KQA Mega-Whats National Face-Off - Finals

Mega-Whats 2014
The 5th National Open Quizzing Championships
Conducted by
The Karnataka Quiz Association
Est. 1983
Set by
Arun Hiregange and Kiran Vijayakumar

The Rules
1. +10/-5 on the pounce; +10 on the bounce
2. Part points available on the pounce
3. If you give one part correct and one part
wrong, you get -5
4. If you just attempt one part and if you’re
wrong, you get -5
5. If you just attempt one part and if you’re
right, you get +5 (or as the case maybe)

The Design
Three rounds:
I. Written  5
II. Clockwise  24
III. Written  5
IV. Anti-clockwise  24

1
This dark-blue colour, that also gives its name to this
butterfly, gets its name from a person famous for his
collection of diamonds that he willed to the French
crown. You might also be familiar with his name in a
literary context relating to purloined gems. Identify him.

2
Identify the person.
[Audio removed]

3
Identify this location.
[Video removed]

3
Hazrat Nizamuddin’s dargah.

4
It all started in 1965 with a gift of one item from
the Hungarian ambassador to India. Later
contributions came from people like Madame Tito,
Queen Fredrika of Greece, the Queen of Thailand,
the sister of the Shah of Iran, the wives of the
Presidents of Mexico and Indonesia and so on.
What?

5
What is
blanked out
on this first-
day cover?
The lady is a
clue.

1
Different species of sharks (bull, leopard, tiger,
nurse, hammer head, whale, milk, seal, epaulette).

2
Coober Predy golf course in Australia has absolutely no
grass, so golfers carry around their own small patch of
grass to tee off from. It also holds the distinction of
being the only one in the world to have reciprocal rights
with The Royal and Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews,
Scotland. This sounds strange for a tiny club, but in
exchange the town of Coober Predy had to give the
rights to something to the Royal Ancient, something for
which the town is called the “____ capital of the world”.
Fill the blank with a word of Sanskrit origin.

3
This person was elected to the 4th (1967) and 5th
(1971) Lok Sabha for Barmer constituency in
Rajasthan, representing the Indian National
Congress. In the 6th (1977) Lok Sabha he was
elected from Pali consituency, representing the
Janata Party. His Lok Sabha profile indicates that
he translated the works of Gorky, Stalin, Lenin and
Mao. However, what is he most famous for?

3
Amrit Nahata, director of Kissa Kursi Ka.

4
Calaf is an unknown prince who falls in love at first
sight with a beautiful but cold princess. Any man who
wants to marry her has to answer her 3 riddles. If he
fails, he will be beheaded. Calaf has already answered
the 3 riddles correctly. But she still recoils at the
thought of marriage, so he offers her a chance to avoid
it by challenging her to guess his name by dawn. If she
does so, she can execute him - but if she does not, she
must marry him. The cruel princess then orders her
subjects to not rest until his name is discovered. If they
fail, all will be killed. Calaf, while sitting alone in the
moonlit palace gardens, hears the palace officials
proclaiming her orders. What does he do at this point?

4
He sings Nessun Dorma
(“None shall sleep”).

5
Quadruple song connect.
[Audios removed]

5
All picturized at UNESCO World Heritage sites
(Fatehpur Sikri, Chittorgarh Fort, Ellora Caves,
Qutub Minar).

6 What instruction accompanies this xkcd cartoon?

6
To be sung to the tune of Modern Major-General
Song.

7
Which 1913 book, written by an English economist,
humourist and artist who was Deputy Lieutenant of the City
of London and governor of the Bank of England, opens with
these lines about the title character, a monster?
“Far! Far away, the ____ lives, in a land which only children
can go to. It is a wonderful land of funny flowers, and
birds, and hills of pure white heather. The ____ has a
beautiful garden which is guarded night and day. All
through the day he sleeps in a pool of water in the center
of the garden; but when the night comes, he slowly crawls
out of the pool and silently prowls around for food.
All the birds try to avoid the ____, because they don’t like
him and he frightens them; but some of them he can never
catch, especially those with the red beaks.”

8
The British seventh armoured division saw service
in North Africa during the Second World War and
were famously known by this nickname, coming
from their insignia. This animal is now a popular
pet (left) whose name comes from the diminutive
form of an unrelated desert rodent (right). Name
both animals.

9
The individual gets the help of a monitor
displaying a traffic light. For the first 75 seconds,
the traffic light shows a green light, which then
changes to yellow/orange. Also at this point a
timer is shown to count down the remaining time.
At the 30 second mark, the traffic light switches to
red. The countdown continues and during this
phase no communication is allowed. What are we
talking about?

9
Scripps National Spelling Bee.

10
Listen carefully and figure out from whose
viewpoint is this sung or what it is about.
[Audio removed]
Also fill the blanks in this extract from its lyrics:
“The law don't mean shit if you've got the right
friends
That's how the country's run
____ are the best friend I've ever had
I fought the law And I won
I fought the law and I won”

10
Dan White who killed Harvey Milk.
The lyrics go: “Twinkies are the best friend I've
ever had”.

11
Some say it is the only mountain in the world with
more than 900 temples. Most of them are
administered by the Anandji Kalyanji Trust. Which
place and who/what does the trust get its name
from?

11
Palitana.
Anandji Kalyanji Trust  “joy and welfare” of all.

12
“On human odour, malaria mosquitoes, and ____”,
The Lancet, Volume 348, Issue 9037, Page 1322,
by Bart G.J. Knols.
The food item blanked out in the title of this
interesting medical paper often makes it to lists of
the world’s stinkiest food items. Unlike most other
items on such lists it is not related to fermented or
putrefied seafood. So what food item is this?

13
In what way did this German-Austrian paediatrician
lend his name to each of these Nobel prize winning
works?
1958: Bacterial sex, and other ways bacteria can share
genes with one another
1959: DNA replication, how life copies its genetic code
1965: Gene regulation, how genes are turned on or off
1968: The genetic code, the language in which our DNA
is written
1969: Virus replication, how viruses reproduce inside
cells
1978: Restriction enzymes, cellular "scissors" that
allow scientists to cut DNA

13
1980: Recombinant DNA, the creation of the first
genetically engineered DNA
1989: RNA as an enzyme, additional roles for RNA
discovered
1997: ATP generation, how cells make ATP, the
energy molecule that powers life
1999: Signal sequences on proteins, one way that
cells organize themselves
2008: Green fluorescent protein, a tag scientists
use to track cell components

13
All these Nobel prize winning studies were done
using E. coli which are named after Theodor
Escherich.

14
We know about the countries which depict their
map on their national flags. There is another
national flag which uses an asymmetric yellow
triangle in the approximate shape of the country.
Apart from this, the three points of the triangle are
understood to stand for the three constituent
people of the country. The stars are meant to be
run infinitely and so they drop off the top and
bottom edges. Which country?

15
There are other species of this animal e.g. Baird’s,
Brazilian and Mountain that are typically brown /
grey / black. The one found in this habitat has
different colouring from the others, having a
distinctive white saddle-shaped marking on its
back which is said to help it pass off as a large
rock in its forest habitat. Which animal?

16
Both come from “scaph” meaning “ship”
(bathyscaphe, scaphoid bone).

17
This test is used to detect a specific DNA
sequence in DNA samples. Other subsequent
methods employ similar principles but use RNA or
protein and have all been named as take-offs on
the original test, which meant that they all ended
up with geographical names. Few probably know
that the original test was named after a British
biologist Edwin _____ and has no geographical
origins at all. What was the original test or just
name a few of these tests?

17
Southern Blot Test after Edwin Southern.
Others are called Northern Blot, Western Blot etc.

18
For the fiftieth anniversary of the Dagger Awards,
a one-time award was given to this Golden Dagger
winner regarded as the stand-out among all fifty
winners over the history of the Crime Writers'
Association. Identify the book, about which The
Guardian observed: “The paradox at the end of this
superb, tough, highly sophisticated novel is that
the protagonist, in refusing to [title], does in fact
[title] as a person. His destruction is coincidental
with his attainment. In his deliberate orchestration
of his death he shows that he is a human being.”

18
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le
Carré.

19
Jenny (Spinning Jenny, Inverted Jenny, Jenny
sail).

20
Which surname originates from Marathi words for
“family” and “writer”, because the ____ was a
village official under the headman who kept the
public records for the village? The post used to be
hereditary and often included keeping village
accounts and agricultural tax records.
Clue: the only Indian to record a certain feat in
Test cricket.

20
Kulkarni, from “kula” (family) “karna/karni”
(writer).

21
The original design included a revolving support
that would allow both sides to be viewed. This
explains why the hollow inside is more complex
than one would expect: there is a depiction of
electrons orbiting an atom around one eye and a
symbol of a screen around another. This modern
reverse side and the classical front taken from
tragicomedy are intended to show the two faces of
this industry. What are we talking about?

22
What does the letter ‘x’ denote when prefixed to
the species in a binomial scientific name?
e.g. Citrus ×sinensis, Drosera ×anglica

23
Emily Dickinson wrote a poem deriding the clichés that
the education system used to teach children. The
opening verses went like this:
Sic transit gloria mundi
___________________,
Dum vivimus vivamus,
I stay my enemy!
Oh veni vidi vici!
Oh caput cap-a-pie!
And oh "memento mori"
When I am far from thee.

23
The blanked-out line is taken from the title of a
poem which parodied in a 19th century work,
where its subject was changed from an insect to a
reptile. What is the blanked-out line?

23
How doth the (little) busy bee.
Lewis Carroll changed it to "How Doth the Little
Crocodile" in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

24
Ice9 is described by Kurt Vonnegut in Cat’s Cradle as a
fictional material with a freezing point well above
ambient under normal atmospheric pressure. It was
reportedly cooked up by a Nobel prize winner, famous
for his work on surface chemistry and molecular
structures, to entertain H. G. Wells when he visited
General Electric's research laboratories in Schenectady
in the 1930s. Vonnegut heard about this when he
himself briefly worked in GE later. "I thought to myself:
'Finders, keepers,'" Vonnegut later recalled—"'the idea is
mine.'" Who was the surface chemist?

1
In her 1977 autobiography, Agatha Christie revealed
that the basic idea of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was
first given to her by her brother-in-law, James Watts of
Abney Hall, who suggested a novel in which the
criminal would be “a Dr. Watson character”. In March
1924, she received an unsolicited letter with an idea
that mirrored the Watts suggestion. She wrote the book
but kept firmly to a plotline of her invention. In
December 1969, the sender of the earlier letter wrote
for a second time after having seen a performance of
The Mousetrap. He mentioned his earlier letter and
Christie replied acknowledging the part he played in the
conception of the book. Who was the sender of the
letters spaced 45 years apart?

2
Quoting Wikipedia: “The ____ of Belgium and
France is a group of 56 historical buildings
designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, in
recognition of an architectural manifestation of
emerging civic independence in historic Flanders
and neighbouring regions from feudal and
religious influences, leading to a degree of local
democracy of great significance in the history of
humankind.” What single word fills up the blank?
Examples of buildings follow.

3
This simple microscope was his first commercially
successful product. His collaboration with
physicist Ernst Abbe and chemist Otto Schott
helped him make compound microscopes and
then into other optical instruments. A company
named after him exists to this date. Who?

4
A ____ lens is an ultra wide-angle lens that
produces strong visual distortion intended to
create a wide panoramic or hemispherical image.
It works based on a phenomenon known as Snell's
window. What term, inspired by a view from
beneath the water, coined in 1906 by American
physicist and inventor Robert W. Wood are we
looking for?

5
In 1869, how/where did Norman Lockyer use the missing word from this 1823
William Wordsworth poem?
A volant Tribe of Bards on earth are found,
Who, while the flattering Zephyrs round them play,
On "coignes of vantage" hang their nests of clay;
How quickly from that aery hold unbound,
Dust for oblivion! To the solid ground
Of ____ trusts the Mind that builds for aye;
Convinced that there, there only, she can lay
Secure foundations. As the year runs round,
Apart she toils within the chosen ring;
While the stars shine, or while day's purple eye
Is gently closing with the flowers of spring;
Where even the motion of an Angel's wing
Would interrupt the intense tranquillity
Of silent hills, and more than silent sky.

5
For the title of Nature journal.

1
Tirumalamba, a poet of the Vijayanagara Empire
wrote Varadambica Parinayam, the story of
marriage of King Achyuta Deva Raya. In this
Sanskrit work, one will come across a section
which can be translated as shown here. What is
the significance or claim to fame of this section?

1
“In it, the distress, caused by thirst, to travellers, was
alleviated by clusters of rays of the bright eyes of the girls;
the rays that were shaming the currents of light, sweet and
cold water charged with the strong fragrance of
cardamom, clove, saffron, camphor and musk and flowing
out of the pitchers (held in) the lotus-like hands of maidens
(seated in) the beautiful water-sheds, made of the thick
roots of vetiver mixed with marjoram, (and built near) the
foot, covered with heaps of couch-like soft sand, of the
clusters of newly sprouting mango trees, which constantly
darkened the intermediate space of the quarters, and
which looked all the more charming on account of the
trickling drops of the floral juice, which thus caused the
delusion of a row of thick rainy clouds, densely filled with
abundant nectar."

1
The longest word ever to appear in worldwide
literature.
"nirantarāndhakāritā-digantara-kandaladamanda-
sudhārasa-bindu-sāndratara-ghanāghana-vr̥nda-
sandehakara-syandamāna-makaranda-bindu-
bandhuratara-mākanda-taru-kula-talpa-kalpa-mr̥dula-
sikatā-jāla-jaṭila-mūla-tala-maruvaka-miladalaghu-
laghu-laya-kalita-ramaṇīya-pānīya-śālikā-bālikā-
karāra-vinda-galantikā-galadelā-lavaṅga-pāṭala-
ghanasāra-kastūrikātisaurabha-medura-laghutara-
madhura-śītalatara-saliladhārā-nirākariṣṇu-tadīya-
vimala-vilocana-mayūkha-rekhāpasārita-pipāsāyāsa-
pathika-lokān“ is a single word made up of 431 letters.

2
What is the Flemish name for Tintin (in the Belgian
version of the comic)? Why is it considered as one
of the most apt translations of his name?

2
Kuifje. It is the diminutive form of “kuif" meaning a
tuft of hair styled straight up at the forehead (i.e.,
a “quiff” in English).

3
Who drew these illustrations for the first edition
(July 1888) of A Study in Scarlet? How did Conan
Doyle pay tribute to him in His Last Bow?

3
Charles Altamont Doyle, Conan Doyle’s father.
The spy alias Sherlock Holmes assumes in the
story is Altamont.

4
How would you connect an annual celebration for
the person in Visual 1 to the model in Visual 2?

4
Fforde Ffiesta, the annual celebration for Jasper
FForde.

5
This colour was introduced by Crayola in 1958 and
got named after place where the basic pigment
originated from. Over the years, teachers began to
worry that children would see the crayon as a
reference to skin colour of Native Americans due
to the name association. In 1999, the name was
changed—but came with a warning to children
that, despite the famous song, these should never
be roasted over an open fire. Identify the old name,
and also the new name that would be familiar to
seasoned quizzers.

6
Joop ter Heul was a fictional character in a series of
five books written for teenage girls by Dutch novelist
Setske de Haan (1889-1948), under the pen name Cissy
van Marxveldt. Joop was high-spirited, headstrong and
stubborn. Names of its characters such as Pop, Phien,
Emmy, Marianne, Jetty, Loutje, Conny and Jackie were
originally used for a series of entries from September
25, 1942 until November 13, 1942. Later, all these were
replaced by possibly another character ____ Francken.
What replacement are we talking about? Who was
inspired by this series of books to make the entries?

6
Anne Frank’s diary. All published versions start the
entries with “Dear Kitty”.

7
The Battle of Chapultepec, in September 1847,
was a United States victory over Mexican forces
holding Chapultepec Castle west of Mexico City
during the Mexican-American War. The Battle of
Derne in 1805 was a United States victory against
the forces of Tripoli during the First Barbary War.
It was the first recorded land battle of the United
States fought overseas. Where can you find these
two engagements commemorated together?

7
The Marines' Hymn or the hymn of the United
States Marine Corps.
“From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
First to fight for right and freedom
And to keep our honor clean;
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marine.”

8
According to a legend (some sources suggest the
specific occasion was the Battle of Largs of 1263),
an invading Norse army was attempting to sneak
up at night upon a Scottish army's encampment.
During this operation one barefoot Norseman had
the misfortune to step upon a ____, causing him to
cry out in pain, thus alerting Scots to the presence
of the Norse invaders. What thus became the
national emblem of Scotland? Where would
quizzers have come across a form of this
symbolism?

8
Thistle. The logo of Encyclopædia Britannica.

9
Edward Byles Cowell was the first professor of Sanskrit
at Cambridge University. From 1856-1867 he lived in
Calcutta as professor of English history at Presidency
College. In March 1857, he discovered a manuscript of
in the Asiatic Society's library and sent a copy to
London for his friend and student who then translated
it. A part of it was first published in the Calcutta Review
(1858). In January 1859, the complete translation was
published as a pamphlet anonymously. It attracted no
attention till 1861, when Dante Gabriel Rossetti
discovered it. Later day writers like Nevil Shute, James
Michener, Agatha Christie and Eugene O’Neill borrowed
titles of their works from it. Who and what work?

9
Edward FitzGerald. The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam.

10
The palace gets its common name from the 122
horses that are carved into the wooden wall
brackets that support its southern roof. What
event is conducted here from 6 to 12 January
every year?

10
Swathi Sangeethotsavam (Swathi Thirunal Music
Festival) at the Kuthira Malika Palace,
Thiruvananthapuram.

11
What connects the following phrases: caught red-
handed, cold shoulder, blood is thicker than water,
flotsam and jetsam, go berserk, infra dig, lock,
stock and barrel, savoir faire, strain at the leash,
the apple of my eye, the back of beyond, tongue in
cheek and wide berth?

11
All were coined/popularized by Sir Walter Scott.

12
It was once assumed that oysters were only safe
to eat in the summer months of the year. This
myth is based in truth, in that in the Northern
Hemisphere, oysters are much more likely to spoil
in May, June, July, and August when there is no
refrigeration. Another reason has to do with red
tides, vast blooms of algae that collect along
coastlines, usually in warm weather. They can
spread toxins that are soaked up by oysters, clams
and mussels. What mnemonic was devised for
people to remember the safe months?

12
Oysters were only safe to eat in months with the
letter ‘r’ in their English and French names.

13
From the tracks of the Mars Curiosity Rover. What
are these curiously shaped patterns? What
purpose do they serve (other than help in
maintaining traction)?

13
Morse code for “JPL”. The pattern is used by on-
board cameras to judge the distance traveled.

14
Two words, both meaning “country bumpkin”, owe
their origins to typical names used by awkward
provincial people. The English one was used as
early as the mid-sixteenth century. The German
one was used much later, probably in the
nineteenth century. But we know it for a
completely different connotation it took in the
twentieth century. Identify both words and the
respective names from which they originated.

14
Hick from Richard.
Nazi from Ignatius/Ignatz.

15
Each of the five known manuscript copies of it is
named for the person who received it from the
main person associated with it. A copy was given
to each of his private secretaries, John Nicolay
and John Hay. The other three copies, the Everett,
Bancroft, and Bliss copies, were written by for
charitable purposes later. In part because he
provided a title and signed and dated the Bliss
copy, it has become the standard text. What are we
talking about? It also fills the blank in this program
list.

15
Music, by Birgfeld's Band
Prayer, by Reverend T.H. Stockton, D.D.
Music, by the Marine Band
Oration, by Hon. Edward Everett
Music, Hymn composed by B.B. French, Esq.
____________________
Dirge, sung by Choir selected for the occasion
Benediction, by Reverend H.L. Baugher, D.D.

15
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln.

16
Patriots' Day is celebrated in the USA annually on
the third Monday of April to commemorate the
Battles of Lexington and Concord. Since 1903, the
Boston Red Sox play a home game on this day at
Fenway Park, starting at 11:05 am. Why is this
match held at this particular time?

16
When the game ends, the match crowd empties
into Kenmore Square to cheer as the Boston
Marathon runners as they enter the final mile.

17
Zubin Mehta conducted a historic production of
Tosca in 1992. This production starred Catherine
Malfitano in the title role, Plácido Domingo as
Cavaradossi and Ruggero Raimondi as Baron
Scarpia. Act I was telecast live from Rome's
basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle on Saturday, 11
July, at noon; act II was telecast later that evening
from the Palazzo Farnese at 9:40 p.m.; act III was
telecast live on Sunday, 12 July, at 7:00 am from
the Castel Sant'Angelo, also known as Hadrian's
Tomb. What was so special about this production?

17
Each act took place in the actual setting and at the
actual time specified in the score.

18
These birds in the genus Cephalopterus are found
in rainforests of Central and South America. What
common name is given to them on account of their
colour and appearance, especially the
conspicuous crest on the top of their head and the
long wattle?

19
In USA, there are only 5 natural features with this
peculiarity: Martha's Vineyard (after an extensive local
campaign); Ike's Point in New Jersey (because “it
would be unrecognizable otherwise”); John E's Pond in
Rhode Island (because otherwise it would be confused
as John S Pond); and Carlos Elmer's Joshua View (at
the specific request of the Arizona State Board on
Geographic and Historic Names because “otherwise
three apparently given names in succession would
dilute the meaning”) and Clark’s Mountain in Oregon (at
the request of the Oregon Board to correspond with the
personal references of Lewis and Clark). What are we
talking about?

19
The use of possessive apostrophes in names.

20
In December 2013, the Equality (Titles) Bill was
introduced in the House of Lords by The Lord
Lucas and Dingwall. It was a bill that would end a
measure of gender discrimination and allow for
equal succession of female heirs to hereditary
titles and peerages. (As of now, these can only be
passed to male heirs.) It has had two readings; the
Queen consented to the bill's procession. The UK
press and media saw a parallel in this and gave an
affectionate name to this bill. What?

20
Downton law / Downton Abbey law.
In Downton Abbey, the character of Lady Mary, the
eldest daughter of the drama's fictional earl, was
unable to inherit the family seat because it had to
pass to a male heir.

21
What contest is this person talking about?
[Video removed]

22
What does this set of nine
memorials in Birmingham
commemorate?
Alternatively, what connects
Josiah Wedgwood, Erasmus
Darwin, Samuel Galton,
William Murdock, Matthew
Boulton, James Watt,
Joseph Priestley, James Keir
and William Withering?

23
He signed a two-page-spread ad in the July 31, 1979,
Wall Street Journal with the headline "I was the only
victim of Three-Mile Island". It opened with: “On May 7,
a few weeks after the accident at Three-Mile Island, I
was in Washington. I was there to refute some of that
propaganda that Ralph Nader, ____ and their kind are
spewing to the news media in their attempt to frighten
people away from nuclear power. I am 71 years old,
and I was working 20 hours a day. The strain was too
much. The next day, I suffered a heart attack. You
might say that I was the only one whose health was
affected by that reactor near Harrisburg. No, that would
be wrong. It was not the reactor. It was ____. Reactors
are not dangerous.” Who? Whom did he blame?

23
Dr. Edward Teller. Jane Fonda.

24
In 1949, he wrote a set of humorous verses to
accompany a Columbia Masterworks recording of
this musical work conducted by Andre
Kostelanetz. Recited on the original album by Noël
Coward, they are now often included when the
work is performed. Identify him, the musical work
and the composer with the help of this
introduction.

24
_________________
Was wracked with pains,
When people addressed him,
As ____ ____.
He held the human race to blame,
Because it could not pronounce his name.
So, he turned with metronome and fife,
To glorify other kinds of life.
Be quiet please - for here begins
His salute to feathers, fur, and fins.

24
Ogden Nash.
Carnival of the Animals.
Camille Saint-Saëns.

KQA Mega-Whats National Face-Off - Finals

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