The Prelims of the Science-Business-Technology quiz (Sci-Biz-Tech) conducted at Under The Peepal Tree, the annual quiz fest of RV QuizCorp, on 24th March 2018.

1. Ψ-Biz-Tech
PRELIMS ANSWERS

3. Rules
• 20 Questions
• 25 points; last 5 questions are worth 2 points each
• Part points are applicable wherever mentioned
• Top 8 teams qualify for finals
• Key points are highlighted in yellow
• Orange text indicates what is expected as the answer
• QM is gawd

4. Q1
This technology essentially makes use of air cushioning systems. The
____ are supported by air allowing it to experience and aerodynamic lift.
They will be accelerated via a magnetic linear accelerators placed at
multiple points along the length of the tube.
The movement of the ____ is comparable to that of an air hockey puck.
However, since the concept is self energizing, air from below will be
sucked up, compressed and forced through holes to create the levitation
effect along with the desirable motion at high speeds.
What technology is being described here?

6. ANSWER
Hyperloop

7. Q2
What company has
been blanked out in the
below list?

8. ANSWER
Indian Oil Company Limited

9. Q3
Earlier this month, the X Foundation rolled out an update to their
popular line of single-board computers. This updated model of the
product line was announced on that particular day since the day and the
product shared the same name.
What product line am I talking about, a popular platform among
developers and makers, and on what day was it released, which should
be obvious given its name?

10. ANSWER
Raspberry Pi
Pi Day

11. Q4
AsRock has introduced a new member
to it’s lineup of hardware offerings
called the H110 Pro X+. (X has been
intentionally blanked out)
It boasts of 13 onboard PCIe slots for
GPUs, additional power connectors for
advanced system stability.
What kind of customers are AsRock
hoping to attract with their H110 Pro X+
hardware platform?

12. ANSWER
Cryptocurrency / bitcoin miners

13. Q5
FITB. (2 words)

14. ANSWER
Heavy metal
Part points for just metal

15. Q6
A trip to space is certainly be a life-changing one. For Scott Kelly, it quite
literally was.
NASA sent Scott to the International Space Station for a one-year
mission to study the effects of space on the human body, while his twin
brother Mark kept his feet firmly planted on Earth.
When Scott returned back to Earth, scientists discovered a fundamental
change between Scott and his twin, Mark, and the research made news
all around the world.
What was this change, that was brought about by the conditions of
space?

16. ANSWER
There was a significant change in his DNA between him and his twin
brother

17. Q7
X is a replica of England’s Y located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska.
Instead of being built with large standing stones such as in the case
with the original structure Y, X is made from vintage American
automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint.
Built by Jim Reinders, X, as coincidentally built to commemorate the
Summer Solstice of June 1987.
Give the name of the monument X, which is a combination of Y, and
the constituents of X.

19. ANSWER
Carhenge (from Car + Stonehenge)

20. Q8
Connect the
comic on the
left and the
character on
the right to
glitches seen
in a certain
company’s
products.

21. ANSWER
Apple
Bugs in iOS 11

22. Q9
The printer shown here is the
HP Envy ____-_______, and it is custom-designed to
be used in a specific location, X.
The blank represents the unique condition under
which the printer was designed to function.
Contrast the design of the paper tray of this
printer, to that of a regular output tray, and hence
arrive at the purpose of such a printer, and
accordingly where it will be put to use.

24. ANSWER
Blank – Zero-gravity
X – ISS

25. Q10
This
contraption
was used in
Delhi a few
months ago.
Why?

26. ANSWER
To reduce smog

27. Q11
A Halbach array is a special
arrangement of permanent
magnets that augments the
magnetic field on one side of
the array while canceling the
field to near zero on the
other side. This is achieved
by having a spatially rotating
pattern of magnetization.
Which household object
utilizes this principle?

28. ANSWER
Fridge Magnets

29. Q12
X is a popular powdered flavouring introduced by Thomas Mayne during
the Great Depression, to help children get enough nutrients in their diet.
The name X is borrowed from an athlete of Greek Mythology. A person
known for his remarkable strength, capable of carrying heavy weights,
the name X seemed to be a perfect fit for the namesake product, given
its apparent effect on its consumer.
Initially sold in several outlets in Australia, the drink was popularized in
several countries through various distribution channels.
Give X, which forms a cherished part of our childhood.

30. ANSWER
Milo

31. Q13
In 2011, noted Huffington Post blogger Dan Mirvish noted a strong
correlation between the frequency of news pertaining to a certain
celebrity X, and the stocks of a company Y, even though the fields in
which X & Y operate are worlds apart.
Whenever news about X or their work hit the internet, fancy trading
computers running fancier algorithms buzzed and whirred all around
the world, causing the stock price of Y to rise.
ID the celebrity X, who shares who shares a part of their name with Y.

32. ANSWER
X – Anne Hathaway
Y – Berkshire Hathaway

33. Q14
Ambrosia is a San Francisco based startup, run by a 32-year-old doctor
called Jesse Karmazin. Patients are charged $8000 for participation in
what he has dubbed a “study”. So far, the startup has had 600
customers, with a median age of 60.
According to their website, “It is an exciting new therapy which shows
promise for aging and the reversal of conditions such as Alzheimer's
disease. Our patients have reported improvements in areas such as
energy, memory, and skin quality. The treatment is an outpatient
procedure and takes about 2 hours.”
Taking the name of the startup as a hint, and the utopian world that is
Silicon Valley, what service does Ambrosia offer?

34. ANSWER
Blood transfusion service named ’Young Blood’

35. Q15
“Yep, we did it. We said goodbye to the blobs. We moved away from the
asymmetric and slightly dimensional shapes to an easily scannable
squishy circle, relying on bold color, purposeful asymmetry, such as the
new mind-blown X or the prop-wearing cowboy X, and loud facial
features to convey emotion.”
These were the words of Rachel Been, an engineer at ______, who was
part of the team responsible for the major redesign and overhaul of the
X font on Y, from rigid constructs, to more free flowing and naturally
designed entities.
Give X (generic) and Y.

36. ANSWER
X – Emoji
Y – Android

37. Q16 Which brand, (not the company), celebrating what day?

38. ANSWER
Brand – PlayStation
To celebrate International Women’s Day

39. Q17
X began developing this series of robots in 1980s, including several
prototypes that preceded Y. It was the company’s goal to create a
walking robot which would eventually aid their human counterparts. The
first iteration was “E0”, a walking bipedal robot, part of the X E Series,
which was an early experimental line of self-regulating, walking robot,
with wireless movements.
After nearly 20 odd iterations, X came up with an advanced step in
innovative mobility, and the 21st edition that we know today.
Give X and Y.

40. ANSWER
X – Honda
Y - ASIMO

41. Q18
In fluid flow, __________ (X) effect is a commonly recurring effect observed as a
result of sudden increase in cross section or sharp change in direction, creating
a partial vacuum zone, causing the flow to be constricted. This is a minor loss
which affects the flow properties. This effect causes severe problems in metal
castings as it can create metal voids in the final product.
The root word of ___________ (X) means to direct one's hopes or ambitions
towards achieving something.
An informal synonym of X is ____ (Y), also called pruritus is an indication of the
biological body to indicate abnormality in the skin. A simple action performed
with one’s fingernails is usually used as a temporary solution for Y.
Give X and Y.

42. ANSWER
X – Aspiration effect
Y – Itch

43. Q19
Sam Blackburn had been responsible for the technology which allowed X
to communicate for the past five years.
Sam would often receive calls in the middle of the night stating, “X can’t
speak, what do we do?” “So I needed to modernize the system. One of
the first pieces of tech that I improved upon was the infrared sensor
mounted on X’s cheek. That kind of improvement is much easier for him
to accept than a radical new system with a steep learning curve.”
When asked about whether or not the voice used by X could be change,
Sam replied that he could, but X did not want to.
Give X, and why did X’s voice have to sound the same?

44. ANSWER
X – Stephen Hawking
Hawking’s synthesised voice could not be change as it was unique to him
and changing it to be less robotic sounding meant that it wouldn’t be his
voice anymore.

45. Q20
X is a one of the largest branded jewellery retailers in the world, and has
over 50% of the overall organized jewellery market in India.
The founder of the company came up with the name of the company, X,
by combining the names of his 2 daughters – Ita and Anjali.
Recently, this company was at the heart of a multi-billion dollar banking
scam.
ID X, and the scam that X was involved in.

46. ANSWER
X – Gitanjali
PNB fraud