K-Circle-Weekly-Quiz12121212-May2025.pptx

K-Circle Weekly Quiz
May-2025
Quizmaster : Pankaj Rodey

Infinite Pounce
Clockwise
(+10 / -5)

This post-modern architectural style, characterized by
curved and rounded constructions called “Blobitecture”, is
inspired from which organism that is known to move by a
process called “Blebbing”?

In geometry, the planar
region shown shaded in
grey is formed by three
semicircles arranged as
shown here.
Such planar shape is called
“Arbelos” taking its name
from its resemblance to a
hand-held tool used by
people from a certain
profession.
Which profession, that has
deployed such tools from
antiquity to present day?

Name this kid.
What name of Shiva
comes from what He
is depicted doing
here?

MARKENDEYA.
MRUTYUNJAYA / KALANTAKA (ONE WHO
CONQUERS DEATH)

Arthur Conelly was a captain of the Bengal Light Cavalry in
the service of the British East India Company.
He participated in many reconnaissance missions into
Central Asia, mainly in Afghanistan. Considering his visits
were often to regions dominated by Islamic rulers, he
often traveled under disguise using a name that was a play
on his surname. What name?
He is also credited with coining a 2-word phrase for the
19th century rivalry between two large political powers.
The phrase was later popularized by Rudyard Kipling in
“Kim”. Which phrase?

Every year, Good Friday marks the start of this world championship
attended by “Mibsters” from Canada, USA, UK and some European
countries. Championship of what?
A photo from the 2024 world championship.

In 2022, a far-right US politician Marjorie Taylor
Greene claimed on CNN that the Democrats had
unleashed a secret spying network against the
Republicans and American citizens using what she
called the _X_ police network.
This was a gaffe and triggered a wave of viral social
media jokes because she had confused the word
_X_ which is a Spanish cold soup made with raw
vegetables, with another similar-sounding word _Y_,
a brutal security agency known for widespread
atrocities in the 1930s and 40s.

-“GAZPACHO police”, GESTAPO

Heikeopsis Japonica is a species of crab native to
Japan. While these crabs are edible, they are not
eaten by most Japanese for a cultural reason.
Why?

SAMURAI CRAB. THESE CRABS RESEMBLE THE FACE
OF SAMURAI WARRIORS.

The opening line of Darwin’s “Origin of Species” is:
“…..[my aim is to] throw some light on the origin of
species—that mystery of mysteries, as it has been
called by one of our greatest philosophers.”
The person referred to as the “greatest philosopher”
was a contemporary English polymath known for his
work in chemistry, botany, mathematics, optics,
astronomy and much more.
He is also known for naming 4 moons of the planet
whose existence was earlier confirmed by his father.
Who?

In the 2022 Hindi movie Forensic, while investigating serial
killings of young girls, Johnny Khanna (Vikrant Massey)
leading the forensics team, gets stuck with a problem of
analyzing DNA of the suspect from the bite marks on one of
the bodies.
For an expert consultation, he visits his mentor who he
describes as his “Guru” and “World's best forensic expert”.
In the movie the character of this ‘mentor’ is portrayed
exactly like another forensic expert active in fiction since
the late 1990s.
Name the fictional character / actor.

Connect this story with this
Bond movie.

HIRANYAKSHA IN SANSKRIT TRANSLATES TO
GOLDENEYE IN ENGLISH .

In Aldous Huxley’s dystopian book Brave New World,
humans are sterilized en masse and instead of pregnancy,
human beings are produced through an artificial process
called Bokanovsky’s process.
All females are mandated to wear a __________ belt on
their waist. This belt has a regulation supply of
contraceptives.
Quite appropriately this belt is named after which 19th
century English economist ?

MALTHUSIAN BELT,
NAMED FOR THOMAS MALTHUS
Who theorized that population growth will always
tend to outrun the food supply and that betterment
of humankind is impossible without stern limits on
reproduction.

In 1935, an American publisher offered the French
painter _X_ $5,000 to create etchings for a special
illustrated edition of the book _Y_, a 1922
masterwork by author _Z_.
The author was thrilled that an artist of such high
stature would illustrate his masterwork, but
worried that the artist might not have actually read
the book as he was not adept at reading English.
His fears were justified when _X_ turned in
drawings based on six episodes from Homer’s epic
poem Odyssey, evidently having assumed that the
novel was also based on the ancient Greek hero
Odysseus.
Name X, Y, Z?

MATISSE, JAMES JOYCE ULYSSES
Odysseus is known as Ulysses in Roman mythology.

This story, most likely a false urban legend, traces its origin to the
USA-USSR rivalry during the cold war and the story is about a product
called AG-7 developed by an American company in the 1960s.
According to statements given by the company that made this
product, some reasons that thousands of dollars were spent to create
this product were that the prevalent cheaper alternative to AG-7 was:
• Fragile and likely to “fly off” causing an injury to the eye or nose of
the people in the vicinity,
• Likely to cause a short in a nearby electrical instrument.
• Inflammable and could cause fire endangering lives of people
nearby.
What is this story, also popularized in India by a scene from a 2009
Bollywood movie? Hence what does the acronym “AG” stand for?

NASA spent thousands of dollars developing a space
pen, whereas the Russians just took a pencil.
AG-7 is Anti-Gravity pen made by Fisher

This is a drawing in a newspaper from Aug 20 1881
where Alexander Graham Bell is shown performing
some experiment on a person undergoing
treatment for a bullet wound on a hospital bed.
Who is on the bed and what is happening?

BELL TESTING HIS FIRST PROTOTYPE OF A METAL
DETECTOR TO LOCATE THE BULLET INSIDE THE BODY
OF US PRESIDENT JAMES GARFIELD

In September 2024, thousands of
handheld pagers and hundreds of
walkie-talkies intended for use by
Hezbollah fighters exploded
simultaneously, killing scores and
injuring thousands of militants.
What was the name given by
Israel to this operation, a play on
the name used for such
personifications of death?

GRIM BEEPER, A PLAY ON GRIM REAPER

This is the cover page of a book titled
“Elements of the Philosophy of _X_”
published in 1738. This book helped
popularize the theories and thoughts
of _X_.
It shows French mathematician Emilie
Du Chatelet, who was in a romantic
relationship with the author (seen
writing at the table), reflecting the
heavenly insights of the person _X_
(on the top) to the author.
Who is the author and the person _X_
on the top?

In 1976, some of France’s biggest wine experts came
together at a Paris hotel for a blind tasting.
The finest French wines were up against some upstart
wines from California. In the test, the wines from Napa
County, California were rated best by the judges,
scoring much more than the legendary Chateaux and
Domaines from Bordeaux and Burgundy.
This result caused surprise as France was generally
regarded as being the foremost producer of the world's
best wines.
A journalist in attendance, later wrote in his article that
“the unthinkable happened,” and in an allusion to
Greek mythology called the event “The _________ __
_____,” and thus it would forever be known.
What was this informal name of this result, also the
title of this painting by Peter Paul Rubens?

In 1611, the German mathematician Johannes
Kepler wanted to present a new year gift to his
patron.
Realizing that he had no money to buy a gift,
he decided to gift him with an essay about his
latest fascination. The 24-page essay was titled
“Strena Seu de Nive Sexangula”.
The subject of this essay is “Nive” which is a
Latin word for a natural phenomenon.
What is “Nive”, also the origin of the cosmetics
brand “Nivea”?
This essay is a very early work in a scientific
field for which several Nobel prizes have been
awarded most notably Max Von Laue in 1914
and Dorothy Hodgkin in 1964.
Which field?

SNOWFLAKES,
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
“NIVEA” MEANS “SNOW-WHITE”

Written Round
Languages / Words

The Hindi word for “Today” आज is cognate with the
Sanskrit word “Adya” अद्य with the same meaning.
On similar lines, the Sanskrit word “ ”
श्वः (Shvaha)
which means “Tomorrow” survives in Hindi as what
temporal noun?

Yubi Lakpi is a
traditional sport of
Manipur that involves
elements of Football,
Rugby and Wrestling.
In the Manipuri
language, if “Lakpi”
means “Snatching”,
what does “Yubi”
mean?

American photojournalist Allan Tannenbaum, is
credited with the headshot of the person at the
cover page of this famous autobiographical work.
A part of this book is the description of a long time
spent by the subject on an island in the South
Atlantic whose name comes from the Dutch plural
word for ‘seals’ (the marine mammals).
Name the title of the biography and the island.

One of the largest muscles in
the human body, this muscle
takes its name from the
Latin word for a profession,
in reference to the position
in which the people of this
profession would usually
position themselves.
Name the muscle.

What specific art form is known by the
names Irezumi in Japan, Ta Moko in New
Zealand, Deq in Turkey/Syria?
In China, a form of this art is called Chi-
Sen which in Chinese translates to “to
puncture”?

Of the 22 languages with official status in India,
which language is named for the Sanskrit word for
“Purified”?

Written Round
Languages / Words
ANSWERS

-श्वः with the prefix पर becomes परश्वः which in
Sanskrit means “Day after tomorrow” which
becomes परसो in Hindi.

SARTORIOUS MUSCLE OR TAILOR'S MUSCLE

Infinite Pounce
Counterclockwise
(+10 / -5)

Used as an ingredient in desserts and sold
under the names “Halwa ghaas” or “China
Grass”, the primary ingredient of this food
product comes from the cell walls of red
algae.
What is the common short name, of Malay
origin, used for this primary ingredient?
An anagram of this word is the name of a
genus of beetles. This genus name results in
some amusing punny names of the beetle
species like _X_vation, _X_phobia,
_X_sasquatch etc.
Spell the 2 short anagrams.

Over the last few decades,
following outrage and criticism,
a well-known university had
removed several portraits
depicting this person.
The latest one, shown here was
taken down in 2021.
Who is the man, at the center
of the portrait and why was the
portrait criticized and
eventually removed?

ELIHU YALE AFTER WHOM THE UNIVERSITY IS NAMED IS
KNOWN TO HAVE MADE A LOT OF MONEY THROUGH
TRADING SLAVES FROM INDIA AND AFRICA.
THE BOY SERVING LIQUOR IS BELIEVED TO BE AN AFRICAN
CHILD SLAVE.

In the late 17th century, the Dutch and the English were in a ferocious
race to gain control of the lucrative spice trade. The most lucrative
spice with an astronomical price was _X_ which not only flavored
food but was thought to cure the deadly bubonic plague.
With a horrific brutality that included slaying much of the local
population, the Dutch gained control of the plantations of this spice
on the island of Run in Indonesia.
Through the 1660s, the English had several naval conflicts with the
Dutch to gain control of this island until the treaty of Breda was
signed in 1667.
According to the treaty, the British gave up all control of Run and in
exchange, got complete control of ____ _________ – a Dutch colony
in the Atlantic.
Name the spice and the Dutch colony.

What is the name of this
phenomenon?
This name was coined by
US scientist Neil DeGrasse
Tyson inspired by a similar
phenomenon that is seen
during solstices, about 3500
miles in its East of this
place.

MANHATTANHENGE,
NAMED FOR STONEHENGE WHERE SUN ALIGNS
WITH THE STONES DURING SOLSTICES

In 2018, the BBC published a list of the 100 stories
that “shaped the world”.
The only entry in this list from the Indian
subcontinent is a short story published in 1955.
In the same year (~2018), 2 movies were released in
India, one, a short film based on this short story
starring Pankaj Kapoor in the lead role and another
based on the life of the author of this story, starring
Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead role.
Name both.

On show in London's Science Museum,
and dubiously dubbed as the “Turd of
the century”, this “Sausage” model was
created by British scientist John Kendrew
using plasticine. Praised as a major
scientific breakthrough, this work won
him the 1962 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Fast forward to 2024, Computer Scientist
Demis Hassabis was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Chemistry for his research in the
same field, creating similar models, using
advanced AI algorithms albeit with much
better aesthetic appeal.
What field of science is this / what is this
a structure of?

PROTEIN FOLDING / MODEL OF MYOGLOBIN

Rosco is a San Francisco based company that is a
major supplier of specific products to Hollywood
filmmakers.
In 2022, this company ran out of a specific product
causing global shortage. One reason for this was
disruption of supply of raw materials from China but
the primary reason cited by the company was
exceptionally high demand for this product for
shooting of a film.
What caused the global supply of this product to be
wiped out?

This is the satellite image of a major strait whose
English meaning of the Greek-derived name is same
as the name of this town.
Name the strait and the town.

BOSPHORUS MEANS CATTLE-STRAIT OR OX-FORD

From “A tale of two cities” by Charles Dickens. What is being
described?
“Above all, one hideous figure grew as familiar as if it had been
before the general gaze from the foundations of the world—the
figure of the sharp female called La __________.
It was the popular theme for jests; it was the best cure for
headache, it infallibly prevented the hair from turning grey, it
imparted a peculiar delicacy to the complexion, it was a Razor
which shaved close: who kissed La __________, looked through
the little window and sneezed into the sack. It was the sign of
the regeneration of the human race. It superseded the Cross.
Models of it were worn on breasts from which the Cross was
discarded, and it was bowed down to and believed in where the
Cross was denied.”

Margaret Hamilton is an American scientist who worked for
NASA’s Apollo programs. Recalling her role in the Apollo
Moon missions from the 1960s, in an interview she said:
“I fought to bring the _X_ legitimacy so that it—and those
building it—would be given its due respect and thus I began
to use the term ‘_X_ _Y_’ to distinguish it from other kinds
of _Y_...
When I first started using this phrase (X Y), it was
considered to be quite amusing. It was an ongoing joke for a
long time. They liked to kid me about my radical ideas. _X_
eventually and necessarily gained the same respect as any
other discipline,”

What is the inspiration for this video game?

The official state animal of Sikkim is a mammal
with the scientific name Ailurus fulgens, which
literally translates to “Shining Cat”.
Contrary to what the common 2-word name
of this species may suggest, it is not closely
related to the much larger species
‘Ailuropoda’ which means “cat-footed”.
What is the common name of this animal?

RED PANDA, NOT CLOSELY RELATED TO THE GIANT
PANDA

Celeste Caeiro was a restaurant worker in a European city. On April 25,
1974, the restaurant where she worked was about to celebrate the
anniversary of its opening and the owners had bought some flowers for
the mostly female staff.
Unexpectedly, there was a flurry of military tanks and gun-toting soldiers
on the city roads on that day which led to cancellation of the party.
In interviews over the years, she recalled how a young soldier asked her
for a cigarette, which she didn't have, so she gave him the flower
instead, and then handed more flowers to other soldiers who passed by.
Some put the flowers in the barrels of their rifles and even tanks, and
soon vendors started offering more flowers to the soldiers.
Which city?
What 2-word flowery term is used for the events that followed this day
that marked major social, economic and political changes in the country?

Name the author of this
PhD thesis that was
written and submitted
at the University of
Munich in 1908.
His birthday is a
national holiday in
Pakistan.

In an unusual and unique
practice, the national flag is
hoisted every morning
outside the main premises
of this temple, and it
follows all the National Flag
Code rules.
This temple is one of the
holiest Shakti Pithas and
the city where this temple
is located is named after
the Goddess worshipped
here. Which city?

Rattlesnakes belong to the genus Crolatus.
This word comes from the Greek work for
the instrument that the rattling sound of
the snakes imitates. Which instrument?
Turtur tympanistria is a species of pigeon found in
woodlands of south of Sahara desert. Its species name
“Tympanistria” comes from the Greek word of the
instrument that the dove imitates while singing. Which
instrument?

Among the several things in Physics
and Mathematics named after him,
this, now 93-year-old Nobel
Laureate, is also the eponym of the
pattern of the tiles he is pictured
standing on. Who?
In 2007, this person sued the
company Kimberly Clark for breach
of copyright when this company
copied the geometric pattern of
these tiles in a special “Quilted”
version of their popular product.
What product?

This sculpture titled “Progress
Carrying the Light to Asia” was
designed in late 1860s and was
proposed to be installed at a
location near a major waterbody.
But the idea was rejected by the
authorities due to high costs and
a lighthouse designed by François
Coignet, was built in the same
location instead.
Which location and who was the
sculptor?

PORT SAID END OF SUEZ CANAL
FREDERIC AUGUSTE BARTHOLDI
THIS STATUE WAS RECYCLED AND SOLD AS “STATUE
OF LIBERTY”

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