This is the General Quiz set run by Maitreyi Swaroop on the session dated 5th February 2022.

1. GENERAL QUIZ
MAITREYI SWAROOP

2. GENERAL
QUIZ
▪ Format:
I. Dries - 1
II. Written Round
III. Dries - 2
▪ KINDLY REFRAIN FROM
GOOGLING.
▪ Repeats of earlier qs marked with
( R ), seniors pl. let juniors try these
by themselves first

3. DRIES
+10/0
Part 1

4. Q1.
● To this woman, the place offers
a unique opportunity at regular,
pre-fixed intervals (though, of
course, prone to delays).
However, she doesn’t mind
waiting for the right moments,
because for her this is an
opportunity to (if only
momentarily) reach across an
impassable gap.
● Why does she frequently
visit this place? (general
funda works, nothing too
specific)

5. A1.
Her (now late)
husband recorded the
‘mind the gap’
announcement at the
London Embankment
station. She visits
frequently to remember
him.

6. Q2.
● In 2016 a lawmaker of X gave a rather ludicrous speech in parliament about
how the people of Y do not have a legitimate claim over a certain conflicted
territory.
● The reason given by the lawmaker was that since a particular letter -_, did not
belong to the alphabet of the language of the people of Y, consequently, their
shared identity (and thus legitimacy of their very existence) is questionable.
● The person making these claims revealed her ignorance of the language of
the people of Y, as in their language, the concerned letter is often replaced
with another- _.
● ID Y. FITB (or explain the context).

7. A2.
Y = Palestine
Israeli MP Anat Berko’s claimed that there never were
a Palestinian people as the letter ‘p’ doesnt exist in
Arabic.
However, in Arabic there is a softer ‘f’, and
Palestinians pronounce the name of their would-be
state as “Falastin” (fah-leh-STEEN).
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/world/middleeast/israel-anat-berko-palestine.html

8. Q3.
● X is one of the most famous and revered people of the 19th-20th
century.
● A little known fact about this fatherly figure is that in the late 19th
century X had the opportunity to visit a then-one-of-a-kind landmark
which continues to be popular to this day.
● X also dined at the landmark (image follows), though X did not care
much for the food there due to X’s dietary preference.
● This visit is described in X’s autobiography, along with X’s
experiments with (among other things) dietetics.
● Identify X, which place did X visit?

10. A3.
Mahatma Gandhi, the Great Exhibition
in Paris [the Eiffel Tower], 1889.
Mentioned in his autobiography: My Experiments with Truth (chapters 17 & 23).

11. Q4.
● The word h is used to refer to bootleggers/ruffians.
● The years 2011 and 2021 witnessed its revival in common parlance
when during a state election, major political parties hurled this word at
each other, each accusing the other of resorting to violence.
● The origins of this word can be traced back to a European word A
which has the same roots as the English word army.
● A was brought to this coastal state three centuries ago, when its
distorted form was used to pirates and slave traders, notorious for their
brutality.
What is A, which language has it become a part of?

12. A4.
Harmad (Bengali word for
bootlegger, crook, mercenary,
notorious freebooter),
derived from to Armada.

13. Q5.
● The photo featured on the cover of this 2019 release paints a familiar
picture.
● A re-creation of an 18th century work, the two are strikingly similar (the
quill, the green rug, the paper …), except for the people featured on
them and other small details (such as the writing on the paper and the
bloodlessness of the recreation).
● The engraving on the wooden box is different too- the 2019 work
features the acronym of the title of the work, a tongue-in-cheek
response to journalists constantly asking the creator whether each
new release was their finest work till then.
● Additional hint available if needed.
What work is being paid an homage to? (If additional hint
taken:What is the name of the 2019 work?)

15. A5.
Artwork: The Death of Marat by
Jacques-Louis David
2019 work: Andrew Bird’s ‘My
Finest Work Yet’

17. ● The fact that the word h means ‘bright’ in a certain European language
would come as a surprise to many, as its English meaning is far less
positive.
● However, taking into account other similar sounding words and
names, it begins to make more sense - from the ‘face that launched a
thousand ships’ to the classical Greek personification of the Sun- all
these characters derived their name from the same roots as h and
thus resemble it.
Which word is being talked about?
Q6.

18. A6.
‘hell’ means bright in
German.
Helen, Helios

19. Q7. ( R )
● G, was a German-Jewish war photographer active during the Spanish
Civil War. She is regarded as the first woman photojournalist to have
died while covering the frontline in a war.
● She was the companion and professional partner of photographer C.
(A significant amount of what is credited as C's early work was actually
made by G).
● G adopted the professional name of ”G_____ T___" after the
Japanese artist ____ Okamoto, noted for his abstract and avant-garde
paintings and sculpture.
● G’s professional legacy and relationship with C is the subject of the
song ____ by the English Indie-Rock band Alt-J.
What name did G take (or, what is the name of the song)?

20. A7.
Taro

21. Q8.
● Immediately post-independence, the stature of X was such that it was also usable in
another part of the world. However, to prevent malpractices, which such an
arrangement could give rise to, a separate series of X was created exclusively for
circulation in the G-region in the 1950s.
● The G-X retained the contemporary design used in their place of origin, but were
different in colour and carried the prefix Z and were redeemable only at a select
office in Bombay.
● However, as local substitutes for G-X started to show up, these were withdrawn over
a period of time from the early 1960's and ceased to be used around 1970.
● The planning for their withdrawal was carried out in strict secrecy, in a manner like
that of a similar 2016 event, and few members of the ruling party knew that this
reform was being planned.
● The reason for secrecy was also the same in both these events- to reduce the
window of opportunity for people who might take advantage of the proposed issue.
What is being talked about (i.e. what is G-X)?

22. A8.
Gulf
Rupee
● Indian Rupee acted as legal tender in
Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE till 1960s.
● RBI issued the Gulf Rupee.

23. Q9. ( R )
● In 2014-15, in order to avoid getting involved in a controversy with the
a certain authoritarian regime, ______ _____ (call them X) decided to
self-censor certain items in the merchandise line released to promote
X’s then newly released work.
● The cover of the work contained X’s initials and a year very important
to them.
● Fill in the blank space. What work is being talked about? Why
was the censorship undertaken?

24. A9.
Taylor Swift
1989
(Tiananmen Square
Massacre, 1989)

25. Q10.
● Nowadays we are so accustomed to thinking in the _______ system
that we don’t stop to question why it is so.
● Some argue that this is an obvious result of a certain biological trait
that is shared by almost all humans, and that we are familiar with like
the back of our hands.
● However, there is a group of people that argues that an alternative __-
_______ system, would be more convenient and it is about time we
adopted it (a certain Siberian Siren may have reason to agree).
● Additional hint on next slide (only if needed).
● What are the two systems being talked about? What is the
biological trait being referred to?

27. A10.
Use of the decimal system, 10 fingers.
Duodecimal system -Units of time are
often measured in 12 (12 months,
clocks with 12 divisions).
(Maria Sharapova has an extra on each
foot, thereby making up to 12 fingers).

28. Q11. ( R )
● A certain death-metal band saw a surge in traffic on their YouTube
page in the last few weeks.
● Not wanting to face the same fate as a rather unfortunate transport
service provider late last year, its members clarified that they based
their name on a galaxy system and claim that the only thing viral about
them is their music.
● To be fair, it is the fault of a certain something, who decided to skip
two instead of following the right order.
● It is believed they skipped Y in order to not cause tensions with a
supreme leader who hates being compared with a certain friend of
Christopher Robin.
● What is the name of the band? What did they skip- i.e. what is Y?

29. A11.
Omicron,
Xi (Jinping) (µ, neu, xi,
omicron)

30. Q12.
● The word (and name) S is used in a country (?) east of India to denote
parking ticket collectors/ cashiers.
● It was originally used to denote brokers and agents of Indian origin
(more accurately, a minority community in India).
● However both of these ‘occupational names’ are further derived from
an Urdu word, meaning one who trades in certain precious metals and
jewellery.
● Additional hint on next slide (only if needed).
What is S, what is the urdu word that it is derived from?

31. Q12. cont.
● S is also the last name of an Indian entertainment personality.
● A review of S’s performance in a 2019 release had this to say about
S’s character:
“a boyfriend who spends most of his time being suspended like
PM 2.5 in Delhi’s air ...”
What is S, what is the urdu word that it is derived from?

32. A12.
Sarraf (gold/jewellery seller in Urdu
सर्राफ),
changed to Shroff, a common Parsi
surname.
In Hong Kong the ticket-collector’s
office is called the Shroff Office.

33. Written Round
Guess the film

34. Written
Round
▪ Format:
▪ 7 Questions +5 (with stake +10 if
correct, -5 if wrong)
Lateral clues to a film title will be
given in the form of pictures, guess
the film being talked about.
(Though you think of the clues in a
particular language, the title of the
film may be in another).

35. W1.

36. W2.

37. W3.

38. W4.

39. W5.

40. W6.

41. W7.

42. Answers. 1. The Matrix Resurrection
1. Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (Let it
Go Friends)
2. Black Friday
3. Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind
1. Beetlejuice
2. Roti Kapda aur Makaan
1. Shatranj Ke Khiladi

43. DRIES
Part 2

44. Q13.
● Last year Serena Williams decided to pay tribute to a great athlete
who remains the undefeated champion of their field, even two decades
after their death.
● She did this by imitating something that was a uniquely identified with
her idol.
See the image on the next slide and guess who is being paid a
tribute to.

46. A13.
Florence Griffith Joyner
(Flo-Jo)

47. Q14.
● In a video satirizing a 2011 event, we see a Starship under attack.
● One of the warriors onboard tries to unlock his console to raise the shields- but he
can't.
"[we] had to remove that functionality due to patent violations concerning (1)_____
______ on non-(2)_____ devices," the ship's first officer explains.
Evidently stressed, the warrior turns to an android with the ability to converse with
humans (similar to a then recently released tool).
When the android doesn't respond, he is told that they had to delete his voice
because it was too similar to (3)____.
"They were particularly sensitive about it, being an android," he is told.
● Ultimately, the crew fails to escape in time as they had to let go of their escape
pods.
What is the video satirizing? FITB.

48. A14.
Star Trek, Apple-Samsung Lawsuit
(ruling that Samsung infringed on
Apple patents)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAtje5weAU0&t=1s

49. Q15.
● X is a much renowned author. One of X’s books derives its title from the
name of a song sung by little children as they run-run-run and play, and is
about a woman who chooses to spend her last years alone in seclusion in
Kasauli.
- Her peaceful reverie is broken by the arrival of her great-granddaughter
who spends her afternoons rambling around the mountainside. Over the
course of the story, the protagonist’s old wounds are brought to light and
this idyllic getaway becomes a site of tragedy.
● X has been shortlisted for the Man Booker prize multiple times and one of
X’s children, a popular novelist in their own right has won the prize.
Identify X. What is the title of the book?

50. A15.
Anita Desai, Fire on the Mountain
(her daughter, Kiran Desai won the
Man Booker Prize)

51. Q16.
● This day is undoubtedly one of the most important days of the year for a
significant portion of the world population.
● This is why most people will be surprised to learn that the observance of this day
was actually banned in the 17th century in North America, as many associated it
with an ancient form of paganism and believed that any form of merry-making
was sinful.
● The belief about ancient paganism is not entirely without basis- in fact one of
origin stories of this celebration dates back to a week-long celebration of a
Roman deity, who in turn is believed to be inspired by the vedic deity M.
● Although M is a major deity in the Rig Veda and the guardian of contracts. Over
time M lost his importance and is now known as the guardian of friendships.
Which day is being talked about? Who is M?

52. A16.
Christmas was banned in North
America in the 1600s.
M = Mitra (Mithras to the Romans)
● Saturnalia-17th December-25th december feast of Sol Invictus (meaning
unconquered sun for Mithras)

53. Q17. ( R )
● X was conceived in Y’s imagination when she was saddened by the
director replacing an elderly lead character in the stage adaptation of
her work with a young girl.
● Determined to give old women a voice, she made sure to endow X
with as many grey cells as her celebrated character Z.
Identify X,Y,Z.

54. A17.
X = Miss Marple,
Y = Agatha Christie
Z = Hercule Poirot

55. Q18.
● When this was released in the late 1990s, it took the country by storm. It
was the first of its kind (in India) to make use of a certain technology
(which it uses quite liberally).
● Though we refer to this technology indiscriminately in common lingo as
_____-______, this creation uses a different variant (a ____-______).
● This distinction is quite important, as the work features the creator at
different locations, embodying the four elements as reflected in their
clothing - earth represented by red/maroon, fire by orange, wind by brown,
and water by green.
● This work lives on in public consciousness, for better or worse and has even been featured as
an easter egg in a video game. (If extra hints needed, clip of video game can be shown).
What is being talked about? What is the technology used in this
creation.

57. A18.
Tunak Tunak Tun,
Use of Blue-screen
(since he was wearing
green)
Video featured:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqiGJW8L8S8

58. Q19.
● Created last year, this is the latest fad that has taken the world by
storm.
● The reason behind its popularity (and overall positive feedback) is that
it does not take too long, it allows people to track and hold ALOFT
their achievements and it does not take advantage of its highly
addictive nature as its users are only allowed one hit a day.
● Sometimes it confounds its users with the obvious, which anyone
COULD guess, and sometimes it teaches them something new.
● It may be responsible for why KNOLL, an American design firm saw a
jump in its site traffic late last month.
What is being talked about?

59. A19.
Wordle

60. Q20.
● One episode of a famous TV show from the early 2000s is called “Meet the
____-____”. The title and the storyline of the show make many references to
a pop-culture phenomenon of the previous century.
● In the episode, four villains decide to band together to defeat their common
nemeses- a “family enterprise” of adorable sisters who repeatedly defeat the
bad guys.
● The villains realise that they work fabulously together, and call their team
The ____-____, punning on the name of the pop-culture phenomenon, while
also expressing their desire to vanquish all their enemies.
● This group is seemingly unbeatable, however, it all changes when one day
one of them falls in love- a relationship that ultimately leads to the breakup
of the group.
● (See the image on the next slide)
FITB. Which TV show is being talked about?

62. A20.
The Beat-Alls,
Powerpuff Girls

63. Q21.
● In the mid-20th century, Warner Brothers released an episode of Merrie
Melodies (a precursor to a cartoon show that our generation grew up with).
● The entire episode is an adaptation of an American literary work. It features
Colonel O'Hairoil, and his daughter Crimson, who is courted by many suitors,
but has eyes only for the chivalrous, and well-endowed soldier Ned Cutler.
● This episode also saw the first usage of a parting phrase, which from then on
was used at the end of every episode of Merrie Melodies and its successor.
What is the literary reference? What regular fixture was first introduced in
this?

64. A21.
Gone with the Wind