Finals.

6 rounds.

QM: Varun Rajiv.

ROUND ONE – Ey, Tuff.

A-F

6 connected questions – 5 points per correct answer.

+5 if all correct.

This lake (A) is the second largest freshwater lake in the world – here seen from space.

A was discovered (to the Western world) jointly by two men, B and C, en route their quest for something.

Both were blighted by disease. B, (in pic), became temporarily deaf after a beetle crawled into his ear and he had to remove it with a knife, and also later went temporarily blind - he was still blind at point of discovery of A and could not properly see the lake.

They heard of a second lake in the area, but C was too sick to make the trip. B thus went alone, and found the lake, which he christened D. It was this lake which eventually proved to be the answer to their quest (E).

They both returned to England, B before C, who on 8 May 1859 made their trip famous in a speech to the Royal Geographical Society where he staked his claim to the solution of their quest.

This angered C, who returned on 21 May, who believed that it violated an agreement that the two men would speak to the society together. A further rift was caused when B was chosen to lead a subsequent expedition without C.

B went on his way with some others, did what he had to do and believed he’d confirmed the findings of their earlier expedition.

He sent a telegram to London that read, “Inform Sir Roderick Murchison that all is well, that we are in latitude 14°30’ upon the ____, and that [F]” (F being the famous bit that’s often quoted)

Epilogue – C disputed B’s finding, wanted to debate him on it; B died, aged 37, of a self-inflicted (accidental) gunshot wound the morning of the debate, while hunting. C went on to do other things in life, before dying in Trieste much later.

A – Lake TanganyikaB – John Hanning SpekeC – Richard Francis BurtonD – Lake VictoriaE – Quest for Source of the NileF – ‘The Nile is settled’

ROUND TWO – The Udupa Round

One question, ten answers.

5 points per.

No negatives, no bonus.

There are 10 countries that the Tropic of Capricorn passes through – one in the Oceania region, four in South America and five in Africa.

Name all.

AustraliaNamibiaSouth AfricaBotswanaMozambiqueMadagascarChileArgentinaParaguayBrazil

ROUND 3 – Clockwise.

16 questions.

10 points per.

Infinite bounce.

1. His order goes five, one, three and two (till date) – many right-minded people possibly want the overall figure to be zero.

What we speak of?

Books of Chetan Bhagat.

2. X died while holidaying at his summer home in Mullaghmore, a small seaside village on the northwest coast of Ireland. On 27 August 1979, he went lobster-potting and tuna fishing in a wooden boat. An IRA member had slipped on to the unguarded boat the previous night and attached a radio-controlled bomb, which was detonated from shore when X was en route to Donegal Bay – X was seriously wounded, and died by drowning, along with three other people on board.

Sinn Féin said of his death:

The IRA gave clear reasons for the execution. I think it is unfortunate that anyone has to be killed, but the furore created by X’s death showed up the hypocritical attitude of the media establishment. As a member of the House of Lords, X was an emotional figure in both British and Irish politics. […] with his war record I don't think he could have objected to dying in what was clearly a war situation. He knew the danger involved in coming to this country. In my opinion, the IRA achieved its objective: people started paying attention to what was happening in Ireland.

Lord Mountbatten.

3. What is the main difference in the nomenclature of High Courts that were constituted by letters patent (such as those in erstwhile Presidencies), and those that were instituted (or reorganised) under Constitutional provisions?

Former go by the city name (Madras HC, Bombay HC, Calcutta HC), while the latter go by the state name (Karnataka HC, Madhya Pradesh HC)

4. X was a writer, artist etc., regarded as one of the great Polish-language writers of the 20th century, most famous for The Street of Crocodiles and Sanatorium under the sign of the Hourglass.

In 2001, a German filmmaker discovered a mural by X. Restoration was begun by the Poles, who informed Y about the findings. Representatives of Y examined the mural, and removed five restored fragments of the mural, smuggling them out of the country. Controversy ensued. Y claims legal purchase, but the owner of the property refuted that, and also Y did not obtain permission from the Ministry of Culture.

It was said, “It seemed that Y’s actions implied dying a Jew negated having lived largely as a Pole, and that the two were irreconcilable.” In response, Y continued its general chutiyaness, posting a statement on its Website asserting a “moral right” to X’s work.

It was settled in 2008 when Y recognized the works as “the property and cultural wealth” of Ukraine, which agreed to ‘lend’ the works as a long-term loan.

X and Y.

X – Bruno Schulz, Y – Yad Vashem.

5. It’s a bird, but named after an old city that gave its name to a new country. Also adopted as the emblem of an organization, which is curious because both prior and current names of the country are thus represented in the logo.

Name the bird and the organization (or what they do).

Zimbabwe Bird, Rhodes Scholarship.

6. Andre Geim, as widely reported, is the first person to win both the Nobel and Ig Nobel prizes.

However, that fact needs to have an * at the end of it, explaining away Bart Knols.

Why the *, and what did Bart Knols do?

Geim is the first individual to win both prizes.

Bart Knols was awarded the 2006 Ig Nobel Prize in Entomology (for showing that the female malaria mosquito is attracted equally to the smell of limburger cheese and to the smell of human feet). He was also one of the hundreds of employees of the IAEA who together were awarded a Nobel Prize in peace in 2005.

7. If you were to be preparing your drink of _______ properly, what would you use this kind of spoon for?

Dissolve a sugar cube in absinthe.

8. Craig Stevens is the swimmer in pic, a bronze medallist at the 2002 Commonwealth Games and finalist in a couple of events at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

At the Athens Olympics, he won silver as a part of the 4x200m relay team, and made the final in the 1500m. At the Beijing Olympics, he failed to qualify for the finals of both the 400m and 1500m freestyle finals, being knocked out in the heats.

He is, however, by far most famous for his involvement in the events of the second picture.

Put funda.

Ian Thorpe overbalances on the blocks during the heats of the 400 m freestyle at the 2004 Australian Championships, resulting in disqualification for causing a false start – Craig Stevens, who had the second qualifying position, stepped down so that Thorpe could participate.

9. Anthony Shaffer recently released a book titled Operation Dark Heart.

It comes in two editions. A note on Amazon on the page of the original edition:

On Friday, August 13, 2010, just as St. Martin’s Press was readying its initial shipment of Operation Dark Heart […] The publication of the initial edition was canceled. However, after consulting with the author, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, St. Martin's Press agreed to incorporate… changes,… into a revised edition.

The account in the note is, as expected, false.

What actually happened?

The Pentagon, which claimed it revealed intelligence secrets, bought every copy of the first edition from the publisher, and burned all of them.

10. These are the crane fly, the harvestman (arachnid) and the cellar spider – each of them possess the same nickname, taken from a 1912 children’s novel. What name?

11. Having ___, a designation used since 1840, was/is seen as a sign of the quality and advantage of a ship in terms of speed, punctuality etc. – also because having ___ itself meant incurring penalty clauses in case of breach.

What is ___, expand it, and why was it seen as a sign of quality etc.?

RMS – Royal Mail Ship.

The mail had to be on time.

12. Since 1985, Air Jordans have had a roman numeral designation – Air Jordan I, II etc.

But, that changed in 2009, when they affixed the year to it – Air Jordan 2009.

Why the change?

They’d hit 23 – his jersey number (45 is ignored, it would seem).

13. Harry Eastlack (1933–1973) is the most famous case of Fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, a rare disease about which little is known, which began to develop at the age of ten, and by the time of his death, he was only able to move his lips.

Shortly before his death he made it known that he wanted to donate his body to science, in the hope that in death he would be able to help find a cure, pursuant to which, his preserved skeleton is now kept at a museum in Philadelphia.

Since the 1800s there have been references in medicine that may now be diagnosed as FOP. What were they described as then, as the condition worsened?

Turning to stone.

14. X (2001) is a novel by Alice Randall, a bestselling historical novel that reinterprets the Y.

Its plot revolves around Z, but told from the viewpoint of her half-sister Cynara. Cynara’s name comes from the poem which was also the origin of the original novel's title.

The book consciously avoids using names or locations from the original. Cynara refers to her sister as “Other”, and to her husband as “R”. The house, Tara, is reduced to “Tata” or “Cotton Farm”, and Twelve Oaks is renamed for its builders, “Twelve Slaves Strong as Trees”.

Name both books.

X - The Wind Done Gone.Y - Gone with the Wind.

15. X, Spanish for “skull”, can refer to a number of cultural phenomena associated with the celebration of the Day of the Dead, including sugar skulls that can be eaten and poems written for it but intended to humorously criticize the living.

Most commonly though, it’s used to refer to any artistic representations of skulls, such as those shown.

Tell me what the art form is called, and what is being represented in the picture.

Calaveras, Ewoks.

16. This is an incident in Indy Car racing from 1981, the protagonist being racing legend Rick ‘Rocket’ Mears (four time Indy 500 winner and three time CART champion).

Tell me what’s happening, and why it happens so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ_UufZ0eZk

An invisible fire in the pit lane – because the cars ran using methanol, which burns clear.

ROUND 4 – Anti-Clockwise

16 questions.

10 points per.

Infinite bounce.

1. Which two countries are the start and end points of the Paris-Dakar rally?

France and Senegal.

2. Y is a quote by X.

There is an urban legend that there was an error in Y, X referring to himself not as what he wanted to, but as a “jam doughnut”, known in parts of Germany as a ________.

Supposedly, he should have left out the indefinite article in his statement, which implied he was a non-human ________, thus the jam doughnut.

However, while the indefinite article is omitted when speaking of an individual’s profession or residence, it is necessary when speaking in a figurative sense as X did, and so in fact his statement was correct.

Also, his targets didn’t generally refer to jelly doughnuts as _________. While known as _________ Pfannkuchen, commonly shortened to _________, in other areas of Germany, they are simply called Pfannkuchen in the target area.

Ich bin ein Berliner, JFK.

3. Who, photographed in 2008, some 36 years after his moment(s) in the sun?

Mark Spitz.

4. Connect.

Characters with same first and last name – Valentin Valentin, Wilson Wilson and Humbert Humbert.

5. Three things to be answered – the chevrons represents two things (one when taking each individually, and another when taken together), and also, in the latter case, why the notch in the right chevron?

Taken alone, boomerangs.

Taken together, stylised map of Australia.

The notch is Tasmania.

6. X is a Greek island community with a land area of 20.43 square kilometers. In antiquity, it was known as Aigila or Ogylos.

It is famous though, because of lending its name to a thing (and bunch of things deriving from the thing – a lesser famous thing pictured) that was discovered by sponge divers in the early 1900s.

Name X, or the more famous thing.

Antikythera.

7. X, which is transparent in its bottle, is traditionally consumed with chilled water. The subsequent dilution causes it to turn milky-white – this has resulted in it being referred to as aslan sütü, or ‘lion’s milk’.

This phenomenon, seen in other beverages such as absinthe (referred to as louche for absinthe), is generally known as the Y effect, after a Greek drink Y (etymology disputed, either to mean ‘high quality’, or derived from üzüm, which means grapes in Turkish, even though Y is not made from grapes) that exhibits the same tendencies.

X – Rakı (or Raki)

Y – Ouzo effect.

50 year old Dennis Lillee.

9. The X rule is an informal strategy used by authors to evade libel lawsuits. It was described in a New York Times article in 1998:

“...For a fictional portrait to be actionable, it must be so accurate that a reader of the book would have no problem linking the two,” said Mr. Friedman. Thus, he continued, libel lawyers have what is known as X. One way authors can protect themselves from libel suits is to say that a character has X, Mr. Friedman said. “Now no male is going to come forward and say, 'That character with a […], ‘That's me!’”

It was referenced in a 2006 dispute between Michael Crowley and Michael Crichton. Crichton libelled him in the novel Next – ‘Mick Crowley’ is a child rapist, described as being a Washington-based journalist and Yale graduate of having X disposition.

Crichton, being 6’9”, probably wasn’t of X disposition.

What?

Small penis rule.

10. Sir Hugh Cairns was a British neurosurgeon, a key figure in the formation of the Oxford Medical School, and in the treatment of head injuries during the WWII.

However, he is best remembered for treating X in 1935, 6 days before X died (after a motorcycle accident) – X a legend and quiz funda in his own right (his public image due in part to journalist Lowell Thomas’ sensationalised reportage of something, along with his 1922 autobiography).

Cairns began a study of the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle despatch riders, and his research led to something, which would ultimately save the lives of many motorcyclists.

Who is X, and what did his research result in?

X – T.E. Lawrence.

Resulted in use of crash helmets by both military and civilian motorcycle riders.

11. A cable attached to a pair of vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope, the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalancing each other. What is this type of railway called, the word derived from Latin for rope?

Funicular railway.

12. This is a photo from a party that emerged around a year ago – the DJ is part of a notoriously reclusive band, one with an elaborate ruse to hide their identity.

At the party, to indicate who he was, people around him made a pyramid sign with their hands, and pointed at him.

Daft Punk.

13. X was an incident revolving around the guard room at old Fort William, where troops of Siraj ud-Daulah held British prisoners of war after its capture on June 19, 1756.

It was claimed by one John Zephaniah Holwell that following the fall, the soldiers and civilians were held overnight in conditions so cramped that many died from suffocation, heat exhaustion and crushing – 123 prisoners died out of 146 prisoners held.

Doubt has been cast on both the numbers alleged and on whether the incident happened at all, and some modern historians have suggested the incident was fabricated by Holwell as a piece of propaganda to blacken the image of Siraj.

A monument to the incident was erected by Curzon (after an earlier one by Holwell disappeared) in 1901 at the corner of Dalhousie Square, said to be the site of the incident. During the independence movement, nationalist leaders called for its removal, eventually executed in July 1940 and re-erected in the graveyard of St John’s Church, where it remains to this day.

The Black Hole of Calcutta.

14. What (and who), did Larry Ellison term as “the worst personnel decision since the idiots on the Apple board fired Steve Jobs many years ago”, shortly before hiring the man?

Ex-CEO of HP, Mark Hurd, fired over claims of filing inaccurate expense reports that concealed a relationship with a female contractor.

15. What is peculiar to most of the dialogue in this film?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T10NycAeYvc

It’s in iambic pentameter.

16. X is the oldest operating toy retailer (founded in 1862 by the eponymous German immigrant X) in North America, headquartered in NYC and its flagship store on 5th Avenue. In May 2009, Toys “R” Us bought X, though preserving the X name to retail toys.

Their NY store was the setting for this famous scene from film Y (1988) – the giant piano in the store attracting imitators ever since (like the steps in Philadelphia from Rocky).

Name X, and the film.

F.A.O. Schwarz, Big.

ROUND 5 – Theme.6 questions.

Theme – 35/30/25/20/15/10.

- 5 per incorrect pop.

All answers in writing – 10 points per.

1. X is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country, at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on January 1, 1986; the twelfth province of the country, with Lelystad as its capital.

It was named after the old name for the Zuiderzee, or rather for a lake at the location, which was given by Roman authors.

2. X is an international airport, ranked 4th overall in the Airport of the Year 2006 awards named by Skytrax.

One of the man-made structures that can be seen from outer space, it serves as an international hub for ANA, JAL and NCA. It has become an Asian hub, with 499 weekly flights to Asia, 66 weekly flights to Europe and the Middle East, and 35 weekly flights to North America.

It handles only international flights while another airport handles domestic flights in the city.

Name the airport, or the city.

3. X was built as a part of the self-imposed isolationist policy of the country – remaining the single place of direct trade and exchange with Europe during that period.

Fan-shaped, it was originally built to house Portuguese traders, then became a Dutch trading post from 1641 till 1853, and is today designated a national historic site.

It was the site of the HMS Phaeton incident in 1908.

The action in David Mitchell’s 2010 novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob van Zoet takes place here.

Either name X, or the city where it is located.

4. Nakheel Properties is a government owned real-estate developer founded in 2000.

They’d also proposed to build the Nakheel Tower, which would’ve been the world’s tallest tower, before it was shelved due to lack of money.

Either translate ‘Nakheel’ into English, or tell me what their flagship properties (three in number) are collectively known as.

5. X is the name of the modern port that serves Kochi.

It is named after the erstwhile governor of Madras who had a hand in the project. Robert Bristow, the chief protagonist and engineer for the project owned the first building there.

Name X, or the governor.

6. The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja.

Its most famous name, derived from Portuguese, was grammatically incorrect because half of the name was masculine and the other feminine.

Give current name.

Answers.

1. X is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country, at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on January 1, 1986; the twelfth province of the country, with Lelystad as its capital.

It was named after the old name for the Zuiderzee, or rather for a lake at the location, which was given by Roman authors.

Flevopolder or Flevoland.

2. X is an international airport, ranked 4th overall in the Airport of the Year 2006 awards named by Skytrax.

One of the man-made structures that can be seen from outer space, it serves as an international hub for ANA, JAL and NCA. It has become an Asian hub, with 499 weekly flights to Asia, 66 weekly flights to Europe and the Middle East, and 35 weekly flights to North America.

It handles only international flights while another airport handles domestic flights in the city.

Name the airport, or the city.

Kansai International Airport in Osaka.

3. X was built as a part of the self-imposed isolationist policy of the country – remaining the single place of direct trade and exchange with Europe during that period.

Fan-shaped, it was originally built to house Portuguese traders, then became a Dutch trading post from 1641 till 1853, and is today designated a national historic site.

It was the site of the HMS Phaeton incident in 1908.

The action in David Mitchell’s 2010 novel The Thousand Autumns of Jacob van Zoet takes place here.

Either name X, or the city where it is located.

Dejima, in Nagasaki Bay.

4. Nakheel Properties is a government owned real-estate developer founded in 2000.

They’d also proposed to build the Nakheel Tower, which would’ve been the world’s tallest tower, before it was shelved due to lack of money.

Either translate ‘Nakheel’ into English, or tell me what their flagship properties (three in number) are collectively known as.

Note: Pic removed

Palms or Palm Trees. Their flagship is the Palm Islands (Palm Jumeirah, the Palm Jebel Ali and the Palm Deira).

5. X is the name of the modern port that serves Kochi.

It is named after the erstwhile governor of Madras who had a hand in the project. Robert Bristow, the chief protagonist and engineer for the project owned the first building there.

Name X, or the governor.

Willingdon Island, after Lord W.

6. The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja.

Its most famous name, derived from Portuguese, was grammatically incorrect because half of the name was masculine and the other feminine.

Give current name.

Mumbai.

Theme – Artificial Islands.

ROUND 6 – The End.

6 questions.

Differential scoring: 7-8 teams – 5 points.3-7 teams – 10 points.1-2 teams – 15 points.

- 5 if incorrect.

1. This Court Complex is situated in the palace of the erstwhile X, having criminal courts with cases pertaining to New Delhi, South and South-West Districts.

Either name the complex, or the title.

Patiala House.

2. This documentary had as a working title ‘Resistance and Deportation’, which described handling of World War II prisoners according to a decree promulgated by Himmler that provided that those resisting the Reich, who were arrested but not executed, would be deported to camps in such a way that they would vanish without a trace.

The actual title also derives from that decree, Himmler stating that they would vanish without a trace “into the X”.

Night and Fog.

3. This is a literal-minded representation of which ancient symbol?

Ouroboros.

4. Who, these days more famous for his name alone?

Feroze Gandhi.

5. Low-rise jeans were popular in the ‘60s, before going out of fashion.

Who heralded the revival of these ‘bumsters’, with his 1996 collection “Dante”, with Kate Moss amongst others modelling it?

He committed suicide this year, aged 40.

Alexander McQueen.

6. What are these redesigned icons for?

Office for Mac.