The document discusses various trivia questions related to literature, history, and pop culture. Some key details include: - Question 1 asks to fill in the blanks of a famous Shakespeare quote from Hamlet. - Question 2 refers to the retractable roof design of the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest." - Multiple questions reference famous historical figures like Diego Rivera, Roger Federer, and Philippe Petit. - Other questions mention fictional characters like Buzz Lightyear and code names for atomic bombs.

1. The Columban Open Quiz 2010<br />Group A Prelims<br />SCHOOL : REG. NO. : TIME : 20 minutes <br />TEAM NAME :<br />Q1 Fill in the blanks:<br />_______________________________<br />Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer <br /> The slings and arrows of outrageous fortunes<br />Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,<br />And by opposing, end them. To die, to sleep;<br /> No more;<br />Ans: <br />Q2 This $423 million colossus is the world's largest steel structure. The design was awarded to a submission from the Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron in April 2003, after a bidding process that included 13 final submissions. The design, which originated from the study of Chinese ceramics, implemented steel beams in order to hide supports for the retractable roof; giving the structure the appearance of a ________.<br />Ans:<br />Q3 Fill in the blanks (the two blanks are different):<br />_____ Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y _______<br />Ans:<br />Q4 In a landmark moment of lexical significance, an 1883 political cartoon of American President Chester A. Arthur pictured the refined, well-dressed leader with the caption, \"
According to your cloth you've cut your coat, O ____ of all the White House residents; We trust that will help you with the vote, When next we go nominating Presidents.\"
<br />Ans:<br />Q5 What Zulu word means \"
rejoice\"
or \"
bring joy and happiness\"
? <br />Ans:<br />Q6 _______ is a common phrase in daily language that was taken from the title of a 1961 satirical novel by Joseph Heller.<br />Ans:<br />Q7 It took the body of David Prowse, the voice of James Earl Jones and the heavy breathing synthesized by sound technician Ben Burtt to bring this memorable villain to life. Who?<br />Ans:<br />Q8 Complete:<br />USA : Astronaut :: Russia : Cosmonaut :: China : Taikonaut :: India: __________<br />Ans:<br />Q9 You will travel far, my little ______. But we will never leave you... even in the face of our deaths…. the richness of our lives shall be yours. All that I have, all that I've learned, everything I feel… all this, and more I... I bequeath you, my son. You will carry me inside you... all the days of your life. You will make my strength your own, and see my life through your own eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father, and the father, the son. This is all I... all I can send you, ______.<br />Ans: <br />Q10 After winning his first Wimbledon title, what prize was given to Roger Federer by the Swiss public on his return home?<br /> <br />Ans: <br />Q11 He is a space ranger from the Intergalactic Alliance and is stationed in the Gamma Quadrant of Sector 4. The captain of the Alliance's Team, he is known for his bravery and courage and love of following rules. He is said to be Emperor Zurg's son (à la Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back). His often repeated catchphrase is \"
To infinity ... and beyond!\"
He is always seen in his advanced streamlined space suit which has various concealed lasers, retractable wings and a hi-tech utility belt. His name is said to have been inspired by an astronaut who, the creators have said, has \"
the coolest name of any astronaut.\"
Identify this fictional character.<br />Ans:<br />Q12 Connect: <br />Tiw/Tyr, Mani, Wodan/Odin, Thor, Sol, Saturn, Frige.<br />Ans: <br />Q13 Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee was a nationalist leader and freedom fighter, but he is better known for being the founder of X. It is said that Mookerjee’s philosophies are the guiding light for all of X’s work. However, X’s policies and outlook have long been criticized as being inflammatory and divisive in nature. Identify X.<br />Ans:<br />Q14 What famous catchphrase was inspired by a scene in the film It Happened One Night, in which Clark Gable's character leans against a fence, eating carrots rapidly and talking with his mouth full to Claudette Colbert's character?<br />Ans:<br />Q15 This Indian drink originally contained no more than five ingredients - spirit, sugar, lemon, water, tea or spices. The drink was brought back by sailors and employees of the British East India Company and from there was popularized all over Europe. Though changed in spelling the drink still retains its original Hindi pronunciation. Name this now famous English beverage.<br />Ans:<br />Q16 The present use of the word X traces its origin to a Monty Python sketch originally written for the episode named X (aired 15 December, 1970) of the comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus, where two customers in a cheap café try to order a breakfast from a menu that includes processed meat product X in almost every dish. Identify X.<br />Ans:<br />Q17 Where would you come across the inscription “Work brings freedom”?<br />Ans:<br />Q18 It was launched in 1709 by Giovanni Farina, noted perfumer who wrote in a letter to his brother “I have found a fragrance that reminds me of an Italian spring morning, of mountain daffodils and orange blossoms after the rain.” The fragrance became a sensation all across Europe and was delivered to the houses of practically all of the royal families and nobility, including Napoleon Bonaparte. By what common name, taken from that of a large German city is this fragrance usually known?<br />Ans:<br />Q19 What was named after two blues musicians, _______ Anderson and _______ Council in 1964? (The two blanks are different and together give the name)<br />Ans:<br />Q20 Fat Man, Thin Man and Little Boy were all code names for what?<br />Ans:<br />Q21 Aleksander Wolszczan and Dale Frail discovered the first two in 1992, named PSR B1257+12 A and B. As of 29 June 2010, 464 have been found, the latest being is COROT-7 D. What?<br />Ans:<br />Q22 While recovering from World War I wounds, army sergeant DeWitt Wallace read scores of magazines and articles to while away the time. It was then that he realized that some articles had far more enduring appeal and interest than others, and that even these could be improved by vigorously condensing them and focusing on the essentials. Keeping this In mind, what did he create?<br />Ans:<br />Q23 What is the Japanese for \"
empty orchestra\"
?<br />Ans: <br />Q24 Edicts of Ashoka : Brahmi :: Rosetta Stone : _________<br />Ans:<br />Q25 Alex Kidd was to take the boot as official mascot of SEGA and to fill in his place several entries were received – most notable amongst them an armadillo, a rabbit which could extend its ears indefinitely and a Theodore Roosevelt look alike. Eventually Naoto Oshima’s design codenamed “Mr.Needlemouse” was chosen. “Mr.Needlemouse” was given blue pigmentation, boots inspired by Michael Jackson, boots’ colour (red) inspired by Santa Claus and a personality based on Bill Clinton’s fast reaction to trouble. This eclectic mix created which spectacularly famous video game icon?<br />Ans:<br />Q26 It was invented in 1941 by Swiss engineer, George de Mestral who lived in Commugny, Switzerland. The idea came to him one day after returning from a hunting trip with his dog in the Alps, when he took a closer look at the burrs (seeds) of burdock that kept sticking to his clothes and his dog's fur. What did he invent?<br />Ans:<br />Q27 When Steven Spielberg’s film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released in 1982 by Columbia Pictures, many, including Arthur C. Clarke, saw striking similarities in the movie to X’s unfinished 1967 project called The Alien. X had discussed the collapse of the project in a 1980 Sight & Sound feature. X believed that Spielberg's film \"
would not have been possible without my script of The Alien being available throughout America in mimeographed copies.\"
Besides E.T., many pointed out that another earlier Spielberg film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), was also inspired by The Alien. In 2003, Rakesh Roshan produced Koi... Mil Gaya, another movie based on extra-terrestrial encounters. In response to allegations of plagiarism of E.T., Roshan said that his movie paralleled X’s unfinished version more closely than Spielberg’s film. Identify X. <br />Ans:<br />Q28 Sgt. Charles Daniels reported the following about French high wire artist Philippe Petit on 7th August, 1974: <br />“I observed the tightrope 'dancer'—because you couldn't call him a 'walker'—approximately halfway between the _________. And upon seeing us he started to smile and laugh and he started going into a dancing routine on the high wire....And when he got [closer] we asked him to get off the high wire but instead he turned around and ran back out into the middle....He was bouncing up and down. His feet were actually leaving the wire and then he would resettle back on the wire again....Unbelievable really....Everybody was spellbound in the watching of it.”<br />Ans:<br />Q29 The all England Croquet club was founded in Worple road, England in the year 1868. Eager to boost membership the club introduced a new sport called “sphairistike” that was rapidly gaining popularity. Soon this new sport surpassed croquet and a competition was held using a trophy donated by the Oxford University to choose England’s best “sphairistike” player. Name the event.<br /> <br />Ans:<br />Q30 Recent genetic evidence indicates the Romani or Gypsy people of Central Europe originated in the modern region of ________, migrating northwest around 250 BC till about 500 AD. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is believed to have occurred between 500 A.D. and 1000 A.D. This new emigration likely took place in the context of the raids by Mahmud of Ghazni. As the Romani soldiers were defeated, they moved west with their families into the Byzantine Empire and further into Europe. Linguistic similarities between the Romani language and various Indo-European languages also support this hypothesis.<br />Ans:<br />Q31 This sport made its only appearance in the 1900 Paris Summer Olympics in which it was contested with 12 member teams though none of the teams were nationally selected. Initially France, Great Britain, Holland, and Belgium were supposed to compete, but the latter two nations pulled out. In the end, winners Great Britain got silver medals and runners-up France got bronze medals, together with miniature Eiffel Towers. Which sport?<br />Ans:<br />Q32 What 1849 invention, made to repay a debt, has the ‘fibula’ (meaning ‘clasp’), created by the Mycenaean Greeks (1600 to 1200 BC), as its precursor?<br />Ans:<br />Q33 Supposedly, early 20th century New York cartoonist Thomas Aloysius “Tad” Dorgan’s inability to spell ‘dachshund’ led to the naming of what?<br />Ans: <br />Q34 The __________ were created in Peru between 400 and 650 AD, with the largest being nearly 890 feet across but 10-30 cm deep, yet they were only discovered accidentally in 1927.<br />Ans:<br />Q35 Ashrita Furman (born Keith Furman) was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1954, the same year the Guinness Book of Records was conceived. As such, it seems fitting that he holds a unique Guinness World Record. What?<br />Ans: <br />-------- Audio-visual questions --------<br />Ans 36:<br />Ans 37:<br />Ans 38:<br />Ans 39:<br />Ans 40:<br />