QFI Ender Bender 2014 - IR

1. QFI Ender Bender - 2014
By Srinath Bhashyam

2. The building in picture is a cooperative apartment building
located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central
Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New
York City. It was built between 1880 and 1884, and was
purportedly named because at the time of construction, the
Upper West Side of Manhattan was sparsely inhabited and
considered as remote in relation to the inhabited area of
Manhattan as a particular territory in the U.S. Name this
building and also how did it come into public
consciousness in year 1980?

3. Answer Follows

4. A. Dakota Apartments; Shooting of John Lennon (who used
to live there)

5. Marie Tharp was an American geologist and oceanographer. Her
partnership with another geologist Bruce Heezen, was supposed to be
responsible for causing a paradigm shift in earth science that led to
acceptance of theories of plate tectonics and continental drift. Their
joint studies led to the debunking of a popular theory that was held
about oceans.
What was the theory?
Their subsequent collaboration with an Austrian landscape painter,
Heinrich Berann led the publishing of what first in 1977?

6. Answer Follows

7. A. Theory - Ocean floor was a flat plain of mud; First
scientific map of the ocean floor

8. This location in Australia nicknamed the “Horries” is a popular tourist
destination on the coast of the Kimberley region in Western Australia.
Despite their name referencing another geographical feature found on
rivers , they are actually fast moving tidal flows through two narrow,
closely aligned gorges of the McLarty range.
What two word name is given by locals to this natural phenomenon?

9. Answer Follows

10. A. Horizontal Falls

11. Norway has announced a new design for its passport in 2014
The winning entry, by Oslo design studio Neue, features beautifully
simplified depictions of Norway’s natural landscapes drawn with fine
lines in pastel shades. The cover features a modernised version of the
national crest, stamped in gold on unusually bold colours: either white,
turquoise or red for immigrant, diplomat and standard passports
respectively.
It has also has a unique security feature found on pages such as these
(on the right) - which combines the practicality of modern security (using
UV light) with something closely associated with the country. What is the
feature?

12. Answer Follows

13. A. It shows the Aurora Borealis under UV light

14. A team of researchers at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México in
Mexico City are studying the working of non-Newtonian fluid dynamics through
paintings.
Paint moves according to non-Newtonian laws, say the researchers. Like blood,
paint behaves differently depending on how much of it there is as well as its
viscosity. Leader of the study and engineering professor Roberto Zenit also
compared paint to saliva, which can reenter the mouth after dangling because it
has elastic properties.
"One particular property of viscoelastic fluids is that they oppose a large
resistance to being stretched. Our preliminary results indicate, that, indeed, some
of the blobs in the patterns result from this particular property of non-Newtonian
fluids…"
What have they been studying to establish the results?

15. Answer Follows

16. A. Jackson Pollock’s paintings

17. Who is speaking?
Contrary to popular perception, the person was a very reluctant speaker
due to a self-perceived lack of oral talent – and was also an unashamed
technophobe.
However the prime minister during that time, managed to convince this
person to do the speech, and also came up with a solution to relieve the
king of his anxiety about penning a powerful yet simple message.
The speech was subsequently praised not only for its delivery but also
the majestic words.
What was the solution?

18. Answer Follows

19. A. King George V - First ever Christmas Royal message
Ramsay Macdonald got Rudyard Kipling to write the speech

20. The lift (in pic) is a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open
compartments (each usually designed for two persons) that move slowly
in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping.
The name for this kind of lift derives from the latin words for “Our
father” (which are the first two words of a latin prayer) and is called so
because the action of the lift is similar to the movement of a particular
object.
Name of lift? What object?

21. Answer Follows

22. A. Paternoster lifts; Rosary Beads

23. What is the name given to the tether that connects the astronaut to the
space vehicle?

24. Answer Follows

25. A. Umbilical Cord - a strong lifeline by which an astronaut on a
spacewalk is connected to the vehicle and supplied with air, a
communication system, etc.

26. This was the Paramount logo for the movie ‘Ten Commandments’. Why
was it designed different for this particular movie?

27. Answer Follows

28. A. To resemble Mount Sinai

29. This is a new typeface that was designed in 2014 by Dutch designer
Christian Boer, and was designed for a specific purpose. What
purpose?
How is the desired effect achieved?

30. Answer Follows

31. Dyslexie typeface for dyslexic people.
The letters are weighted towards the bottom, as if the bulk of each
character’s body has slumped downwards under accelerated
gravitational pressure. This sets a heavy baseline, which makes it harder
for the letters to be flipped upside down

32. Alfred Heineken, the owner of Heineken, in 1964 wanted to rebrand his
beer. He realised that at that at that time shopping was mainly done by
women, and it was necessary for consumers to think positively towards
Heineken over other brands.
What did he do to achieve the desired result?

33. Answer Follows

34. A. Heineken smiling e’s logo

35. Some Victorian tea cups had a unique design element as shown in the
picture. What purpose did it serve?

36. Answer Follows

37. A. Moustache Protectors

38. Australian test opener Chris Rogers had to pull out of a first class match
played between Victoria and Tasmania in November 2014 owing to a
very unique reason. This had to do with a few innovations that were
being tried during the game.
Why did he pull out?

39. Answer Follows

40. A. Pink balls were used in the Day-Night match. Rogers is colour blind

41. The building in picture is in Paris - What purpose does it serve?
Construction of this building ran into huge cost overruns and technical
difficulties related to its high-rise design, so much so that it was referred
to as the ____ (short form of french for "Very Large _____,”) a sarcastic
allusion to France's successful high-speed rail system.
What is the nickname?

42. Answer Follows

43. A. Library; TGB (Tres Grande Bibliotheque)

44. Robert Rauschenberg was an American painter and graphic artist
whose early works anticipated the pop art movement. Rauschenberg is
well known for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional
materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations. In
1951 Rauschenberg created his "White Paintings," in the tradition of
monochromatic painting, whose purpose was to reduce painting to its
most essential nature. It is said that these paintings inspired one of his
friends to come up with a seminal piece of work?
Name friend and work.

45. Answer Follows

46. A. John Cage; 4”33

47. The Britannia Awards are presented by BAFTA Los Angeles, a branch of
the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), as "a bridge
between the Hollywood and British production and entertainment business
communities."[1] Established in 1989, it honours "individuals and companies
who have dedicated their careers or corporate missions to advancing the
art-forms of the moving image.
In tune with the purpose of the award, they’re named after few people
who’ve acted the bridge.
Name the people after whom, these awards are named:-
1. Britannia awards for excellence in film
2. Britannia award for excellence in directing
3. Britannia award for excellent in comedy

48. Answer Follows

49. A.
1. Britannia awards for excellence in film
Stanley Kubrick
2. Britannia award for excellence in directing
John Schlesinger
3. Britannia award for excellent in comedy
Charlie Chaplin

50. Valaparaiso was a booming trading centre at the turn of the 20th
century. However two developments in the beginning of the century
dealt crushing blows to commercial activity and the city was left a
shadow of its former glory.
1. One of the developments was geographic
2. The other had to do with the invention of a chemical process that
reduced the demand for one of its exports.
Name both the reasons

51. Answer Follows

52. A.
1. Building of Panama Canal
2. Invention of Haber process, reduced demand for Chilean Saltpeter

53. Norway also came up with a contest to redesign currency. The
mandated theme was “The Sea” in honour of “its importance for
Norway’s business sector and economic prosperity”.
Its designs for the 50-, 200-, 500-, and 1000-kroner notes feature
pixellated images of the Norwegian coastline distorted in accordance
with different stages of what aspect associated with the sea in
ascending order? The pictures on the obverse are also supposed to
represent the same.

54. Image

55. Answer Follows

56. A.Beaufort Scale

57. The Voyageurs is an unofficial Canadian soccer supporters group
founded in 1996, notable for their support of Canada's national teams.
A Voyageur was a trader, particularly in furs, who worked (and explored)
in the area of Canada and the northern United States from the 16th to
early 19th centuries; they were often of Quebecois extraction.
Apart from this significance, the name was also chosen because it had
elements of cultural unity denoted by it.
What was the other reason?

58. Answer Follows

59. A. Voyageur is both an English and a French word, thereby having
connotations of cultural harmony

60. Cape Agulhas (literally ‘Cape of the needles) is the holder of a
geographic distinction. Historically, the cape has been known to sailors
as a major hazard on the traditional clipper route and is sometimes
regarded as one of the great capes.
However, it is a common misconception that another feature nearby is
the holder of the said distinction.
Name the other feature and what is the distinction?

61. Answer Follows

62. A. Southernmost point of Africa; Cape of Good Hope

63. A hairstyle called the Titus Cut was very popular in France in the 1700s.
Was a short layered hairstyle. What led to the popularity of this hairstyle
in the country?

64. Answer Follows

65. A. The short hair was meant to imitate the way the executioner sheared
off the hair of those prisoners of the revolution who approached the
guillotine so that the blade could cut cleanly through the neck

66. Connect

67. Answer Follows

68. A. Willow; Salicylic acid derives from Salx (latin for willow). Extracted
from these trees initially

69. Connect

70. Answer Follows

71. A: Felix (Old name of Yemen, inspiration for Sonic, Lindbergh carried a
Felix doll on the trans atlantic flight for good luck)

72. This province in Argentina is named for Portuguese word for beautiful. It
is in northeastern Argentina, part of the Gran Chaco Region. Its
northeast end touches Asunción, Paraguay, and borders the provinces
of Chaco and Salta to its south and west, respectively.
Coincidentally it is also the antipode of another region which used to
have the exact same name.
Both names please?

73. Answer Follows

74. A. Formosa; Taiwan

75. This term meaning ‘relating to athens’ was used to describe specific
architectural features originating from this region. In the late 17th
century it became an architectural term designating a small column on
entablature over a larger one.
This has ultimately descended into its common meaning.
Word?

76. Answer Follows

77. A. Attic

78. Connect

79. Answer Follows

80. William Moulton Marston; Creator of Wonder woman, Systolic blood
pressure test which is an integral part of the polygraph machine
Wonder woman’s weapon is called the ‘Lasso of Truth’

81. While we are all aware that there doubts regarding whether Obama was
born in the U.S, a similar controversy came about with Senator John
McCain as well, as to whether he was born in the U.S.
Put fundae

82. Answer Follows

83. A. McCain was born in the Panama Canal Zone

84. The Dutch festival of Sinterklaas on December 5th, the country’s most
important children’s holiday, is annual slugfest of racial politics. The
problem is the figure of Zwarte Piet, an impish clown with a black face
who accompanies Sinterklaas on his rounds, distributing presents and
biscuits.
The character is derived from 17th-century paintings of Moorish slaves,
and many Dutch with African ancestry find it offensive. Most white
Dutch fail to see the problem, and react angrily to accusations that their
tradition is racist.
What is the explanation the dutch give for his appearance

85. Answer Follows

86. A. SinterKlaas = Santa Klaus. The black face is from the chimney soot.

87. In WWI slang, who was an alleyman?

88. Answer Follows

89. A. Germans from Allemagne

90. The US presidential campaign slogan of Franklin Pierce in 1852 which
was probably intended to indicate to voters the ‘sharpness’ of his
campaign,was a pun on his name and the winner of the 1844 election,
who was his friend.
What was the slogan?

91. Answer Follows

92. A. We Polked you in ’44, we will Pierce you in ‘52

93. This name of Lord Karthikeya is a pun which refers to both his role as
the commander-in-chief of gods, and also alludes to one of his wives.
What is the name?

94. Answer Follows

95. A. Devasenapati (Devasena being his wife)

96. Both these athletes get their respective nicknames ‘Singing’ and
‘Chariots’ due to similar reasons.
How do they get their nicknames?

97. Answer Follows

98. A.
Martin Offiah - Chariots of fire
Miguel Indurain - Singing in the rain

99. Id the artist of this 1590 painting. In the world of paintings with Still life
and Portraits, how is this unique?

100. Answer Follows

101. A. Giuseppe Arcimboldo; Both a still life and portait of the grocer

102. The Piano concerto for the left hand composed by Maurice Ravel was
commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, who was a notable Austrian
composer himself.
Why did Wittgenstein ask Ravel to compose this piece for him ?

103. Answer Follows

104. A. Wittgenstein lost his right hand in WWI - could play only with his left
hand