Science and Technology Quiz by Quiz Club NITW

Rules
● There are 20 questions in this round.
● 1 point per question. There is no negative marking.
● Part points as applicable.
● Sudden death will be used to resolve ties.
● The star-marked tie-breaker questions will be used in case tie still
persists.
● Top 8 teams qualify for the finals.
● The more you stare at the question, more the answer stares back at you.
● Kindly refrain from any cybernetic investigations.
● The QM is GOD.
● Send your answers to your designated panelist within the allotted time.

Q1
What 2019 event is this Google doodle based on?

Q2.
The merger between these well-known brands happened around two years ago,
due to heavy losses in business to a new player in the market.
This merger was brought in public consciousness recently, when the companies
rebranded themselves as a single entity after operating as separate entities even
after the merger.
This new brand is the third largest in its country and the fifth largest in the
world, in terms of the number of users. Its subsidiaries include YOU _________
which is currently operational in major cities of the country.
ID the companies or the new brand.

Q3.
This spectacular phenomenon features prominently in the mythology and
legends of the indigenous people living in countries where it can be observed.
One legend in Norse mythology suggests that, it is the glow from the shields and
armour of the Valkyrie, the female warriors who would choose who may die in
battle and who may live to fight another day.
Another legend suggests that it is the “Bifrost Bridge”, a glowing and pulsating
arch which leads the fallen warriors to their final resting place in Valhalla.
What is being talked about?

Q4.
The founder of a company while announcing his company’s comeback in the main market
said:
“I was born in a very small family in Delhi. My father was a teacher. With my 3 other
friends I laid the foundation of this company. I asked my father for 3 lakh rupees with
extreme hesitation to start the company. With your love we instantly became No. 1 in whole
India and 10th in the world. But since we were doing the work for the first time we did some
mistakes. But I also gave up after these mistakes thinking that whatever I wanted to
achieve for myself has been done. But the recent events in June and around were not good.
They made me think that I am being defeated by outsiders in my own home. Thus, my
conscience asked me to do this.”
ID the company and its founder. What were the recent events in June and around that he
was referring to?

***Q5.
With the advent of personal computers in the commercial market came the problem of
people not being familiar with these fairly new devices. The companies wanted to design
things to teach people the skills they would need using these new modern computers.
One of these components was a mouse. It was quite confusing to a new user back then as it
was a very novel concept. A company wanted to develop a learning technique and design
something which made the mouse actions to be instinctive, and what better way to do that
than making the users repeat the actions again and again while they think they are just
having a good time.
Thus X was introduced, which were designed to make people familiar with the concepts of
'left-click' and 'right-click'.
ID X.

Q6.
The disturbance which we perceive on our television sets while switching
channels is technically called ‘noise’. This is a result of interference of many
different signals. Most of this is due to local mixing of other electromagnetic
waves. However in the past few years scientists have concluded that a sizeable
chunk of this could be from another source which is yet to be proven
scientifically but is surely known to all of us.
Which source is this?

Q7.
X is owned by Y, which is a B2B company whose headquarters are in the country
which is known as world's factory.
In 2011, Y restructured X into three separate companies to meet the emerging
competitive threats. As a result, X Mall became a retail platform under Y to
complement X portal.
Later, the X Mall changed its name to something which literally means sky cat.
X's mascot is a dialogue bubble that introduces X as an ant army to outside world.
ID X and Y.

Q8.
X is a large public art installation located in New York City. As per the artists who created
this:
‘ X is an investigation into the nature of time. The work references the multiple measures of
time that simultaneously inform and confound our consciousness of the moment. The
composite work intends to evoke contemplation on the dynamic flux of the city. The
elements suggest the instant and infinity, astronomical sequence, geological epoch and
ephemerality. It is meant to be integral to the very history, architectural fabric, spirit and
vitality of the city ‘
Recently the artists took a different approach to make audience understand the
significance of time being wasted which originally included the usual counting the hours,
minutes and seconds from midnight. What does X display?

Q9.
Their(X) use was first proposed by Y in a 2007 tweet, although initially decried by
Twitter as a “thing for nerds”, eventually led to their use rapidly becoming
widespread throughout the platform.
Y’s suggestion to use them was not adopted by Twitter, but the practice took off
after they were widely used in tweets relating to the 2007 San Diego forest fires in
Southern California. According to Y, he suggested it to make it easy for “lay”
users to search for content and find specific relevant updates; they were for
people who do not have the technological knowledge to navigate the site.
Therefore, the X “was created organically by Twitter users as a way to categorize
messages. ID X.

***Q10.
Not only is it one of the most iconic pieces of art of modern times, it was also one
of the most expensive ones; it had a budget of around 1.9 million USD (8 crores)
adjusted for inflation.
It features desert and mountain landscapes as well as the St. Basil's Cathedral,
and this was possible because it was the first to introduce a certain technology to
India.
What artwork, arguably one of the greatest cultural exports from our country,
and what technology did it introduce to us Indians?

Q11.
Use of X as an incapacitating agent (an agent that produces temporary
physiological or mental effects) has become widely recognized, bordering on
clichéd, due to the popularity of crime fiction authors having criminals use X to
carry out their objective. However, it is nearly impossible to incapacitate
someone using X in this manner.
It takes at least five minutes of use of X to show the intended effects on the
subject. Most criminal cases involving use of X also involve another drug being
co-administered, such as alcohol or diazepam.
ID X.

Q12.
The character X was originally known by a different name but when the
company's owners were trying to think a name for their USA release, they were
interrupted by their landlord ____ Seagle, after whom they christened their
character.
X was originally a plumber not a carpenter. Several other features were added to
the character due to the graphical limitations at that time. Since realistic hair
was difficult to portray at that time he was given a particular feature, a
moustache was given to accentuate his nose and certain other features were
given to make his arm movements more noticeable.
What am I talking about?

Q13.
On X's 72nd birthday, a UPI photographer was trying to persuade X to smile for
the camera, but having smiled for photographers many times that day, X did
something different. This photograph became one of the most popular
photographs of X, often used in merchandise depicting him in a lighthearted
sense. X liked this photo and requested UPI to give him nine copies for personal
use, one of which he signed for a reporter. On June 19, 2009, the original signed
photograph was sold at an auction for $74,324.
Which famous photograph am I talking about?

Q14.
This company was started when one of the co-founder was fined $40 for failing to
return a product he had rented from another company that would, one day,
become the rival of his company.
He and his partner then tested sending out their product via the US postal mail
service, and upon discovering that it reached intact, they started the company in
1997.
As technology improved, the company moved into becoming the fully online
behemoth it is today. Which company?

Q15.
What famous and iconic structure, originally was planned to be demolished just
after 20 years of its construction, but survived only due to the fact that the
military used it as a radio tower, intercepting crucial transmissions during
World War I?

Q16.
This industry, like other energy-intensive industries, thrives the best when done at
scale and at places where energy (electricity) is reliable and cheap. It also helps to be
somewhere cold, one "plant" in Boden, Sweden is located next to a hydroelectric dam
close to the Arctic Circle. Other viable locations include Inner Mongolia where
electricity is cheap thanks to over-investment in power plants, abundant coal, and lax
environmental rules.
Unlike most other industries, the work done in this industry is also done a lot on a
small scale too, and can be done by anyone.
Which industry is this?

Q17.
"Cadaeic Cadenza" is a 1996 short story by Mike Keith. It is an example of
constrained writing, a book with restrictions on how it can be written. It is also
one of the most famous literary work written in "pilish".
In addition to the main restriction, the author attempts to mimic portions, or
entire works, of different types and pieces of literature ("The Raven",
"Jabberwocky", Rubaiyat, Hamlet, and Carl Sandburg's Grass and and many
more) in story, structure, and rhyme.
What is special about it?

Q18.
The company X unveiled Gertrude which had a coin-sized computer chip in her
brain to demonstrate its ambitious plans to create a working brain-to-machine
interface.
The interface would allow people with neurological conditions to control phones
or computers with their mind. The chips could eventually be used to help cure
conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injuries.
Identify the company (X) and what is Gertrude (Y).

Q19
A German artist, Simon Weckert, had posted a video on YouTube, showing how he
“hacked” Google Maps.
As a result, the navigation app started showing virtual traffic jams by turning
green streets to red in the online navigational tool, showcasing how easy it is to
manipulate digital data with effects in real world.
How did he ‘’hack’’ Google maps?

***Q20.
Recently, X decided to rebrand one of the most iconic things associated with its
products. It did so in an attempt to offer a more connected, helpful, and flexible
experience. According to X, “The change represents their commitment to building
integrated communication and collaboration experiences for everyone, all with
helpfulness from X.”
However, this change was not well received by everyone on the internet. While
some said that they liked the consistency the change brought about, majority of
users complained that it took them longer to navigate through the products now.
People also didn’t like the change as they felt nostalgic.
What was the change?

Q1
What 2019 event is this Google doodle based on

Answer
First Image of a Black hole

Answer
Rahul Sharma
Micromax
India-China border Standoff(Galwan Valley Clash)

Q5.
With the advent of personal computers in the commercial market came the problem of people not
being familiar with these fairly new devices. The companies wanted to design things to teach people
the skills they would need using these new modern computers.
One of these components was a mouse. It was quite confusing to a new user back then as it was a very
novel concept. A company wanted to develop a learning technique and design something which made
the mouse actions to be instinctive, and what better way to do that than making the users repeat the
actions again and again while they think they are just having a good time.
Thus X was introduced, which were designed to make people familiar with the concepts of 'left-click'
and 'right-click'.
ID X.

Answer
Cosmic Background Radiation as predicted from the Big Bang Theory

Answer
X - Taobao
Y - Alibaba Group

Answer
Countdown to irreversible climate change

Q10.
Not only is it one of the most iconic pieces of art of modern times, it was also one
of the most expensive ones; it had a budget of around 1.9 million USD (8 crores)
adjusted for inflation.
It features desert and mountain landscapes as well as the St. Basil's Cathedral,
and this was possible because it was the first to introduce a certain technology to
India.
What artwork, arguably one of the greatest cultural exports from our country,
and what technology did it introduce to us Indians?

Answer
Tunak Tunak Tun
Greenscreen

Answer
Chloroform
Contrary to its clichéd use in crime fiction, it takes at least five minutes of
inhaling an item soaked in chloroform to render a person unconscious.

Q12.
The character X was originally known by a different name but when the
company's owners were trying to think a name for their USA release, they were
interrupted by their landlord ____ Seagle, after whom they christened their
character.
X was originally a plumber not a carpenter. Several other features were added to
the character due to the graphical limitations at that time. Since realistic hair
was difficult to portray at that time he was given a particular feature, a
moustache was given to accentuate his nose and certain other features were
given to make his arm movements more noticeable.
What am I talking about

Answer
Each word tells the right digit of pi
Cadae = 3.1415

Q19.
A German artist, Simon Weckert, had posted a video on YouTube, showing how he
“hacked” Google Maps.
As a result, the navigation app started showing virtual traffic jams by turning
green streets to red in the online navigational tool, showcasing how easy it is to
manipulate digital data with effects in real world.
How did he ‘’ hack’’ Google maps.

Answer
He walked with 99 smartphones and a wagon to create “virtual traffic jams” on
the streets of Berlin.

Q20.
Recently, X decided to rebrand one of the most iconic things associated with its
products. It did so in an attempt to offer a more connected, helpful, and flexible
experience. According to X, “The change represents their commitment to building
integrated communication and collaboration experiences for everyone, all with
helpfulness from X.”
However, this change was not well received by everyone on the internet. While
some said that they liked the consistency the change brought about, majority of
users complained that it took them longer to navigate through the products now.
People also didn’t like the change as they felt nostalgic.
What was the change?

Answer
Google changed the icons of its popular services

Rules
● Clockwise pounce.
● 8 questions on direct. One direct question per team.
● If you want to answer a question not directed to you, you can either
pounce or wait for your turn in bounce.
● Pounce is open for 15 seconds after question is read.
● +10/0 on direct or bounce.
● +10/-5 on pounce.
● Do not Google!

Q1.
X’s creator on being asked about it’s name, quipped that he was an egotistical bastard and had
named all his projects after himself, sarcastically implying that he was an unpleasant person.
The readme file explains that, X could mean anything, depending on the user’s mood.
1. random combination that is pronounceable, and not actually used by any common UNIX
command. The fact that it is a mispronunciation of a common English word may or may
not be relevant.
2. stupid. contemptible and despicable. Simple. Take your pick from the dictionary of slang.
3. ____ _____ _____: you're in a good mood, and it actually works for you. Angels sing, and a
light suddenly fills the room.
4. ‘goddamn idiotic truckload of shit’: when it breaks.
ID X. (Blanks are not indicative)

Q2.
‘What the __X__ does is identify certain people to the press as spokespersons for the
profession’ - Historian Phillip.
He goes on to further explain that __X__ was to be understood in the context of
politics(of that country) at the time. The central bank was lobbying for
independence of the government , and wanted to prove that they weren’t a political
body. Championing the __X__ was a good way to improve their credentials and
make them look objective and scientific. It was good PR for the bank.
This is the reasoning provided for the inclusion of __X__ somewhere. ID X.
Think : Why would this question be asked in a sci-tech quiz?

Answer
Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences sponsored by Sveriges Riksbank
This prize wasn’t included in the original nobel prizes viz. Physics, Chemistry,
Physiology or Medicine, Peace and literature . In 1968 at 300th anniversary of the
bank’s foundation, the bank decided to sponsor this prize

Q3.
X was released in 1995 and did not gain wide acceptance with users, which resulted in
its discontinuation. The user interface of X was designed to simplify the navigational
experience for novice computer users.
The main interface is portrayed as the inside of a house, with different rooms such as
a kitchen or family room containing decorations and furniture, as well as icons that
represent applications. The user can decorate each room, and can add, remove, or
reposition all objects.
X features assistants, cartoon characters intended to help the user navigate the
virtual house.For example, a user who wants to write might click on the pen and paper
that is sitting on a desk.
ID X

Q4.
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series written by the English author Terry Pratchett. Hex
is a magic-powered computer housed in Discworld.
It is all powered by a water-wheel covered in male sheep skulls (in other words, RAM). When
it is particularly busy, an hourglass comes down on a spring—another sideways reference
to Windows. Another apparently important feature is an aquarium, so the operator has
something to watch when Hex is working (Hex's screensaver). Hex's long-term memory
storage is a massive beehive.
The main structure (the processing center) works through the movements of large numbers
of ants through the complex pipes and tubing which make up the main quantity of Hex's
infrastructure.
What does the label on the ant's colony say, which is a pun on a famous computing phrase?

Q5.
The CEO of Vresh Clothing, decided to study X's Y closely (something which X is
famous for), and make a replica of it, or as "as close to the original as possible"
without being the same exact item — kind of like how Instagram rolls out new
features.
Here are the "specs" for the X Y.
● Fabric 100% mercerized combed cotton, Made in Italy (extra soft)
● Weight 180g per m² (20% more than industry standard)
● Color ________ tones, melange (sale e pepe)
● Stitching double-stitched with PEGASUS EX3215-03 Serger
Id X Y.

Q6.
This word was first used to describe X, in an anonymous review of her book, which
became one of the best selling books of the 19th century. The book revealed the links
between different disciplines of physical science, and hence the word was used to
describe her multidisciplinary approach.
The reviewer’s suggestion of the term was partly satirical, a response to changing
conceptions of science itself in which natural knowledge was increasingly seen as
distinct from other forms of knowledge. He argued that science was becoming
fragmented.
Before this, an equivalent term referred only to one particular gender, and most
people very happy to let go of such a gendered approach.
Which word is this?

Answer
Scientist
The word was coined for Mary Somerville, the first female member of the Royal
Astronomical Society. She was also the first female author to be published in the
world’s oldest science publication. She also tutored Ada Lovelace.
Terms like ‘men of science’ or ‘natural philosophers’ were used to describe
scientists before this.

Q7.
The reason for this characteristic in sports is not really known. Some suggest that
centrifugal force aids the movement of deoxygenated blood from left to right in the
superior vena cava. Other reasons suggest that the leftward weight asymmetry of the
body supports right-leg dominant athletes (i.e. most of them).
Others attribute it to carried over tradition, as a similar pattern is seen in the
Hippodrome.
However, it has nothing to do with the Coriolis force, which is not evident over such
small scales. What is being discussed here?

Answer
Races are run counter-clockwise

Q8.
Id the speaker.
“ I always wanted to invent agricultural machinery like lawn mower but the
Nazis forced me to make _______. Who will like to make something that destroys
the society,which is used by the ________ but I do not hold myself responsible for
all this, I just created a ______ to defend my fatherland , all the politicians should
be blamed because they have failed to come to an agreement and have resorted
to violence”
What invention is he talking about?

Answer
Mikhail Kalashnikov
AK-47

Rules
● This is a written round.
● 5 questions.
● 5 points per question. No negative marking.
● Send your answers to the designated panelists at the end of the round.
● Do not Google!

Q2.
Who is this comic strip about? (another image follows)

Q3.
ID all the people.
+2.5 - 2 / 3
+5 - 3 / 3

Q4.
ID (FITB)
Or
What is this a reference to?

Answer
Correlation implied causation

Q3.
ID all the people.
+2.5 for 2 / 3
+5 for 3 / 3

Answer
Rosalind Franklin
James Watson and Francis Crick

Answer
Kepler
This is a reference to Kepler’s second law of
planetary motion. (The Law of Equal Areas)

Rules
● Anti-clockwise pounce.
● 8 questions on direct. One direct question per team.
● If you want to answer a question not directed to you, you can either
pounce or wait for your turn in bounce.
● Pounce is open for 15 seconds after question is read.
● +10/0 on direct or bounce.
● +10/-5 on pounce.
● Do not Google!

Q1.
In his book "Pakistan at the Helm", Tilak Devasher describes an interesting
incident. It was late 1964 and just after the occurence of a very big incident in
China, Ayub Khan the President of Pakistan was going there for an official visit.
The Americans were keen to know about the scale of the incident that had
happened and just before Ayub's visit they persuaded the director of Pakistan
International airlines to attach glue or some sticky substance on the lower side of
Ayub Khan's Boeing's wings. Thus with the particles that are attached to the
bottom of that plane they would be able to analyse the scale of that incident.
Why did the Americans attach glue to the plane's wings or what incident had
occurred?

Answer
China had conducted nuclear tests in 1964 thus the Americans wanted to know
the scale of nuclear tests that have been carried out by China. They asked Ayub
Khan to attach glue to his plane’s wings so that they would be able to analyse the
dust particles attached to plane’s wings and know the level of contamination. By
knowing the level of contamination they would be able to know the scale of
nuclear tests that have been carried out by China.

Q2.
Ammonites are fossils found chiefly in the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods,
typically with intricately frilled suture lines. They belong to the family of
molluscs which have close resemblance to octopus,squids, etc.
These fossils have an outer _____ which is a characteristic feature. A certain
person, M had dedicated her life on study of these fossils. M did not always
receive full credit for her contributions. Despite this she became well known
in geological circles in Britain and beyond, although she struggled
financially for much of her life. Nonetheless she has been immortalized in a
manner which would be rather difficult to express than to simply remember
her name.

Answer
M- Mary Anning
The ‘she’ in :
‘She sells sea shells on the sea shore’

Q3.
The Ig Nobel-winning paper "Spontaneous _________ of an Agitated String" was
published in 2014. It explained experiments on tumbling strings of different
stiffness and length in a box. The complexity of the result was directly
proportional to the length of the string.
The experiments were the simulation of an annoying modern problem - caused
by confinement and external movement. Keeping something neatly wasn't
always going to prevent it from ___________.
What did this paper explain?

Answer
Why do earphone cords get entangled?

Q4.
During the latter half of the 19th century, it was widely believed by the medical
community that malaria was caused by bad air (hence the name mal- bad, aria-
air). To keep his patients (suffering from this disease) safe, a certain doctor John
set out on a path to make the environment around the patients secure.
Little did he know that his idea would bring one of the fundamental laws of
science into practical application. Alas he did not survive to see the fruition of
this amazing thought. Approximately 50 years later another person would go on
to better this product and earn the credits, though Dr John managed to get a
patent for an earlier prototype.
How did Dr John want to remove ‘bad air’ ?

Answer
Air Conditioner
Dr John Gorrie came up with a machine that froze a block of ice and used a fan to
blow air over this ice. A saltwater solution acted as a refrigerant.

Q5.
Though this never has been a problem for the modern astronomers, X’s project had
been a cause for concern to them since its announcement. Their fears came true when
in November 2019, when some irregularities were observed in some images captured
by a Dark Energy camera.
“This has the potential to change what a natural sky looks like!” said one astronomer.
It is feared that the project will severely impact scientific observations by beating the
visible stars in terms of brightness, in both optical and radio wavelengths.
Steps have been taken to reduce the impact of the project and there have been
significant improvements, but no satisfying solution has been found yet.
ID the project which was in news recently.

Answer
SpaceX’s Starlink
(a satellite internet
constellation)

Q6.
A _____-______ is a bug that is predicted to exist based upon other observed
conditions (most commonly, vaguely related log entries and anecdotal user
reports) but is difficult, if not impossible, to artificially reproduce in a
development or test environment.
The term may also refer to a bug that is obvious in the code (mathematically
proven), but which cannot be seen in execution (yet difficult or impossible to
actually find in existence).
It has been named after the _____ _____, that is quite difficult to produce and
existed theoretically until 2012.
ID the bug or what has the bug been named after?

Answer
Higgs-bugson
or
Named after the Higgs boson particle

Q7.
The image shown here displays a motorcycle which has undergone a certain
process which makes it look shiny and lustrous. This process is quite prominent
in automobiles which take part in speed racing. So much that certain tech
developers were inspired to code-name their product after this process which
would symbolise the product’s similarities with those of racing cars.
So applying science try to figure out what kind of material is lustrous and
connect it to the world of tech.

Answer
Google Chrome.
According to the developers they wanted to represent speed of racing cars with
the speed the browser would work at.

Q8.
When X was in high school, living in Mountain View, California, he had found H’s
number in the phone book. He cold-called H to request some leftover electronic
parts for his own project and, to his surprise, H picked up the phone. At first, the
exec was amused, and soon after, taking the young man more seriously, he
offered X an internship.
“He laughed and he gave me the spare parts to build the frequency counter and
he gave me a job that summer at his company, working on the assembly line
putting nuts and bolts together on frequency counters”, X recalled in a 1994
interview. “He got me a job in the place that built them and I was in heaven.”
Id X and H/H’s company.

Answer
X- Steve Jobs
H- Bill Hewlett (of Hewlett-Packard /HP)

T1
This film was a result of collaboration between an award-winning writer and a
director known for his bold technological experimentation. Known to be the first
of its kind, the film was well received.
The performances are rather theatrical, being somewhat ‘elevated’, and
delivered by seasoned NY theatre actors.
The director noted that making such a film would be challenging for the
traditional directors, because lack of frames would make following the story
difficult. The director solved this problem with the help of sounds and subtle
visual cues like shadow, movement and dramatic lightening.
What is special about this film? (images follow)

Answer
Virtual Reality film
(This was the first direct VR adaptation of a novel (Lincoln in the Bardo by George
Saunders))

T2
It was introduced to “soothe people intimidated by the operating system” and it
also proved useful in familiarizing people with the drag and drop technique.
However, by the mid1990s it was being reported that employees were spending 5
hours a week doing this and as a result causing approximately 10 billion dollar
loss in revenue. A US senator even introduced a budget amendment in 1997
seeking to ban this feature from all Federal government computers.
What?

T3
This term was first used in 1993 by Adam Urbanek in his paper concerning the
extinction of graptoloids.
It is defined as a size reduction within certain species which survive an extinction
event and this size decrease may just be a temporary phenomenon restricted to
the survival period of the extinction event.
Which term is this?

T4
Used as a cliche in cartoons, modern theatrics and psychology, this process is
used to describe the multiplication effect in an original weight, specifically in
aerospace engineering.
One of the applications include, the amplification of electronic noise in a
Feedback Oscillator to filter the input and provide the desired frequency, until a
steady-state oscillation is established.
What phenomenon/process is this?

Science and Technology Quiz by Quiz Club NITW

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