MELA Quiz QM: Shambhavi Gupta

1. Pop Culture ka M.E.L.A.
POP CULTURE adka
M.E.L.A.
A Music, Entertainment, Arts and
Literature Quiz
QM: Shambhavi Gupta
Q-Frat, HBTU Kanpur

2. WEIRD RULES THAT NO ONE
CARES ABOUT (But Should):
1. 42 might be the answer to everything in the Universe but it
answers none of the questions in this quiz. Kindly refrain from
answering that.
2. There are no direct questions. You will have to pounce to answer.
3. Once you pounce, there’s no taking it back. You will have to
answer.
4. Part points will be awarded as per the discretion of the QM.
5. Hints will not be given if more than one team objects to it.
6. ‘Something about the QM being the saviour of humanity yadda
yadda’

3. MARKING SCHEME:
+20/-10 for all questions until mentioned
otherwise.
+40/-30 for star marked questions.
Part Points up for grabs in most of the
questions but their division is up to the
QM.

5. 1.
In the Heroes of Olympus Series by Rick Riordan, the title
character Percy jokingly remarks, “What if we promoted, like,
Adidas shoes? Would that make X mad enough to show up?“
while waiting for a Greek Goddess X to arrive. This is a pun on
present day brand rivalry.
X was the goddess of Victory in Greek mythology, depicted as
having wings, hence her alternative name "Winged Goddess".
She was the daughter of the Titan Pallas and the goddess
Styx, sister of Kratos (power), Bia (Force) and Zelus (zeal).
Identify X.

8. 2.
In 2010, the Culpeper County, Virginia school system banned the 50th
Anniversary "Definitive Edition" of X, due to "complaints about its sexual
content and homosexual themes.” This version "includes passages
previously excluded from the widely read original edition...Some of the
extra passages detail the protagonist’s emerging sexual desires; others
include unflattering descriptions of the protagonist’s mother and other
people living together."
After consideration, it was decided a copy of the newer version would
remain in the library and classes would revert to using the older, non-
controversial version of this popular book.
X was first published under the title Het Achterhuis.
Identify X and its Author.

11. 3.
MOVIE MAGIC, BITE SIZED: MINIATURE
PAINTINGS OF MOVIE POSTERS
Turkish design student Murat Palta recreated scenes of some
movies as Turkish Miniature paintings.
The following questions will depict the paintings and you have
to identify the movies based on the scene depicted. +40 if
you get all correct.

12. A

13. B

14. C

15. D

17. A

18. INCEPTION

19. B

20. THE SHINING

21. C

22. INTERSTELLAR

23. D

24. KILL BILL VOLUME 1

25. 4.
X is a Canadian actor, author, producer, and director. In his
seven decades of television, X became a cultural icon for his
portrayal of the Captain of the USS Enterprise, in the Star
Trek franchise.
From 2004 to 2008, he starred as an attorney in a Legal
Drama Y in which his character is a notorious womanizer who
is known for using his name as a catchphrase and has
Alzheimer's disease.
Identify X and Y.

27. X – William Shatner
Y – Boston Legal
The character is Denny Crane.

28. *5.
The 5th episode of Season 16 of The Simpsons has a title
which is very pertinent to one of the most significant
historical events of all time.
According to Matt Groening, one of the creators of the show,
the first half of the title pertains to Homer Simpson and the
second half of the title pertains to Bart Simpson. Also, before
the episode first aired, Matt Groening purchased the domain
www.nuclear-secrets.com but never created a website.
Name the title of the episode.

30. Fat Man and Little Boy

31. 6.
Below is an audio clip. Simply, give
me the name of the song and the
singer. Also, tell me where have you
heard this in the context of Indian
Politics?

33. We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel

34. 7.
I’ll BE THERE FOR YOU:
FAMOUS FRIENDSHIPS
The following questions pertain to famous celebrity friendships in
the World of Music, Entertainment, Literature and Arts.
You have to guess both people in the pair. An additional +30 if you
get all correct.

35. A.
X was an English author, scriptwriter and humorist. X’s official
Biography shares its name with Y’s song, “Wish You Were
Here”. X was good friends with Y’s lead guitarist, Z and on his
42th birthday, X was invited to make a guest appearance at
one of Y’s concerts, playing Guitar.
X chose the name for Y’s 1994 album, “The Division Bell”. Z
performed at X’s memorial in 2001 and what would have
been his 60th birthday in 2012.
Identify X and Y. Bonus if you can tell me Z.

36. B.
La Grenouillere by X is a perfect example of French
Impressionism. Interestingly enough, it is the perfect painting
with which to compare his style with that of his close friend, Y
who actually founded the school as they both painted the
very same scene from different perspectives.
La Grenouillere, which means “frog pond” in French, was a
popular resort for young working class Parisians to relax. Also,
a popular spot with artists, Y actually lived by the La
Grenouillere and it was upon a visit by X that the two painted
the Scene.
Identify X and Y.
The paintings are shown in the following slides.

37. x

38. Y

39. C.
It’s been more than 20 years since X and Y met on the sets of Z, and
while that onscreen relationship ended tragically and with a lot of tears
and jokes from the audience, X and Y’s real life friendship is truly
something enviable.
From being each others’ support systems and biggest admirers, X and Y
went onto star in the 2008 film Revolutionary Road.
X walked Y down the aisle for her wedding to Ned Rocknroll. Y refused
to boycott the 2016 Oscars over the lack of diverse nominees, telling
BBC, “I feel strongly that it may possibly be X’s year and he is my closest
friend in the world, and I just couldn’t imagine not being there to
support him”. And sure enough, 2016 was X’s year.
Identify X and Y.

41. A.
X was an English author, scriptwriter and humorist. X’s official
Biography shares its name with Y’s song, “Wish You Were
Here”. X was good friends with Y’s lead guitarist, Z and on his
42th birthday, X was invited to make a guest appearance at
one of Y’s concerts, playing Guitar on the songs, “Brain
Damage” and “Eclipse”.
X chose the name for Y’s 1994 album, “The Division Bell”. Z
performed at X’s memorial in 2001 and what would have
been his 60th birthday in 2012.
Identify X and Y.

42. Douglas Adams & Pink Floyd

43. B.
La Grenouillere by X is a perfect example of French
Impressionism. Interestingly enough, it is the perfect painting
with which to compare his style with that of his close friend, Y
who actually founded the school as they both painted the
very same scene from different perspectives.
La Grenouillere, which means “frog pond” in French, was a
popular resort for young working class Parisians to relax. Also,
a popular spot with artists, Y actually lived by the La
Grenouillere and it was upon a visit by X that the two painted
the Scene.
Identify X and Y.
The paintings are shown in the following slides.

44. x

45. Y

46. Pierre-Auguste Renoir & Claude Monet

47. C.
It’s been more than 20 years since X and Y met on the sets of Z, and
while that onscreen relationship ended tragically and with a lot of tears
and jokes from the audience, X and Y’s real life friendship is truly
something enviable.
From being each others’ support systems and biggest admirers, X and Y
went onto star in the 2008 film Revolutionary Road.
X walked Y down the aisle for her wedding to Ned Rocknroll. Y refused
to boycott the 2016 Oscars over the lack of diverse nominees, telling
BBC, “I feel strongly that it may possibly be X’s year and he is my closest
friend in the world, and I just couldn’t imagine not being there to
support him”. And sure enough, 2016 was X’s year.
Identify X and Y.

48. Leonardo Dicaprio & Kate Winslet

49. *8.
X is an Indian-American Film director and screenwriter. He is known for
making films with contemporary Supernatural plots and twist endings.
X was slated to direct Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Life
of Pi but the decisions were reconsidered due to audience expectations
from X’s films being dark and having some macabre ending or theme.
In 2004, X was involved in a media hoax with Sci-Fi Channel, wherein
Sci-Fi channel in their documentary special, shot on the set of X’s film
The Village, claimed that as a child, X had been dead for nearly half an
hour while drowned in a frozen pond in an accident, and that upon
being rescued, he had experiences of communicating with spirits,
fuelling an obsession with the supernatural. In truth, X had developed
the hoax for promotional purposes of his film, The Village. Identify X.

51. M. Night Shyamalan

52. 9.
This hit show, in one of its episodes, translates a Monty Python quote
into X, a language used by a certain group in the show.
This quote from the comedy sketch ‘Monty Python and The Holy Grail’
is actually being used to insult Y, one of the most prominent characters
of the show. The character who utters it is under the impression that Y
does not understand the language being spoken.
The sharp-eared fans initially thought that the insult was a ‘Yo Mamma’
joke (which is very ironical considering the character Y) eventually
concluding that the actual translation was, “Your mother is a hamster
and your father smelled of elderberries”.
Identify the show, X and Y.

54. GAME OF THRONES
X – Low Valyrian
Y – Danerys Targayrean or Mhysa
(Mother)

56. 10.
“Hey hey, My My (Into the Black)” is a song written by
Canadian musician Neil Young. This song apart from
revitalizing Young’s career at the time, served a very
important purpose in pop culture history.
A phrase, taken from the acoustic version of the song,
became infamous after X’s front man Y quoted it in a now
infamous letter.
Neil Young was so shaken that he dedicated his 1994 album
‘Sleeps with Angels’ to Y.
Identify the phrase. Bonus if you tell me X and Y.

58. Its better to burn out than to
fade away
X – Nirvana
Y – Kurt Cobain

59. *11.
This is a non-exhaustive list of what?
•Fun Toy Banned Because Of Three Stupid Dead Kids
•Pope Francis Worried About Job Security After Butting Heads
With New God
•Bush: ‘Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity
Is Finally Over’
•Wealthy Teen Nearly Experiences Consequence
•Five Or Six Dudes Jump Out Of Nowhere And Just Start
Whaling On This One Guy
•I Am Like A Chocoholic, But For Booze
•Gay Teen Worried That He Might Be A Christian
•Why Do All These Homosexuals Keep Sucking My C**k?
•Rotation Of Earth Throws The Entire North American
Continent Into Darkness

61. This is a list of Articles
by The Onion

62. 12.
This Bangalore based artist derives its sound from
classical Indian Music, old Indian film music and audio
recordings taken from the streets of Mumbai to sounds
collected in the remote parts of the Country.
Mixing the sounds of India with Hip-Hop compositions
has appealed to a wide variety of listeners, both within
the country and abroad.
Identify the Artist.

64. MALFNKTION

65. 13.
Aliases: Supreme Leader of all Leaders on the Earth, King of Kings, Chief
Ophthalmologist, Brilliant Genius
Occupation: De Facto head of State of the Socialist Republic of X
Appointed By: Chief Advisor
Skills: Leadership, Tyranny, Trash Talk, Vast Wealth
Hobbies: Ruling, Having Sex
Records: Having sex with over a 1000 women (and possibly, 2 little boys)
Which fictional character will have this biodata?

67. His Highness, His
Excellency, The
Supreme Leader Of All
Wadiyans, Admiral
General Hafez
Alladeen, By The
Grace Of Allah And
Unanimous
Acclamation Of The
People, Beloved
Oppressor, President
And Prime Minister

68. 14.
This novel, published in the year 2013, won the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
The artist credited with the cover art of the novel,
however, is Carel Fabritius, Rembrandt’s most
promising pupil, who died in the Delft explosion of
1654. The novel and Fabritius’ artwork share the
same name.
Identify the Novel and its author using the
information given above.

70. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

71. 15.
X has 18 members, who are elected for life. The academy makes the
annual decision on the winner of this prize in literature.
X came into extreme scrutiny in 2016 when it declared Y as the winner
of the prize as many people thought that it did not make any sense for X
to be the recipient.
X was shaken up with a sexual misconduct scandal in 2018, called by
many as the #MeToo of the Literary Circle, following which X was so torn
up with scandals and investigations that it could not meet the required
quorum of 12 members to decide the winner of the 2018 prize, as a
result of which there will be no prize handed out this year and instead,
two winners will be chosen in 2019. This has been seen as damaging to
the credibility of the prize.
Identify X and the Prize. Bonus for Y.

73. The Swedish Academy
The Nobel Prize in Literature
Y is Bob Dylan, who was awarded
the Nobel Prize in Literature in
2016.

74. 16.
POP SONNETS
The following questions depict popular pop songs as
they would have been written in Shakespearean
English in Sonnet form.
Identify the songs and the artists. +30 if you get all
correct.

75. A

76. B

77. C

79. A

80. UPTOWN FUNK
MARK RONSON FT. BRUNO
MARS

81. B

82. BOHEMIAN RAPHSODY
QUEEN

83. C

84. SINGLE LADIES (PUT A
RING ON IT)
BEYONCE

85. *17. Connect.

87. ANDY WARHOL

88. *18. Minimalistic representation of what critically
acclaimed work in Indian Cinema?

90. The Elements Trilogy by Deepa Mehta

91. 19.
This critically acclaimed English author (image on next slide) is
famous for his DC Comics series The Sandman and his
collaborative work with Terry Pratchett.
In April 2018, he made an appearance as himself on the TV
Show X where his fictional tweet about the show’s fictional
comic book store becomes the central theme of the episode.
The fictional tweet goes as such:
“Next time you’re in Pasadena, check out the Comic Center.
Great Vibe. Old School. The owner really knows his stuff.”
Identify the author and the TV Show.

93. Neil Gaiman
The Big Bang Theory

94. 20.
How did an uncomfortable bus journey and a coin toss
deny Pop Culture immortality to Waylon Jennings and
Tommy Allsup respectively?

96. Waylon Jennings gave up his seat to Big Bopper because he had
the flu and Tommy Allsup lost his seat to Ritchie Valens in a coin
toss on the chartered plane that crashed, killing Buddy Holly,
Ritchie Valens and Big Bopper on the fateful day that music
died...

97. 21.
This Indian Graphic Designer shot into popularity with
his Minimal Bollywood Posters.
Working with a major brand, he created a lot of hue
and cry when he used some reactionary cuss words
deeply embedded in the Indian Psyche in a Marketing
Campaign that went viral on social media.
Identify the Designer and the Brand.

99. Akshar Pathak
Zomato

100. *22.
This 1995 animated film by Mamoru Oshii adapted from the Manga of
the same name was in many ways a revolution. It explored the concepts
of evolution, identity and the human soul, set in a moody, intricately
designed cyberpunk Japan.
Every ounce of stylization in this film is used to serve its themes and the
story, which became a rallying point for fans when the live action re-
adaptation of this film directed by Rupert Sanders was released in 2017,
which received largely negative reviews primarily because the fans
thought that in a shallow effort, filmmakers focused on the aesthetic
due to which they ended up compromising on the themes of the movie,
making it less human and more of a pointless and pretentious
adaptation of a great movie.
Identify the movie.

102. GHOST IN THE SHELL

103. 23.
Investigative journalist Edwin Black released his book “X and the
Holocaust: The Strategic Alliance between Nazi Germany and America’s
Most Powerful Corporation” in 2001. It details the business dealings of X
with the Hitler government. X’s technology helped facilitate Nazi
Genocide through generation and tabulation of punch cards based
upon National Census Data.
Following that, a claim was filed in the US federal court against X for
allegedly providing the punched card technology that facilitated the
Holocaust as it was used by the Nazis in concentration camps to quantify
citizen information and covering up its subsidiaries role in the Holocaust.
X has never directly denied any of the evidence posed by the book.
Identify X.

105. IBM

106. 24.
In this 1971 Stanley Kubrick movie adapted from an Anthony
Burgess novel of the same name, the protagonist goes
through an experimental procedure to develop an aversion to
his inclination towards violence and sex.
The procedure is basically aversion therapy, in which the
protagonist was injected with nausea inducing drugs while
watching graphically violent films, eventually conditioning him
to get sick at the mere thought of violence.
However, as an un-intended consequence of the procedure,
the protagonist develops an aversion for a piece of classical
music that he really loved, rendering him unable to enjoy it.
Give me the name of this movie/novel and tell me the piece
of classic music that the protagonist develops an aversion to.

108. CLOCKWORK ORANGE
The protagonist developed an aversion to
Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, 4th Movement.