SEQC intercollegiate quiz

1. Prelims

2. 1
In the late 1700s, the French zoologist Georges Cuvier coined a
term from Greek roots meaning ‘thick-skinned’ for the order of
animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
What English word, primarily used for the first of these creatures,
derives from this term?

3. 1
In the late 1700s, the French zoologist Georges Cuvier coined a
term from Greek roots meaning ‘thick-skinned’ for the order of
animals such as elephants, rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses.
What English word, primarily used for the first of these creatures,
derives from this term?
Pachyderm

4. 2
The name of which town in West Bengal, headquarters of the
state’s northernmost district, comes from a local word for the
thunderbolt sceptre of the Hindu deity Indra, combined with a
suffix meaning ‘place’ or ‘land’, thus giving the place a full name
translating to ‘land of thunder’?

5. 2
The name of which town in West Bengal, headquarters of the
state’s northernmost district, comes from a local word for the
thunderbolt sceptre of the Hindu deity Indra, combined with a
suffix meaning ‘place’ or ‘land’, thus giving the place a full name
translating to ‘land of thunder’?
Darjeeling

6. 3
Balbir Singh, generally called Balbir Senior to distinguish him from
later players with the same name, is one of India’s most successful
hockey players. Three Olympic gold medals (1948, 1952 and
1956), independent India’s first flag-bearer at the Olympics, an
astonishing goal-count and today at 93 India’s oldest living
Olympian. He shares his surname with a Punjabi actor and singer
who made a dramatic debut in a controversial Bollywood movie in
June this year. What is that surname?

7. 3
Balbir Singh, generally called Balbir Senior to distinguish him from
later players with the same name, is one of India’s most successful
hockey players. Three Olympic gold medals (1948, 1952 and
1956), independent India’s first flag-bearer at the Olympics, an
astonishing goal-count and today at 93 India’s oldest living
Olympian. He shares his surname with a Punjabi actor and singer
who made a dramatic debut in a controversial Bollywood movie in
June this year. What is that surname?
Dosanj

8. 4
The first 100,000-seller song in Greece was the one you’re about
to hear, composed and sung by Stellios Kazantzidis after he saw a
Hindi film that starred an actress who was at the time hugely
popular in Greece. Listen to the song and name the actress.

9. 4
The first 100,000-seller song in Greece was the one you’re about
to hear, composed and sung by Stellios Kazantzidis after he saw a
Hindi film that starred an actress who was at the time hugely
popular in Greece. Listen to the song and name the actress.
Madhubala

10. 5
In the UK, ‘blue book’ is a term often referring to an almanac,
buyer’s guide or other compilation of statistics and information. The
term dates back to the 15th century, when large blue velvet-
covered books were used for record-keeping by the Parliament of
the United Kingdom. The term for a less extensive policy
document, one that puts the spotlight on one specific issue only,
also comes from the colour of its cover or front page. This type of
publication, to put it in the words of one political analyst, attempts
“to perform the dual role of presenting firm government policies
while at the same time inviting opinions upon them”. A document
known as the Churchill _____ _____ of 1922 is often pointed to as
the earliest well-known example of the use of this term. What’s the
two-word term?

11. 5
In the UK, ‘blue book’ is a term often referring to an almanac,
buyer’s guide or other compilation of statistics and information. The
term dates back to the 15th century, when large blue velvet-
covered books were used for record-keeping by the Parliament of
the United Kingdom. The term for a less extensive policy
document, one that puts the spotlight on one specific issue only,
also comes from the colour of its cover or front page. This type of
publication, to put it in the words of one political analyst, attempts
“to perform the dual role of presenting firm government policies
while at the same time inviting opinions upon them”. A document
known as the Churchill _____ _____ of 1922 is often pointed to as
the earliest well-known example of the use of this term. What’s the
two-word term?
White paper

12. 6
Which much-quoted ‘Internet celebrity’ – and source of many
people’s inspirational or insightful email signatures – is currently
the best-selling poet in the US?

13. 6
Which much-quoted ‘Internet celebrity’ – and source of many
people’s inspirational or insightful email signatures – is currently
the best-selling poet in the US?
Rumi

14. 7
This 2006 documentary was the final film made by renowned
Hollywood director Sydney Pollack before his death in 2008. Whose
works did it explore?

15. 7
This 2006 documentary was the final film made by renowned
Hollywood director Sydney Pollack before his death in 2008. Whose
works did it explore?

16. 8
The University whose logo is shown here is more commonly known
by a name that it shares with a then-revolutionary product launched
by Texas Instruments in 1967. What’s the name?

17. 8
The University whose logo is shown here is more commonly known
by a name that it shares with a then-revolutionary product launched
by Texas Instruments in 1967. What’s the name?
Cal-Tech

18. 9
Which English city’s coat of arms is this?

19. 9
Which English city’s coat of arms is this?
Oxford

20. 10
What term used nowadays in many sports (including quizzing),
originated from the idea of laying out a tournament in the same
manner a garden would be planted, such that the bigger plants are
kept equidistant from each other and do not crowd each other out
once they grow?

21. 10
What term used nowadays in many sports (including quizzing),
originated from the idea of laying out a tournament in the same
manner a garden would be planted, such that the bigger plants are
kept equidistant from each other and do not crowd each other out
once they grow?
Seeding

22. 11
Everyday, between 75,000-1,00,000 people visit the Chilkur Balaji
Temple in Hyderabad to seek divine assistance in their quest to
obtain a certain item . This has led to the temple being popularly
called the _______ Balaji Temple. Fill in the blank.

23. 11
Everyday, between 75,000-1,00,000 people visit the Chilkur Balaji
Temple in Hyderabad to seek divine assistance in their quest to
obtain a certain item . This has led to the temple being popularly
called the _______ Balaji Temple. Fill in the blank.
Visa

24. 12
Launched in March this year, Tata Motors’ hatchback Tiago was
initially christened what, before global events prompted a hasty
rethink on the name?

25. 12
Launched in March this year, Tata Motors’ hatchback Tiago was
initially christened what, before global events prompted a hasty
rethink on the name?
Zica

26. 13
The land that this city was established on once served as a
nobleman’s hunting grounds, and was surrounded by a tall hegde.
Hence it was referred to by a name in the local language that meant
“the Count’s hegde”, and later simply as “the hedge”. Which city?

27. 13
The land that this city was established on once served as a
nobleman’s hunting grounds, and was surrounded by a tall hegde.
Hence it was referred to by a name in the local language that meant
“the Count’s hegde”, and later simply as “the hedge”. Which city?
The Hague

28. 14
The Caribs are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles from
whom the geographic area known as the Caribbean gets its name.
The Spanish name for the Caribs gives rise to what English word,
owing to a peculiar practice exhibited by many tribes in different
parts of the world, but first seen by Western eyes in the Lesser
Antilles?

29. 14
The Caribs are an indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles from
whom the geographic area known as the Caribbean gets its name.
The Spanish name for the Caribs gives rise to what English word,
owing to a peculiar practice exhibited by many tribes in different
parts of the world, but first seen by Western eyes in the Lesser
Antilles?
Cannibalism

30. 15
Call it fate, destiny or serendipity, but the family name of which two
pioneering brothers born two years apart in the 1860’s means ‘light’?

31. 15
Call it fate, destiny or serendipity, but the family name of which two
pioneering brothers born two years apart in the 1860’s means ‘light’?
Lumiere

32. 16
In 1973 a TV commercial aired in some parts of the US showed a
double-edged razor-blade being flexed between two fingers to show
how flexible and supple it was. A child in Dallas tried to do the same
thing and promptly cut his fingers. A case was filed before the
Bureau of Product Safety and the company involved had to pay a
substantial sum as damages. What phrase was first coined as a
result of this?

33. 16
In 1973 a TV commercial aired in some parts of the US showed a
double-edged razor-blade being flexed between two fingers to show
how flexible and supple it was. A child in Dallas tried to do the same
thing and promptly cut his fingers. A case was filed before the
Bureau of Product Safety and the company involved had to pay a
substantial sum as damages. What phrase was first coined as a
result of this?
Don’t Try This At Home

34. 17
This geosocial networking app launched in 2009 by Nearby Buddy
Finder LLC has a large user base, especially among certain kind of
people. Name it.

35. 17
This geosocial networking app launched in 2009 by Nearby Buddy
Finder LLC has a large user base, especially among certain kind of
people. Name it.

36. 18
When this then-modern amenity began to be fitted around houses in
the UK in the late 19th century, it was usually fitted in a wardrobe,
such a space being most easily adaptable to its new function. This is
why a certain part of a typical home these days is called what?

37. 18
When this then-modern amenity began to be fitted around houses in
the UK in the late 19th century, it was usually fitted in a wardrobe,
such a space being most easily adaptable to its new function. This is
why a certain part of a typical home these days is called what?
Water Closet

38. 19
This is a cocktail that consists of 1 part butterscotch schnapps and 1
part Bailey’s Irish Cream, blended and served in a shot glass and
topped with whipped cream. More adventurous bars dispense with
the shot glass and serve the cocktail in a rubber penis, the drink
being sprayed into the mouth of the drinker through a hole at the tip.
What is this cocktail called?

39. 19
This is a cocktail that consists of 1 part butterscotch schnapps and 1
part Bailey’s Irish Cream, blended and served in a shot glass and
topped with whipped cream. More adventurous bars dispense with
the shot glass and serve the cocktail in a rubber penis, the drink
being sprayed into the mouth of the drinker through a hole at the tip.
What is this cocktail called?
Cumshaw

40. 20
This spectacular room at the Castello Sammezzano in Tuscany, Italy
is called the __________ Room, after the creature it draws its
inspiration from. Just fill in the blank.

41. 20
This spectacular room at the Castello Sammezzano in Tuscany, Italy
is called the __________ Room, after the creature it draws its
inspiration from. Just fill in the blank.
Peacock

42. 21
This person makes frequent appearances on television every few
years due to a role he plays in addition to his regular job. Give his
title and his name.

43. 21
This person makes frequent appearances on television every few
years due to a role he plays in addition to his regular job. Give his
title and his name.
Chief Election Officer of Goa
Narayan Navti

44. 22
This person is best known for a role in a 1997 Hindi movie. Name
the movie and this person’s more famous father.

45. 22
This person is best known for a role in a 1997 Hindi movie. Name
the movie and this person’s more famous father.
Pardes
Udit Narayan

46. 23
Name this car. Where was it made?
San Storm
Verna Industrial Estate

47. 24
This is a graphic you would find on the website of the national
federation of a certain country of a certain sport. What country and
what sport?
UK
Futsal

48. 25
Who tweeted this? Whose name has been blanked out?

49. 25
Who tweeted this? Whose name has been blanked out?