Which country's national anthem is the longest ? Greece. How do we know " Montague " & " Capulet " better as ? Romeo & Juliet. Which is the oldest letter in the English alphabet ? 'O'. In France, it is known as " Alerte a Malibu " , in Venezuela as " Guardianes de la Bahia " & in Hebrew as " Mishmartta - Mifratz " . How do we know it better as ? "Baywatch". Who would have made a film starring Princess Diana if she had not met with her tragic death? Kevin Costner. 'Abraham's bosom' is a biblical figure of speech.What does it mean? Paternal care. Charlie Chaplin belonged to the great era of silent movies. In which movie did he speak for the first time? The Great Dictator. What keeps a drowning man from taking in oxygen? Hydrogen. Who composed a piano piece that needs both hands and the nose to strike the right notes? Mozart. Which great scientist dropped out of school when he was a teenager, at his mother's request? Isaac Newton. Name the only animal besides humans which can get leprosy. Armadillo. Which ageless toy was originally made from the knuckle bones of dogs & sheep? Dice. What originated from a 12th / 13th century handball sport called 'jeu de paume' or 'game of the palm' ? Tennis. What was the star-spangled banner originally called? The Defence of Fort McHenry (the song was composed during a British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor). In Northern France, children are given gifts on Dec. 6th. What is Dec. 6th? St. Nicholas' Day. What is the title of Emma Lazarus' poem etched at the Statue of Liberty? The New Colossus. What specific reason did P.G.Wodehouse attribute his popularity in U.S.A. to? Having a middle initial. ' 20 years at the top ' is the autobiography of which famous cricketer? Sir Gary Sobers. Which country's ancient name was 'Lusitania' ? Portugal. The collection or gathering of which fruit is known as 'Plashing' ? Walnut. What does 'biscuit' mean in French? 'Twice cooked'. Which comic character's original name was "Dippy Dawg" ? Goofy. In Dishnet DSL, what does DSL stand for ? Digital Subscriber Line. Hindu mythology - who was the first man to die ? Yama. Lord Ayyappa was formed as result of the union of 2 Gods. Name them. Shiva & Vishnu in female form. Name the God who cut off one of the five heads of Lord Brahma. Lord Shiva. Why was the clock-wise direction chosen for the clock ? Sundials ran clock-wise in the Northern Hemisphere & clocks were modelled after them. "Enquire" was a program written by Tim Berners-Lee at CERN, Geneva. What has it grown to ? The World Wide Web.Tim Berners-Lee is the creator of HTML. Which was the only movie to be made twice by Alfred Hitchcock ? The man who knew too much. Dan Hoeffler in 1971, writing in "Electronic News" described the area around Sunnyvale and San Jose in California as what ? Silicon Valley. Which music group was originally known as Tom & Jerry ? Simon & Garfunkel . What does the instrument shehnai literally mean ? Sheh - royal , nai - flute. What is the term used by miners to refer to Methane gas ? Firedamp. Plagued by TB & an awkward stammer, he quit being a physician & forced himself to become an author.His first work was "Liza of Lanbeth" . Who ? Somerset Maugham. Which poem in English ends with the lines "Datta Dayadhavam, Danyata, Shantih, Shantih, Shantih"? The wasteland. Sir Humphrey Davy once remarked " is my greatest discovery".Fill in. Michael Faraday. Connect Mossad & cricket. Stickometer. The Nobel Prize for Economics has a speciality. What? It was not originally initiated. Nowadays, it is sponsored by the Swedish bank. Which best-seller starts with the following words : " The great big fish moved silently in the waters." ? Jaws. What is Spanish for " chain of mountains in the form of sawtooth " ? Sierra. Born in1758, he graduated from Yale University. When he was 20, he joined the George Washington army. After Independence, he published a book called "American Spellings" to establish intellectual independence for England. Name this person. Noah Webster. Born in Calcutta, I was christened Chandidas. When I was young, I loved to go & see IIM Calcutta where my brother played cricket. I fell in love with the institute & the game. I wrote CAT & failed. I was so angry I wanted to break my right hand. On the advice of my brother, I wrote CAT on the next attempt using my left hand & got thro'. My family is known to collect vintage cars. It has 57 of them. Who am I? Saurav Ganguly. After the end of the war in Mahabharat, Lord Krishna takes Yudhishtra and requests Bheeshma to advise Yudhishtra upon the nuances of Dharma. Bheeshma then sings a hymn in praise of Lord Krishna / Vishnu having the 1000 names of Lord Krishna. Name the hymn. Vishnu Sahasranamam. Hiram Bingham, the American explorer and archaelogist, who discovered Machu Picchu in 1912, inspired (other than further Andean exploration) a famous fictional character. Who? Indiana Jones. Harry Potter trivia - Lord Voldemort's wand is made up of the feathers of which bird ? (the species & the name of the bird). Fawkes / Phoenix. Construction began in 1927 & continued for 14 years, due to weather conditions & the lack of funding. A budget of $1 million was allotted and spent. The original suggested the portraits of Western heroes such as Kit Carson & John Colter. But the man building the memorial had different ideas & the memorial ended up quite differently. What? Mount Rushmore. What famous message was sent to Amintius announcing a victory over Pharnaces, son of Mithridates at Zela in Asia Minor in 47 B.C. ? Vini, Vidi, Vici - I came, I saw, I conquered. The ruler of Kashmir forbade the British from buying houses or land. The British resorted to something. What did this lead to ? Boathouses. Connect "Once upon a time in West Village" , "Insomnia cafe" & "Friends like us" . The names originally considered for the serial "Friends" . Who is the only real-life character to appear in Tintin comics? Al Capone, the gangster. What does the foll: order of senses indicate ? Sight-taste-smell-touch-hearing. The order in which they leave the body before death. She was reported missing from her home "Styles" on the night of December 3, 1926. After a breathless public search of nearly 2 weeks, she was discovered 250 miles away, registered under the name Theresa Neele at a country hotel. Who are we talking about ? Agatha Christie. Who according to the Guinness book of world records is the most perfectly developed human in the history of the world ? Arnold Schwarzenegger. What is the full name of Jughead Jones ? Forsythe Peltham. 80% of them are lawyers, some are soldiers, some are businessmen, some are carpenters. Who am I talking about ? Presidents of U.S. According to Hindu legend, Lord Shiva gifts 3 magical stones to a saint to fight against the thugee cults which have risen in India. Legend has it that when the 3 stones are brought together, the diamonds in them glow. This Hindu legend is used in an Indiana Jones movie. Name the movie, the saint and the collective name of the stone. Indiana Jones and the temple of doom / Adi Shankara / Shankara stones. During the WW II , this place served as the HQ for the Red Cross, Air Raid Precaution and The National Fire Service. Name it. Wimbledon. The Jacobins were a political group during the French Revolution. Name the Indian ruler whose admiration for the French revolution was so great that he became a member of the Jacobin Club. Tipu Sultan. Which 2 international cricket playing brothers play in a rock band called "Six and out " ? (CLUE: Apart from them, Gavin Robertson is in the group). Shane Lee & Brett Lee. On October 21 1994 Heather Donahue, Joseph Leonard, Michael Willow went on a hike into Maryland's (USA) black hills forest to make a documentary / movie based upon a local legend & never returned. Name the movie. Blair Witch Project. This fictional character is modelled upon Douglas Fairbanks Sr. His alter ego is named after Clark Gable & Kent Taylor. The city in which he operates is named after Fritz Lang's movie of the same. Name the character, the alter ego & the city. Superman, Clark Kent, Metropolis. Connect Microsoft, Lord Byron & Charles Babbage. Ada Lovelace. * Charles Babbage designed the difference engine which was programmed by Ada Lovelace(incidentally, she is the world's first programmer). * Lord Byron had an equally famous daughter & that was none other than Ada Lovelace. * Microsoft had a picture of Ada Lovelace as its logo originally. In NASA, what does EVA FRATERNITY mean ? Space walk. In 1856, 2 British engineers John & William were engaged to build a railway between Karachi & Lahore. To form the foundation, they found & took 1000 or so mud bricks from a historic place. Name this important archaelogical find. (Place). Harappa. In Greek mythology, this giant snake worked for Hera, the wife of Zeus. She ordered the snake to attack Leto, who was having an affair with Zeus. Apollo killed the creature at Delphi 'coz it was blocking access to the Delphi oracle. Name the creature. (Clue: A species of snake). Python. Vayu wanted to blow away Mt. Meru. However, Garuda guarded Mt. Meru. Once whilst Garuda was away, Vayu blew away the top of Mt. Meru, which became a land mass / geographical entity. Name the land mass. Sri Lanka. This mathematician published his theory in a book called "Recherches sur la probabilite des jugements en matiere criminelle et en matiere civile " . Rumor has it that he developed his theory to determine the probability of deaths in the army due to horse-kicks.Name the mathematician. Poisson / Poisson ratio. This book by Joseph Heller was set in the backdrop of WW II . The protagonist was a pilot named Yossarian and the novel was based upon his life in an airbase in PINOSA. This novel has led to a phrase in English symbolising paradoxical situations. Name the novel or the phrase (incidentally, both are the same) . Catch 22. What is Italian / Sicilian for code of silence ? ( Clue : Mario Puzo ) Omerta. Which real life personality did Shivaji Ganesan want to portray in a movie ( unfortunately, he never got the chance ) ? Thanthai Periyar. Name the brother of Albus Dumbledore who is imprisoned in Azkaban & why ? Aberforth Dumbledore / for inappropriate charms on a goat. In ancient Rome, 1 out of every 10 Roman soldiers who were convicted of mutiny were executed. What English word, meaning "destroy" comes from this practice ? Decimate. This happened due to a 5 Shilling increase in the prices of a pound of pepper proclaimed by the Dutch Profiteers. As a result, 24 British traders got together & floated a company of 125 shareholders. Name the company. The East India Company. How do we better know the distance covered by light in vacuum in 1 / 299792458 of a second ? A metre. Connect Achille & Krishna. Both were killed by being attacked in the heel. James Ritty was the proprietor of a cafe saloon in Dayton & found himself plagued by petty embezzlement. On an ocean cruise, he is said to have observed a machine that recorded the rotations of the ship's propeller on a dial. This gave him the inspiration to patent a device that recorded transactions on a similar clock face. What was this device ? Cash register. The Babylonians performed all their calculations in dust.So dust became the name for any form of calculation. What derives its name from the Babylonian word 'dust' ? Abacus. Which Mughal Monument in India is dedicated to Arjumand Banu Begum ? The Taj Mahal. " Yat Krounchamithuna dekam abadhi kamamohitham ". In these lines Krouncha is a bird and the verse means that the writer is overcome by the grief of a bird being shot by a hunter. What is the significance of these lines ? Starting lines of the Ramayana. Name the only play written by Shakespeare to be made into a sci-fi movie ( Forbidden Planet ). The Tempest. Who was referred to as " The walking question mark " during his student days at Yale " ? Noah Webster. Why was the motto " Be Prepared " chosen for the Boy Scout Movement? Based on the initials BP( Baden Powell ) of its founder. The publication of the Oxford Dictionary was held up for about a year in the 1930's 'coz the editors decided to include a new word.What was this word? Bodyline. Name the only Steven Spielberg movie to have a question mark in its title. Who framed Roger Rabbit ? What is unique about the Asterix adventure " Asterix & Cleopatra " ? Obelix gets to drink the magic potion only in this adventure. Name the only commoner to appear on British stamps( He's an Indian ). Sachin Tendulkar. An English clergyman who emigrated from Cambridge to New Engand, left half his fortune and his library of 300 books to the college of New Towne.This was renamed in his honour. Name the college & the person. John Harvard ( Harvard University ). The 2 most translated works in English are The Bible and the works of Shakespeare. Name the next most translated English author. Agatha Christie. It was invented by Earl Dickson for his accident-prone wife. Its standard size was 7.5 x 4.5 cms. when introduced. Nowadays, it comes in various sizes. What is it? Band-aid. Whose last words were " I am dying with the help of too many physicians " ? Alexander the great. In 1958, Dan Carney & Frank Carey of Wichita, Kansas did something to pay for their college fees. What? They started selling pizzas & founded 'Pizza Hut'. What was described by the famous Canadian humorist Stephen Leacock as ' the science of arresting human intelligence long enough to get money from it ' ? Advertising. The movie ' Casablanca ' was not released the moment it was ready for release. The reason ? Warner brothers wanted to synchronise its release with the Big Allied Conference that was to be held at Casablanca. What was the name given by singer Hariharan to his style of singing, which is now widely used by the media for his style of songs? Urdu blues. Greeks don't start an important project on Tuesdays. Why? 'Coz it was on Tuesday, May 29, 1543 that Constantinople fell to the Turks. In F1 racing, who is referred to as the ' Lollipop man ' ? The man holding up the stop sign when u get to a pit stop. The Spanish revolution of 1808-1814 gave a word to the English language meaning " Little war ". What word? Guerilla. Complete this list: , Martin Alonzo Pinzar, Vincent Yanez Pinzon. Christopher Columbus, captain of the Santa Maria.The other 2 were captains of the Nina and the Pinta. This fictional character was named for an old Robert Mitchum movie. He was born when Don Levine noticed some movable mannequins at a New York art supply store. His face was based on 23 real-life Congressional Medal Honorees. To protect his face from pirates, it was given 2 unique features: a facial scar & a misplaced thumbnail.Who is he? GI Joe. This is an old North of England provincialism for eating or drinking outside meal-times. Anglo-Indians brought it into vogue in india. What is this term? Tiffin. A genealogical tree commonly contains 3-line marks indicating succession. This mark resembles the shape of a crane's foot. What word comes from this? Pedigree from pie-di-gress(foot of a crane). When Master Vithal, the hero of "Alam Ara " was sued by Sharadha Studios, Bombay for breach of contract, he was defended in the court by a famous lawyer. Who? Mohd.Ali Jinnah. The greek word for " 10,000 " has given rise to an English word meaning an indefinitely great number. What word? Myriad. Who were referred to as ' the baker & the baker's wife ' ? Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette ( ' Let them eat cake ' ). The strategic defense initiative of which US President is popularly known as ' The Star Wars ' ? Ronald Reagan. There's only 1 brick exhibited on the Great wall of China. What is its significance ? It was the only brick left over after the construction of the wall. Lutetia is mentioned all-too-frequently in Asterix comics. How is it known today as? Paris. Many race horses have the same official b'day irrespective of when they were born. When is it? First Jan of the year of their birth. How is the ' Decalogue ' better known as? The ten commandments. Maths- what is a perigon ? An angle of 360 degrees. Which company's motto is ' The best or nothing ' ? Mercedes Benz. Mythology- What is common to Vishnu's discuss, Shiva's trident & Karthikeya's lance? They were all made from fragments of Surya's rays. What is unique about the Bhavnagar rly. station in Gujarat? The only rly. station where women work as porters. Which famous actress wrote a cookbook titled ' In the kitchen with love ' in 1972 ? Sophia Loren. This soft drink was first introduced by Charles C Grigg in Oct 1929. It was originally called Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. How is it known today as ? 7-up. Which living being actually has blue blood? Lobster. Which drink is referred to as ' Nelson's blood ' ? Rum. In the ice-cream brand ' Baskin Robbins-31 ', what does 31 signify ? 31 flavours available at a minimum, one for each day of the month. In the book 'Alice in Wonderland ', there's something unique about the Mad Hatter's watch. What is it? It showed the day of the month. What are camel's hair-brushes made of ? They are made using hairs from squirrel's tails. This famous English poet was an ardent skater. He was an expert at skating & could cut his name with his skates. Name him. William Wordsworth. Connect: Superman I, Superman II & Godfather. Mario Puzo, author of Godfather, wrote the screenplay for Superman I & II. Connect: the intercellular substance of a tissue, a mould for casting typefaces & an array of components or parts in electronic circuits. They are all referred to as 'Matrix'. This word was originally applied in Greek to represent " tearing of flesh ". Its meaning later got extended to mean " make a cutting remark ". Which word? Sarcasm. In saling-ship days, which member of the crew usually acted as the ship's doctor ? The cook. Who was the first person to suggest the use of contact lenses? Leonardo da vinci (back in 1508). In medieval Europe, travellers would band together and share their bread with each other. They formed tightly knit groups, fighting against bandits, robbers, etc. What word in English, literally meaning Sharers of bread comes from these groups of people ? Company ( com + panis ). In ancient Rome, the emperors used 2 store the royal treasure in baskets woven from the bark of a fig tree. What financial term comes from these baskets ? Fiscal ( from fiscus - fig ). Which company once so dominated its sector that it, and the other corporations which were then in the sector were ref. 2 as " Snow White & the 7 dwarfs " ? IBM. What is Greek 4 " a ring of animals " ? Zodiac. This creature gets its name from the Greek word for ' womb ' 'coz it resembles the shape of the womb. Name the creature. Dolphin ( from Greek ' delphis ' ). Connect the year 1980 A.D. with the year 29,940 A.D. Y2K - related bugs : In the early Windows versions, if u typed in 01/01/00, the OS assumed it was 1-1-1980. In the present, the Y2K - like bug will occur in the year 29,940. VIDYUT FINALS William Hogarth painted two scenes of English life, one showing all thatwas good in the England of the 1700s and the other showing all that was bad. He named them after two drinks(liquors) that symbolized goodness and vice then. What ? BEER STREET (THE GOOD) AND GIN LANE (THE BAD) She is the daughter of Lord Henshingly, and was raised to be an aristocratfrom birth. She attended Wimbledon High School for Girls. The chief inspiration in her life is Prof. Werner von Croy. Who is she? LARA CROFT It was the largest tank battle in history, involving some 6,000 tanks,2,000,000 troops, and 4,000 aircraft. It marked the decisive end of the German offensive capability on the Eastern Front and cleared the way for the great Soviet counter-offensives of World War II culminating in the takeover of Berlin. Name the battle. KRUSK Which ancient African city, located on the southern edge of the Saharadesert, was the last great goal of of 19th century European travellers searching for fabulous wealth and splendour similar to El Dorado, was occupied by the French in 1894 and is now in the Republic of Mali? TIMBUCKTOO When this hit movie was screened in Toronto, some theaters suggested that people with motion sickness sit in the aisle seats. Which movie and why? BLAIR WITCH PROJECT - CAUSE IT WAS SHOT BY HAND HELD CAMERAS Donald F. Duncan introduced in 1929 a toy based on a weapon used by 16th-century Filipino hunters. What is it called? YOYO. DUCAN HAD THE RIGHTS TILL 1969 AFTER THAT SINCE IT BECAME A COMMONWORD AND IT FOUND A PLACE IN DICTIONARY THE RIGHTS WERE CANCELLED What did members of the Nazi SS have tattooed on their armpits? BLOOD GROUPS The Poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" written during the bombing of Baltimore is now much better known by another name. STAR SPRANGLED BANNER- US ANTHEM This great ad campaign started with only three words which appeared in a tv commercial in 1988. The words were not uttered. It featured Craig Blanchette. and During the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, this company had a very controversial slogan. "You don't win silver, you lose gold". Which company and which famous baseline? NIKE. JUST DO IT The romans belived that if the patients seeking relief wrote these letters in the form of a triangle on a piece of parchment and wore it around their necks on a length of thread then it would cure tooth ache. Today it is used as a pretend conjuring word. It also means meaningless talk or nonsense. ABRACADABRA What happened in Britain on September 3rd, 1752? NOTHING. AFTER SEPTEMBER 2, THE NEXT DAY WAS SEPTEMBER 14, DUE TO THE CHANGE FROM JULIAN TO GREGORIAN CALENDAR. What was defined by Henry III of England by placing three barleycorns in a line? INCH Why is term cloud no. 9 given and not cloud 6. or cloud no.11? CLOUDS WERE CLASSIFIED ACCORDING TO THEIR HEIGHT BY NUMBERS FROM CLOUD 1 TO CLOUD NO.9 AND THE HIGHEST IS CLOUD NO 9 Connect Hasbro Toy Company, Absent Minded Professor and Robin Williams. HOOK One day in the 1880s, at the Springfield College, Massachussetts, the students were finding this new game exciting - and much harder than they had imagined. For thirty minutes the class ran up and down the gym, blocking shots and yelling instructions at each other. When a goal was scored the game had to be temporarily stopped, however. Why, and what on earth are we talking about? BASKETBALL THE GAME HAD TO BE STOPPED BECAUSE THERE WAS NO HOLE IN THE BOTTOM JAMES NAISMITH WAS ONE OF THEM. Donkey Kong was a game published in the mid-80s. the game died out but the central character in the game (who made his debut in the game ) lived to be the central character of all times? Name please. MARIO Colonel Harland Sander is the founder of this famous fast food delicacy outlet. Name the hotspot. ### KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN. Now the chatter of this mountain nymph foiled Hera's attempts to catch Zeus with other women, so in a fit of rage Hera cursed the nymph saying that she would only be able to repeat the last words spoken to her. Who is this nypmh? ECHO Erich Salomon s unobtrusive presence and refined manner allowed him to take the unposed photographs of famous people. He once captured the tenderness of Marlene Dietrich, doing her first Hollywood film work in the early 1930s, talking long-distance to her young daughter in Germany. His work lead to the coining of a certain phrase. What phrase? CANDID CAMERA The original version goes back to the Bronze Age. It was Walter Huntwho reinvented in New York. He created its basic appearance in a little under 3 hours. Because he needed to pay off a $15 debt, he sold his patent rights for a lot less than the millions they were worth. The amount varies from $100 to $400.What did he invent? SAFETY PIN Lloyd's Register of British and Foreign Shipping gave every vessel listed its specific designation, determined by the ship's state of seaworthiness. For this, two important features had to be ascertained: the condition of its hull and that of its equipment, i.e., the chain, the anchor and the rudder. These were indicated by a symbol each. This practice introduced what into the language? A1 What started at Thomas Farrinor 's bakery on September 2nd in Pudding Lane England and took on epic proportions? GREAT BRITIAN FIRE If you would hear these words what would be happening - "Close the book, quench the candle, ring the bell" ? EXCOMMUNCATION FROM CHURCH What was to be named Facts, Briefs, Destiny, Chance... but later ditched for something else? TIME John Cage has a piece called 4 min 33 sec, in which a person sits in front of a piano doing nothing for that duration of time. So why Cage has called this piece 4 min 33sec ? WHEN WE CONVERT 4 MIN 33 SEC INTO SEC WE GET 273 AT -273C NOTHING WORKS.EVERYTHING COMES TO A STAND STILL. The idea originated at 3, Humberstone Road in Cambridge on the 28th June 1933. The plan however was carried out by another person. The man who had proposed the idea died without recognition and was buried in a numbered grave in NewMarket. What was the idea? CONCEPT OF PAKISTAN Glenn's Football Quiz Which soccer player was called "Il Lombrico" (or "the earthworm") early in his career? (Clue: He first made his name at La Bombonera. His fav sport was basketball...Well, well-- Go for it!!!) GABRIEL BATISTUTA Which soccer legend said, "They say football is a matter of life and Death. Frankly it's much more than that"? THE SCOT AND LEGENDARY EX-LIVERPOOL MANAGER- BILL SHANKLY Sitter of the quiz. Who owns Watford football club? SIR ELTON JOHN This's easy too. What are Juve, Milan, Inter, Roma, Parma, Fiorentina and Lazio collectively known as in the Italian league? THE SEVEN SISTERS (because generally quality wise there ain't much of a difference between these clubs. though personal opinions may differ)...amazingly only Anil Kumar got it Which soccer club was founded in memory of the opera legend Giuseppe Verdi? AC PARMA What's the unique distinction of the former Belgian captain Jef Jurion? (He captained Belgium in Euro '64) HE WORE SPECIALLY MADE GLASSES FOR A RECORD 64 INTERNATIONALS PHOENIX QUIZ by Aditya World Wars: The 'Carpathia', was sunk by torpedoes from a German U - Boat during the First World War on July 17, 1918.How is it famous? It is the ship, which came to the rescue of some of the drowning passengers of the 'Titanic' Why is the 'Map room' in the White House, Washington, D.C. so called? Because it was used by Roosevelt to follow troop movements in WW-II India Gate in Delhi was built in honor of the memory of soldiers killed in which war? WW-I We have heard and read about World War I and World War II. But what is World War 3.0? Bestseller on Microsoft antitrust trial What were the names of the bombs, which were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II? Fat man and little boy What was developed in Germany during World War II when local bottlers ran out of the ingredients for Coca Cola? Fanta In WW-I, what occurred 'at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month? The mutual treaty concluding the WW-I came into force at 11.00 hrs on 11th November 1918 In World War II what was Operation Dynamo? Evacuation of Dunkirk During World War II, B.O.A.C. used to fly mail planes from Australia to the U.K. via Calcutta. But these planes were not allowed to land at Calcutta's Dum Dum airport. Why? As they were boat planes i.e. amphibious they were routed to the harbor instead. In World War II, what was Operation Bernhard? Printing of fake currency Solar System: Which planet in the Solar System spins in the opposite direction to all the others? Venus What is the most obvious feature of Mercury's landscape? Craters What material are Saturn's rings made from? Ice Beagle 2 is scheduled to rendezvous with which planet early in the next millennium? Mars What is the temperature on the surface of Pluto? -230°C What is responsible for the Earth's aurora? Particles from the solar wind Which astronomer discovered the planet Uranus? William Herschel Triton is a moon of which planet? Neptune What chemicals make up Jupiter's atmosphere? Hydrogen, methane and ammonia What is the farthest planet from sun as observed recently on March 1999? Neptune (from Jan 1979 to mar 1999) Indian History: With what famous discovery in 1921 is Raklal Banerjee and Dayaram Sahani credited? Mohenjadaro and Harappa Zahir-ud-din Mohammed is the real name of which famous emperor who ruled in India? Babar What was the 'Sally Bomber'? The plane, which crashed killing Subhash Chandra Bose Who carried away the Peacock Throne from India in 1739 A.D.? Nadir Shah What was Tarikh-i-khudadadi? Autobiography of Tipu sultan When she was born, she was named Manikarnika. How do we know her better? Rani of Jhansi Which area was ruled by the Asaf Jahi dynasty? Hyderabad What title did the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb bestow on the rulers of Jaipur, feeling that they were 25 percent more brave and handsome than the rest of the world? Sawai What is dedicated to Arjuman Banu Begum? The Taj Mahal Jawaharlal Nehru became the President of INC in the historic Lahore session in 1929. Whom did he succeed? Motilal Nehru Science and technology: What first did Samuel Hopkins achieve in 1790 in the US? He got the first (numbered) US Patent (US Patent #1). Thousands of patents were issued before his, but he was the first to get one after the numbering started. In 1948 Einstein was offered this, but politely declined. What? The Presidency of Israel. This 1926 Fritz Lang science fiction masterpiece featured a mechanical being whose creator had m magical symbols carved on his wall. The film was liked a lot by Hitler. Which film? Metropolis. What is being described here: They (the narrator's uncle's household) debated whether to stay indoors or take their chance in the open, for the buildings were now shaking in violent shocks, and seemed to be swaying to and fro as if they were torn from their foundations. Outside, on the other hand, there was the danger of falling pumice stones... Pliny the Younger's account of the disaster that destroyed the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD. The English astronomer Fred Hoyle once said, 'Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive if _______________________________.' Fill in the blank. ...Your car could go straight upwards! Designed by the architect William LeBaron Jenney, the first of its kind was built for the Home Insurance Company in Chicago, in 1885. What? The first 'skyscraper'. It was a ten-storey marble building. Once he passed out of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland, Einstein supported himself with odd jobs before finally accepting an offer as an examiner of applications at this place. Which? The Swiss Patent Office in Berne. Unfortunately, almost nothing is known about which patent applications he approved and which he rejected. This might throw light on whether any of the proposed patents stimulated his thinking on the various theories he put forth in physics. In 1926 he pioneered fiber optics, radar, and 'noctovision', a system for seeing at night by using infrared rays. For what invention is he better known? For the invention of television. The person of course is John Logie Baird. Many scientists call 1905 the Annus Mirabilis, the miracle year, because in this year alone Einstein produced four path breaking scientific research papers, which would have taken a good scientist a lifetime to produce. This year has been compared to 1666, when another scientist produced a wealth of path breaking inventions and discoveries. Who? Isaac Newton. In 1666, he gave an explanation for the spectral nature of sunlight, invented differential and integral calculus, and derived the theory of gravitation. What is common to diamonds, graphite and buckyballs? All three are forms of pure carbon. Indian Mythology: In the Mahabharata, which animal accompanied the Pandavas on their last journey? A dog Which Guru initiated the construction of the Golden Temple at Amritsar? Guru Ramdas The Three Jewels or Triratna is the three pillars of the Jain creed. What are the three pillars? Right knowledge, faith and conduct In Islam, who is a Hafeez? One who can recite Koran from memory In which country is The Ramayana known as 'The Ramakien'? Indonesia In Mahabharata, what was the Anjalika? Weapon used by Arjuna to kill Karna To which god of the Hindu pantheon is the Gayatri Mantra addressed? Surya He was named Dasagreeva. However, he is better known by another name because he screamed in pain. How do we know him? Ravana Which is the only country that has a temple with a living goddess residing in it? Nepal - Parvathi (a young virgin chosen from Newar community) How is Tensing Gyatso known to his followers? XIV Dalai Lama Computers and www: Who was the first customer for the UNIVAC, the first US commercial computer? The US census department. Beginning September 14, 1995, there was a change in the context of domain name registration. What was the change? Registration of domain names was no longer free. This was the first national commercial online service in the US to offer Internet access to its subscribers. It opened up an email connection in July 1992 and full Internet service in November 1992. Which? Delphi. How do we know the Practical Extraction and Reporting Language? As PERL, an interpreted script language created by Larry Wall. There was also a bit of luck for this person. His family had connections with John Opel, then the IBM chairman, who worked for a powerful charity, the United Way. This person's mother, Mary, sat on the same board. Who? Bill Gates. This company began its life in 1985, and was originally founded as Quantum Computer Services. It changed to its present name in 1989. Which company? America Online. What was Dennis Ritchie, before he invented 'C'? A well-known hacker. The origin of this company's name is disputed. Some say that it is an allusion to the Beatle's record company and others to a summer that its co-founder spent picking fruits in Oregon. Which company? Apple Computers. HTML is derived from a parent Markup Language. What is it called? SGML - Standardized Generalized Markup Language. This became the lingua franca in 1986 for formatting of text and documents. On October 29th 1956, the first of its kind was born at IBM. The original was the size of two r efrigerators. What? The first hard disk. It had 5MB of data at a cost of about $10,000 per MB. Cricket: Connect Bob Simpson and Tied tests? He was a player in the first and the manager in the second tied test Who is credited with inventing the leg glance? Ranjitsinghji Connect Moshin Khan, Andrew Hilditch, Darryl Cullinan and Steve Waugh? All were out handling the ball The highest electronically measured speed for a ball bowled is 160.45 kmph. Who is it? Jeff Thompson What is different about cricket matches played in ancient China? They were staged fights between carefully nurtured killer crickets What is called the corridor of uncertainty? The line on or around the off-stump Where do you find the fielding position long stop? Behind the wicket keeper to prevent 4 byes It was originally called the scone theory. It became famous as what? Bodyline I'm the first Indian to score a century against the entire test playing nations. I also scored a century on my first class debut. My brother-in-law is a legend. Who am I? Gundappa Viswanath Name the two cricketers who traveled around the world presenting the talk show named "The King and I"? 'King' Richards and Ian Botham Current affairs: Beijing recently won the bid to host the 2008 Olympics. Which city came in second? Toronto What is the claim to fame of Ms Denise Quinones? Current Ms Universe Who will be the Communist Party of India-Marxist nominee from Ranaghat (West) for the May 2001 assembly elections in West Bengal? Jyotirmoy Sikdar Name the village from where the Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar was kidnapped by Veerappan? Gajanur Which topical entity is a part of Buffalo Networks Pvt Ltd? Tehelka.com Why is the UK-based company Celador very much in the news of late? It holds worldwide rights for 'Who wants to be a millionaire' Who is Aastha Arora? India's One-billionth baby Which US consulate in the world processes the maximum number of H1B visas? Chennai, India Who won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in April 2000 for her maiden effort 'Interpreter of Maladies'? Jhumpa Lahiri In early 2000, the owner of Consolidated Press Holdings was in India to announce a series of new business ventures. Name him? Kerry Packer, the richest Aussie business tycoon Art & Architecture: What is the official residence of the South Korean President? Blue House In which country did Venetian blinds originate? Japan Why is the White House in Washington, D. C. white? To cover the smoke stains by a fire set by British in 1814 The twin towers of the World Trade Center, New York City are not the same height but what is the difference in storeys? None Where is the largest church in the world? Who designed it? Vatican - Michelangelo 6.What was the tallest building in the world until 1930? The Eiffel tower What, in the medieval architectural world, was a manticore? Human headed animal In which famous French palace will you find the Hall of Mirrors? Versailles Whose tomb was discovered in 1922 in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor in Egypt? King Tutankhamen Which palace incorporates three cathedrals, seven churches, a monastery and a convent? The Kremlin Moscow General: Who discovered the polio vaccine in 1953? Jonas Salk Which Indian sportsman's autobiography is 'By God's Decree'? Kapil Dev What was R.K. Narayan's first book? Swami and friends Who invented the bifocal lens? Benjamin Franklin Which temple's gopuram is the inspiration for the Tamil Nadu government logo? Srivilliputhur temple What is the collective noun for Bears? Sloth or sleuth Which flower is represented in the Scouts / Guides symbol? Fleur-de-lis Expand MIDI. (As in MIDI sound files) Musical instrument Digital Interface How is the Asian ruler Temujin better known? Genghis Khan .In which temple is Shiva worshipped in his form as 'Fire'? Thiruvannamalai What is the claim to fame of the book "Commander Coriander Salamander and 'er Singlehander Belly Lander"? It is the much awaited sequel to 'Hamster Huey and the Gooey Kablooie', Calvin's favourite book. Led by the Aga Khan in the past, members of this group were abducted when children, then taken to the mountain of Alamut, where they were provided with beautiful women and powerful drugs, and told they were in heaven. Who? The Hashishins, or assassins Which pop star played as a goalkeeper for Real Madrid until a car accident ended his career as a soccer player? Julio Iglesias To what is the day October 23rd dedicated and why? It's Mole Day, in honour of the Avogadro constant, 6.023x10^23. October 23rd maybe written as 10/23.... How do we better know Howard Allen O'Brien? A: Author Anne Rice - apparently her parents wanted a boy... Sony's president at the time, Norio Ohga, reportedly forced company technicians to increase the maximum length of a CD's playing time from 60 minutes to 80 minutes for some specific reason. What ? Ans: He wanted to be able to listen without interruption to the ninth Beethoven smphony (Choral), with a running time of 74 minutes. There is a funda associated with statues of men on/with horses. What does it mean if a. The man is seated on the horse which has all its feet on the ground. b. The man is seated on the horse and it has one foot off the ground. c. The man is seated ................. it has two feet off the ground. d. The man is standing beside the horse. Ans: a) A war hero who died of natural causes. b) Man died of wounds in battle c) Man died in battle d) Both man and horse died in battle. Once Bill Gates formed a company to sell a computerized traffic counting system to cities, which made $ 20,000 in its first year. Yet, the business dropped sharply. Why ? Customers learned that Gates was only 14 years old. Why do people say that there is a " bug " in the computer ? The story goes that a computer at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Virginia malfunctioned. Grace Hopper, a Naval Officer, was asked to determine what was wrong with it. She opened up the computer and started checking the circuits. She found a moth stuck in one of the circuits. When she removed it, the computer started working again. This incident took place in 1945 ; since then whenever something goes wrong with a computer, people say there is a bug in it. This is the story that most people tell as to why the word " bug " has been used to mean " defect " for several centuries - long before computers came into being. The moth that Grace Hopper removed is displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of American history in Washington D.C. Al Gore coined a phrase synonymous with the Internet. What ? Information Superhighway. Connect Willamette and Chicago. Willamette - Pentium 4's code name before its launch. Chicago - The code name of MS Windows 95. What was the name considered by Bill Gates before settling on Microsoft? Ans:Unlimited Limited Unicorporated Incorporated. Psalm 137 - , there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst there of. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song ; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, sing us one of the songs of Zion. Fill in the blanks with the words of a very famous song by Boney-M. By the rivers of Babylon. In his " Outline of History ", H.G.Wells says of a certain king that Amidst the tens and thousands of names of monarchs that crowd the columns of history, Their Majesties and Graciousnesses and Serenities and Royal Highnesses and the like, the name of shines,and shines almost alone, a star. From Volga to Japan, his name is still honoured. China, Tibet and even India, though it has left his doctrine preserve the tradition of his greatness. More living men cherish his memory today than have ever heard the names of Constantine and Charlemagne. Name him. Emperor Ashoka. This film takes its title from William Blake's Jerusalem, which is sung in Paris at the climax of the film. A stanza from the poem ends - Bring me my bow of burning gold. Bring me my arrow of desire. Bring me my spear ! Oh clouds unfold, Bring me my . The last 3 words are also the film's title. Name the film. Chariots of fire. Napolean called the British by a derogatory phrase, which he quoted from Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations. The phrase went thus - " To found a great empire for the sole purpose of raising up a people of customers may at first appear for a ". Fill in the blanks. Nation of shopkeepers. Complete this famous line about an advertising agency by Fred Allen : " An advertising agency is 85 % and 15 % ". Confusion & Commission In 1967, Arthur Ashe won the U.S. Open, but did not get the trophy. Why ? Who got it ? Ashe was an amateur. So, the runner-up, Tom Okker got it. Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote " Every moment there dies a man, every moment one is born ". A famous inventor wrote him a letter saying " In that case, the population of the world would be exactly zero ". Who said this ? Charles Babbage. In which ad would u xpect 2 hear Mozart's 25th symphony ? Titan watches. On which trophy are the following words inscribed " The Gentleman's Single Handed World Championship "? Ans:Wimbledon Men's Single Championship. This is said to be the first book of fiction to be blessed by the Pope. Which? Ben-Hur. In the Asterix comic story " Asterix the Legionary ", Asterix and Obelix join the Roman Army for a purpose. And so does an Egyptian. Now, in what way does the Egyptian converse ? He converses in hieroglyphics ! To whom did Michael Jackson dedicate his album, 'History Past Present and Future' ? Ans: Thomas Alva Edison. "How I want a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics" is a mnemonic for remembering what? Ans: 3.1415... The value of Pi Connect the mnemonic in the previous question to Albert Einstein. Ans: The value of Pi is 3.14 and the birth date of Einstein when written in mm/dd format is 3/14 ( March 13th ). The answer to which famous unanswered (in the original source) was later given by the creator as "Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat; and it is never put with the wrong end in front." ANS: "WHY IS A RAVEN LIKE A WRITING DESK?", Lewis Carroll's famous unanswered riddle from "Alice in Wonderland". Carroll gave his answer in the Preface of the later edition. In between the 5 concentric corridors of the Pentagon, at the centre courtyard, there is a building named " Ground Zero". What is it ? The cafeteria. Prince Dharma left the country to propagate the worship of Buddha, and wished not to sleep during the nine years of his mission, to devote his life to meditation and fast. However, as he was exhausted, he did fall asleep. When he woke up, he was greatly overwhelmed by his fault, and cut off eyelids. This is the Japanese legend to explain what? The origin of tea. His eyelids took roots to give a plant whose leaves keep one awake. Which famous scientist said " God does not play dice " ? What was he speaking about ? He told this angrily to a famous scientist, who in turn shot back with an equally famous reply. Name this famous scientist & what he said . Albert Einstein - Quantum Theory / Neil Bohr - " Don't teach God what to do ". In airline slang, what is a 365 ? Eggs and bacon - they are served everyday, all the time. When introduced, several despairing people called it The Hungarian Horror. Name it. Rubik's Cube - it was invented by a Hungarian Prof. Erno Rubik. Connect Alfred Vail, Watson and Kemp. * Vail - Samuel Morse's asst. - Recd. What hath God wrought - first telegraph message. * Watson - Alexander Graham Bell's asst. - Recd. Watson, Come here, I want you - first telephone message. * Kemp - Marconi's asst. - Recd. Do you know anything, Kemp ? - first radio message. What connects Juno,Judith,Rachel and Pallas Anthena? Ans:These are the 4 queens on the playing cards. Connect: A nightclub entertainer, A Scotsman, A Scots dog, Arnold Schwarzenegger, A slot machine, A pink rabbit, A pair of lips, Robert De Niro, Pinocchio, Julius Caeser, A game-show host, Jack Nicholson, A bee and the moon. Ans: These are some of the many avatars of the genie in Disney's ALADDIN. Connect - a man's yell, a hyena's howl, a soprano's singing & soft violin music. Tarzan's yell. Connect Anthony Hopkins and Ian Wilmot. Ans: Lambs. Anthony Hopkins --> "Silence of the lambs" Ian Wilmot --> Cloning of the lamb Dolly Connect California and Archimedes. Ans: Motto of California state is "Eureka" During the building of the bridge across the sea to reach Lanka , the Vanaras / monkeys moved mountains to use as material for building the bridge. As the story goes, when the construction was complete, the monkeys dropped the mountains and moved on. One such mountain began weeping saying that it could not have been of use to Lord Rama. Taking pity on it, Rama blessed it saying that he would specially use it in his next avatar. Just name the mountain. Ans: It's MOUNT GOVARDHANA which Krishna lifts on his little finger to save Gokul from the wrath of Indra. How did Bihar get its name ? From Vihara - 'coz this state had several Buddhist monasteries or Viharas. In January 1978, the Janata Government in an attempt to curb black money, withdrew something, that was only recently brought back. What? It demonitised currency notes of the denomination of Rs 1000 and above. Additional funda: That year, people who didn't want to be caught with the money went to Tirupati and dropped huge amounts of cash into the hundis. The TTD, apparently received the maximum in offerings that year. What victory at Calcutta's Maidan on 29th June, 1911 came to be celebrated as part of the Nationalist Movement? Mohun Bagan defeated the East Yorkshire Regiment in the Indian Football Association shield final. Additional Funda : After the success of Lagaan, it was rumoured that Ashutosh Gowarikar had plans to make another movie 'Bagan' (!) about this incident. Which raag did Tansen dedicate to Akbar and his court ? Raag Darbari Kanada. What is the origin of "A cat has 9 lives" ? Cats were considered sacred in Egypt & to kill them was unpardonable. This led to long lives for the cats & hence the saying. What is Dutch courage ? Courage gained through alcoholic drink. Why were the English soldiers nicknamed " Tommies " during World War I ? Funda: The example name on the forms soldiers were required to fill out was Thomas Atkins, the U.S. equivalent of John Smith. The name first appeared in 1815 when sample forms for soldiers showed where their signatures should appear. Rudyard Kipling also helped popularize the term "Tommy" in his writings. In Western countries, apples are generally wiped before eating. Why ? To erase the fingerprints of Satan, who handed the first apple to Eve. The word Christian is often abbreviated as Xian. What is the reason for this ? The X is actually the Greek letter x ( chi ) , the first letter of Christ's name as written in Greek. In 1996, which celebrity appeared in a Japanese ad. for apple sauce, which coincidentally is what his name means in Japanese ? Ringo Starr. Which Hollywood star is known by the nickname ' The Italian Stallion ' ? Sylvester Stallone. He once ran a carpet laundry for a living. He has worked as an asst. director under Shyam Benegal and has even done a cameo role in one of his films. He's better known for the albums he's produced and sung. His father was a famous actor. Name him. Answer : Lucky Ali - Mehmood's son. While at Oxford, he was the singer and bassist for a band called ' Ugly rumours '. Name this famous person. Answer : Tony Blair. A native of Egypt, this astronomer and geographer made his observations from Alexandria developing the theory first ropounded by Aristotle that the earth is the centre of the universe. His work ' Amagest ' was considered Gospel truth until it was debunked by Copernicus. Answer : Ptolemy. William Painter, inventer of bottle caps, once gave the foll: advice to his star salesman : " Why don't you think of something like the crown ( bottle caps ) ? When once used, it is thrown away and the customer keeps coming back for more. " This salesman religiously followes Painter's advice and went on to invent a popular product of everyday use which bears his name. Just name this person and the product he invented. Answer : King Gillette, who invented Gillette disposable razors. During his school days, this famous industrialist was once thrashed by his teacher. He angrily told the teacher something and stalked out of the class. He later made this phrase a recurring theme in the advertisement for all his products. Name the industrialist and what he told his teacher. Answer: Rahul Bajaj - " You just can't beat a Bajaj. " This person gave the world the custom of coin toss. His head appeared on one side of every coin in the empire he was ruling. He said, he was divinely appointed emperor and his image alone was sufficient to settle lawsuits. Consequently, property disputes, marital discords and even guilt or innocence in criminal proceedings could be determined by the toss of a coin, since this person's image landing upright meant that he and by extension the Gods agreed with the decision. Name him. Answer : Julius Caesar. The British launched a massive operation to defend Gibraltar during WW II. One of the planners named a house he built in Jamaica after this operation's name. Name him and name his house ( Hint - He is much more famous in another field, and so is his house ). Answer : Ian Fleming, Golden Eye. The Bond movie took its title from Fleming's house in Jamaica. On December 27th 1989, The Times of India had an editorial which marked the Platinum Jubilee of the crossword, in which it paid rich tribute to a famous personality who used to do the puzzle in 8 minutes. Who ? Answer : Indira Gandhi. This started in medieval France, when a king would hug a new knight, placing both his arms around the knight's neck. This tradition carries forward in the French military custom of kissing both cheeks of a man on whom they confer an award. In England, this took the form of a king tapping each shoulder of a knight with his sword. What English word, from French for " To neck ", describes this practice ? Accolade. ( ad = to + colla = neck ). This word comes from a poisonous plant growing on the Italian island of Sardinia. Ancient Romans observed that when a victim of the plant's poison was paralysed, his facial muscles twisted into a rictus which looked like a grim laugh. What word, meaning a scornful & bitter smile, comes from this ? Sardonic. What word originates from a 19th century Irish family which used to live in Southwark, London & was notorious for violence, rowdiness & crime ? Hooligan ( from Houlihan ). Mary, Queen of Scots had several pages drawn from noble French families. She used them to help her play a certain game, which is said to have originated in St. Andrews, Scotland. What word ? Caddy - from the French word Cadet, which soon became Caddy. The game was golf. This word was coined during WW II to mean a powerful bomb which could destroy large parts of the city. It has later on become popular in the film world. What? Blockbuster ( originally named 'coz these bombs could pulverize an entire city block ). Which word continues this sequence for a particularly logical reason? AID GUESS DEGREE ESTATE COLUMN SENSE Ans: First aid, Second guess, third degree, fourth estate etc so Seventh Heaven. This word originally came about as a result of the fact that many items belonging to people were collected and put together with a note carrying the name of the owner and item and was put into the register. Which word? Ans: The word is prop.It came from 'property'. If a soldier was dismissed from the army for dishonourable conduct, he would be drummed out in a ceremony which included a description of his crime being read out and his insignia stripped from his uniform. What expression in the English language did this practise result in? Facing the music. In medieval England, unwelcome guests were served a tasteless dish to indicate that they were no longer welcome. This practice has given rise to an English phrase, which means "To ignore". What is it? Ans : To give a cold shoulder.