GENERAL KNOWLEDGE QUIZ
Q.As of the fall of 1970 Khorana has been Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Biology and Chemistry at ?
ANS.M.I.T
Q. His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics so that from the beginning he was immersed in an academic
atmosphere. Who?
ANS.C.V. Raman
Q.His father was a Patwari, a village agricultural taxation clerk in the British Indian system of government. Whose?
ANS.Har Gobind Khorana
Q.Raman established and endowed this institute which today is one of India’s top research centres for Theoretical
Sciences.
ANS.RRI, Bangalore
When the Hindus invaded Java in the 2nd century AD the brought with them a dance form that was immediately
accepted and absorbed by the Javanese, name the form?
Chaya-nataka
In the 20th century who popularized tap dancing in films?
Fred Astaire
Which dance was called Kontra-Tanz by the Germans and became Europe’s favorite dance in the late 17th century?
Square dance
Which wild and indecorous French dance of the 19th century imitates the Spanish Fandango and is also known as Chahut?
Can can
This dance is performed either as a solo or a group. Its original form consisted of 2 rows of 6 dancers, some with blackened faces. Usually the participants wore clownish costumes with bells around their legs and waved handkerchiefs. It is still danced in Spain and the British Isles, name the dance?
Morisco
Negroes were prohibited from beating drums, blowing horns and the like, so they danced to hand clapping and the
accompaniment of a banjo. Name the danced the dance form that emerged from their dancing?
Tap dancing
Which native dance of Japan has its origins in the ancient Shinto and Buddhist festivals?
Sarugaku
This dance form evolved from the Dalang and the Topeng. It is the best known form of Javanese dance drama.
Performances can last for many hours or even days. Which dance is this?
Wayang
This Balinese dance is a pantomime dance with the entire body in movement. It is usually performed by 2 girls
dressed in rich flowery garments and beautiful headdresses. A modernized version is called Djoged. Name the dance?
Legong
What was called the Queen of all dances during the renaissance?
Bassa danza
Who was Shivaji’s legendary admiral under whom the Marath fleet were the undisputed lords of the Arabian sea and
after whom the headquarters of the Western Naval Command of India is named?
Kanhoji Angre
What do we now know HMS Hermes as?
INS Vikrant
The term ‘bootlegger’ means someone who carries out illicit trade in liquor. The term has a maritime origin. What?
Smugglers would hide valuables in their huge sea boots when raided by the Naval watchkeepers
The word Admiral comes from Arabic Amir-al-bahr meaning ?
Ruler of the sea
There is a rank higher than Admiral which is equivalent of an army Field Marshall. No Indian has been endowed with
this lifetime honour. What?
Admiral of the Fleet
The officers of which branch of the Indian Navy train at INS Shivaji?
Naval Engineers
The phrase ‘spinning a yarn’ has originated from ________________.
Sailors who would take old ropes apart to make yarn
The Indian Navy’s first major operation after independence resulted in 12 gallantry awards – 3 of them posthomous. What was the event?
The Liberation of Goa
Before being re-christened as INS Delhi she fought in the Battle of River Plate (WW2). A New Zealand crew manned her. Name?
HMS Achilles
This title was introduced by the Dutch who wanted to compensate for the lack of Admirals but didn’t have enough money to pay them on par. It was brought to England by William of Orange and has since become a standard rank in Commonwealth navies. What?
Commodore
A famous piece of music was composed aboard the HMS Minden, a man-of-war built in the Bombay Dockyard. What was it?
The Star Spangled Banner
What colour is a ‘red sea rig’?
Blue
The Indian Navy’s elite Marine Commandos are trained in the highly restricted Naval establishment called?
INS Abhimanyu
The Indian Navy was instrumental in restoring democracy to this nation after a 1987 coup.
The Maldives
“
To be secure at land, we must be supreme at sea.” Whose words?
Pandit Nehru
What is the claim to fame of the HMS Foudroyant, which was built in the Bombay Shipyard?
The oldest wooden ship afloat today
The Maharaja of ______ was keen to send his subjects to support Britain’s WW2 effort by enlisting them in the army and navy. The drawback was that nobody in ______ had ever seen a ship and could not conceive such a strange entity. Undaunted, the Maharaja ordered a stone ship to be built in _____ identical in all respects to the real thing. The ship was christened the HMIS ______?
Patiala
The nuclear submarine that India has leased from the erstwhile USSR?
INS Chakra
This maritime fighter aircraft is capable of the amazing vertical take-off and landing.
Sea Harrier
“There is no God and Mohammed is the Prophet of God.” Where would you find this line inscribed?
Ans: Saudi Arabian flag
What was begun on June 19, 1969 in a flat by six likeminded people in Bombay?
Ans: Shiv Sena
“I don’t know who you are or what you do, I’m gonna get you.” Who said to whom?
Ans: Deep Blue to Kasparov
Who were the models for the campaign for safe sex initiated by Johnny condoms, the adline being “Appearances can be deceptive. Use Johnny condoms”?
Ans: Charles and Diana
What instrument was originally invented as a torture device to pull out nails?
Ans: Screwdriver
What was the name of a 32 gun frigate wrecked in 1799 off the Dutch coast?
Ans: H.M.S Lutine
Salman Rushdie has a 20-year-old son named Zafar Rushdie. His middle name please.
Ans: Haroun
Many objects in India are trademarked with the ISI stamp. What is trademarked ISI No. 1?
Ans: National flag
The Andhra Bank is the only bank in the country licensed to sell this food product.
Ans: Laddoos at Tirupati
The Chinese have ideograms to represent ideas. What does the one with two women under the same roof represent?
Ans: Trouble
Ancient mariners used to take these birds along on long voyages as they imitated many other bird songs. Name them.
Ans: Starling
Which mammals often anoint themselves with a foamy saliva when stimulated by a strange odour?
Ans: Hedgehogs
These small fish always accompany sharks and ships. You see them in movies often. Name them
Ans: Pilot
In July 1923, 23 people were killed in Rostov, Russia due to what phenomenon?
Ans: Giant Hailstones
When a baby Kangaroo is born how does it get into the mother’s pouch?
Ans: The mother licks a wet strip in her fur and the baby crawls along it
What is the ‘Moho Project’?
Ans: Drilling down to the molten magna beneath the Earth’s crust
This mammal exudes a reddish sticky sweat that turns brownish on drying and protects the skin from sunburns.
Ans: Hippopotamus
This presidential candidate is in favor of a new greener, more progressive political movement. The Green Party nominee has campaigned in more than 35 states so far, hammering home his anti-corporate message and criticizing Al Gore for being too weak on the environment, among other issues. Who?
Ans: Ralph Nader
What is hydroponics?
Ans: Soil less gardening
In early 1968 an extraordinary event happened between Greenland and Iceland? What and what effect did it have?
Ans: An ice bridge was formed
Situated in Neumunster in northern Germany, Glass panels will constitute three walls of it intended for the purpose of collecting solar energy, to provide inmates with natural heating and hot water for 10 months of the
year. Grass and foliage adorn the fourth wall.
Ans: The world's first eco-friendly pyramid
Enviros are particularly worried about new communication mega-towers that will be constructed over the next three
years for digital TV, some of which could reach the height of the Empire State Building. Why?
Ans: Birds collide and get killed
The U.S. Navy has given up its controversial plans to test what near the New Jersey shore after enviros and federal regulators protested that the tests could harm whales and other marine animals. Two months ago, a dozen whales beached themselves in the Bahamas one day after Navy tests.
Ans: Sonar
This mystical bird has found a place in the mythology of many cultures and civilizations. It is depicted in the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt and the mural paintings of ancient Greece. It is mentioned in medieval texts for its magical and medicinal properties - from aiding vision to stimulating memory. It features in classics of literature from the works of Aristophanes to the Mahabharata, to modern tales like that of Haroun. H.
Ans: Hoopoe
Three countries plan to sign a historic agreement next month to create a massive wildlife park that will protect elephants, leopards, rhinos, lions, and buffalo. Wildlife ministers from the three nations will agree to remove the fences that divide their wildlands in order to create a reserve area of about 38,000 square miles, three times
the size of the Netherlands. Two of them are Mozambique and South Africa. The third is _______.
Ans: Zimbabwe
What does SPV stand for?
Ans: Solar Photovoltaic lantern
The bones of a strange, odd-looking creature resembling a bird-like dinosaur were unearthed in Africa's Gobi desert.. According to a report in 'Discover', a team of scientists working on the project are of the opinion that it is 75 million years old and could probably be the latest entrant into the family tree of birds. This strange
looking creature with the body profile of a dinosaur but the featheres and general appearance of a monstrous bird, has short, stubby upper arms instead of wings which culminate in sturdy, single claws.
Ans: Mononykus
Doctors in California have found that extract from this plant has proved an effective killer of all infectious micro-organisms and drug-resistant bacteria in the laboratory. Allicin, an organic compound, which is responsible for its pungent odour is a powerful anti-bacterial agent.
Ans: Fresh garlic
In a remote, rather inaccessible region of north-east Tanzania, a country in eastern Africa, lies a mountain range, very small even in comparison to our ghats, that has been and still is, arousing worldwide environmental attention. It has proved to be the richest in biodiversity, not only in the Arc chain, but in all of Africa. Indeed, in its floral and faunal diversity, it very nearly matches the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Ans: The Usambara mountains
This chemical has made a comeback after it was banned as a hazardous insecticide in the United States. Biologists in Yale have recently found conifer needles and dead leaves in two remote forests of New Hampshire that have been contaminated by traces of this chemical and its breakdown products. There is extensive use of this chemical in India.
Ans: DDT
What was the cause of the ‘Yusho’ disease that occurred in Japan in 1968 from a leak in a canning factory?
Ans: PCB
What is the instrument used for measuring the pressure of gases?
Ans: Manometer
Who played the role of Solitaire in a James Bond film? Name the film.
Ans: Jane Seymour in Live and Let Die
Which former US President later became Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court?
Ans: William Howard Taft
Which snake has the longest fangs?
Ans: Gaboon Viper
Who was the first US President to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
Ans: Theodore Roosevelt
What percentage of the solar energy received on the surface of the Earth is reflected back into space?
Ans: About 80 Percent
Which bird does the Bulu people of Cameroon know as the ‘leopard of the air’?
Ans: Long tailed Hawk
In 1869, which mammal did French naturalist, Pere Armand David in China, first discover?
Ans: Giant Panda
Name the city in Madhya Pradesh where India’s first newsprint factory was set up?
Ans: Nepanagar
Which Polish national dance name is French for "polish dance"?
Ans: Polonaise
Deriving from the Czech folk dance, the rejdovak, this dance is an early 19th century Czech dance in moderate
triple meter. A variant was played in 2/4 time, like a polka. Name the dance?
Ans: Redowa
Which of these is a variant of the polish national dance Mazurka?
Ans: Oberek
The premiere of Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake took place on January 15, 1895 on the stage of the Maryinsky
(Mariinsky) Theatre. Where is this theater situated?
Ans: St. Petersburg
She is often called "The Mother of modern Dance" she revolutionized dance. A subject of continual controversy, she
rebelled against the conventions of ballet by dancing barelegged and barefoot, in filmy shifts. Can you name her?
Ans: Isadora Duncan
Which Spanish dance derived its name from 'pavo' (peacock) and in the 17th century usually had the galliard as its jumping 'afterdance'?
Ans: Pavan
Which Spanish dance in quick triple time, originated in La Mancha, from where it spread to other parts and the name means "continuation"?
Ans: Sequidilla
Which Latin-American dance of Dominican origin consists of a Jaseo (introduction) and Jaleo (interludes)?
Ans: Merengue
Which dance of Italy derives its name from a spider, which infests the southern region?
Ans: Tarantella
Which dance was called Rutscher and Hupjer in Germany where it became fashionable after 1825?
Ans: Galop
Crimes punishable by death included bigamy, cowardice in the face of the enemy, kidnapping, adultery, theft, perjury and malfeasance in public office. Curiously enough, murder was not included in the code. This strict code
also records the first use of the term “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” What is it?
Ans: The code of Hammurabi
After his cremation, his widow and sister Artemisia mixed his ashes with water. After drinking him up in a highly ritualized performance, she erected a splendid memorial tomb for him at Helicarnassus in Asia Minor, which was one of the wonders on the Ancient world. Tell me his name?
Ans: Mausolus
What Shakespearan character’s finals lines are these: “Thus with a kiss I die”
Ans: Romeo
With what invention is Francisco Romero generally credited?
Ans: The red cape used by bullfighters
Legend has it that he died when an eagle carrying a tortoise flew high into the air and accidentally dropped it on his head. Who is he?
Ans: Aeschylus
George Westinghouse was an inventor and contemporary of Edison. His name has passed into the English language. What does “to be westinghoused” mean?
Ans: To die on the electric chair
What was the name of the plane in which Buddy Holly died at the age of 22?
Ans: The American Pie
And, ending on a humorous note (gallows humour, that is.) Whose words were these, about the executioner’s axe: “’Tis a sharp cure, but a sure one for all ills.”
Ans: Sir Walter Raleigh
Whose last words are these: "I've had 18 straight whiskies, I think that's the record. After 39 years this is all I've done."
Ans: Dylan Thomas
In 1968, he founded the Shield Society, a private army dedicated to the revival of Bushido, the samurai code of honour. A brilliant playwright and novelist, he committed seppuku, or suicide by ritual disembowelment, after his failure to realize his heroic ideals. Who?
Ans: Yukio Mishima
Which brand advertises with the line "Entertainment for Men"?
Ans: PlayBoy
"And you will expect an airline that’s going around since 1365 to be the world''s best". Whose adline?
Ans: Saudia
Roy Plunkett perfected a slippery polymer called Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene. What name did he patent it under?
Ans: Teflon
Orthosulphobenzimide was one of the first artificial food substitutes. It was banned in 1977 after studies revealed its carcinogenic properties. The trade name for the substance now survives as a word.Which substance?
Ans: Saccharine
Daisuke Inoue invented something which revolutionised the music industry. What was this invention?
Ans: Karaoke
Which company is based on the pillars of computer communication and compatibility?
Ans: 3com
Wells Fargo uses these to sell postage stamps.In Spain, they are used in theatres, concert halls, and Railway and Airway terminals to sell tickets. Las Vegas uses them in large-scale gambling operations. What?
Ans: ATMs
The insect "Ranikira" is marketed exclusively in Chattisgarh under what name?
Ans: Jiagra, India''s answer to Viagra
All of us have heard of the Tamagotchi craze that spread across Asia in 1996. Which Japanese company marketed this
virtual pet?
Ans: Bandai
What advertising first is associated with Cinzano wines?
Ans: First product to be advertised using Neon lit lamps
The fermented molasses left over from the sugar-refining process is used in the manufacture of which spirit?
Ans: Rum
What is added to gin to make pink gin?
Ans: Angostura bitters
A popular Yorkshire liqueur flavoured with herbs is named after the Bronte sisters. On which spirit is it based?
Ans: Brandy
What do the letters VSOP on a bottle of brandy stand for?
Ans: Very Special Old Pale
Cognac can be made only in a specific area of France. Where can brandy be made?
Ans: Anywhere in the world
Between 1740 and 1970 British sailors received a daily ration of grog. What is grog?
Ans: A mixture of rum and water
Which drink has been known as 'Dutch courage' and 'Mother's ruin'?
Ans: Gin
Where did the American whiskey ''Bourbon'' get its name?
Ans: It was first made in Bourbon County, Kentucky
In which country is Geneva gin made?
Ans: Holland
What is the meaning of the Dutch word 'brandewijn' from which we take the word brandy?
Ans: Burnt wine
What is the basic difference between jam and marmalade?
Ans: Both
The Mai Tai cocktail was created in 1945 by Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic). It got its name when he served it to two Tahitian friends who exclaimed "Maitai roa ae!" What does it mean?
Ans: Out of this world
Which is the most widely eaten fish in the world?
Ans: Salmon
What is traditionally made from the root of the blue agave cactus?
Ans: Tequila
In 1847, Hanson Gregory, a 15 year old baker's apprentice knocked the soggy parts off a fried confectionery, thus creating what?
Ans: The first ring donuts
You can tell a _______ by just reading it. Famous tagline. Which brand?
Ans: Sunkist oranges
Laws forbidding the sale of sodas on Sunday prompted William Garwood to invent what in Evanston, Illinois in 1875?
Ans: Ice-cream sundae
On discovering something in 1668, a blind priest exclaimed: Oh, come quickly. I am drinking the stars. What was he drinking?
Ans: Champagne
Who introduced noodles to Italy after a trip to China?
Ans: Marco Polo
The Jerusalem artichoke
Ans: Is part of the sunflower family
What is the essential difference between apple juice and apple cider?
Ans: Apple juice is pasteurised and cider is not
Natural vanilla flavouring comes from
Ans: Orchids
In 1853 in Saratoga Springs a chef George Crum retaliated to a patron.s complaint that his French fries were too
thick. How?
Ans: He invented Potato chips
In the Middle East, what is called the poor man.s food?
Ans: Figs
The hamburger, invented in 1900 by Louis Lassen is called so because
Ans: It was invented in Hamburg
What new fad did the brand Wonder Bread introduce in 1930?
Ans: Sliced bread
In the New Testament, St. John the Baptist survives on what foods while in the desert?
Ans: Locusts and honey
Shoot a Waco was the original name of what product
Ans: Dr Pepper
The first product to have a UPC bar code on its packaging was a food product. Which?
Ans: Wrigley's
A Napoli baker designed the first pizza in the shape of the Italian flag using tomato, cheese and parsley. He
dedicated it to the visiting King Philip.s wife, thus naming the first ever pizza. The name?
Ans: Margharita
In an open competition to select a name for this brand, a name was chosen which loosely translated from Latin as
Strength of Man. Which brand?
Ans: Hovis Bread
What.s the name of the dimpled cheese traditionally shown in cartoon strips/films?
Ans: Gouda
What range of products are Messrs. Mahashiyan di hatti famous for?
Ans: Masala
Name the Japanese fish considered a delicacy, which if not cleaned carefully can prove fatal.
Ans: Fugu
Which product gets its name from a Roman soldier who was a great wrestler during the Ancient Olympic Games?
Ans: Milon
The Ladakhi gur-gur chai gets its name because
Ans: The tea is churned in pipes and makes a gur-gur sound
What.s the name of the McDonald.s clown?
Ans: Ronald
After his tomato crop failed, a certain gentleman dabbled in something else. It gave rise to a product which takes
its name from an American Indian word that means 'a place with fertile and humid soil'. Which brand?
Ans: Tabasco
Why is the drink Punch called so?
Ans: Traditionally has 5 (paanch) ingredients
How has the element with atomic number 77 contributed to the field of communications during recent times?
Ans: Iridium
What term did a writer Dan Hoffler coin in the Electronics Magazine in 1972?
Ans: Silicon Valley
What standard was adopted with the introduction of the IBM-360 in 1964?
Ans: 8 Bits = 1 byte
In 1981, Scott Fahlman at Carnegie Mellon university devised a scheme for encoding and conveying one’s feelings as small text glyphs. What did he invent?
Ans: Emoticons
He was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1936. In 1963 he joined Fairchild. His book ‘Only the Paranoid Survive'' was a
best seller. Who?
Ans: Andy Grove
This word entered English from Old French and medieval Latin, ultimately it comes from the name of a 9th century Arab mathematician Mohammed Ibn Musa Al-Khuwarizmi who introduced the Indian decimal system and use of the zero in
Arab mathematics. Which word?
Ans: Algorithm
All genuine Microsoft articles carry a watermark. Whose picture forms the watermark?
Ans: Lady Ada Lovelace
What is referred to as the ‘Kalevala’ of the Internet?
Ans: Linux
In the world of computers, what is called ‘Wetware’?
Ans: The Human Brain
Lotus –123 was a much used software. Why was it called “123”?
Ans: It was as easy to learn as 123
M.M. Hasham was invited by Jinnah to join the cabinet, but he refused and remained in India set up Western India Products which manufactured vegetables and hydrogenated oil. Some of these brands like Dalda are still well known. How do we know this company now?
Ans:WIPRO. - WIPRO - Western India Products.
The unpopular version of this is the 'Dvorak', but what is the well-known version?
Ans:THE QWERTY KEYBOARD. - THE QWERTY KEYBOARD.
The Plymouth Brethren a fundamentalist Christian sect in the 80 created a stir in London Public schools by advocating their unusual principle that children were being corrupted by the hand tool of the Devil. What was the
tool?
Ans:The Computer. - The Computer.
I don't know who you are or where you are from, but I am gonna get you. Who said this to whom?
Ans:Deep Thought (the chess playing comp) to Kasparov.. - Deep Thought (the chess playing comp) to Kasparov..
Hewlett-Packard released a new programming language as an alternative to Sun Microsystems's Java. What have they named it?
Ans:Chai. - Chai, coz Java is named after a brand of coffee.
The inventor's wife considered the name plain stupid" because acronym took longer to pronounce than the expansion for it. What are we talking about?
Ans:www - world wide web. - Tim Berners Lee''s wife said this because www takes longer to say than World wide web.
Tim Berners Lee conceptualized the www. .
Which term did William Gibson coin in his sci-fi novel .Necromancer"?
Ans:Cyberspace. - Cyberspace.
Herman Hollerith, the inventor of the Punched Card, merged his company with two others to form The Calculating, Tabulating and Recording Company (CTR Co.) What is this company known as today?
Ans:IBM. - International Business Machines.
What term was introduced in 1983 by American electrical engineer Fred Cohen to describe a self-replicating program?
Ans:VIRUS. - VIRUS.
Oh come now, Muses and go to the craggy sacred place Upon the far seen twin peaked Parnassus What is the significance of this inscription?
Ans:Oracle. - Oracle at Delphi ...which also gives its name to the company.
This is fantastic but has to be asked. It's believed, to further education, the British started something at a place. But the locals could not pronounce it, which led to the place being called what it is today. What?
Ans: Rai Bareilly (from Library)
According to Jim Corbett, he liked Basmati rice because it reminded him of
Ans: The musky smell exuded by mating tigers
Though most of the hill stations have been founded by the British, which is the only hill-station in India to be set up during the Raj by the Americans?
Ans: Kodaikanal
Where were the bored British officers who invented the game of snooker, stationed?
Ans: Ooty
What historical event was codenamed Operation Sesame?
Ans: The moving of the National Capital from Calcutta to Delhi
During the 19th century, British soldiers in India noticed that their white service uniforms got dirty by mud. This gave rise to what.
Ans: Khaki wear
Which architect had once described Indian architecture as an oxymoron?
Ans: Edwin Lutyens
The lady-in-waiting to the wife of the Governor General of Goa was once caught having an affair with the Gov-General. She was stripped naked and thrown off a cliff bound by rope. Ever since she's become a part of local folklore. Her name?
Ans: Donna Paula
What did the British call Rajpath in Delhi until it was changed to its present name after independence?
Ans: King's Way
In the days of the Raj, who was known as Carpet Sahib?
Ans: Jim Corbett
Who after having read Ian Fleming novels went on to write a critique titled ''The James Bond Dossier'' and a novel ''Colon Sun'' under the pseudonym Robert Markham?
Kingsley Amis
A dry martini, 3 measures of Gordon''s, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it well until it''s ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. This is the cocktail concoted by Bond. What''s the name given by 007 to it.
Vesper
The residence where Ian Fleming spent the rest of his life and wrote his novels after serving the British Foreign office, incidently bore the name of which Bond movie.
Golden eye
Name the only novel for children written by Ian Fleming.
Chitty chitty Bang Bang
Ian Fleming was presented a Gun engraved upon it the words ''For special services'', for his meritorius role during operation Golden Eye, to defend Gibraltar, by this famous man who founded OSS the precursor to the CIA. Who is he?
William Donovan
Name Bond''s American buddy who''s an agent in the C.I.A and has assissted Bond in several of his adventures.
Felix Leiter
James Bond encounters his 1st of exotic Villians Lechiffre at which card game.
Baccarat
Name the book written by Ian Fleming which clearly illustrates the difference between the imaginary world of Bond and the real world of spies.
Operation Rudolf Hers
Which other novelist also wrote a Bond Critique titled ''The Bond affair''?
Umberto Eco
James Bond makes his literary debut in which Ian Fleming novel.
Casiono Royale
Which comic strip character became the mascot of one of the Apollo missions?
Casper
Which part of the human body is the most radiation-sensitive?
Blood
In Hollywood, who was dubbed ''Mr Sex-in-Specs'' after his movie ''Alfie''?
Michael Caine
The Chorion Biobsy Test and the Chorion Villus Sampling Test are both tests to determine something. What?
Sex of a foetus
On 13th March 1781, Sir William Herschel discovered a planet he wanted to call ''Georgium Sidus'' after King George the 3rd. What was it ultimately named?
Uranus
People suffereing from this particular ailment tend to have a particular odour in their breath which is called ''acetone breath'' and is mistakenly attributed to drinking alcohol. Name it.
Diabetes
Name the first movie in India to get an ''A'' rating from the censor board.
Nagina
Which historical character has been portrayed on screen the most number of times?
Napoleon
Described by DH Lawrence as "the dirtiest, most indecent, most obscure thing ever written", it was the first book to be banned by the Hicklin Test (for obscenity in literature). Name it.
Ulysses
He gifted his wife a book called ''Never Marry a Cricketer'' and wrote inside, "Happy reading but no believing." She later said, "My believing or not was totally irrelevant since the book was given to me only after we were married." Name him.
Sunil Gavaskar
Imre Ngamy became president in 1956 and introduced sweeping reforms in this predominantly Communist country. He even withdrew his country from the Warsaw pact. However, on the 4th of June, 1956, the USSR sent in troops which entered the capital city and supressed the anti-communist revolution. Name the country.
Hungary
Which cricketer tried his hand at writing a novel called ''Bonaventure of a Flashing Blade''?
Gary Sobers
During WW1, who or what were Tabloids, Pups and Camels?
RFC single-seater planes
What unique distinction among British PMs is held by Sir Spencer Percival?
Only one to be assassinated
Name the first ancient civilisation to divide the sky into regions and various groups of stars into constellations, naming them after gods or objects.
Babylonian
''Tables'' and ''Tric-Trac'' are common names for which very famous game?
Backgammon
What type of a boxing match is categorised as ''catchweight''?
Fought between boxers from different weight categories
In Feb 1945, Joseph Goebbels used this phrase to describe what would happen if the Germans surrendered to the rapidly approaching Russian army. It was popularised by Churchill in a speech 10 months after the end of WW2. What phrase?
Iron curtain
Name the Shakespearian play in which the heroine is named ''Hero''.
Much Ado about Nothing
This thriller writer claims to have written his first book to "take my mind off the shock of getting married at the age of 43". Name him.
Ian Fleming
Which ubiquitous instrument always starts in the key of b-flat?
Telephone
This famous person was the maternal grandmother of Kaiser Wilhelm. Name her.
Queen Victoria
The stock price for General Public Utilities Corporation fell by 40% on the 28th of March, 1979. What trigerred off this fall?
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy
The first Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he shocked the world when he took off his shoes and thumped them on his desk at the UN. Name him.
Khrushchev
Which Indian author claimed that "Any rubbish I write gets published and people laugh at it"?
Khushwant Singh
Name the only head of state in the world to have been a citizen of both USA and the USSR.
Golda Meir
Ehrich Weiss appeared in movies like ''The Grim Game'', ''The Man from Beyond'' and ''Terror Island''. How do we better know him?
Harry Houdini
Name the most famous person ever(past or present) to speak a dialect of Northern Syria called Aramaic.
Jesus Christ
'
'Aatish-e-Chinar'' was the autobiography of which famous Indian political leader?
Sheikh Abdullah
He is known variously as Daniel El Travieso, Villie Vallation and Henkie het Huisgevaor. How do we better know him?
Dennis the Menace
The automobile's license plate number is PUN12, give me the owner's name or the group, who own it?
Macho & Banjo
How do we better know Peter Parker?
spiderman
What happened during the trial of a gangster called Danny Cee by District Attorney Harvey Dent?
Harvey became Two Face
Jughead is to Hot dog, Sabrina is to Salem, Betty is to ...?
Caramel
They masterminded their own recapture when they had broken out of jail.After their release they were employed by a small town big shot amputee. Together with them he avenged his family against the local gangster. One of them died, the other went back to his carriage driving girlfriend. Their names?
Veeru and Jai
Who is the president of South Africa?
Thabo Mbeki
A foolish villager in Bihar, the protagonist in many folk tales, the most famous one involving a stomach ache, diaorrhea and a wiry Brahmin and another where he jumps inside a well upon being asked the price of his calf for
the umpteenth time, who?
Gonu Jha
He was hanged for a short period of time, taken down while still breathing and had his bowels turned inside out and burned. His head was then struck off his body and divided into four parts, the punishment was known as 'hanged drowned and quartered'. His dismembered body parts were then sent to various parts - Berwich, London, Aberdeen and Perth.
Willam Wallace
Wolfgang Wodarg of the Social Democratic Party has coined this term very much in vogue and in the news especially with respect to India?
Biocolonialism
Whats the name of BB mai’s debut album?
Sooner or later
Who is the youngest member of Hanson?
Zachary Hanson
98 degrees have how many albums?
3
What is Boyzone''s Stephen Gately’s full name?
Stephen Patric David Gaitely
Westlife do a version of a previous famouse song, What is it?
More than words
The band Code Red consists of how many members ?
4
Which member of the Pop band 5ive used to date pop Queen Bille?
Richard
Who sings lead in 911?
Lee
One member of N’SYNC and a member of the B.S.B are born on the same day. Who?
Nick and Joey
Who of the following are Back street boys members?
Nick and Brian
Who''s the first ever title singer of a Bond movie to have appeared on screen?
Sheena Easton
Who wrote the screenplay of Octopussy?
George McDonald
If Sony pictures wins it''s on going tussle with MGM–UA over the rights of filming James Bond, who will be donning the role of Bond?
Liam Nesson
Name the last of the bond movie to use an Ian Fleming title.
Living Daylights
Jazz luminary Louis Armstrong sang for which Bond movie.
On her Majesty''s secret service
In the movie ''Gold Finger'', when Bond presses a button to enter Goldfinger''s chamber, music, which is the sound track of a movie emanates. Name the movie.
Close encounters of the third kind
Ian Fleming makes his only appearance in which Bond movie.
From Russia with Love
Name the first rock group to perform a Bond theme.
The wings
Who wrote the script for the Bond movie ''''Live and let die''''?
Roald Dahl
The famous Bond theme which made it''s debut in the movie ''Dr. No'', was composed by which musician.
Monty Norman
What''s the name of the operation launched by Goldfinger to rob Fort Knox of all it''s gold?
Operation Grand Slam
What''s the motto of the Bond''s arch enemy SMERSH – the Russian counter espionage organisation.
Death to spies
What were Vijay Amritraj''s last words before he dies in the movie ''Octopussy''.
Game, set, match
Name the novelist who wrote the screenplay for Casino Royale, the mightiest of all the Bond spoofs.
Joseph Heller
What''s the name of the last Bond novel written by Ian Fleming?
Man with the Golden Gun
What was Bond''''s handgun in his first movie Dr. No before he shifted to his standard issue the Walther ppk.
Beretta
What''s the name of the fictitious company James Bond used as a cover on his assignment, before it was changed in
the last novel by Fleming.
Universal exports
What's the family motto of James Bond?
The world is not enough
James Bond has married only one person, who was killed moments after the wedding by Bond''s arch enemy Blofield.
Who is she?
Teresa Draco
This person was known as the secret eyes of queen Elizabeth. During his correspondence with the queen he used to sign his letters as '007', signifying sign to have inspired Bond's code 007. Interestingly the above person invented the fortune tellers crystal ball. Who is he?
John Dee
James Bond encounters his 1st of exotic Villians Lechiffre at which card game.
Baccarat
Ian Fleming was presented a Gun engraved upon it the words ''For special services'', for his meritorius role during operation Golden Eye, to defend Gibraltar, by this famous man who founded OSS the precursor to the CIA. Who
is he?
William Donovan
Name Bond''s American buddy who''s an agent in the C.I.A and has assissted Bond in several of his adventures.
Felix Leiter
A dry martini, 3 measures of Gordon''s, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it well until it''s ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. This is the cocktail concoted by Bond. What''s the name given by 007 to it.
Vesper
Name the book written by Ian Fleming which clearly illustrates the difference between the imaginary world of Bond and the real world of spies.
Operation Rudolf Hers
Who after having read Ian Fleming novels went on to write a critique titled ''The James Bond Dossier'' and a novel ''Colon Sun'' under the pseudonym Robert Markham?
Kingsley Amis
The residence where Ian Fleming spent the rest of his life and wrote his novels after serving the British Foreign office, incidently bore the name of which Bond movie.
Golden eye
Name the only novel for children written by Ian Fleming.
Chitty chitty Bang Bang
Which other novelist also wrote a Bond Critique titled ''The Bond affair''?
Umberto Eco
James Bond makes his literary debut in which Ian Fleming novel.
Casiono Royale
According to Calvin’s amazing imagination, what is the only thing, apart from Tyrannosaurs that Chasmosaurs need to fear?
Tyrannosaurs in F-14s
If girls are made of ‘Sugar and spice, and everything nice..’, and boys are made of ‘Snips and snails, and puppy dogs’ tails…’, what, according to Hobbes, are tigers made of?
‘Dragonflies and katydids, but mostly chewed-up little kids.’
According to Tracer Bullet, he (Tracer Bullet) has eight slugs in him. As he says, ‘One’s lead, and ___________’.
Fill ‘em up.
‘….the rest are Bourbon.’
What is Calvin’s favourite cereal?
Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs
According to Hobbes, where did Calvin come from?
The flea market
What is the name of Calvin’s explorer alter-ego, who hacks through dense jungles and swamps?
Safari Al
What is Calvin’s favourite book?
Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie
When Calvin enters the traffic-safety poster making contest, what is his slogan?
‘Be careful, or be roadkill.’
What does Calvin sell on the sidewalk at 1$ per head?
A swift kick in the butt
When Calvin makes a copy of only his ‘good’ side, using a modified version of his Duplicator, his duplicate has a bad thought and disintegrates. Why, according to Calvin?
His Ethicator machine had a built in moral compromise spectral release Phantasmatron
Who is the main Shareholder in Ferrari?
Fiat
Who was the first person to drive a Ferrari racing car?
Giuseppe Farina
The Ferrari Logo is ______________.
The prancing horse
Where is the Ferrari test circuit?
Fiorano
What is the approx. value of the Ferrari F1 team? [In millions]
1000 pounds
What type of engine did Ferrari use in their first racing car?
In line 4’s
Where is the main Ferrari outlet situated?
Italy
What is the colour of the F-1 Ferrari car?
Scarlet
What is the current model of Ferrari''s F-1 car?
F-320
What is the full name of Ferrari?
Scuderia Ferrari
The name of this country means ‘land of flames'' called so because of natural gas fires, which the ancient Persians worshipped as a manifestation of Ahura Mazda. What?
Azerbaijan
Founded by an Icelandic pioneer Eirikr Raudi, became the first country to leave the EEC (European Economic Community) in 1985 (as a consequence, the EEC lost half its territory). Its capital, Godthaab, has the highest rate of Veneral disease in the world, mostly thanks to traditional sexual practices. Tourists have to be taken
into the interiors by helicopter. What?
Greenland
One of Europe’s smallest countries, its major export is decorative postage stamps, its army had actually gained one man when they came back from the tyrolean wars in 1866. What?
Liechtenstein
The original ‘banana’ republic, the largest exporter of bananas in the world, with a government run for two decades by the united fruit company. Fought a brief war with a neighboring country in 1969, over a world cup football match. What?
Honduras
Bernardo O'Higgins led the liberation movement of this country. The country takes its name from its peculiar oblong shape. What?
Chile
The inhabitants of this particular, newly independent country consider Tamerlane (Timur the lame) to be their national hero. What?
Uzbekistan
World's only officially atheist country (since 1967), and before recent reforms, singing was not allowed in bars, and there were no private cars. What?
Albania
Probably the only Asian nation to defeat the British army in three successive wars, 1842, 1879 and 1921. Ruled by a tribal confederacy, which gave way to a monarchy in 1926, which gave way to a communist government in 1978, which gave way to a unique group, which now rules most of the country, in 1996. What?
Afghanistan
Africa’s oldest independent republic and the only African country never to be ruled by a foreign power, created in 1847 by freed slaves returning from America. What?
Liberia
The church of a particular country considers Pontius Pilate to be a saint. Which one?
Ethiopia
ANS.M.I.T
Q. His father was a lecturer in mathematics and physics so that from the beginning he was immersed in an academic
atmosphere. Who?
ANS.C.V. Raman
Q.His father was a Patwari, a village agricultural taxation clerk in the British Indian system of government. Whose?
ANS.Har Gobind Khorana
Q.Raman established and endowed this institute which today is one of India’s top research centres for Theoretical
Sciences.
ANS.RRI, Bangalore
When the Hindus invaded Java in the 2nd century AD the brought with them a dance form that was immediately
accepted and absorbed by the Javanese, name the form?
Chaya-nataka
In the 20th century who popularized tap dancing in films?
Fred Astaire
Which dance was called Kontra-Tanz by the Germans and became Europe’s favorite dance in the late 17th century?
Square dance
Which wild and indecorous French dance of the 19th century imitates the Spanish Fandango and is also known as Chahut?
Can can
This dance is performed either as a solo or a group. Its original form consisted of 2 rows of 6 dancers, some with blackened faces. Usually the participants wore clownish costumes with bells around their legs and waved handkerchiefs. It is still danced in Spain and the British Isles, name the dance?
Morisco
Negroes were prohibited from beating drums, blowing horns and the like, so they danced to hand clapping and the
accompaniment of a banjo. Name the danced the dance form that emerged from their dancing?
Tap dancing
Which native dance of Japan has its origins in the ancient Shinto and Buddhist festivals?
Sarugaku
This dance form evolved from the Dalang and the Topeng. It is the best known form of Javanese dance drama.
Performances can last for many hours or even days. Which dance is this?
Wayang
This Balinese dance is a pantomime dance with the entire body in movement. It is usually performed by 2 girls
dressed in rich flowery garments and beautiful headdresses. A modernized version is called Djoged. Name the dance?
Legong
What was called the Queen of all dances during the renaissance?
Bassa danza
Who was Shivaji’s legendary admiral under whom the Marath fleet were the undisputed lords of the Arabian sea and
after whom the headquarters of the Western Naval Command of India is named?
Kanhoji Angre
What do we now know HMS Hermes as?
INS Vikrant
The term ‘bootlegger’ means someone who carries out illicit trade in liquor. The term has a maritime origin. What?
Smugglers would hide valuables in their huge sea boots when raided by the Naval watchkeepers
The word Admiral comes from Arabic Amir-al-bahr meaning ?
Ruler of the sea
There is a rank higher than Admiral which is equivalent of an army Field Marshall. No Indian has been endowed with
this lifetime honour. What?
Admiral of the Fleet
The officers of which branch of the Indian Navy train at INS Shivaji?
Naval Engineers
The phrase ‘spinning a yarn’ has originated from ________________.
Sailors who would take old ropes apart to make yarn
The Indian Navy’s first major operation after independence resulted in 12 gallantry awards – 3 of them posthomous. What was the event?
The Liberation of Goa
Before being re-christened as INS Delhi she fought in the Battle of River Plate (WW2). A New Zealand crew manned her. Name?
HMS Achilles
This title was introduced by the Dutch who wanted to compensate for the lack of Admirals but didn’t have enough money to pay them on par. It was brought to England by William of Orange and has since become a standard rank in Commonwealth navies. What?
Commodore
A famous piece of music was composed aboard the HMS Minden, a man-of-war built in the Bombay Dockyard. What was it?
The Star Spangled Banner
What colour is a ‘red sea rig’?
Blue
The Indian Navy’s elite Marine Commandos are trained in the highly restricted Naval establishment called?
INS Abhimanyu
The Indian Navy was instrumental in restoring democracy to this nation after a 1987 coup.
The Maldives
“
To be secure at land, we must be supreme at sea.” Whose words?
Pandit Nehru
What is the claim to fame of the HMS Foudroyant, which was built in the Bombay Shipyard?
The oldest wooden ship afloat today
The Maharaja of ______ was keen to send his subjects to support Britain’s WW2 effort by enlisting them in the army and navy. The drawback was that nobody in ______ had ever seen a ship and could not conceive such a strange entity. Undaunted, the Maharaja ordered a stone ship to be built in _____ identical in all respects to the real thing. The ship was christened the HMIS ______?
Patiala
The nuclear submarine that India has leased from the erstwhile USSR?
INS Chakra
This maritime fighter aircraft is capable of the amazing vertical take-off and landing.
Sea Harrier
“There is no God and Mohammed is the Prophet of God.” Where would you find this line inscribed?
Ans: Saudi Arabian flag
What was begun on June 19, 1969 in a flat by six likeminded people in Bombay?
Ans: Shiv Sena
“I don’t know who you are or what you do, I’m gonna get you.” Who said to whom?
Ans: Deep Blue to Kasparov
Who were the models for the campaign for safe sex initiated by Johnny condoms, the adline being “Appearances can be deceptive. Use Johnny condoms”?
Ans: Charles and Diana
What instrument was originally invented as a torture device to pull out nails?
Ans: Screwdriver
What was the name of a 32 gun frigate wrecked in 1799 off the Dutch coast?
Ans: H.M.S Lutine
Salman Rushdie has a 20-year-old son named Zafar Rushdie. His middle name please.
Ans: Haroun
Many objects in India are trademarked with the ISI stamp. What is trademarked ISI No. 1?
Ans: National flag
The Andhra Bank is the only bank in the country licensed to sell this food product.
Ans: Laddoos at Tirupati
The Chinese have ideograms to represent ideas. What does the one with two women under the same roof represent?
Ans: Trouble
Ancient mariners used to take these birds along on long voyages as they imitated many other bird songs. Name them.
Ans: Starling
Which mammals often anoint themselves with a foamy saliva when stimulated by a strange odour?
Ans: Hedgehogs
These small fish always accompany sharks and ships. You see them in movies often. Name them
Ans: Pilot
In July 1923, 23 people were killed in Rostov, Russia due to what phenomenon?
Ans: Giant Hailstones
When a baby Kangaroo is born how does it get into the mother’s pouch?
Ans: The mother licks a wet strip in her fur and the baby crawls along it
What is the ‘Moho Project’?
Ans: Drilling down to the molten magna beneath the Earth’s crust
This mammal exudes a reddish sticky sweat that turns brownish on drying and protects the skin from sunburns.
Ans: Hippopotamus
This presidential candidate is in favor of a new greener, more progressive political movement. The Green Party nominee has campaigned in more than 35 states so far, hammering home his anti-corporate message and criticizing Al Gore for being too weak on the environment, among other issues. Who?
Ans: Ralph Nader
What is hydroponics?
Ans: Soil less gardening
In early 1968 an extraordinary event happened between Greenland and Iceland? What and what effect did it have?
Ans: An ice bridge was formed
Situated in Neumunster in northern Germany, Glass panels will constitute three walls of it intended for the purpose of collecting solar energy, to provide inmates with natural heating and hot water for 10 months of the
year. Grass and foliage adorn the fourth wall.
Ans: The world's first eco-friendly pyramid
Enviros are particularly worried about new communication mega-towers that will be constructed over the next three
years for digital TV, some of which could reach the height of the Empire State Building. Why?
Ans: Birds collide and get killed
The U.S. Navy has given up its controversial plans to test what near the New Jersey shore after enviros and federal regulators protested that the tests could harm whales and other marine animals. Two months ago, a dozen whales beached themselves in the Bahamas one day after Navy tests.
Ans: Sonar
This mystical bird has found a place in the mythology of many cultures and civilizations. It is depicted in the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt and the mural paintings of ancient Greece. It is mentioned in medieval texts for its magical and medicinal properties - from aiding vision to stimulating memory. It features in classics of literature from the works of Aristophanes to the Mahabharata, to modern tales like that of Haroun. H.
Ans: Hoopoe
Three countries plan to sign a historic agreement next month to create a massive wildlife park that will protect elephants, leopards, rhinos, lions, and buffalo. Wildlife ministers from the three nations will agree to remove the fences that divide their wildlands in order to create a reserve area of about 38,000 square miles, three times
the size of the Netherlands. Two of them are Mozambique and South Africa. The third is _______.
Ans: Zimbabwe
What does SPV stand for?
Ans: Solar Photovoltaic lantern
The bones of a strange, odd-looking creature resembling a bird-like dinosaur were unearthed in Africa's Gobi desert.. According to a report in 'Discover', a team of scientists working on the project are of the opinion that it is 75 million years old and could probably be the latest entrant into the family tree of birds. This strange
looking creature with the body profile of a dinosaur but the featheres and general appearance of a monstrous bird, has short, stubby upper arms instead of wings which culminate in sturdy, single claws.
Ans: Mononykus
Doctors in California have found that extract from this plant has proved an effective killer of all infectious micro-organisms and drug-resistant bacteria in the laboratory. Allicin, an organic compound, which is responsible for its pungent odour is a powerful anti-bacterial agent.
Ans: Fresh garlic
In a remote, rather inaccessible region of north-east Tanzania, a country in eastern Africa, lies a mountain range, very small even in comparison to our ghats, that has been and still is, arousing worldwide environmental attention. It has proved to be the richest in biodiversity, not only in the Arc chain, but in all of Africa. Indeed, in its floral and faunal diversity, it very nearly matches the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Ans: The Usambara mountains
This chemical has made a comeback after it was banned as a hazardous insecticide in the United States. Biologists in Yale have recently found conifer needles and dead leaves in two remote forests of New Hampshire that have been contaminated by traces of this chemical and its breakdown products. There is extensive use of this chemical in India.
Ans: DDT
What was the cause of the ‘Yusho’ disease that occurred in Japan in 1968 from a leak in a canning factory?
Ans: PCB
What is the instrument used for measuring the pressure of gases?
Ans: Manometer
Who played the role of Solitaire in a James Bond film? Name the film.
Ans: Jane Seymour in Live and Let Die
Which former US President later became Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court?
Ans: William Howard Taft
Which snake has the longest fangs?
Ans: Gaboon Viper
Who was the first US President to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize?
Ans: Theodore Roosevelt
What percentage of the solar energy received on the surface of the Earth is reflected back into space?
Ans: About 80 Percent
Which bird does the Bulu people of Cameroon know as the ‘leopard of the air’?
Ans: Long tailed Hawk
In 1869, which mammal did French naturalist, Pere Armand David in China, first discover?
Ans: Giant Panda
Name the city in Madhya Pradesh where India’s first newsprint factory was set up?
Ans: Nepanagar
Which Polish national dance name is French for "polish dance"?
Ans: Polonaise
Deriving from the Czech folk dance, the rejdovak, this dance is an early 19th century Czech dance in moderate
triple meter. A variant was played in 2/4 time, like a polka. Name the dance?
Ans: Redowa
Which of these is a variant of the polish national dance Mazurka?
Ans: Oberek
The premiere of Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake took place on January 15, 1895 on the stage of the Maryinsky
(Mariinsky) Theatre. Where is this theater situated?
Ans: St. Petersburg
She is often called "The Mother of modern Dance" she revolutionized dance. A subject of continual controversy, she
rebelled against the conventions of ballet by dancing barelegged and barefoot, in filmy shifts. Can you name her?
Ans: Isadora Duncan
Which Spanish dance derived its name from 'pavo' (peacock) and in the 17th century usually had the galliard as its jumping 'afterdance'?
Ans: Pavan
Which Spanish dance in quick triple time, originated in La Mancha, from where it spread to other parts and the name means "continuation"?
Ans: Sequidilla
Which Latin-American dance of Dominican origin consists of a Jaseo (introduction) and Jaleo (interludes)?
Ans: Merengue
Which dance of Italy derives its name from a spider, which infests the southern region?
Ans: Tarantella
Which dance was called Rutscher and Hupjer in Germany where it became fashionable after 1825?
Ans: Galop
Crimes punishable by death included bigamy, cowardice in the face of the enemy, kidnapping, adultery, theft, perjury and malfeasance in public office. Curiously enough, murder was not included in the code. This strict code
also records the first use of the term “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” What is it?
Ans: The code of Hammurabi
After his cremation, his widow and sister Artemisia mixed his ashes with water. After drinking him up in a highly ritualized performance, she erected a splendid memorial tomb for him at Helicarnassus in Asia Minor, which was one of the wonders on the Ancient world. Tell me his name?
Ans: Mausolus
What Shakespearan character’s finals lines are these: “Thus with a kiss I die”
Ans: Romeo
With what invention is Francisco Romero generally credited?
Ans: The red cape used by bullfighters
Legend has it that he died when an eagle carrying a tortoise flew high into the air and accidentally dropped it on his head. Who is he?
Ans: Aeschylus
George Westinghouse was an inventor and contemporary of Edison. His name has passed into the English language. What does “to be westinghoused” mean?
Ans: To die on the electric chair
What was the name of the plane in which Buddy Holly died at the age of 22?
Ans: The American Pie
And, ending on a humorous note (gallows humour, that is.) Whose words were these, about the executioner’s axe: “’Tis a sharp cure, but a sure one for all ills.”
Ans: Sir Walter Raleigh
Whose last words are these: "I've had 18 straight whiskies, I think that's the record. After 39 years this is all I've done."
Ans: Dylan Thomas
In 1968, he founded the Shield Society, a private army dedicated to the revival of Bushido, the samurai code of honour. A brilliant playwright and novelist, he committed seppuku, or suicide by ritual disembowelment, after his failure to realize his heroic ideals. Who?
Ans: Yukio Mishima
Which brand advertises with the line "Entertainment for Men"?
Ans: PlayBoy
"And you will expect an airline that’s going around since 1365 to be the world''s best". Whose adline?
Ans: Saudia
Roy Plunkett perfected a slippery polymer called Poly Tetra Fluoro Ethylene. What name did he patent it under?
Ans: Teflon
Orthosulphobenzimide was one of the first artificial food substitutes. It was banned in 1977 after studies revealed its carcinogenic properties. The trade name for the substance now survives as a word.Which substance?
Ans: Saccharine
Daisuke Inoue invented something which revolutionised the music industry. What was this invention?
Ans: Karaoke
Which company is based on the pillars of computer communication and compatibility?
Ans: 3com
Wells Fargo uses these to sell postage stamps.In Spain, they are used in theatres, concert halls, and Railway and Airway terminals to sell tickets. Las Vegas uses them in large-scale gambling operations. What?
Ans: ATMs
The insect "Ranikira" is marketed exclusively in Chattisgarh under what name?
Ans: Jiagra, India''s answer to Viagra
All of us have heard of the Tamagotchi craze that spread across Asia in 1996. Which Japanese company marketed this
virtual pet?
Ans: Bandai
What advertising first is associated with Cinzano wines?
Ans: First product to be advertised using Neon lit lamps
The fermented molasses left over from the sugar-refining process is used in the manufacture of which spirit?
Ans: Rum
What is added to gin to make pink gin?
Ans: Angostura bitters
A popular Yorkshire liqueur flavoured with herbs is named after the Bronte sisters. On which spirit is it based?
Ans: Brandy
What do the letters VSOP on a bottle of brandy stand for?
Ans: Very Special Old Pale
Cognac can be made only in a specific area of France. Where can brandy be made?
Ans: Anywhere in the world
Between 1740 and 1970 British sailors received a daily ration of grog. What is grog?
Ans: A mixture of rum and water
Which drink has been known as 'Dutch courage' and 'Mother's ruin'?
Ans: Gin
Where did the American whiskey ''Bourbon'' get its name?
Ans: It was first made in Bourbon County, Kentucky
In which country is Geneva gin made?
Ans: Holland
What is the meaning of the Dutch word 'brandewijn' from which we take the word brandy?
Ans: Burnt wine
What is the basic difference between jam and marmalade?
Ans: Both
The Mai Tai cocktail was created in 1945 by Victor Bergeron (Trader Vic). It got its name when he served it to two Tahitian friends who exclaimed "Maitai roa ae!" What does it mean?
Ans: Out of this world
Which is the most widely eaten fish in the world?
Ans: Salmon
What is traditionally made from the root of the blue agave cactus?
Ans: Tequila
In 1847, Hanson Gregory, a 15 year old baker's apprentice knocked the soggy parts off a fried confectionery, thus creating what?
Ans: The first ring donuts
You can tell a _______ by just reading it. Famous tagline. Which brand?
Ans: Sunkist oranges
Laws forbidding the sale of sodas on Sunday prompted William Garwood to invent what in Evanston, Illinois in 1875?
Ans: Ice-cream sundae
On discovering something in 1668, a blind priest exclaimed: Oh, come quickly. I am drinking the stars. What was he drinking?
Ans: Champagne
Who introduced noodles to Italy after a trip to China?
Ans: Marco Polo
The Jerusalem artichoke
Ans: Is part of the sunflower family
What is the essential difference between apple juice and apple cider?
Ans: Apple juice is pasteurised and cider is not
Natural vanilla flavouring comes from
Ans: Orchids
In 1853 in Saratoga Springs a chef George Crum retaliated to a patron.s complaint that his French fries were too
thick. How?
Ans: He invented Potato chips
In the Middle East, what is called the poor man.s food?
Ans: Figs
The hamburger, invented in 1900 by Louis Lassen is called so because
Ans: It was invented in Hamburg
What new fad did the brand Wonder Bread introduce in 1930?
Ans: Sliced bread
In the New Testament, St. John the Baptist survives on what foods while in the desert?
Ans: Locusts and honey
Shoot a Waco was the original name of what product
Ans: Dr Pepper
The first product to have a UPC bar code on its packaging was a food product. Which?
Ans: Wrigley's
A Napoli baker designed the first pizza in the shape of the Italian flag using tomato, cheese and parsley. He
dedicated it to the visiting King Philip.s wife, thus naming the first ever pizza. The name?
Ans: Margharita
In an open competition to select a name for this brand, a name was chosen which loosely translated from Latin as
Strength of Man. Which brand?
Ans: Hovis Bread
What.s the name of the dimpled cheese traditionally shown in cartoon strips/films?
Ans: Gouda
What range of products are Messrs. Mahashiyan di hatti famous for?
Ans: Masala
Name the Japanese fish considered a delicacy, which if not cleaned carefully can prove fatal.
Ans: Fugu
Which product gets its name from a Roman soldier who was a great wrestler during the Ancient Olympic Games?
Ans: Milon
The Ladakhi gur-gur chai gets its name because
Ans: The tea is churned in pipes and makes a gur-gur sound
What.s the name of the McDonald.s clown?
Ans: Ronald
After his tomato crop failed, a certain gentleman dabbled in something else. It gave rise to a product which takes
its name from an American Indian word that means 'a place with fertile and humid soil'. Which brand?
Ans: Tabasco
Why is the drink Punch called so?
Ans: Traditionally has 5 (paanch) ingredients
How has the element with atomic number 77 contributed to the field of communications during recent times?
Ans: Iridium
What term did a writer Dan Hoffler coin in the Electronics Magazine in 1972?
Ans: Silicon Valley
What standard was adopted with the introduction of the IBM-360 in 1964?
Ans: 8 Bits = 1 byte
In 1981, Scott Fahlman at Carnegie Mellon university devised a scheme for encoding and conveying one’s feelings as small text glyphs. What did he invent?
Ans: Emoticons
He was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1936. In 1963 he joined Fairchild. His book ‘Only the Paranoid Survive'' was a
best seller. Who?
Ans: Andy Grove
This word entered English from Old French and medieval Latin, ultimately it comes from the name of a 9th century Arab mathematician Mohammed Ibn Musa Al-Khuwarizmi who introduced the Indian decimal system and use of the zero in
Arab mathematics. Which word?
Ans: Algorithm
All genuine Microsoft articles carry a watermark. Whose picture forms the watermark?
Ans: Lady Ada Lovelace
What is referred to as the ‘Kalevala’ of the Internet?
Ans: Linux
In the world of computers, what is called ‘Wetware’?
Ans: The Human Brain
Lotus –123 was a much used software. Why was it called “123”?
Ans: It was as easy to learn as 123
M.M. Hasham was invited by Jinnah to join the cabinet, but he refused and remained in India set up Western India Products which manufactured vegetables and hydrogenated oil. Some of these brands like Dalda are still well known. How do we know this company now?
Ans:WIPRO. - WIPRO - Western India Products.
The unpopular version of this is the 'Dvorak', but what is the well-known version?
Ans:THE QWERTY KEYBOARD. - THE QWERTY KEYBOARD.
The Plymouth Brethren a fundamentalist Christian sect in the 80 created a stir in London Public schools by advocating their unusual principle that children were being corrupted by the hand tool of the Devil. What was the
tool?
Ans:The Computer. - The Computer.
I don't know who you are or where you are from, but I am gonna get you. Who said this to whom?
Ans:Deep Thought (the chess playing comp) to Kasparov.. - Deep Thought (the chess playing comp) to Kasparov..
Hewlett-Packard released a new programming language as an alternative to Sun Microsystems's Java. What have they named it?
Ans:Chai. - Chai, coz Java is named after a brand of coffee.
The inventor's wife considered the name plain stupid" because acronym took longer to pronounce than the expansion for it. What are we talking about?
Ans:www - world wide web. - Tim Berners Lee''s wife said this because www takes longer to say than World wide web.
Tim Berners Lee conceptualized the www. .
Which term did William Gibson coin in his sci-fi novel .Necromancer"?
Ans:Cyberspace. - Cyberspace.
Herman Hollerith, the inventor of the Punched Card, merged his company with two others to form The Calculating, Tabulating and Recording Company (CTR Co.) What is this company known as today?
Ans:IBM. - International Business Machines.
What term was introduced in 1983 by American electrical engineer Fred Cohen to describe a self-replicating program?
Ans:VIRUS. - VIRUS.
Oh come now, Muses and go to the craggy sacred place Upon the far seen twin peaked Parnassus What is the significance of this inscription?
Ans:Oracle. - Oracle at Delphi ...which also gives its name to the company.
This is fantastic but has to be asked. It's believed, to further education, the British started something at a place. But the locals could not pronounce it, which led to the place being called what it is today. What?
Ans: Rai Bareilly (from Library)
According to Jim Corbett, he liked Basmati rice because it reminded him of
Ans: The musky smell exuded by mating tigers
Though most of the hill stations have been founded by the British, which is the only hill-station in India to be set up during the Raj by the Americans?
Ans: Kodaikanal
Where were the bored British officers who invented the game of snooker, stationed?
Ans: Ooty
What historical event was codenamed Operation Sesame?
Ans: The moving of the National Capital from Calcutta to Delhi
During the 19th century, British soldiers in India noticed that their white service uniforms got dirty by mud. This gave rise to what.
Ans: Khaki wear
Which architect had once described Indian architecture as an oxymoron?
Ans: Edwin Lutyens
The lady-in-waiting to the wife of the Governor General of Goa was once caught having an affair with the Gov-General. She was stripped naked and thrown off a cliff bound by rope. Ever since she's become a part of local folklore. Her name?
Ans: Donna Paula
What did the British call Rajpath in Delhi until it was changed to its present name after independence?
Ans: King's Way
In the days of the Raj, who was known as Carpet Sahib?
Ans: Jim Corbett
Who after having read Ian Fleming novels went on to write a critique titled ''The James Bond Dossier'' and a novel ''Colon Sun'' under the pseudonym Robert Markham?
Kingsley Amis
A dry martini, 3 measures of Gordon''s, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it well until it''s ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. This is the cocktail concoted by Bond. What''s the name given by 007 to it.
Vesper
The residence where Ian Fleming spent the rest of his life and wrote his novels after serving the British Foreign office, incidently bore the name of which Bond movie.
Golden eye
Name the only novel for children written by Ian Fleming.
Chitty chitty Bang Bang
Ian Fleming was presented a Gun engraved upon it the words ''For special services'', for his meritorius role during operation Golden Eye, to defend Gibraltar, by this famous man who founded OSS the precursor to the CIA. Who is he?
William Donovan
Name Bond''s American buddy who''s an agent in the C.I.A and has assissted Bond in several of his adventures.
Felix Leiter
James Bond encounters his 1st of exotic Villians Lechiffre at which card game.
Baccarat
Name the book written by Ian Fleming which clearly illustrates the difference between the imaginary world of Bond and the real world of spies.
Operation Rudolf Hers
Which other novelist also wrote a Bond Critique titled ''The Bond affair''?
Umberto Eco
James Bond makes his literary debut in which Ian Fleming novel.
Casiono Royale
Which comic strip character became the mascot of one of the Apollo missions?
Casper
Which part of the human body is the most radiation-sensitive?
Blood
In Hollywood, who was dubbed ''Mr Sex-in-Specs'' after his movie ''Alfie''?
Michael Caine
The Chorion Biobsy Test and the Chorion Villus Sampling Test are both tests to determine something. What?
Sex of a foetus
On 13th March 1781, Sir William Herschel discovered a planet he wanted to call ''Georgium Sidus'' after King George the 3rd. What was it ultimately named?
Uranus
People suffereing from this particular ailment tend to have a particular odour in their breath which is called ''acetone breath'' and is mistakenly attributed to drinking alcohol. Name it.
Diabetes
Name the first movie in India to get an ''A'' rating from the censor board.
Nagina
Which historical character has been portrayed on screen the most number of times?
Napoleon
Described by DH Lawrence as "the dirtiest, most indecent, most obscure thing ever written", it was the first book to be banned by the Hicklin Test (for obscenity in literature). Name it.
Ulysses
He gifted his wife a book called ''Never Marry a Cricketer'' and wrote inside, "Happy reading but no believing." She later said, "My believing or not was totally irrelevant since the book was given to me only after we were married." Name him.
Sunil Gavaskar
Imre Ngamy became president in 1956 and introduced sweeping reforms in this predominantly Communist country. He even withdrew his country from the Warsaw pact. However, on the 4th of June, 1956, the USSR sent in troops which entered the capital city and supressed the anti-communist revolution. Name the country.
Hungary
Which cricketer tried his hand at writing a novel called ''Bonaventure of a Flashing Blade''?
Gary Sobers
During WW1, who or what were Tabloids, Pups and Camels?
RFC single-seater planes
What unique distinction among British PMs is held by Sir Spencer Percival?
Only one to be assassinated
Name the first ancient civilisation to divide the sky into regions and various groups of stars into constellations, naming them after gods or objects.
Babylonian
''Tables'' and ''Tric-Trac'' are common names for which very famous game?
Backgammon
What type of a boxing match is categorised as ''catchweight''?
Fought between boxers from different weight categories
In Feb 1945, Joseph Goebbels used this phrase to describe what would happen if the Germans surrendered to the rapidly approaching Russian army. It was popularised by Churchill in a speech 10 months after the end of WW2. What phrase?
Iron curtain
Name the Shakespearian play in which the heroine is named ''Hero''.
Much Ado about Nothing
This thriller writer claims to have written his first book to "take my mind off the shock of getting married at the age of 43". Name him.
Ian Fleming
Which ubiquitous instrument always starts in the key of b-flat?
Telephone
This famous person was the maternal grandmother of Kaiser Wilhelm. Name her.
Queen Victoria
The stock price for General Public Utilities Corporation fell by 40% on the 28th of March, 1979. What trigerred off this fall?
The Bhopal Gas Tragedy
The first Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, he shocked the world when he took off his shoes and thumped them on his desk at the UN. Name him.
Khrushchev
Which Indian author claimed that "Any rubbish I write gets published and people laugh at it"?
Khushwant Singh
Name the only head of state in the world to have been a citizen of both USA and the USSR.
Golda Meir
Ehrich Weiss appeared in movies like ''The Grim Game'', ''The Man from Beyond'' and ''Terror Island''. How do we better know him?
Harry Houdini
Name the most famous person ever(past or present) to speak a dialect of Northern Syria called Aramaic.
Jesus Christ
'
'Aatish-e-Chinar'' was the autobiography of which famous Indian political leader?
Sheikh Abdullah
He is known variously as Daniel El Travieso, Villie Vallation and Henkie het Huisgevaor. How do we better know him?
Dennis the Menace
The automobile's license plate number is PUN12, give me the owner's name or the group, who own it?
Macho & Banjo
How do we better know Peter Parker?
spiderman
What happened during the trial of a gangster called Danny Cee by District Attorney Harvey Dent?
Harvey became Two Face
Jughead is to Hot dog, Sabrina is to Salem, Betty is to ...?
Caramel
They masterminded their own recapture when they had broken out of jail.After their release they were employed by a small town big shot amputee. Together with them he avenged his family against the local gangster. One of them died, the other went back to his carriage driving girlfriend. Their names?
Veeru and Jai
Who is the president of South Africa?
Thabo Mbeki
A foolish villager in Bihar, the protagonist in many folk tales, the most famous one involving a stomach ache, diaorrhea and a wiry Brahmin and another where he jumps inside a well upon being asked the price of his calf for
the umpteenth time, who?
Gonu Jha
He was hanged for a short period of time, taken down while still breathing and had his bowels turned inside out and burned. His head was then struck off his body and divided into four parts, the punishment was known as 'hanged drowned and quartered'. His dismembered body parts were then sent to various parts - Berwich, London, Aberdeen and Perth.
Willam Wallace
Wolfgang Wodarg of the Social Democratic Party has coined this term very much in vogue and in the news especially with respect to India?
Biocolonialism
Whats the name of BB mai’s debut album?
Sooner or later
Who is the youngest member of Hanson?
Zachary Hanson
98 degrees have how many albums?
3
What is Boyzone''s Stephen Gately’s full name?
Stephen Patric David Gaitely
Westlife do a version of a previous famouse song, What is it?
More than words
The band Code Red consists of how many members ?
4
Which member of the Pop band 5ive used to date pop Queen Bille?
Richard
Who sings lead in 911?
Lee
One member of N’SYNC and a member of the B.S.B are born on the same day. Who?
Nick and Joey
Who of the following are Back street boys members?
Nick and Brian
Who''s the first ever title singer of a Bond movie to have appeared on screen?
Sheena Easton
Who wrote the screenplay of Octopussy?
George McDonald
If Sony pictures wins it''s on going tussle with MGM–UA over the rights of filming James Bond, who will be donning the role of Bond?
Liam Nesson
Name the last of the bond movie to use an Ian Fleming title.
Living Daylights
Jazz luminary Louis Armstrong sang for which Bond movie.
On her Majesty''s secret service
In the movie ''Gold Finger'', when Bond presses a button to enter Goldfinger''s chamber, music, which is the sound track of a movie emanates. Name the movie.
Close encounters of the third kind
Ian Fleming makes his only appearance in which Bond movie.
From Russia with Love
Name the first rock group to perform a Bond theme.
The wings
Who wrote the script for the Bond movie ''''Live and let die''''?
Roald Dahl
The famous Bond theme which made it''s debut in the movie ''Dr. No'', was composed by which musician.
Monty Norman
What''s the name of the operation launched by Goldfinger to rob Fort Knox of all it''s gold?
Operation Grand Slam
What''s the motto of the Bond''s arch enemy SMERSH – the Russian counter espionage organisation.
Death to spies
What were Vijay Amritraj''s last words before he dies in the movie ''Octopussy''.
Game, set, match
Name the novelist who wrote the screenplay for Casino Royale, the mightiest of all the Bond spoofs.
Joseph Heller
What''s the name of the last Bond novel written by Ian Fleming?
Man with the Golden Gun
What was Bond''''s handgun in his first movie Dr. No before he shifted to his standard issue the Walther ppk.
Beretta
What''s the name of the fictitious company James Bond used as a cover on his assignment, before it was changed in
the last novel by Fleming.
Universal exports
What's the family motto of James Bond?
The world is not enough
James Bond has married only one person, who was killed moments after the wedding by Bond''s arch enemy Blofield.
Who is she?
Teresa Draco
This person was known as the secret eyes of queen Elizabeth. During his correspondence with the queen he used to sign his letters as '007', signifying sign to have inspired Bond's code 007. Interestingly the above person invented the fortune tellers crystal ball. Who is he?
John Dee
James Bond encounters his 1st of exotic Villians Lechiffre at which card game.
Baccarat
Ian Fleming was presented a Gun engraved upon it the words ''For special services'', for his meritorius role during operation Golden Eye, to defend Gibraltar, by this famous man who founded OSS the precursor to the CIA. Who
is he?
William Donovan
Name Bond''s American buddy who''s an agent in the C.I.A and has assissted Bond in several of his adventures.
Felix Leiter
A dry martini, 3 measures of Gordon''s, one of Vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it well until it''s ice cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. This is the cocktail concoted by Bond. What''s the name given by 007 to it.
Vesper
Name the book written by Ian Fleming which clearly illustrates the difference between the imaginary world of Bond and the real world of spies.
Operation Rudolf Hers
Who after having read Ian Fleming novels went on to write a critique titled ''The James Bond Dossier'' and a novel ''Colon Sun'' under the pseudonym Robert Markham?
Kingsley Amis
The residence where Ian Fleming spent the rest of his life and wrote his novels after serving the British Foreign office, incidently bore the name of which Bond movie.
Golden eye
Name the only novel for children written by Ian Fleming.
Chitty chitty Bang Bang
Which other novelist also wrote a Bond Critique titled ''The Bond affair''?
Umberto Eco
James Bond makes his literary debut in which Ian Fleming novel.
Casiono Royale
According to Calvin’s amazing imagination, what is the only thing, apart from Tyrannosaurs that Chasmosaurs need to fear?
Tyrannosaurs in F-14s
If girls are made of ‘Sugar and spice, and everything nice..’, and boys are made of ‘Snips and snails, and puppy dogs’ tails…’, what, according to Hobbes, are tigers made of?
‘Dragonflies and katydids, but mostly chewed-up little kids.’
According to Tracer Bullet, he (Tracer Bullet) has eight slugs in him. As he says, ‘One’s lead, and ___________’.
Fill ‘em up.
‘….the rest are Bourbon.’
What is Calvin’s favourite cereal?
Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs
According to Hobbes, where did Calvin come from?
The flea market
What is the name of Calvin’s explorer alter-ego, who hacks through dense jungles and swamps?
Safari Al
What is Calvin’s favourite book?
Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie
When Calvin enters the traffic-safety poster making contest, what is his slogan?
‘Be careful, or be roadkill.’
What does Calvin sell on the sidewalk at 1$ per head?
A swift kick in the butt
When Calvin makes a copy of only his ‘good’ side, using a modified version of his Duplicator, his duplicate has a bad thought and disintegrates. Why, according to Calvin?
His Ethicator machine had a built in moral compromise spectral release Phantasmatron
Who is the main Shareholder in Ferrari?
Fiat
Who was the first person to drive a Ferrari racing car?
Giuseppe Farina
The Ferrari Logo is ______________.
The prancing horse
Where is the Ferrari test circuit?
Fiorano
What is the approx. value of the Ferrari F1 team? [In millions]
1000 pounds
What type of engine did Ferrari use in their first racing car?
In line 4’s
Where is the main Ferrari outlet situated?
Italy
What is the colour of the F-1 Ferrari car?
Scarlet
What is the current model of Ferrari''s F-1 car?
F-320
What is the full name of Ferrari?
Scuderia Ferrari
The name of this country means ‘land of flames'' called so because of natural gas fires, which the ancient Persians worshipped as a manifestation of Ahura Mazda. What?
Azerbaijan
Founded by an Icelandic pioneer Eirikr Raudi, became the first country to leave the EEC (European Economic Community) in 1985 (as a consequence, the EEC lost half its territory). Its capital, Godthaab, has the highest rate of Veneral disease in the world, mostly thanks to traditional sexual practices. Tourists have to be taken
into the interiors by helicopter. What?
Greenland
One of Europe’s smallest countries, its major export is decorative postage stamps, its army had actually gained one man when they came back from the tyrolean wars in 1866. What?
Liechtenstein
The original ‘banana’ republic, the largest exporter of bananas in the world, with a government run for two decades by the united fruit company. Fought a brief war with a neighboring country in 1969, over a world cup football match. What?
Honduras
Bernardo O'Higgins led the liberation movement of this country. The country takes its name from its peculiar oblong shape. What?
Chile
The inhabitants of this particular, newly independent country consider Tamerlane (Timur the lame) to be their national hero. What?
Uzbekistan
World's only officially atheist country (since 1967), and before recent reforms, singing was not allowed in bars, and there were no private cars. What?
Albania
Probably the only Asian nation to defeat the British army in three successive wars, 1842, 1879 and 1921. Ruled by a tribal confederacy, which gave way to a monarchy in 1926, which gave way to a communist government in 1978, which gave way to a unique group, which now rules most of the country, in 1996. What?
Afghanistan
Africa’s oldest independent republic and the only African country never to be ruled by a foreign power, created in 1847 by freed slaves returning from America. What?
Liberia
The church of a particular country considers Pontius Pilate to be a saint. Which one?
Ethiopia
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