MELAS Quiz at Interrobang 2017 Finals

Acknowledgements

Aakash Puttige Ribhu Mukherjee

Abhishek Babbar Samiha Gopal

Aparajita Kaul Shivsaai Prasad

Balaji Subramanian T.P.S. Harsha

Jayavardhan Josyula Taruni Kavuri

Nipuna Varman Vishnu Sumanth

Format of the Finals

44 questions

Written Round I – 7 questions

Clockwise Pounce – 15 questions

Written Round II – 7 questions

Anti-clockwise Pounce - 15 questions

Written Round I

Theme: Anything Goes!

7 questions

+10 for each correct answer

Part points applicable.

1.

The appearance of this novel was a highly anticipated event as the person writing itwas considered one of France’s foremost poets in the middle of the nineteenth century.The author forbade his publishers from summarizing his story and refused to authorizethe publication of excerpts.

A massive advertising campaign preceded the release of the first two volumes andwhile critical reactions were often negative, the work was a commercial success. Areviewer in Le Monde wrote of it: "One cannot read without an unconquerable disgustall the details ______ _____ gives regarding the successful planning of riots.” While exiledin England shortly after its publication, the author telegraphed his English publisherswith a one-character query, and the publishers responded with one-character as well.

a) What work was this and who was the author?

b) What was the communication between the author and his publishers?

2.

The first novel by John O'Hara concerns the self-destruction and suicideof the fictional character Julian English, a wealthy car dealer who wasonce a member of the social elite of Gibbsville.

The title of this novel is a reference to W. Somerset Maugham's retellingof an ancient Mesopotamian tale, which appears as an epigraph for thenovel. Of the title, he later O’Hara said "Dorothy didn't like the title,[publisher] Alfred Harcourt didn't like the title, his editors didn't like it,nobody liked it but me”, and described it as a reference to "the inevitabilityof Julian English's death.“

What was the title of this book?

Why did Google Search terms for the title of this book go up recently?

3.

In 2007, South Korea hosted what was billed as the world’s first High WireChampionships in Seoul, in which participants had to cross a river on a 1km wire.

Each acrobat had to navigate the 1.2-inch-thick wire that spanned theriver, with the top prize of $15,000 going to the person crossing it fastest.

The Washington Post, while reporting this information came up with apunny headline that contained the surname and the full name of twocentral characters from a world famous franchise.

What was the headline given to this article?

4.

This is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by JulianSchnabel. It is based on the life of an American postmodernist/neoexpressionist artist, who used his graffiti roots as a foundation to createcollage-style paintings on canvas.

Jeffrey Wright portrays the eponymous titular character and this was thefirst commercial feature film about a painter made by a painter. Wright’scharacter, in real life became increasingly isolated and his depression grewmore severe after the passing of a dear friend and collaborator, whom hehad met in 1980.

a) What was the title of this film?

b) Which friend was this? Who essayed his role in the movie?

5.

“The first time I heard the voice of X was in Harlem, 1990. My roommate and I stood there,blasting it in his room. We were all awash in the thick undulating tide of dark punjabi tablarhythyms, spiked with synchronized handclaps booming from above and below in hard, perfecttime. I heard the clarion call of harmoniums dancing the antique melody around like giant,singing wooden spiders. Then all of a sudden, the rising of one, then ten voices hovering over thetonic like a flock of geese ascending into formation across the sky.

Then came the voice of X. Part Buddha, part demon, part mad angel...his voice is velvet fire,simply incomparable. X's blending of classical improvisations to the art of Qawwali, combined withhis out and out daredevil style and his sensitivity, outs him in a category all his own, above allothers in his field.

His every enunciation went straight into me. I knew not one word of Urdu, and somehow it stillhooked me into the story that he weaved with his wordless voice. I remember my senses fullyfroze in order....”

Who, on whom, someone he labels as revitalizing his music career?

6.

Part of The American Film Institute (AFI 100 Years... series), AFI's 100Years... 100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations inAmerican cinema.

A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," spoken by Clark Gable as RhettButler in the Gone with the Wind as the most memorable Americanmovie quotation of all time.

What is the only quote in this list, that comes from a movie released afterthe year 2000?

Which actor/actress is this quote credited to?

7.

In 1969, at the Robert Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida, the gymteacher and basketball coach was notorious for strictly enforcing theschool's policy against boys having long hair and used to keep sendingstudents to the principal’s room. Interviewed in 2009, this retired teachertold The Times-Union of Jacksonville, "They were good, talented, hard-working boys. They worked hard, lived hard and boozed hard.“

The teacher’s son said, "I think he kind of ate it up. He didn’t like it at first,he had mixed emotions later, but I think he kind of liked it eventually.“After his death in 2010, The New York Times called him "arguably themost influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture.

In what way did this gym teacher influence the world of pop culture?

Exchange


Part points applicable

1.

The appearance of this novel was a highly anticipated event as the person writing itwas considered one of France’s foremost poets in the middle of the nineteenth century.The author forbade his publishers from summarizing his story and refused to authorizethe publication of excerpts.

A massive advertising campaign preceded the release of the first two volumes andwhile critical reactions were often negative, the work was a commercial success. Areviewer in Le Monde wrote of it: "One cannot read without an unconquerable disgustall the details ______ _____ gives regarding the successful planning of riots.” While exiledin England shortly after its publication, the author telegraphed his English publisherswith a one-character query, and the publishers responded with one-character as well.

a) What work was this and who was the author?

b) What was the communication between the author and his publishers?

Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

?!

For more such questions,...

2.

The first novel by John O'Hara concerns the self-destruction and suicideof the fictional character Julian English, a wealthy car dealer who wasonce a member of the social elite of Gibbsville.

The title of this novel is a reference to W. Somerset Maugham's retellingof an ancient Mesopotamian tale, which appears as an epigraph for thenovel. Of the title, he later O’Hara said "Dorothy didn't like the title,[publisher] Alfred Harcourt didn't like the title, his editors didn't like it,nobody liked it but me”, and described it as a reference to "the inevitabilityof Julian English's death.“

What was the title of this book?

Why did Google Search terms for the title of this book go up recently?

Appointment in Samarra

Episode 1, Season 4 of Sherlock

3.

In 2007, South Korea hosted what was billed as the world’s first High WireChampionships in Seoul, in which participants had to cross a river on a 1km wire.

Each acrobat had to navigate the 1.2-inch-thick wire that spanned theriver, with the top prize of $15,000 going to the person crossing it fastest.

The Washington Post, while reporting this information came up with apunny headline that contained the surname and the full name of twocentral characters from a world famous franchise.

What was the headline given to this article?

4.

This is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by JulianSchnabel. It is based on the life of an American postmodernist/neoexpressionist artist, who used his graffiti roots as a foundation to createcollage-style paintings on canvas.

Jeffrey Wright portrays the eponymous titular character and this was thefirst commercial feature film about a painter made by a painter. Wright’scharacter, in real life became increasingly isolated and his depression grewmore severe after the passing of a dear friend and collaborator, whom hehad met in 1980.

a) Who was the title of this film?

b) Which friend was this? Who essayed his role in the movie?

Basquiat

Andy Warhol, David Bowie

5.

“The first time I heard the voice of X was in Harlem, 1990. My roommate and I stood there,blasting it in his room. We were all awash in the thick undulating tide of dark punjabi tablarhythyms, spiked with synchronized handclaps booming from above and below in hard, perfecttime. I heard the clarion call of harmoniums dancing the antique melody around like giant,singing wooden spiders. Then all of a sudden, the rising of one, then ten voices hovering over thetonic like a flock of geese ascending into formation across the sky.

Then came the voice of X. Part Buddha, part demon, part mad angel...his voice is velvet fire,simply incomparable. X's blending of classical improvisations to the art of Qawwali, combined withhis out and out daredevil style and his sensitivity, outs him in a category all his own, above allothers in his field.

His every enunciation went straight into me. I knew not one word of Urdu, and somehow it stillhooked me into the story that he weaved with his wordless voice. I remember my senses fullyfroze in order....”

Who, on whom, someone he labels as revitalizing his music career?

Jeff Buckley on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

6.

Part of The American Film Institute (AFI 100 Years... series), AFI's 100Years... 100 Movie Quotes is a list of the top 100 movie quotations inAmerican cinema.

A jury consisting of 1,500 film artists, critics, and historians selected"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," spoken by Clark Gable as RhettButler in the Gone with the Wind as the most memorable Americanmovie quotation of all time.

What is the only quote in this list, that comes from a movie released afterthe year 2000?

Which actor/actress is this quote credited to?

My Precious

Andy Serkis

7.

In 1969, at the Robert Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida, the gymteacher and basketball coach was notorious for strictly enforcing theschool's policy against boys having long hair and used to keep sendingstudents to the principal’s room. Interviewed in 2009, this retired teachertold The Times-Union of Jacksonville, "They were good, talented, hard-working boys. They worked hard, lived hard and boozed hard.“

The teacher’s son said, "I think he kind of ate it up. He didn’t like it at first,he had mixed emotions later, but I think he kind of liked it eventually.“After his death in 2010, The New York Times called him "arguably themost influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture.

In what way did this gym teacher influence the world of pop culture?

His name was Leonard Skinner. Inspired the name of the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Clockwise Dries

15 questions

Infinite bounce, with pounce.

+10 on correct answer, -5 on wrong pounce

1.

Ted Chapin was chosen by two families to run their office. He expanded itinto an organization, which is responsible for management of musicalcopyrights created by the two individuals, whose families had approachedhim.

In October 2016, Chapin, the President and CEO of this organization metwith another ‘family’ at a service. In a statement, he later said, “It's alwayssad when a member of the family passes away, it's especially sad when it isthe first of the group to go”.

Which two individuals give their name to the organization headed byChapin?

Which ‘family’ did he meet at the service?

And the answer is…

Rodgers and Hammerstein

Cast who played the Von Trapp Family from Sound of Music, at Charmian Carr’s funeral

2.

While it made many a career, it also ended the career of V. Vikramraju,who came in for heavy criticism for what he had done. At Raju’s home ina quaint locality of Hebbal in Bangalore, the significance of the event hasnot been lost. The iconic black and white laminated image stands out.

Today, some who were a part of this moment acknowledge that there wasan immense amount of pressure on Raju but do not waver from theirstance that he had it wrong. Others call him the most courageous personthey had ever seen. He maintains that he did what he thought was rightdespite the consequences.

Why did Raju come in for criticism, close to three decades ago?

Adjudged Maninder Singh LBW, which lead to the Madras Tied Test

3.

It appears frequently in works of popular fiction, and even before itsextinction, it was featured in European literature, as a symbol for exoticlands, and of gluttony, due to its apparent fatness.

In 1865, the same year that George Clark started to publish reports aboutexcavated fossils of this creature, it was featured as a character in thebook X. It is thought that it was included because the author identifiedwith it and had adopted its name as a nickname for himself. This was inpart, because of his stammer, which made him accidentally say the nameof the creature, while introducing himself.

Which creature? And in what way did the author say its name whileintroducing himself?

Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll’s real name) used to stammer and introduce himself as Do-Do-Dodgson

4.

This is the schematic of a drum kit, as envisaged by electronic drummanufacturer Simmons who created it in 1986 for the preciserequirements of a certain drummer.

The video that follows gives us a quick tour of the drum kit during a filmpromotion tour. The title of the film is the same as that of the 1983 songwhich the drummer’s band released and the song appears in the film.

a) Who was the drum kit designed for? What circumstances led to thecreation of the kit?

b) Which film was this?

Rick Allen of the Deff Leppards

After he lost his arm in an accident.

Rock of Ages

5.

In 2011, it was reported that an Irish artist had made moves moves to claim royalties onhis artwork – 43 years after he created it. The Irish Times reported that he had neverbeen on the receiving end of royalties that would have come from use of it, but he wasnow seeking to change and donate the money to the people of a certain country.

His lawyer, Michael Mulcahy, said that while it was based on another photographer’swork, it still carried enough of its own unique characteristics to classify it as his original.

The artist himself had created his work six years after a chance encounter withsomeone who was passing through Ireland. Using a process known as “line drop”, heoutlined the piece, and also added a touch which made it reflect something of himself.

a) Which artwork, which went on to “breed like rabbits”, in the words of the artist?

b) Who was the artist, or what was this touch that he added?

Che poster

Jim Fitzpatrick/Signed an F on the corner

6.

The Klondike Gold Rush was a migration by an estimated 100,000 prospectors to theKlondike region of the Yukon in Canada between 1896 and 1899. Gold wasdiscovered there by local miners and, when news reached parts of America, ittriggered a stampede of would-be prospectors.

It also included a future writer who came from financially weak circumstances andwished to try out prospecting. Along the way, he interacted with many miners andadventure seekers after which he would take their stories and put them to pen in hisgreatest writings. Two of his most famous works of adventure are set amid the harshnatural elements of the icy North, and deal with survival and a return to primitivism.One of the works is a companion novel (and a thematic mirror) of the other.

Who was this writer, who was also a well known animal rights activist?

What were these two works?

Jack London

White Fang, Call of the Wild

7.

According to an auction house, it was sold in November last year for$4.81 million at an auction in Los Angeles. Created by Hollywood designerJean Louis, it was purchased by Ripley’s Believe It or Not. It came into thepublic eye for a brief but iconic moment more than half a century ago.

Edward Meyer, vice president of Ripley's told the Press Association: "Webelieve this is the most iconic piece of pop culture that there is” andadded that it was as much a part of political history as much as it wasHollywood.

What was the item, part of a defining moment in history considering theominous future that was in store?

In what context did everyone see this item?

Marilyn Monroe’s dress

Happy Birthday, Mr. President for JFK

8.

VistaGlide was a robotic, motion-control camera system that allowed an actorto play two or more parts in a single scene, with a computer controlling themovements of the actor during each pass. Although such scenes were notnew, the VistaGlide allowed, for the first time, a completely dynamic scene inwhich camera movement could finally be incorporated.

It was especially developed for a franchise where several instances of multiplecharacters or "other selves" are shown side by side – thus enabling the actorsto seemingly interact with themselves, walk around themselves, and even passobjects between themselves.

Most visual effects award nominations for the franchise were attributed to thedevelopment of this system. What franchise?

Back to the future

9.

There are many stories as to the inspiration of these particular elements in an artwork. Accordingto a 1912 article in Fra Magazine, when it was being painted, the model’s children would come into watch. Struck by their posture, the story goes, he added them in exactly as he saw them.Another story, recounted in 1912's St. Nicholas Magazine, says that the artist was inspired by twochildren he encountered on the street when he saw them "looking wistfully into the window of abaker's shop."

Whatever may be the inspiration, the resulting incorporation has led to them being featured instamps, postcards, T-shirts and wrapping paper, among other things. cutlery and have garneredrecognition distinct from the field of art.

Gustav Kobbé declared that "no ______ or group of ______'s is so famous as the two that lean onthe altar top indicated at the very bottom of the picture.“

a) Who was the painter? What was the painting?

b) Fill in the blank.

X - RaphaelY - Sistine Madonna

Z - The cherubs/winged angels that you see in the bottom of this painting

10.

Some of the names that were to be seen were Purnima, Pramila, Nalin,Devaki, Tara, Surinder, Lakshmi, Mandakini, Saroj and Sujata. In whatwas a shift from the usual practise, these names came into publicconsciousness in October at Visakhapatnam last year.

One of the individuals who was a part of this said, “It’s a veryemotional connect and it’s good that it is put on a public platform. Iwould like to request that the whole of India keeps this in mind andappreciates them everyday.”

What unique effort was this, which sought to challenge societalstereotypes?

Indian cricketers wearing their mothers’ names on their jersey

11.

‘They come with little sticks, dip them in holy water and then slap you overthe head as hard as they can,’ X says. ‘Before the United game it was likeI’d had a bath — heads, shoulders, legs. It worked though, didn’t it! Theyneed to come back more often.’

‘As we were getting changed before the game, the monks came around.That’s the Thai culture and we are happy for them to do it.’

Identify this individual ‘revealing a secret’ which according to him andmore importantly his bosses accounts for the scheme of things last year.

Jamie Vardy

12.

By 2005, author Lin Anderson, with her husband John had collated adecade’s worth of web responses to the retelling of X’s story. Based onthese responses, she wrote a book in the run-up to the 700th anniversaryof X’s death on August 23, 2005 stating that the film’s impact wasextraordinary, and spawned a major political movement.

While the historical accuracy of the film was always disputed, the movierocketed up the Amazon DVD charts in 2014, rising from 1074th to 454thplace.

Which film was this?

Why were the film’s DVDs in demand in 2014?

Braveheart

Scottish Independence Referendum

13.

X's portrait of Y is considered a lost masterpiece of Modernist Painting. Itsaw several critics praise it for its attention to detail and authenticity andhelped X become one of the best painters of that time.

Commissioned by the Parliament in 1954, this painting sought to honourY for his stand out contribution to the country and celebrate hisachievements. Y, who himself was well acquainted with the paintbrush wasskeptical of X's methods and is documented to have remarked that:

"Give me a German Modernist or an Italian. They're the ones who have tostart all over again. Whatever would an Englishman want to change?"

Who was Y? Why is the portrait considered to be a lost masterpiece?

Winston Churchill, His wife had it destroyed

14.

X, a centurion hails from Barbados and in 2015, he scored his maiden List Acentury when he scored 113 from 58 balls against Sri Lanka Board President's XI,in a 50-over game. He went on to became the toast of his nation a few monthslater, when he seemingly pulled a win out of nowhere to gift his side an ICCtrophy.

Y, who died a centenarian last month was born in Guyana and went on to write afamous autobiographical novel in 1959, where he recounted incidents that heexperienced at his job in East London. The novel was later adapted into a hitfilm with the same name with its title song becoming a chartbuster.

X’s surname differs from Y’s by one letter, but they both have similaretymological origins.

Who is X? What was the title of Y’s novel?

Carlos Brathwaite

ER Braithwaite’s To Sir With Love

15.

An idea came to photographer Mark Edwards when he was lost in theSahara Desert. A Tuareg nomad rescued him and played him a songwhich led to Edwards getting inspired to start a particular photo project.The project, which depicts environment and development issues, showshumanity’s head-on collision with nature.

Described by Ian MacDonald as one of the most idiosyncratic protestsongs ever written, the songwriter has stated that all of the lyrics weretaken from the initial lines of songs that "he thought he would never havetime to write.”

a) What song is this?

b) In what specific way is Edwards’ project connected to the song?

Photo project montage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSlUKr1rzJI

A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall, Every lyric is captured by a separate photograph in the

project

Written Round II

Theme: Jack of Another Trade

7 questions


Part points applicable

1.

As a youth, he became a proficient and frequent player of the highland bagpipe,being taught by William Ross and Henry Forsyth. His rather ponderous slow march,‘Mallorca’, remains in print in the Seaforth Highlanders' standard book of music. Hisbagpipe playing found little favour with most of his friends, and less with his Englishbiographers, but he was, even so, a competent exponent of the instrument, whichgave him considerable pleasure.

While the tune enjoyed some prominence in certain circles, it perhaps could havebeen even more famous had its composer not taken a certain decision in the 20thcentury, which left many furious.

a) Who was the composer of Mallorca?

b) The circumstances surrounding this decision were highlighted in a certain popculture context in 2010. What context was this?

2.

In the years after X thrust him to fame, Y became the world’s ‘best-known lepidopterist’.However, he always felt that fame as a result of X, led to a casual dismissal of hisprofessional work as a lepidopterist as a hobby. This was however not the case, as in the1940s, Y was well-known in smaller scientific circles and was the de facto curator ofHarvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. In addition, Y produced X, while travellingon annual summer butterfly-collection trips in the Western United States.

The scale and significance of his butterfly work remained a mystery to many untilscientists started to re-examine and expand on his work at the end of the 1980s andthroughout the 1990s.

Who is this multi-disciplinary professional, who regrets the change that his success in hisbetter known fields brought to his characterisation as lepidopterist? Also, ID X thatbrought him to fame globally.

3.

The man in the following video quit his job at KPMG in April2004 and for a time earned his living mainly by playing onlinepoker. A semi professional player, he has also tried his handat the World Series of Poker and the video is from the 2013WSOP.

While poker involves him calling a bluff, his most famousventure has felt the heat for not calling it accurately recently.

a) Who is the individual (in the grey t shirt)?

b) What venture is this?

4.He announced his intention to run for President in 2005, forming the Congress for DemocraticChange to back his candidacy. While he was a popular figure, opponents cited his lack of formaleducation as a handicap to his ability to lead the country, in contrast with his Harvard-educatedopponent. His eligibility to run for President was also called into question as it was reported thathe had become a French citizen in his footballing career at Paris St. Germain, but thesecomplaints were rebuffed by the electoral commission in court.

He went on to lose and alleged that the election had been rigged through voter intimidation andballot tampering, and many of his supporters protested the results. However, after assurancesthat the vote was fair several prominent African leaders called on his supporters to accept theresult with grace and dignity, and his opponent became President. In 2014 he ran for election tothe Senate and defeated the President’s son.

a) Who is this individual?

b) Who was his 2005 opponent, who has been in power since 2006 and received the NobelPeace Prize in 2011?

5.

Johnny Hayes was an American Athlete that started his foray into sport with afifth place finish in the Boston Marathon in 1906. Hayes will always be mostremembered for coming second in an event some time later, only to behanded the first prize, due to a disqualification.

X had been commissioned by the Daily Mail to write a special report about therace. He was very impressed by the effort of the Italian at the stadium, whichhe commented with the words: “The Italian's great performance can never beeffaced from our record of sport, be the decision of the judges what it may.”

Which notable literary person donned the hat of a sports journalist for thatday?

Who was disqualified to present Hayes with the win?

6.

a) Identify this individual in the video, getting his stripes pinned andjoining the Territorial Army.

b) To what position was he elected into yesterday, for a four-year term?

7. Who designed these book covers?

Exchange

1.

As a youth, he became a proficient and frequent player of the highland bagpipe,being taught by William Ross and Henry Forsyth. His rather ponderous slow march,‘Mallorca’, remains in print in the Seaforth Highlanders' standard book of music. Hisbagpipe playing found little favour with most of his friends, and less with his Englishbiographers, but he was, even so, a competent exponent of the instrument, whichgave him considerable pleasure.

While the tune enjoyed some prominence in certain circles, it perhaps could havebeen even more famous had its composer not taken a certain decision in the 20thcentury, which left many furious.

a) Who was the composer of Mallorca?

b) The circumstances surrounding this decision were highlighted in a certain popculture context in 2010. What context was this?

Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne

The King’s Speech

2.

In the years after X thrust him to fame, Y became the world’s ‘best-known lepidopterist’.However, he always felt that fame as a result of X, led to a casual dismissal of hisprofessional work as a lepidopterist as a hobby. This was however not the case, as in the1940s, Y was well-known in smaller scientific circles and was the de facto curator ofHarvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology. In addition, Y produced X, while travellingon annual summer butterfly-collection trips in the Western United States.

The scale and significance of his butterfly work remained a mystery to many untilscientists started to re-examine and expand on his work at the end of the 1980s andthroughout the 1990s.

Who is this multi-disciplinary professional, who regrets the change that his success in hisbetter known fields brought to his characterisation as lepidopterist? Also, ID X thatbrought him to fame globally.

Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita

3.

The man in the following video quit his job at KPMG in April2004 and for a time earned his living mainly by playing onlinepoker. A semi professional player, he has also tried his handat the World Series of Poker and the video is from the 2013WSOP.

While poker involves him calling a bluff, his most famousventure has felt the heat for not calling it accurately recently.

a) Who is the individual?

b) What venture is this?

Nate Silver

FiveThirtyEight

4.He announced his intention to run for President in 2005, forming the Congress for DemocraticChange to back his candidacy. While he was a popular figure, opponents cited his lack of formaleducation as a handicap to his ability to lead the country, in contrast with his Harvard-educatedopponent. His eligibility to run for President was also called into question as it was reported thathe had become a French citizen in his footballing career at Paris St. Germain, but thesecomplaints were rebuffed by the electoral commission in court.

He went on to lose and alleged that the election had been rigged through voter intimidation andballot tampering, and many of his supporters protested the results. However, after assurancesthat the vote was fair several prominent African leaders called on his supporters to accept theresult with grace and dignity, and his opponent became President. In 2014 he ran for election tothe Senate and defeated the President’s son.

a) Who is this individual?

b) Who was his 2005 opponent, who has been in power since 2006 and received the NobelPeace Prize in 2011?

George Weah

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

5.

Johnny Hayes was an American Athlete that started his foray into sport with afifth place finish in the Boston Marathon in 1906. Hayes will always be mostremembered for coming second in an event some time later, only to behanded the first prize, due to a disqualification.

X had been commissioned by the Daily Mail to write a special report about therace. He was very impressed by the effort of the Italian at the stadium, whichhe commented with the words: “The Italian's great performance can never beeffaced from our record of sport, be the decision of the judges what it may.”

Which notable literary person donned the hat of a sports journalist for thatday?

Who was disqualified to present Hayes with the win?

Arthur Conan Doyle

Dorando Pietri

6.

a) Identify this individual in the video, getting his stripes pinned andjoining the Territorial Army.

b) To what position was he elected into yesterday, for a four-year term?

Anurag Thakur

Himachal Olympic Association President

7. Who designed these book covers?

MC Escher

Anti Clockwise Dries

15 questions

Infinite bounce, with pounce.

+10 on correct answer, -5 on wrong pounce

16.

Author Helen Fielding, who created the character X wrote of her love ofthe 1995 BBC adaptation of Y. She loosely reworked the plot of Y in her1996 novelization of a newspaper column she wrote.

Screenwriter Andrew Davies of Y collaborated on the screenplays for the2001 and 2004 X films, which also had two actors from Y in minor roles. Athird eponymous movie with this character released last year.

Film critic James Berardinelli would later state that one of the male leads"plays this (the role in X) exactly as he played the earlier role (in X),making it evident that the two ______s are essentially the same". Thesurname of the character in X and Y remained the same.

X and Y?

Bridget Jones

Mr. Darcy

17.

Published by Random House in 1990, this work, as conceded by the author Xhimself, is his most ambitious venture ever, despite ending in a commercial failure.

The book is set in the near future, where the President of US is Francis Xavier Y,whose ebullient persona paved his way to the office. But when he discovers thathis daughter is under the threat of a terrorist conspiracy, given his pastexperiences, all the insecurities and fear of losing someone close tear through thefacade of charm and force him into using all his powers to set off on a violentwitch hunt.

Give the title of the book, which accurately reflects on the Presidential scion'sancestral lineage and the author X, whose works are commonly centered aroundthe lives of powerful characters

The Fourth K by Mario Puzo

18.

Heinz Kluetmeier is a German-born American sports photographer whowhen asked of a particular decision, said, "It didn't need it. Everyone inAmerica knew what happened.”

What iconic moment did he capture?

What was the decision?

Miracle on Ice

To not have any words on the Sports Illustrated cover photo

19.

In 2004, this individual produced a quantity of spoof British £10 notessubstituting the picture of the Queen's head with Princess Diana’s head andin a narcissistic move, changed the text from "Bank of England" to “_______of England“. Someone threw a large wad of these into a crowd at NottingHill Carnival that year, which some recipients then tried to spend in localshops.

A few years later, he went on to launch a street party stating that he hopedthey could “transform a dark forgotten filth pit into an oasis of beautiful art”.

a) Who was this individual?

b) What was the name of the three-day party, which was a pun on anotherfamous annual event?

Banksy

Cans Festival

20.

In the Year of the Pig is a documentary film directed by Emile de Antonio aboutAmerican involvement in the Vietnam War. It was released in 1968 while the US wasin the middle of its military engagement, and was politically controversial. In 1969,the film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

A still photograph used in the film that displayed Marine Corporal Michael Wynnwith the words ‘Make War Not Love' inscribed on his helmet was later incorporatedand morphed into ___ __ ___ as part of this famous rock group's political message.The song was also used by an organization, which joined hands with the band tocreate an arcade game.

a) Name the rock band.

b) Which studio album was this, and which organization partnered with the band?

The Smiths

PETA, Meat is Murder

21.

A big reveal is made in the crossover sequel, which is titled The Mysterious Island.In it, this French author states that the antihero in the previous book is adescendant of a Muslim ruler who had resisted the expansionism of the British.The antihero is said to have taken to his new albeit lonely life after the suppressionof a rebellion, in which his close family members were killed by the British.

This reveal was made at the request of the author’s publisher. In the original text,the mysterious antihero was a Polish nobleman, avenging his family who werekilled by the Russians. However, as France was at the time allied with the RussianEmpire, the target for this antihero’s wrath was changed to France's old enemy, theBritish Empire, to avoid political trouble.

a) Which famous antihero is this, and what came before The Mysterious Island?

b) Who was this antihero’s famous ancestor and which rebellion is this?

Captain Nemo in Verne’s 20000 Leagues Under The Sea

Tipu Sultan, 1857 Mutiny

22.

Though this song has a contested history, the version by singer songwriter Gillian Hills in 1960 wasdescribed as being “…. typical in style of the international yé-yé movement (itself a derivative of theexclamation ‘Yeah yeah’ found typically in rock and roll music). The Huffington Post simply stated thatthe song was "about how kissing is fun“. Slate’s David Haglund, after translating the song, claims thatthe theme of the song is about ". . .openly declaring and displaying one's love, coming out from 'thebushes' where 'lovers glide stealthily' and feeling love 'everywhere'“

In reference to the pop culture portrayal of this in a TV show, it was said:

“X, who is younger and more naïve than Y, was 'unknowingly putting their intimate connection on theline' in front of their friends and co-workers'.'The reason that it’s so awkward isn’t that she was doinganything wrong, but because it’s private'.

Name the song.

Identify X and Y in the recent pop culture portrayal.

Zou Bisou Bisou

Don and Megan Draper

23.

For Alan Menken in 1993, Brian Helgeland in 1998, and Sandra Bullock in2010, the most awaited (or not) awards weekend of the year wasbittersweet. While the weekend started off on a sour note for the three, itended rather brightly.

However, it was a very bizarre weekend for two actors James Coco (inOnly When I Laugh in 1982) and Amy Irving (in Yentl in 1984), whichclearly depicted the high level of subjectivity that was involved.

What exactly happened that weekend for Menken, Helgeland & Bullock?

How was it more bizarre for Coco and Irving?

And the answer is..

Won a Razzie and an Oscar in the same weekend.Got nominated for a Razzie and an Oscar for the same

role.

24.

From a newspaper article in 2000:

“It was meant as a very public statement of love and affection. But lastnight X was left with a face as red as his Manchester United shirt”.

The mistake was spotted by Indians living in Britain and while the artistrywas praised, there was no doubt that it was erroneous.

What was all this about?

And the answer is..

David Beckham’s ‘Vhictoria’ tattoo

25.

The Bridge is a 2006 British-American documentary film by Eric Steelspanning exactly one year of filming at a particular location. Of his motive toshoot the film, the director said he was shocked that, despite the notorietyand history, nothing had been done to prevent it from happening there.

Steel also avoided publicity about the project to avoid a situation wheresomeone would "get it into his or her head to go to the bridge andimmortalize him or herself on film.” He went on to compare images capturedin his documentary to a famous artwork, considering that in both, it goesalmost unnoticed by passersby.

a) Where was this documentary shot and what did it seek to capture?

b) What artwork did Steel compare the documentary to?

And the answer is..

Golden Gate Bridge, Suicides

Landscape with the fall of Icarus

26.

In 1935, the National Association of __________ Coaches (created by X's pupilPhog Allen) collected money so that the 74-year-old X could witness theintroduction of something at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games.

There, he handed out the medals to three North American teams: United States,for the gold medal, Canada, for the silver medal, and Mexico, for their bronzemedal win. When he returned, he commented that seeing it being played bymany nations was the greatest compensation he could have received for hisinvention.

Who was X? What was introduced that year at the Olympics?

And the answer is..

James Naismith, Basketball

27.

During June 1989, at least fifteen major airlines exhibited in-flight movieversions of a film and cut a particular scene, while doing so. Those criticizingthis move included film director Barry Levinson and co-screenwriter RonaldBass.

"I think it's a key scene to the entire movie," Levinson said in a telephoneinterview. "That's why it's in there. It launches their entire odyssey acrosscountry – because they couldn't fly."

While some of those airlines cited as justification avoiding having airplanepassengers feel uncomfortable in sympathy with one of the characters duringthe in-flight entertainment, the scene was shown intact on flights of Qantas.The film is in fact credited with introducing Qantas to U.S. consumers.

What film is this, and what happens in this particular scene?

And the answer is..

Rain Man

Link to scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4Hwsz1sQmc

28.

An Uncyclopedia entry states that this was born in Beijing and joinedSunderland as a 3-month-old in 2009. Its agent Stephen Westgarthspotted him just hanging about the aisles and immediately knew it hadsomething special.

After careful consideration they both agreed that Sunderland was theplace to start its Premier League career. It has made one appearance forSunderland and is famous for having a 100% goal scoring record and forgetting the game winner against Liverpool on October 17th, 2009, with anassist from Darren Bent.

What am I talking about?

And the answer is..

Liverpool Beach Ball

29.

In 1935, the painter, X, received a commission to illustrate an exclusive edition of the novel, Y, by theauthor, Z. The edition was to consist of one thousand copies, signed by the artist and 250 of them signedby Z. When these books turn up on the market today, they generally start out at prices between $7,000and $9,000 USD. The book remains a cult object for art collectors and for followers of the legacy of Z Butone can’t really speak of a true collaboration between the painter and the writer, because while one ofthe first translations of the Y had been into French, X had not read the book he illustrated.

However, this perhaps wasn’t as much of a hindrance in terms of contribution, because X ended upsourcing his illustration from Y’s source, which made for a correlative reinterpretation of Y’s source.

Final comments on this edition: Thus, the extravagance of this edition goes beyond it precise and carefulpublication: it’s not merely a luxury object for collectors, but a true piece of art, extended and taking theancient Greek epic as its starting point. Striving in two ways, it is a journey – one with words, anotherthrough drawings – of a man’s return home.

ID Variables.

And the answer is..

X-Henry Matisse, Y- Ulysses, Z- James Joyce

30. Connect all these bands.

And the answer is..

Bands named after works of literature

My Chemical Romance

Joy Division

Belle & Sebastian

Sixpence None The Richer

The Doors

Thank you!

[email protected]

MELAS Quiz at Interrobang 2017 Finals

Education

Transcript of MELAS Quiz at Interrobang 2017 Finals