life, he appeared in numerous plays and
enacted characters like Shylock from Merchant of Venice. He
also appeared in other Shakespearean plays like Othello.
• His last performance however was a one-off show in New
York City of another Shakespearean play. According to a
witness, "Cooke “enacted a great part that night”, thus
stealing the show one last time."
• How did he appear in his last performance, nearly half
a century after his death?
5.

• During the height of the Afghan Civil War in early 1988,
the two sides, namely The Communists and the The
Mujahideen declared a ceasefire at the height of tensions.
• This decision was taken to allow the peaceful funeral
ceremony of an important leader, whose death in
Peshawar prompted the Afghan president to visit the
deceased inspite of a great security threat. Then Indian
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi went to Peshawar, to pay his
tributes despite the fact that General Zia ul-Haq attempted
to stall his attendance citing security reasons.
• Who was this leader?
1.

Peter Finch for Network(1976)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight

Only person
whose remains
are present on the
Moon

Rembrandt's The Anatomy Lesson of Dr.
Nicolaes Tulp

His skull was
used for a
performance
of Hamlet.

Anti-Clockwise
Round
- 16 questions
- Pounce & Bounce
- Direct - +10/0
- Pounce - +10/-5

• Since this movie released in 2018, aficionados have
clamored for the maintenance of a certain etiquette for
movie-goers who go to watch this movie on the big screen.
• Among their various demands, the most common and
annoying for a normal viewer is the ban on munching of
popcorn since it disturbs the whole purpose of the movie.
Even the website TheWrap came out with its own version of
an etiquette video.
• When this etiquette thing reached draconian proportions,
scores of loud moviegoers across the US and UK went to the
theatres just to munch on popcorn and annoy usual art
aficionados.
• Which movie?
17.

• Timeless was a NBC produced series which spanned the genres
of science fiction and alternate history and premiered in 2016.
Each of the episodes involve the protagonists attempting to
influence incidents which changed American history.
• In the series pilot, the protagonists attempt to thwart the
villain's plan to bomb an airship, which is carrying a large
group of people to attend a grand coronation. In the
episode, the protagonists hijack the vehicle and force it to land;
as a result, all of the passengers survive despite the vehicle
being destroyed by a stray gunshot.
• Which real-life incident was the inspiration for this
episode?
• Whose coronation were the passengers supposed to
attend?
18.

Hindenburg Disaster and the
Coronation of King George VI

• The history of its development is not connected to the
animal’s aquatic past. Its ancestors lead a burrowing
lifestyle and flattened ribs provided stability, when
it was lying down and digging and not for protection as
is commonly believed.
• Since their ribs have broaden and fused, it compromised
their ability to breathe because ribs and associated
muscles help to breathe. Adding to their woes, their
fused ribs prevent their trunks from bending, and
their body is only powered by their limbs, explaining
their slow movement.
• What animal? What feature is described?
19.

• St Peter's Cricket Club was launched in 2013 and is the
brainchild of John McCarthy. Mr McCarthy estimated that
there were between 250 and 350 potential players
from around the world studying in his city - many of
them from cricket loving countries.
• The team sport the official colours of the tiny city-
state - yellow and white. Since many students are
from the countries of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan
which are primarily cricket loving countries, this team has
become one of the strongest in their league.
• Which city/place do they represent?
20.

Vatican XI, they represent Vatican City.

• The Irish republican Army was involved in a series of high
profile attacks throughout England during the 1980's. This
included the Brighton hotel bombing in 1984 where the IRA
tried to assassinate British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and
her cabinet. She survived, but five people were killed.
• All these attacks and more enraged a famous Irish
company, who contemplated thus far as dropping their
famous logo of a musical instrument which was adapted in
1862 and which underlined their Irish roots as their logo is
inspired from the coat of arms of Ireland. However they decided
against dropping the logo and the famous logo stayed on.
• Which company and what logo?
21.

• The image was taken on the 22nd of October by
Mustafa Hassouna, a photographer with Turkey's
Anadolu Agency.
• Hassouna captured A’edAbu Amroin, a protestor in the
middle of a fierce protest against the decade-long Israeli
blockade, rising shirtless against a backdrop of
burning tyres and reporters in flak jackets.
• This image went viral on social media when it was
compared to an iconic painting, featuring a similar
revolutionary backdrop.
• Which painting?
22.

• These are projecting metals or concrete structures
located at the corner and/or foot of gates or garage
entries. These structures were extremely commonplace
in the 18th and 19th centuries in European cities for the
protection of buildings.
• However they slowly became obsolete towards the early
20th century and were discarded or reused for other city
purposes. As they were incorporated as part of a
building's structure however, they were difficult to
remove and many of them now remain as a part of
heritage.
• For what purposes were these constructed and
what rendered their use obsolete?
23.

Damage to the base of buildings
by horse drawn vehicles
As the number of horse drawn vehicles became
negligible, the structures were rendered
useless

• In 2012, in the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine,
researcher P Nemade and team published a report on
the nature and extent of injuries to persons involved in
an activity at a particular time of the year.
• In the report they analysed that due to the political
nature of the event, safety precautions were often
overlooked and there was no official regulation on the
matter. They also added that due to the presence of
children below 15 years of age in these events, the
risks were magnified.
• What event/activity were they researching?
24.

• The name originates from the Italian batacchio or
bataccio, a club-like object composed of two wooden
slats used in commedia dell'arte.
• When struck, the batacchio produces a loud smacking
noise, though little force transfers from the object to
the person being struck. Actors may thus hit one
another repeatedly with great audible effect while
causing no damage and only very minor, if any, pain.
• As such, this device gives its name to a form of
comedy, with highly exaggerated physical activity.
• What is the name of this device?
25.

Slapstick & Slapstick Comedies

• The Zhongshan Park is a public park that lies just southwest
of the Forbidden City in the Imperial City, Beijing.
• For a long time, this park has tried to solve a problem in
Chinese society. Every weekend, this public park witnesses
a rise in the number of visitors. These visitors are
extremely punctual along with being committed to visit
this park each weekend.
• Some of these visitors carry placards or A4 sized
laminated paper printouts carrying some basic
information such as name, occupation and some other details
deemed important.
• What is the cause of this rush every weekend?
26.

Match-making park,
People come to see
prospective brides/grooms

• This gadget is called the Sound Sitter.
According to the company which makes
this device, its purpose is to comfort
newborns and other small children by
making them hear a variety of sounds,
which are similar in nature but are
offered in more than thirty different
types.
• Which company is making this
device?
• What exactly are the sounds
produced?
27.

• X coalition is a term originating in German politics where it
describes a coalition government of the Social Democratic Party of
Germany (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and the Greens. It
arises from the parties' traditional colours and resemble the
normal colour sequence of something we usually see
everyday.
• Similarly, Z coalition is a term in German politics describing a
coalition among the parties of the CDU/CSU, Free Democratic Party
(FDP), and the Green Party. The term refers to the coincidence that
the symbolic colors of the parties in such a coalition—black for the
conservative CDU/CSU, yellow for the liberal FDP, and green for the
Green Party—are also the colors of the flag of a particular
nation.
• What are X and Z coalition respectively?
28.

Traffic Light Coalition & Jamaica Coalition

• National Association of Brick Distributors (NABD)
was a trade organisation based in Virginia, US.
• In 1991, they inducted a group of four Englishmen
into their hall of fame due to what the NABD
believed was a significant contribution to the
brick industry by the Englishmen in 1979 with
an appropriately titled album.
• Who were the people who were being
awarded?
• What was their contribution?
29.

• In 2014, the Chinese Government decided to ban
and censor a form of expression which is wide-
ranging and deep-rooted in Chinese culture from
online discussions to adverts. Chinese is perfectly
suited to it because it has so many homophones.
• The country’s print and broadcast watchdog had
banned it on the grounds that it breached the law on
standard spoken and written Chinese, made promoting
cultural heritage harder and may mislead the public –
especially children.
• What did the Chinese Government seek to ban?
30.

• Mr. Daniel Baumat is now the director of Swiss
Timing, which is part of the Swatch Group. More than
four decades ago, he was part of a team that
witnessed a historic performance.
• When the time came to rate the performance, the
judges agreed the performance was flawless and
deserved a perfect score. However, the existing
traditional scoreboards were not equipped to have four
digits, so Mr Baumat and his team had to rate the
performance using three digits only.
• Which historic performance is being discussed
here?
31.

Nadia Comaneci’s Perfect 10.0 in
Gymnastics in the 1976 Olympics

• The essence of this art form X is that it is rooted in tradition.
Thus the “tools” that they use are manufactured in accordance
with tradition. This explains the fact that the tool is mostly
manufactured in mostly three colours, pale pink, cream or nude.
Therefore, women of colour had to rely on a process called
pancaking, applying foundation or powder to their tools, which
lead to quick softening of their tool and thus frequent
replacement
• Now, manufacturing company Freed of London along with
another institute have decided to manufacture these in two
colours, black and bronze, which is nearly two centuries after
the tool first began appearing. Freed explains that since the
manufacturing of the tools is pretty complex, the new tools have
been a year in development.
• Where are these tools used?
32.

Pointe Shoes used by Ballerinas

Aurabinda Misra Memorial General Quiz 2019 Finals

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Aurabinda Misra Memorial General Quiz 2019 Finals