The document is a quiz for 'Rendezvous '24' created by Ramish, Arunabh, and Sabhya, comprising various questions on books, films, and historical events. It includes rules for participation, acknowledgments for individuals who helped, and a series of fill-in-the-blank and identification questions related to cultural topics. Participants are expected to refrain from electronic device use and ask leading questions.

1. A MELA Quiz For Rendezvous ’
2
4
By
Ramish, Arunabh and Sabhya

2. A/V Check

3. A MELA Quiz For Rendezvous ’24
By
Ramish, Arunabh and Sabhya

4. Acknowledgements
• The QMs would like to thank Saswata, Anish, Rishabh and Varun for GPing
the set and providing valuable feedback.
• The QMs would like to thank Gulia and the QC rep team for their help in
smooth conduct of the quiz.

5. Rules
• There are 25 questions in the prelims, of which multiples of 4 are star marked and will be used to
break ties.
• The marking of questions in the prelims is +10/0 for all the questions in the prelims, so guess
your heart away.
• The use of any and all electronic devices is prohibited during the quiz. (We request you to keep
your phones on silent)
• Please refrain from asking any leading questions from the QM.
• Hints will be provided at the discretion of the QMs. Please refrain from asking leading questions.
• The decision of the QMs will be
fi
nal and binding.

6. 1.
__ __ __ ___ __ ____ is a book authored by journalist William Kleinknecht. The book explores the
methods adopted by US President Ronald Reagan to bolster the US economy, in particular about
the privatization efforts- which although were not as many during Reagan’s own presidency,
de
fi
nitely laid the foundation for more such efforts to be undertaken in the coming years.
The book is subtitled “Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America”, emphasising
how, according to the author, the Reagan administration ended a long period during which
working people had a sway over politics and the economy. For this reason, the title of the book is
an apt one to assign to Reagan, who instead handed control to corporations in order to alleviate
the national debt.
The title references a relatively(at the time) unnoticed piece from 1970, which really gained
recognition after subsequent coverage in 1982 and 1993. FITB.

7. 2.
Fail Safe is a novel written by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler and published in 1962. In general, a
fail safe ensures that, as far as possible, the machine or process will not make things worse in the event
of something going wrong. The title is ironical in nature as the fail safes that the book discusses actively
lead to worse outcomes.
Upon release, the rights to adapt the novel were quickly picked up and the task was given to X, who was
gaining ground as one of Hollywood’s most promising young directors after a stellar debut in the late
50s and would go on to direct Al Pacino in two of his best career performances in the 70s. The adaptation
was faced with a copyright infringement lawsuit. The case was ultimately settled outside court on the
promise that the adaptation would only be released after the release of the adaptation of the appellant’s
book. Fail Safe (the movie) ended up releasing in October of 1964, some 9 months after the appellant’s
adaptation and failed to perform at the box of
fi
ce despite critical success.
Identify X and the movie which was released earlier in 1964.

8. 3.
Sabrina Carpenter recently performed at the VMAs. During her performance,
while transitioning between Please, Please, Please and Taste, she played an
interlude from a 1999 song X, as a form of homage to its artist. Her
performance also consisted of an element which acknowledges the VMAs,
which were also prominently featured in the music video of X.
What was this element? Also identify X.

9. 4.
The shore temple in Mahabalipuram has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1984. It is
considered one of the only visible structures among the legend of “The seven _______(7, plural)
of Mahabalipuram”. The blank is a word which was often used by western explorers and
tourists to describe southern and south-eastern Asian architecture (more so in the case of places
of worship).
The iconography on temples walls and all around the structure really is
fi
lled with sculptures
and images of _____(5). While there is obvious religious connotations attached to the sculpture,
there is also a case to be made that it is so prevalent in Mahabalipuram’s temple because Tamil
emperors have often used _____(5) as a symbol of their dynasties, notably the Pallavas and
Jaffnas.
Fill in the Two Blanks.

10. 5.
The Skymetro at Zurich Airport takes you from the Airside Center to Dock E.
Going for a
fl
ipbook style effect, the underground tube is lined with TV
Screens, each displaying a slightly different still image. As your train
fl
ies
through the tube, you experience a short, animated video welcoming you to
Switzerland (or bidding you farewell).
Who is featured in the voiceover that accompanies this animation of various
sights in Switzerland?

11. 6.
In 1993, a lawsuit was
fi
led in Texas State Court against Castle Rock Entertainment by
fi
ve
men. The reason for the lawsuit was a movie(
fi
rst a Broadway play, both written by X)
that, without permission of the claimants, was using events from their life, as reported by
one Deborah S., who was an attorney for one of the plaintiffs during the aforementioned
events. The defendants further complained that the movie presented them as killers-
which was not true- and misrepresented another key outcome of the verdict.
Because of which movie did these men
fi
le the lawsuit?
The play and movie would serve as X's
fi
rst breakthrough into the industry, and he would
go on to write for even more acclaimed directors and projects, especially biopics,
including one that won him the Academy Award. Identify X.

12. 7.
On the next slide is a clip from a new video series released by ESL. It is a show
which features professional counter strike players, reacting to and rating each
other’s “tilt” moments. In gaming terminology, “tilt” usually means getting
angry at the game or at oneself after a misplay or a great opposition play.
However, on camera, it looks like the player is angry at his PC or peripherals
which makes it funny to look at.
What is the appropriate name of this video series, referring to how the
moments look like on camera ?

14. 8.
Demon ______head is 2022 novel, which was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction. It is about a boy named Damon Fields, nicknamed “Demon ______head” in which the
second word alludes to the colour of his hair as well as a snake species (referring to his
attitude). The book touches on themes of the social and economic strati
fi
cation in Appalachia,
child poverty in rural America, and drug addiction with a focus on the opioid crisis.
Its author was inspired by another
fi
ctional person’s adventures, from 174 years ago. This
story was also a timely social commentary about the inequity of class, women’s
opportunities, education and access to health care. She even thanked the author of this novel
in the acknowledgements.
What was she inspired by?

15. 9.
X was an avant-garde movement which was synthesised in the Lower East Side
of New York. It came up in the windfall of the
fi
nancial crisis that New York
found itself in the midst of in late 70s. The name was allegedly coined by
aspiring directors and the sort, an apparent reference to a movement from the
mid 20th century, stemming from France, which had inspired a whole crop of
fi
lmmakers around the world. The simple change to X suggested stagnation of
ideas, lack of funding and absence of a collective style.
Identify X.

16. 10.
The third studio album by the band A is X, released in 2007, which takes its
name from the concept of the Y. Y also directly lends its name to a DC Comics
publication debuting in 2017, which connected the main DC Universe with a
second one established three decades ago by Alan Moore. The Y has moved
forward and backward since its inception in 1947, with it being most recently
updated in 2023, and is measured in terms of X. Identify X and Y.
This link is made even more obvious by the start of the music video for the
fi
rst
track (which is attached on the next slide).

18. 11.
Amrita Sher-Gil returned to India from Hungary at the end of 1934. Here, she
began her quest for the rediscovery of the traditions of Indian art, which
continued until her death in 1941.
Her tour of South India began in 1937, before which she saw the frescoes of
______ _____ which inspired her to make a conscious attempt to return to
classical Indian Art. This led to the creation of her South Indian Trilogy of
paintings.
FITB.

20. 12.
Larry McMurtry once described the plight of authors turned screenwriters in
Hollywood.
One of them was a novelist famous for his travels in Europe who moved to Hollywood
in search of money during the Great Depression (when his works were classi
fi
ed as
exorbitant and materialistic). Amidst his struggles with alcoholism, he failed to put out
constant work and was often not on good terms with producers, who felt that he
approached screenwriting similarly to writing a novel. He would go on to die young at
the age of 44. Billy Wilder, a writer himself, likened him to ‘a great sculptor hired to do
a plumbing job.’
Identify the author being talked about.

21. 13.
Mike Tyson was very good friends with X. X had come to visit Tyson during his
stint in prison from 1992 to 1995, which blossomed into a close friendship.
Some of X’s creations were central to Tyson. X also created some custom ones
for Tyson to use.
Tyson later said he felt indirectly responsible for X’s death, as he pressured him
into coming to one of his
fi
ghts which ended quickly. He felt that it could have
ended differently for X, if he hadn’t made him come to his
fi
ght that day.
Identify X. How was his work used by Tyson?

22. 14.
Published in 1977, the science
fi
ction book _____ __ ___ _____ (5, 2, 3, 5) written by famous
screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer X is also his
fi
rst full-length novel. It derives
its name from a poem by Dylan Thomas written in 1947 and published four years later. X's
most well-known work, however, is instead a series of works made more famous by their
adaptation, and is rather more fantastic than his early writings. Identify X.
The poem that the novel lends it name to also features frequently in a now decade-old
fi
lm
Y. Both the novel and the movie feature are sci-
fi
works featuring themes prominent in the
poem, namely that of resistance against death, a metaphorical struggle against the _____
__ ___ _____, a phrase which you could also use in the moments before sunset. Identify Y.

23. 15.
Desperado is a 1995 American neo-Western action
fi
lm written, co-produced, edited and
directed by Robert Rodriguez. It is the second part of Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy.
This movie featured a cameo by a certain someone, who was a close friend and frequent
collaborator of the director. Robert had originally not planned to make a 3rd one.
However, while on the set for Desperado, this friend encouraged Robert to make the
series a trilogy, with its conclusion on a much larger and epic scale. Who was this friend?
Robert Rodriguez ended up releasing Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003. This reduced
the protagonist of the trilogy to an almost secondary character. However, Robert clari
fi
ed
this was intentional and likened this to be his X, another grand-scale, epic conclusion to a
saga that is considered its director’s magnum opus. Identify X.

24. Shown here is a painting by X. It was probably
painted during his early days as an artist when he
worked as a commissioned portrait painter before
he transitioned to the style (Y) he is most known
for. Later in his life he clari
fi
ed that a series of
events in his personal life had motivated him to let
go of predominantly western style of painting and
search for more local inspirations.
The art style Y, is a largely rural one and was
developed to depict scenes of religion and local
folklore.
Identify X and Y.
16.

25. 17.
In Despicable Me(2010), Gru goes to the Bank of Evil to get funds for building
his rocket to steal the moon. The director of the Bank of Evil, Mr. Perkins
(pictured on the next slide), resembles PHB from Y. PHB is a
fi
ctional boss who
is extremely stupid and oblivious to his own actions. He of
fi
cially doesn’t have
a name, because the author wanted readers to be able to more effectively
compare him to their own workplace managers.
Identify Y.

27. This is a beach in Cyprus, which is famously
known as a setting for a mythological event and
in a MELA quiz, a mythological painting. One of
the bigger rocks is named after the subject of the
painting, apparently due to excessive foaming at
the base of these rocks. Fittingly enough, many
couples are spotted on the beach, on
honeymoons, for wedding photoshoots and
otherwise.
Identify the mythological event OR the name of
the painting.
18.

28. 19.
In the cold open for the
fi
rst show of The Tonight Show, in 2009, Conan O’ Brien was
shown going over a list of things that needed to be done, but realising he was still in
New York, where NBC used to shoot Late Night. After trying, and failing, to catch a
taxi cab, he ran across the country through such places as Amish Country, Wrigley
Field in Chicago, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Teton Range, Las Vegas and the
deserts of Arizona before arriving at Universal Studios to host the show.
This was recently cited as an inspiration, where the director said “This is such a weird
reference, but remember when Conan started on The Tonight Show? He did a really fun
sketch going cross country. That has always stuck with me.”
What did this sketch serve as an inspiration for?

29. 20.
It is a peculiar fact that X has also co-written a
fi
lm. However, if one watches
the 1976
fi
lm, then it is rather obvious that X is the person with the best
understanding of the subject matter.
The
fi
lm follows the developments in a small village in Gujarat, inspired by
events that occurred a few years prior. The
fi
lm resonated closely with the
people affected by these events. For this reason, all the members of a union of
500,000 people rather directly contributed towards the
fi
lms creation. The
creation of this union was a consequence of the events that the
fi
lm depicts, in
which X played an important role. Identify X.

30. 21.
Captured on the next slide is one of the
fi
nal scenes of The Wizard (1989).
The basic plot of this movie was based off of a 1975 movie which was in turn an adaptation of
a music album/ opera of sorts (1969), which follows a child with a troubled upbringing, who
ultimately becomes a pinball champion and a messianic
fi
gure. (An excerpt from this piece of
art is captured on the next to next slide). Which group’s music inspired the 1975 movie ?
The idea for this movie came to producers initially as a marketing stunt. Due to semiconductor
shortages (yes even in 1989), a major corporation was not able to release something in the
USA, while it had done so in other parts of the world.This movie was ultimately created to
generate hype and act as a “release advertisement” of sorts for this product, which is revealed
in the
fi
nal scene. What was this movie touted as an advertisement for ?

33. 22.
Portrait of a Lady is a 1915 poem by poet X, which takes its named directly from the
1881 novel by Henry James. While not the only 20th-century poet to do so, X is
de
fi
nitely the most famous. Identify X, associate of individuals such as George
Pushdragon, Pettipaws and Wiscus.
The epigraph of the poem features the line
"Thou hast committed - / Fornication: but that was in another country, / And besides,
the wench is dead." from Christopher Marlowe’s 1590 play The Jew from Malta. There
are debates on whether this play inspired another in the following years; one of the
counterarguments says that even the oft-compared principal characters do not share
anything except their faith. What is the second play?

34. 23.
A veteran director was tasked with a
fi
lm project in the 2000s. While researching for the
fi
lm,
the director was inspired while reading the memoirs of people tasked with what was
essentially a suicide mission. He decided to split the 80 million dollar budget of the
fi
lm as
he felt that he could not do justice to the source materials with just one
fi
lm. Interestingly
enough, the secondary
fi
lm (or so to say) had a better critical reception than the originally
intended one. Filming took place majorly in Iceland and California as they were not allowed
to shoot extensively on location. What was the rationale behind making two movies
instead of one ? / Explain the difference between the two movies.
The poster of one of the movies features a zoomed out version of one of the most famous
photographs related to the content and in general one of the most famous photographs of
the 20th century. Which photo features on one of the posters ?

35. 24.
In the Star Wars Universe, the MSE-6 series repair droids, also known as ____
droids, were used to clean
fl
oors and carry messages.
A short story in the anthology “From a Certain Point of View”, written by Glen
Weldon, focuses on the point of view of MSE-6-G735Y, an MSE-6 series repair
droid aboard the Death Star.
It was named by replacing a single word in a 1937 novella, which was named after
the author read a poem by Robert Burns. The poem and the novella share themes
of impermanence of home and the harshness of life for the most vulnerable.
What was the short story called?

37. Re-Run

38. 1.
__ __ __ ___ __ ____ is a book authored by journalist William Kleinknecht. The book explores the
methods adopted by US President Ronald Reagan to bolster the US economy, in particular about
the privatization efforts- which although were not as many during Reagan’s own presidency,
de
fi
nitely laid the foundation for more such efforts to be undertaken in the coming years.
The book is subtitled “Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America”, emphasising
how, according to the author, the Reagan administration ended a long period during which
working people had a sway over politics and the economy. For this reason, the title of the book is
an apt one to assign to Reagan, who instead handed control to corporations in order to alleviate
the national debt.
The title references a relatively(at the time) unnoticed piece from 1970, which really gained
recognition after subsequent coverage in 1982 and 1993. FITB.

39. 2.
Fail Safe is a novel written by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler and published in 1962. In general, a
fail safe ensures that, as far as possible, the machine or process will not make things worse in the event
of something going wrong. The title is ironical in nature as the fail safes that the book discusses actively
lead to worse outcomes.
Upon release, the rights to adapt the novel were quickly picked up and the task was given to X, who was
gaining ground as one of Hollywood’s most promising young directors after a stellar debut in the late
50s and would go on to direct Al Pacino in two of his best career performances in the 70s. The adaptation
was faced with a copyright infringement lawsuit. The case was ultimately settled outside court on the
promise that the adaptation would only be released after the release of the adaptation of the appellant’s
book. Fail Safe (the movie) ended up releasing in October of 1964, some 9 months after the appellant’s
adaptation and failed to perform at the box of
fi
ce despite critical success.
Identify X and the movie which was released earlier in 1964.

40. 3.
Sabrina Carpenter recently performed at the VMAs. During her performance,
while transitioning between Please, Please, Please and Taste, she played an
interlude from a 1999 song X, as a form of homage to its artist. Her
performance also consisted of an element which acknowledges the VMAs,
which were also prominently featured in the music video of X.
What was this element? Also identify X.

41. 4.
The shore temple in Mahabalipuram has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1984. It is
considered one of the only visible structures among the legend of “The seven _______(7, plural)
of Mahabalipuram”. The blank is a word which was often used by western explorers and
tourists to describe southern and south-eastern Asian architecture (more so in the case of places
of worship).
The iconography on temples walls and all around the structure really is
fi
lled with sculptures
and images of _____(5). While there is obvious religious connotations attached to the sculpture,
there is also a case to be made that it is so prevalent in Mahabalipuram’s temple because Tamil
emperors have often used _____(5) as a symbol of their dynasties, notably the Pallavas and
Jaffnas.
Fill in the Two Blanks.

42. 5.
The Skymetro at Zurich Airport takes you from the Airside Center to Dock E.
Going for a
fl
ipbook style effect, the underground tube is lined with TV
Screens, each displaying a slightly different still image. As your train
fl
ies
through the tube, you experience a short, animated video welcoming you to
Switzerland (or bidding you farewell).
Who is featured in the voiceover that accompanies this animation of various
sights in Switzerland?

43. 6.
In 1993, a lawsuit was
fi
led in Texas State Court against Castle Rock Entertainment by
fi
ve
men. The reason for the lawsuit was a movie(
fi
rst a Broadway play, both written by X)
that, without permission of the claimants, was using events from their life, as reported by
one Deborah S., who was an attorney for one of the plaintiffs during the aforementioned
events. The defendants further complained that the movie presented them as killers-
which was not true- and misrepresented another key outcome of the verdict.
Because of which movie did these men
fi
le the lawsuit?
The play and movie would serve as X's
fi
rst breakthrough into the industry, and he would
go on to write for even more acclaimed directors and projects, especially biopics,
including one that won him the Academy Award. Identify X.

44. 7.
On the next slide is a clip from a new video series released by ESL. It is a show
which features professional counter strike players, reacting to and rating each
other’s “tilt” moments. In gaming terminology, “tilt” usually means getting
angry at the game or at oneself after a misplay or a great opposition play.
However, on camera, it looks like the player is angry at his PC or peripherals
which makes it funny to look at.
What is the appropriate name of this video series, referring to how the
moments look like on camera ?

46. 8.
Demon ______head is 2022 novel, which was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction. It is about a boy named Damon Fields, nicknamed “Demon ______head” in which the
second word alludes to the colour of his hair as well as a snake species (referring to his
attitude). The book touches on themes of the social and economic strati
fi
cation in Appalachia,
child poverty in rural America, and drug addiction with a focus on the opioid crisis.
Its author was inspired by another
fi
ctional person’s adventures, from 174 years ago. This
story was also a timely social commentary about the inequity of class, women’s
opportunities, education and access to health care. She even thanked the author of this novel
in the acknowledgements.
What was she inspired by?

47. 9.
X was an avant-garde movement which was synthesised in the Lower East Side
of New York. It came up in the windfall of the
fi
nancial crisis that New York
found itself in the midst of in late 70s. The name was allegedly coined by
aspiring directors and the sort, an apparent reference to a movement from the
mid 20th century, stemming from France, which had inspired a whole crop of
fi
lmmakers around the world. The simple change to X suggested stagnation of
ideas, lack of funding and absence of a collective style.
Identify X.

48. 10.
The third studio album by the band A is X, released in 2007, which takes its
name from the concept of the Y. Y also directly lends its name to a DC Comics
publication debuting in 2017, which connected the main DC Universe with a
second one established three decades ago by Alan Moore. The Y has moved
forward and backward since its inception in 1947, with it being most recently
updated in 2023, and is measured in terms of X. Identify X and Y.
This link is made even more obvious by the start of the music video for the
fi
rst
track (which is attached on the next slide).

50. 11.
Amrita Sher-Gil returned to India from Hungary at the end of 1934. Here, she
began her quest for the rediscovery of the traditions of Indian art, which
continued until her death in 1941.
Her tour of South India began in 1937, before which she saw the frescoes of
______ _____ which inspired her to make a conscious attempt to return to
classical Indian Art. This led to the creation of her South Indian Trilogy of
paintings.
FITB.

52. 12.
Larry McMurtry once described the plight of authors turned screenwriters in
Hollywood.
One of them was a novelist famous for his travels in Europe who moved to Hollywood
in search of money during the Great Depression (when his works were classi
fi
ed as
exorbitant and materialistic). Amidst his struggles with alcoholism, he failed to put out
constant work and was often not on good terms with producers, who felt that he
approached screenwriting similarly to writing a novel. He would go on to die young at
the age of 44. Billy Wilder, a writer himself, likened him to ‘a great sculptor hired to do
a plumbing job.’
Identify the author being talked about.

53. 13.
Mike Tyson was very good friends with X. X had come to visit Tyson during his
stint in prison from 1992 to 1995, which blossomed into a close friendship.
Some of X’s creations were central to Tyson. X also created some custom ones
for Tyson to use.
Tyson later said he felt indirectly responsible for X’s death, as he pressured him
into coming to one of his
fi
ghts which ended quickly. He felt that it could have
ended differently for X, if he hadn’t made him come to his
fi
ght that day.
Identify X. How was his work used by Tyson?

54. 14.
Published in 1977, the science
fi
ction book _____ __ ___ _____ (5, 2, 3, 5) written by famous
screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer X is also his
fi
rst full-length novel. It derives
its name from a poem by Dylan Thomas written in 1947 and published four years later. X's
most well-known work, however, is instead a series of works made more famous by their
adaptation, and is rather more fantastic than his early writings. Identify X.
The poem that the novel lends it name to also features frequently in a now decade-old
fi
lm
Y. Both the novel and the movie feature are sci-
fi
works featuring themes prominent in the
poem, namely that of resistance against death, a metaphorical struggle against the _____
__ ___ _____, a phrase which you could also use in the moments before sunset. Identify Y.

55. 15.
Desperado is a 1995 American neo-Western action
fi
lm written, co-produced, edited and
directed by Robert Rodriguez. It is the second part of Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy.
This movie featured a cameo by a certain someone, who was a close friend and frequent
collaborator of the director. Robert had originally not planned to make a 3rd one.
However, while on the set for Desperado, this friend encouraged Robert to make the
series a trilogy, with its conclusion on a much larger and epic scale. Who was this friend?
Robert Rodriguez ended up releasing Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003. This reduced
the protagonist of the trilogy to an almost secondary character. However, Robert clari
fi
ed
this was intentional and likened this to be his X, another grand-scale, epic conclusion to a
saga that is considered its director’s magnum opus. Identify X.

56. Shown here is a painting by X. It was probably
painted during his early days as an artist when he
worked as a commissioned portrait painter before
he transitioned to the style (Y) he is most known
for. Later in his life he clari
fi
ed that a series of
events in his personal life had motivated him to let
go of predominantly western style of painting and
search for more local inspirations.
The art style Y, is a largely rural one and was
developed to depict scenes of religion and local
folklore.
Identify X and Y.
16.

57. 17.
In Despicable Me(2010), Gru goes to the Bank of Evil to get funds for building
his rocket to steal the moon. The director of the Bank of Evil, Mr. Perkins
(pictured on the next slide), resembles PHB from Y. PHB is a
fi
ctional boss who
is extremely stupid and oblivious to his own actions. He of
fi
cially doesn’t have
a name, because the author wanted readers to be able to more effectively
compare him to their own workplace managers.
Identify Y.

59. This is a beach in Cyprus, which is famously
known as a setting for a mythological event and
in a MELA quiz, a mythological painting. One of
the bigger rocks is named after the subject of the
painting, apparently due to excessive foaming at
the base of these rocks. Fittingly enough, many
couples are spotted on the beach, on
honeymoons, for wedding photoshoots and
otherwise.
Identify the mythological event OR the name of
the painting.
18.

60. 19.
In the cold open for the
fi
rst show of The Tonight Show, in 2009, Conan O’ Brien was
shown going over a list of things that needed to be done, but realising he was still in
New York, where NBC used to shoot Late Night. After trying, and failing, to catch a
taxi cab, he ran across the country through such places as Amish Country, Wrigley
Field in Chicago, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Teton Range, Las Vegas and the
deserts of Arizona before arriving at Universal Studios to host the show.
This was recently cited as an inspiration, where the director said “This is such a weird
reference, but remember when Conan started on The Tonight Show? He did a really fun
sketch going cross country. That has always stuck with me.”
What did this sketch serve as an inspiration for?

61. 20.
It is a peculiar fact that X has also co-written a
fi
lm. However, if one watches
the 1976
fi
lm, then it is rather obvious that X is the person with the best
understanding of the subject matter.
The
fi
lm follows the developments in a small village in Gujarat, inspired by
events that occurred a few years prior. The
fi
lm resonated closely with the
people affected by these events. For this reason, all the members of a union of
500,000 people rather directly contributed towards the
fi
lms creation. The
creation of this union was a consequence of the events that the
fi
lm depicts, in
which X played an important role. Identify X.

62. 21.
Captured on the next slide is one of the
fi
nal scenes of The Wizard (1989).
The basic plot of this movie was based off of a 1975 movie which was in turn an adaptation of
a music album/ opera of sorts (1969), which follows a child with a troubled upbringing, who
ultimately becomes a pinball champion and a messianic
fi
gure. (An excerpt from this piece of
art is captured on the next to next slide). Which group’s music inspired the 1975 movie ?
The idea for this movie came to producers initially as a marketing stunt. Due to semiconductor
shortages (yes even in 1989), a major corporation was not able to release something in the
USA, while it had done so in other parts of the world.This movie was ultimately created to
generate hype and act as a “release advertisement” of sorts for this product, which is revealed
in the
fi
nal scene. What was this movie touted as an advertisement for ?

65. 22.
Portrait of a Lady is a 1915 poem by poet X, which takes its named directly from the
1881 novel by Henry James. While not the only 20th-century poet to do so, X is
de
fi
nitely the most famous. Identify X, associate of individuals such as George
Pushdragon, Pettipaws and Wiscus.
The epigraph of the poem features the line
"Thou hast committed - / Fornication: but that was in another country, / And besides,
the wench is dead." from Christopher Marlowe’s 1590 play The Jew from Malta. There
are debates on whether this play inspired another in the following years; one of the
counterarguments says that even the oft-compared principal characters do not share
anything except their faith. What is the second play?

66. 23.
A veteran director was tasked with a
fi
lm project in the 2000s. While researching for the
fi
lm,
the director was inspired while reading the memoirs of people tasked with what was
essentially a suicide mission. He decided to split the 80 million dollar budget of the
fi
lm as
he felt that he could not do justice to the source materials with just one
fi
lm. Interestingly
enough, the secondary
fi
lm (or so to say) had a better critical reception than the originally
intended one. Filming took place majorly in Iceland and California as they were not allowed
to shoot extensively on location. What was the rationale behind making two movies
instead of one ? / Explain the difference between the two movies.
The poster of one of the movies features a zoomed out version of one of the most famous
photographs related to the content and in general one of the most famous photographs of
the 20th century. Which photo features on one of the posters ?

67. 24.
In the Star Wars Universe, the MSE-6 series repair droids, also known as ____
droids, were used to clean
fl
oors and carry messages.
A short story in the anthology “From a Certain Point of View”, written by Glen
Weldon, focuses on the point of view of MSE-6-G735Y, an MSE-6 series repair
droid aboard the Death Star.
It was named by replacing a single word in a 1937 novella, which was named after
the author read a poem by Robert Burns. The poem and the novella share themes
of impermanence of home and the harshness of life for the most vulnerable.
What was the short story called?

69. There is something to be said about Julian
Casablancas’s admiration for a particular artist.
One of the more apparent references to the artist in
this photo where Casablancas (to the right) is
wearing gloves inspired by the artist’s colour
palette.
As if this photo wasn’t obvious enough, there is a
video attached on the next slide which shows a
performance by The Voidz, which is led by
Casablancas. For arriving to the answer, simply see
the background picture than they play this song to.
Identify the Artist.
25.

71. Answers

72. 1.
__ __ __ ___ __ ____ is a book authored by journalist William Kleinknecht. The book explores the
methods adopted by US President Ronald Reagan to bolster the US economy, in particular about
the privatization efforts- which although were not as many during Reagan’s own presidency,
de
fi
nitely laid the foundation for more such efforts to be undertaken in the coming years.
The book is subtitled “Ronald Reagan and the Betrayal of Main Street America”, emphasising
how, according to the author, the Reagan administration ended a long period during which
working people had a sway over politics and the economy. For this reason, the title of the book is
an apt one to assign to Reagan, who instead handed control to corporations in order to alleviate
the national debt.
The title references a relatively(at the time) unnoticed piece from 1970, which really gained
recognition after subsequent coverage in 1982 and 1993. FITB.

73. The Man Who Sold
The World
Obligatory :

74. 2.
Fail Safe is a novel written by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler and published in 1962. In general, a
fail safe ensures that, as far as possible, the machine or process will not make things worse in the event
of something going wrong. The title is ironical in nature as the fail safes that the book discusses actively
lead to worse outcomes.
Upon release, the rights to adapt the novel were quickly picked up and the task was given to X, who was
gaining ground as one of Hollywood’s most promising young directors after a stellar debut in the late
50s and would go on to direct Al Pacino in two of his best career performances in the 70s. The adaptation
was faced with a copyright infringement lawsuit. The case was ultimately settled outside court on the
promise that the adaptation would only be released after the release of the adaptation of the appellant’s
book. Fail Safe (the movie) ended up releasing in October of 1964, some 9 months after the appellant’s
adaptation and failed to perform at the box of
fi
ce despite critical success.
Identify X and the movie which was released earlier in 1964.

75. Sidney Lumet

76. 3.
Sabrina Carpenter recently performed at the VMAs. During her performance,
while transitioning between Please, Please, Please and Taste, she played an
interlude from a 1999 song X, as a form of homage to its artist. Her
performance also consisted of an element which acknowledges the VMAs,
which were also prominently featured in the music video of X.
What was this element? Also identify X.

77. Oops!… I did it again
Astronaut (from the VMAs)

78. 4.
The shore temple in Mahabalipuram has been a UNESCO world heritage site since 1984. It is
considered one of the only visible structures among the legend of “The seven _______(7, plural)
of Mahabalipuram”. The blank is a word which was often used by western explorers and
tourists to describe southern and south-eastern Asian architecture (more so in the case of places
of worship).
The iconography on temples walls and all around the structure really is
fi
lled with sculptures
and images of _____(5). While there is obvious religious connotations attached to the sculpture,
there is also a case to be made that it is so prevalent in Mahabalipuram’s temple because Tamil
emperors have often used _____(5) as a symbol of their dynasties, notably the Pallavas and
Jaffnas.
Fill in the Two Blanks.

79. Pagoda
Nandi

80. 5.
The Skymetro at Zurich Airport takes you from the Airside Center to Dock E.
Going for a
fl
ipbook style effect, the underground tube is lined with TV
Screens, each displaying a slightly different still image. As your train
fl
ies
through the tube, you experience a short, animated video welcoming you to
Switzerland (or bidding you farewell).
Who is featured in the voiceover that accompanies this animation of various
sights in Switzerland?

81. Heidi

82. 6.
In 1993, a lawsuit was
fi
led in Texas State Court against Castle Rock Entertainment by
fi
ve
men. The reason for the lawsuit was a movie(
fi
rst a Broadway play, both written by X)
that, without permission of the claimants, was using events from their life, as reported by
one Deborah S., who was an attorney for one of the plaintiffs during the aforementioned
events. The defendants further complained that the movie presented them as killers-
which was not true- and misrepresented another key outcome of the verdict.
Because of which movie did these men
fi
le the lawsuit?
The play and movie would serve as X's
fi
rst breakthrough into the industry, and he would
go on to write for even more acclaimed directors and projects, especially biopics,
including one that won him the Academy Award. Identify X.

83. A Few Good Men
Aaron Sorkin

84. 7.
On the next slide is a clip from a new video series released by ESL. It is a show
which features professional counter strike players, reacting to and rating each
other’s “tilt” moments. In gaming terminology, “tilt” usually means getting
angry at the game or at oneself after a misplay or a great opposition play.
However, on camera, it looks like the player is angry at his PC or peripherals
which makes it funny to look at.
What is the appropriate name of this video series, referring to how the
moments look like on camera ?

86. Rage Against the
Machine

87. 8.
Demon ______head is 2022 novel, which was a co-recipient of the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for
Fiction. It is about a boy named Damon Fields, nicknamed “Demon ______head” in which the
second word alludes to the colour of his hair as well as a snake species (referring to his
attitude). The book touches on themes of the social and economic strati
fi
cation in Appalachia,
child poverty in rural America, and drug addiction with a focus on the opioid crisis.
Its author was inspired by another
fi
ctional person’s adventures, from 174 years ago. This
story was also a timely social commentary about the inequity of class, women’s
opportunities, education and access to health care. She even thanked the author of this novel
in the acknowledgements.
What was she inspired by?

88. David Copperfield

89. 9.
X was an avant-garde movement which was synthesised in the Lower East Side
of New York. It came up in the windfall of the
fi
nancial crisis that New York
found itself in the midst of in late 70s. The name was allegedly coined by
aspiring directors and the sort, an apparent reference to a movement from the
mid 20th century, stemming from France, which had inspired a whole crop of
fi
lmmakers around the world. The simple change to X suggested stagnation of
ideas, lack of funding and absence of a collective style.
Identify X.

90. No-Wave

91. 10.
The third studio album by the band A is X, released in 2007, which takes its
name from the concept of the Y. Y also directly lends its name to a DC Comics
publication debuting in 2017, which connected the main DC Universe with a
second one established three decades ago by Alan Moore. The Y has moved
forward and backward since its inception in 1947, with it being most recently
updated in 2023, and is measured in terms of X. Identify X and Y.
This link is made even more obvious by the start of the music video for the
fi
rst
track (which is attached on the next slide).

93. Minutes to Midnight
Doomsday Clock
The clock shows 5 minutes to
midnight in the video, which was the
doomsday clock value in 2007.

94. 11.
Amrita Sher-Gil returned to India from Hungary at the end of 1934. Here, she
began her quest for the rediscovery of the traditions of Indian art, which
continued until her death in 1941.
Her tour of South India began in 1937, before which she saw the frescoes of
______ _____ which inspired her to make a conscious attempt to return to
classical Indian Art. This led to the creation of her South Indian Trilogy of
paintings.
FITB.

96. Ajanta Caves

97. 12.
Larry McMurtry once described the plight of authors turned screenwriters in
Hollywood.
One of them was a novelist famous for his travels in Europe who moved to Hollywood
in search of money during the Great Depression (when his works were classi
fi
ed as
exorbitant and materialistic). Amidst his struggles with alcoholism, he failed to put out
constant work and was often not on good terms with producers, who felt that he
approached screenwriting similarly to writing a novel. He would go on to die young at
the age of 44. Billy Wilder, a writer himself, likened him to ‘a great sculptor hired to do
a plumbing job.’
Identify the author being talked about.

98. F. Scott Fitzgerald

99. 13.
Mike Tyson was very good friends with X. X had come to visit Tyson during his
stint in prison from 1992 to 1995, which blossomed into a close friendship.
Some of X’s creations were central to Tyson. X also created some custom ones
for Tyson to use.
Tyson later said he felt indirectly responsible for X’s death, as he pressured him
into coming to one of his
fi
ghts which ended quickly. He felt that it could have
ended differently for X, if he hadn’t made him come to his
fi
ght that day.
Identify X. How was his work used by Tyson?

100. Tupac Shakur
Tyson used Tupac’s works as entry
music at times.

101. 14.
Published in 1977, the science
fi
ction book _____ __ ___ _____ (5, 2, 3, 5) written by famous
screenwriter, novelist and short-story writer X is also his
fi
rst full-length novel. It derives
its name from a poem by Dylan Thomas written in 1947 and published four years later. X's
most well-known work, however, is instead a series of works made more famous by their
adaptation, and is rather more fantastic than his early writings. Identify X.
The poem that the novel lends it name to also features frequently in a now decade-old
fi
lm
Y. Both the novel and the movie feature are sci-
fi
works featuring themes prominent in the
poem, namely that of resistance against death, a metaphorical struggle against the _____
__ ___ _____, a phrase which you could also use in the moments before sunset. Identify Y.

102. X - G.R.R. Martin
Y - Interstellar
Phrase : Dying of the Light

103. 15.
Desperado is a 1995 American neo-Western action
fi
lm written, co-produced, edited and
directed by Robert Rodriguez. It is the second part of Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy.
This movie featured a cameo by a certain someone, who was a close friend and frequent
collaborator of the director. Robert had originally not planned to make a 3rd one.
However, while on the set for Desperado, this friend encouraged Robert to make the
series a trilogy, with its conclusion on a much larger and epic scale. Who was this friend?
Robert Rodriguez ended up releasing Once Upon a Time in Mexico in 2003. This reduced
the protagonist of the trilogy to an almost secondary character. However, Robert clari
fi
ed
this was intentional and likened this to be his X, another grand-scale, epic conclusion to a
saga that is considered its director’s magnum opus. Identify X.

104. Quentin Tarantino
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

105. Shown here is a painting by X. It was probably
painted during his early days as an artist when he
worked as a commissioned portrait painter before
he transitioned to the style (Y) he is most known
for. Later in his life he clari
fi
ed that a series of
events in his personal life had motivated him to let
go of predominantly western style of painting and
search for more local inspirations.
The art style Y, is a largely rural one and was
developed to depict scenes of religion and local
folklore.
Identify X and Y.
16.

106. Jamini Roy
(Kalighat) Pattachitra

107. 17.
In Despicable Me(2010), Gru goes to the Bank of Evil to get funds for building
his rocket to steal the moon. The director of the Bank of Evil, Mr. Perkins
(pictured on the next slide), resembles PHB from Y. PHB is a
fi
ctional boss who
is extremely stupid and oblivious to his own actions. He of
fi
cially doesn’t have
a name, because the author wanted readers to be able to more effectively
compare him to their own workplace managers.
Identify Y.

109. Lehmann Brothers
Dilbert

110. This is a beach in Cyprus, which is famously
known as a setting for a mythological event and
in a MELA quiz, a mythological painting. One of
the bigger rocks is named after the subject of the
painting, apparently due to excessive foaming at
the base of these rocks. Fittingly enough, many
couples are spotted on the beach, on
honeymoons, for wedding photoshoots and
otherwise.
Identify the mythological event OR the name of
the painting.
18.

111. The Birth of Venus
Accept : Aphrodite rising from the sea
or any allusions to this myth

112. 19.
In the cold open for the
fi
rst show of The Tonight Show, in 2009, Conan O’ Brien was
shown going over a list of things that needed to be done, but realising he was still in
New York, where NBC used to shoot Late Night. After trying, and failing, to catch a
taxi cab, he ran across the country through such places as Amish Country, Wrigley
Field in Chicago, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Teton Range, Las Vegas and the
deserts of Arizona before arriving at Universal Studios to host the show.
This was recently cited as an inspiration, where the director said “This is such a weird
reference, but remember when Conan started on The Tonight Show? He did a really fun
sketch going cross country. That has always stuck with me.”
What did this sketch serve as an inspiration for?

113. Paris Olympics
Handover Ceremony

114. 20.
It is a peculiar fact that X has also co-written a
fi
lm. However, if one watches
the 1976
fi
lm, then it is rather obvious that X is the person with the best
understanding of the subject matter.
The
fi
lm follows the developments in a small village in Gujarat, inspired by
events that occurred a few years prior. The
fi
lm resonated closely with the
people affected by these events. For this reason, all the members of a union of
500,000 people rather directly contributed towards the
fi
lms creation. The
creation of this union was a consequence of the events that the
fi
lm depicts, in
which X played an important role. Identify X.

115. Verghese Kurien
The
fi
lm being Manthan

116. 21.
Captured on the next slide is one of the
fi
nal scenes of The Wizard (1989).
The basic plot of this movie was based off of a 1975 movie which was in turn an adaptation of
a music album/ opera of sorts (1969), which follows a child with a troubled upbringing, who
ultimately becomes a pinball champion and a messianic
fi
gure. (An excerpt from this piece of
art is captured on the next to next slide). Which group’s music inspired the 1975 movie ?
The idea for this movie came to producers initially as a marketing stunt. Due to semiconductor
shortages (yes even in 1989), a major corporation was not able to release something in the
USA, while it had done so in other parts of the world.This movie was ultimately created to
generate hype and act as a “release advertisement” of sorts for this product, which is revealed
in the
fi
nal scene. What was this movie touted as an advertisement for ?

119. The Who
Mario

120. 22.
Portrait of a Lady is a 1915 poem by poet X, which takes its named directly from the
1881 novel by Henry James. While not the only 20th-century poet to do so, X is
de
fi
nitely the most famous. Identify X, associate of individuals such as George
Pushdragon, Pettipaws and Wiscus.
The epigraph of the poem features the line
"Thou hast committed - / Fornication: but that was in another country, / And besides,
the wench is dead." from Christopher Marlowe’s 1590 play The Jew from Malta. There
are debates on whether this play inspired another in the following years; one of the
counterarguments says that even the oft-compared principal characters do not share
anything except their faith. What is the second play?

121. T.S. Eliot
The Merchant of Venice

122. 23.
A veteran director was tasked with a
fi
lm project in the 2000s. While researching for the
fi
lm,
the director was inspired while reading the memoirs of people tasked with what was
essentially a suicide mission. He decided to split the 80 million dollar budget of the
fi
lm as
he felt that he could not do justice to the source materials with just one
fi
lm. Interestingly
enough, the secondary
fi
lm (or so to say) had a better critical reception than the originally
intended one. Filming took place majorly in Iceland and California as they were not allowed
to shoot extensively on location. What was the rationale behind making two movies
instead of one ? / Explain the difference between the two movies.
The poster of one of the movies features a zoomed out version of one of the most famous
photographs related to the content and in general one of the most famous photographs of
the 20th century. Which photo features on one of the posters ?

123. Raising the flag on Iwo
Jima
The two movies are told from the
American and Japanese perspective
respectively.

124. 24.
In the Star Wars Universe, the MSE-6 series repair droids, also known as ____
droids, were used to clean
fl
oors and carry messages.
A short story in the anthology “From a Certain Point of View”, written by Glen
Weldon, focuses on the point of view of MSE-6-G735Y, an MSE-6 series repair
droid aboard the Death Star.
It was named by replacing a single word in a 1937 novella, which was named after
the author read a poem by Robert Burns. The poem and the novella share themes
of impermanence of home and the harshness of life for the most vulnerable.
What was the short story called?

126. Of MSE-6 and Men

127. There is something to be said about Julian
Casablancas’s admiration for a particular artist.
One of the more apparent references to the artist in
this photo where Casablancas (to the right) is
wearing gloves inspired by the artist’s colour
palette.
As if this photo wasn’t obvious enough, there is a
video attached on the next slide which shows a
performance by The Voidz, which is led by
Casablancas. For arriving to the answer, simply see
the background picture than they play this song to.
Identify the Artist.
25.

129. Piet Mondrian