Jaldi Quizzing

Hi All,

Yesterday, a good part of the day was spent in South Mumbai. Staying in the northern suburbs, my daily journey ends up at Andheri in Mumbai where work takes me.

So, after close to 2 months, when I got the oppurtunity, I got up early after staying up really late in the night to finish off office work.

A few quizzers had come up with idea of The Bombay Quiz Club. And I surely wanted to check in. The Tea Center in Churchgate was the venue. In attendance were 5 more souls.

Dhoomk2 , NU, Milo ,Dhananjay Shettigar, the Pan Galactic Quiz Blaster and the Badshah of Indian Blogdom Amit Varma.

Though I finished last in the Quiz that followed, the experience was quite enriching.

So, in case you are from Mumbai and want to know more, do visit the Bombay Quiz Club Blog.

And here are the Set of Questions that I carried for the Meet.

PS: Folks not conversant with places in Mumbai - Apologies. Probably this might help.

Mail your answers to: aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

Questions:

1. What is so official/significant about the phrase - "The razor-toothed piranhas of the genera Serrasalmus and Pygocentrus are the most ferocious freshwater fish in the world. In reality they seldom attack a human."

Ans:

2. English architect FW Stevens was the man behind the Victoria Terminus building. His son Charles Stevens designed another famous landmark in Mumbai. Which one?

Ans:

3. Connect the Beatles to an accidental activity at the hands of Marie Ana Smith from Australia in 1865.

Ans:

4. In which country is food made at a McDonalds outlet used as reward for prisoners?

Ans:

5. Easy one, What was introduced by the Indian Government bearing code XPGR with the Reserve bank of India (Amendment) Act on May 1st,1959.

Ans:

6. Another Mumbai landmark. Erected in 1864 by the Agri Horticultural Society of Western India out of a donation of Rs.20000 by Cursetjee Fardoonjee Parekh, it is sculpted in imported Portland stone. It was originally to be named after Sir Bartle Frere, the then governor of Bombay.

Ans:

7. What did an advertising man Harvey R Ball design for the State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, Massachusetts in 1963 for a fee of $45? The brief given was to come up with something cheerful to smooth wrinkled brows and make the whole merger process which the company was contemplating a little more bearable for everyone.

Ans:

8. Named in honor of Sir Appleby, the civil servant in Yes Minister, whose recent passing away led to this tribute from The Times - Political World Mourns a killer named _____".

Ans:

9. When does a British Member of Parliament apply to the King / Queen for the post of the "steward of the Chiltren Hundreds" or the "Steward of the Manor of Northstead"?

Ans:

10. Dhananjay's Question - What did Dr. Kanuga successfully bid for Rs.1600 in an autcion in 1930?

Ans:

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 9:39 AM 8 comments

Hi All,

The Brand Equity Quiz, the annual corporate Quiz , organized by the Media Behemoth - Benett,Coleman and Company Ltd, is touted as Asia's largest Business Quiz.

Though I have not gone ahead and verified this fact, the event does see participation from almost every Corporate House in the country.

On the 20th of March 2006, when the BEQ Bandwagon came to Mumbai, I left early from office and arrived at the St. Andrews Auditorium in Bandra. Being a bit of a pessimist myself, all I thought is that I will be coming back with a few Gift coupons or T- Shirts.

But at 9:00 PM, when I was trying to get into a second class compartment of the Borivali slow train at Bandra, I realized that I had something heavier to carry back.

Prior to that, Mr. M. Suresh Kumar, my partner, who earned the distinction of becoming the oldest ever participant on stage in the history of the Quiz and yours truly went past 70 odd teams to come Second Best.

It was another thing that after every round, all that I was doing was picking my bag and getting all set to walk off the stage.

Maybe next time, I would have another story to tell.

Mr. M. Suresh Kumar (left) and Yours truly in action at the Brand Equity Quiz, Mumbai. Photo Courtesy: The Economic Times dated 29th March,2006 (Brand Equity - Page 4) .

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 9:05 AM 3 comments

Hi All,

After a long hiatus, here are the answers. Not many responses this time.

Congratulations to Dipankar Goswami who came up with the maximum correct answers.

To view the answers, drag the mouse over.

1. Waterborne, a film directed by Kanwal Rekhi's son Ben Rekhi and starring Shabana Azmi has to its credit one of the most unconventional firsts. What?

Ans: First film to premiere on Google Video.

2. Supertex Sarex, a company specialising in dyes and chemicals for the textiles industry has been in operation since 1952. However, most parks and railway stations in Mumbai owe a lot to the philanthropic activities of its founder. Name the founder and the activity.

Ans: Mahavir Prasad Saraf. Benches in Railway stations and Parks.

3. What is actually based on on a 19th-century guitar work named "Gran Vals" by Spanish musician Francisco Tarrega?

Ans: The Nokia Tune.

4. Which recent venture by an NRI has the tag line - Your opinion matters... express it?

Ans: Sabeer Bhatia's Blogeverywhere.com.

5. In the year 2001, Dutch animator Michael Dudok de Wit, not only won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, but also has won a high-definition TV for a special "achievement". What was this achievement?

Ans: Making the Shortest Acceptance Award.

Womens' Day Questions

1. Born Manikarnika to Moropanth Tambey and Bhagirathibai, she was affectionately called Manu. In 1842, she married Raja Gangadhar Rao Niwalkar. Who?

Ans: Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi.

2. Connect: _____ Karen Green, ______ Eustace Geller,________ Buffay-Hannigan

Ans: Rachel, Monica , Phoebe from the hit series Friends.

3. Born in Hyderabad in a Bengali family, she married at the age of 19. Mother to Jayasurya, Padmaja,Randheer and Lakshmi, her famous works include "Golden Threshold", "The Bird of Time" and "The Broken Wing". Who?

Ans: Sarojini Naidu.

4. This movement begun as Jasmeen Patheja's personal reaction to street sexual harassment and has grown to record women's experiences in creative ways. The movement also created raised a storm in blogdom. Name the movement.

Ans: Blank Noise Project.

5. What was achieved in 1893 as a result of the suffragist movement in New Zealand?

Ans: The Right To Vote.

The Breaking News Question: Who is the Manager, Group Sponsorships for Standard Bank in South Africa?

Ans: Jonty Rhodes.

For the Archives:

Its good to be back. On a day when Australia has broken the 400 run barrier in ODIs, Test cricket in India continues as the clock is about to strike 6:00 PM. (The teams walk back at 5:55 PM)

Well, its Question Time once again and this time apart of the usual 5 questions, there are 5 bonus questions celebrating Womens' Day that went by last week.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 7:09 AM 1 comments

Hi All,

Took some time to come out with the answers. But the response as always was more than encouraging. Around 40 odd responses and leaving a handful, most of them all had an all correct response.

Congratulations to all who participated.

Am trying something new this time with the answers. Have used a lighter font color. To view the answers, drag your mouse over.

Answers:

1. In Maldives, it is the all purpose boat built by master carpenters using very few tools. Apart from its use in fishing , inter-island transport and the movement of cargo, they are used as diving boats, live-aboard cruise vessels, passenger ferry boats and deep-sea fishing craft complete with outriggers and fighting chairs. In India, the "name" is a phenomenon. What is the boat called?

Ans: Dhoni.

2. The Official clothing supplier to the ICC, this Pakistani company's logo can be seen on Pakistan's cricket jerseys. The company also supplies the clothing for ICC Umpires and Referees and selected corporate leisure wear for ICC staff. Name the company.

Ans: AJ Sports.

3. The CEO of Harpreet Insurance Agents Pvt. Ltd. is in the news recently for things totally unrelated to the firm. Who is this CEO?

Ans: Priya Sachdev who got married to NY Hotelier Vikram Chatwal.

4. Connect the Pink Ladies Service in the UK and the Project Priyadarshini in India.(Inspired by a NMQ elims question posted on Quinkie).

Ans: Both of them are taxi services. Project Priyadarshini is a drive from ITDC to appoint women cab drivers and Pink Ladies Service is the all women cab service in UK.

5. What is the contribution of Scott Fahlman of Carnegie Mellon University to everyday usage in the world of "communication"?

Ans: Smileys / Emoticons.

Mail your answers to: aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

For the Archives:

Back with Round 2 of this new Series. The Quizzing season in India is truly underway and lots of action happening in the college and corporate circuits.

In my immediate world, H5N1 has rocked Maharashtra and it means people like me become forced vegetarians (its not that I am a die hard Non - Vegan).

Pakistan was rocked by a resurgent Indian team. Jyllands-Posten and their cartoons still rock the rest of the world. In the coming weeks, India play host to the Poms and then to Mr. Bush.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 8:15 AM 1 comments

Hi All,

It was after a long gap that I came back and I wondered whether it was "Out of Sight, Out of Mind".

I was mistaken. The response was overwhelming - almost 40 of them in a week's time. Close to 100 hits and normalcy for the time being has been restored.

Jaldi Quiz veterans Suman Mukherjee and Anukriti Pandey, Nitir Sorah, Rohit Nair, Krishna Kumar and Rohan Nair complete the top 6.

Here are the answers:

1. Two firms - Marksman Marketing Services Private Ltd and Vectracom were in the news recently. Why?

Ans: The PCB had granted the exclusive rights to disseminate information relating to scores via SMS on wireless and mobile telephones on a global basis to VectraCom Private Limited. Marksman Marketing Services Private Ltd had obtained exclusive territorial rights for India from the VectraCom.

2. Kyon Ki, Home Delivery, Neal N Nikki, Kisna and James are vying for top honours at this awards. Name this newly launched awards and the publication behind the awards.

Ans: The Outlook Follywood Film Awards (Outlook Magazine).

3. Its been included as an Olympic sport 12 times since 1964.The FIL based in Germany is its governing body. Georg Hackl of Germany has the rare distinction of having a podium finish in 5 consecutive Olympics. Who represents India in this Olympic discipline?

Ans: Shiva Keshavan. The discipline is Luge.

4. Easy One. Connect Ratan Tata - DIN 0001.

Ans: DIN is the Director Identification Number. Ratan Tata is the first executive in corporate india to get a director identification number. This is under a surveillance system introduced by the government to keep an eye on the activites of the directors of companies.

5. The Kadima (meaning Forward) Party formed in the year 2005 is the ruling party of which country? (Its founder has been in the news recently).

Ans: Israel (Founded by Ariel Sharon).

6. CALTECH, FOX, RAFFEYSOD and GO NAVY are some of the many alterations that were made to this famous landmark. Which one?

Ans: The HOLLYWOOD sign.

7. The Essar Group and the Bajaj Group are the Indian partners of these companies. Both these companies have been hogging attention in the Sports pages of the Indian subcontinent. Name the companies.

Ans: Hutchison and Allianz. (Sponsors of the ODI and Test series between India and Pakistan).

8. Which film production company's logo takes its inspiration from the Mahabharata and features Arjun at the Draupadi swayamvar taking aim at the fish?

Ans: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra Productions (Rang De Basanti).

9. The Elder Pharma Group (license holders in India of the famous Tiger Balm) is the main sponsors of the Filmfare Awards this year. Which TV personality is the Director of the company?

Ans: Anuj Saxena (Abhay of KKusum and now Jatin of Kumkum).

10. Derek type Question - In which Indian daily would you find Blue, Red, Yellow and Black dots in each of the pages that appear in color.

Ans: Well, its Cyan, Magenta,Yellow and Black (thanks to Rohan Nair). The daily or dailies are those brought out by the Times of India Group. The colors are also visible on the ENIL (Entertainment Network India Ltd. that runs Radio Mirchi).

11. Overdrive is a monthly auto magazine brought out by the Infomedia India Limited. A few months ago it tied up with a more than 140 year old publication in the UK to launch which magazine in India?

Ans: Cricinfo.

12.The President of this Latin American country recently cut his salary by more than half leading to a review of the salaries of all public sector employees in the country as no official can earn more than the President. Which country?

Ans: Bolivia (President: Evo Morales).

For the Archives:

At the outset, I am reminded of the main protagonist of Washington Irving's short story - Rip Van Winkle. This hibernation of mine would have put even him into shame.

Well, part of it was due to my relocation from the United States to Mumbai, India. But mainly, it was laziness (to put it shamelessly).

Thank you to all those who made the Jaldi Quiz Series - 2005 a great success. The 15000+ hits this blog received was all a result of the efforts each one of you took to hit those strokes and clicks to reach out here.

Times have changed. Its debatable whether we have entered the "Endulkar" era. But "Tensex" and "IndiaOne" surely signify the times we are in. Well, without further ado, here's presenting Round 1 of the Jaldi Quiz 2006.

Mail your answers to: aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 10:04 AM 1 comments

Hi All,

A few days back, I was woken up from my slumber by a couple of mails.

My good friend from Hong Kong, Anshuman Das who is singularly responsible for this blog seeing the light of the day, enquired as to when the 25th edition was coming up.

The other, from Murali Duggineni, the man behind the popular Business Quiz group - Quinkie. His mail was an eye opener to the plagiarism that has hit Quizzing in India.

Coming from a seasoned quizzer like Jaspreet Bindra, this one merited a post on this blog.

As I get back to some activity on the blog, let me begin by reproducing one of his mails that he had sent me.

And to Anshuman and everyone else who have been by this blog's side, the Silver Jubilee post is just a few days away.

Regards,

Aniruddha Dutta

The Strategist Quiz link is here.

The Mail:

Hello Aniruddha,

In my earlier mail, I wrote to you about the plagiarism in Business Standard quizzes. When I brought this to the notice of the Editor, she wrote back informing me that she would take action. I have no clue about what action she has taken. I think now it's our turn to see that parasites like Bindra do not flourish at the expense of good quizzers. In the latest quiz in Business Standard (dated 30 Aug 2005), you can see some of your questions. You can see some of your questions.

Let's come forward to make Business Stanadard and Bindra pay a heavy price for what they have been doing for years.

THE STRATEGIST QUIZ

Jaspreet Bindra / New Delhi August 30, 2005

1. Jack Welch is one of several prominent people who have appeared on this three-minute snippet where celebrity-achievers share their concept of management with viewers. The programme, which appears on a business channel, is called Moments of inspiration. Which brand sponsors this programme?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1650 (refer to question 7; Original contributor: Mr Sudip Roy)

2. This company had to change its earlier name due to infringement of rights on the name and adopted its new name by mixing an old French word with a Greek one meaning "beam of lights from the Gods". What is its present name?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1650 (refer to question 9; original contributor: Mr Sudip Roy)

3. His passions are Guinness beer and pistol shooting, but "not mixing them together". And his middle name is Benedict. Who is this software genius?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1650 (refer to question 7; Original contributor: Mr Sudip Roy)

4. Traces of benzene found in this product in 1990 in the US forced the brand to withdraw millions of bottles from the market in the US and Europe. Which brand?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1650 (refer to question 2; original contributor: Mr Sudip Roy)

5. PB Air has been granted permission by the Indian government to begin bi-weekly international charter flights in December 2005, between Bangkok and which Indian city?

Source: http://adquiz.blogspot.com/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1677

(refer to question 1 in Answers to Round 12; original contributor: Aniruddha Dutta)

6. What is the connection between Montpelier, Vermont, and McDonald's?

Source: http://adquiz.blogspot.com/ and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1677 (refer to question 4 in answers to Round 12; Original Contributor: Aniruddha Dutta)

7. What is the common link between the lion, palm tree and Hilton Young?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1684 (Original contributor: Mr Sudip Roy)

8. Who said, "In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield"?

Source:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1701 (refer to question 1; original Contributor: Prakash Subbarao of Bangalore Quiz Group)

9. What is a bond issued by an insurance company, linking principal and interest to the company's losses due to natural disasters, called?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1701 (refer to question 9; original contributor: Prakash Subbarao of Bangalore Quiz Group)

10. On January 17, 2002, Yusuf Ratlamwala received two cheques from Bank of Baroda. What was special about them?

Source: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/quinkie/message/1702 (refer to question question 3; original contributor: Sudip Roy)

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 9:20 PM 46 comments

Hi All,

Playing the second fiddle, it has definitely been quite a long time since I contributed to this Quiz Blog. Anyways was quite busy conducting a few School level Quizzes - one at Shishya School and the other at Hindu Senior, Indira Nagar both in Chennai.

And frankly was quite amazed with the reservoir of knowledge and Trivia the youngsters of the day possess.

Most of the Questions have been compiled from the Quizzing Groups like Quinkie and IBQ. Acknowledgement is due to Sudip Kumar Roy whose BizConnect series has been my biggest source.

Shishya School Quiz : http://quantum.blogdrive.com/archive/1.html
Hindu School Quiz : http://quantum.blogdrive.com/archive/2.html
WIPRO corporate Quiz (PRELIMS) : http://quantum.blogdrive.com/archive/3.html
WIPRO corporate Quiz (Finals) : http://quantum.blogdrive.com/archive/4.html

Deepak Bhaskaran (Alpha)

# posted by Deepak @ 9:10 AM 4 comments

Hi All,

Answer Time it is.

Amresh Kumar yet again comes up with a superlative performance.

When everyone else failed to connect Anil Ambani with the "queen", it was Amresh who mailed in the Correct connection.

Rakesh Taklikar and Sampreeth Kumar came in a close second.

As always, keep your suggestions, comments and responses flowing at aniruddhadutta@gmail.com.

Questions:

1. The author's preferred title for this book was "Four-and-a-Half Years Of Struggle Against Lies, Stupidity And Cowardice" but the publisher thought otherwise. In its first year in 1925, this book sold only 9000 copies. However in another 8 years time, the book sold an estimated 1.5 million copies. Name the book and its author.

Ans: Mein Kamph by Adolf Hitler.

2. Easy one, why is the company, Global Fuel Management Services in the news recently ?

Ans: It is one of the companies which have been formed as a part of the Reliance de-merger. Is a part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Enterprises (ADA) Group.

3. Where would you come across this verse -

When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn;

Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return;

The welkin will ring loud,

The great crowd will feel proud, Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn;

And the rest coming home with the urn.

Ans: The Ashes Urn.

4. The beginnings of this company can be traced back to 1895. The company was then called J.W. Foster and Sons . It rose to fame after the 1924 Olympics and the film Chariots of Fire. The company was in the headlines last week. Name it.

Ans: Reebok.

5. Which television show gets its name from a 1956 Cole Porter song which featured in the soundtrack of the Hollywood movie High Society ?

Ans: Who Wants To Be A Millionaire.

Visual Questions:

6.1 What connects both of them ?

Ans: The lady in the question is Ada Lovelace, the first lady of computing. The Connection is ADA - Anil Ambani's holding compnay - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani (ADA) Enterprises.

6.2 Identify the connection.

Ans: Adidas buying out Reebok - Reebok gets its name from the African antelope - Rhebok. The logo to the left is Adidas'.

6.3 Identify this Cricket Coach.

Ans: Bennet King, the West Indies coach.

For the Archives:

Till now, a Silver Jubilee was what I associated with Wedding anniversaries or films from the Big B , Shah Rukh Khan or the Chopras. Seeing a self creation turning 25 would be in itself a wonderful feeling, I guess.

Anyway, the world over, rains seem to have subsided and as life picks up and moves on, I guess Mumbai now has enough newspapers for its people to follow.

After the Hindustan Times, it is the Daily News and Analysis (DNA) which has hit the news stands.

Elsewhere, in the telly world, Kaun Banega Crorepati, the show which resurrected Amitabh's career is back for its second innings. This is the show that took quizzing to the pan-wallah and though a seasoned quizzer may have different opinions, no one can get away from the lure of the big bucks.

I still remember waking up in the middle of the night and trying the numbers only to find my fingers going numb after some time.

On the cricket field, the Prince is now a commoner. Whether or not he gets the crown back is another matter. But if Team India needs to have a better season, all its top guns should start firing pretty soon or else the Indian Oil Cup would continue to remain south of the Palk Strait.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 11:26 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

Its answer time and this time once again, answers poured in from all corners.

Three people came out on tops beating most of the others buy a solitary point. It was Question 4 which proved to be the decider.

Aravind Ghosh Suri, Vaibhav Jain and Anshuman Das had the answer and therefore win the quiz with an all correct response.

Congratulations to them and hope the Jaldi quizzing tribe continues to grow.

As always, keep your suggestions, comments and responses flowing at aniruddhadutta@gmail.com.

Questions:

1. The author of the following books - "Every Second Counts" and "It's not About the Bike : My Journey Back to Life" was in the news recently. Name him.

Ans: Lance Armstrong.

2. Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam are well-known philanthropists who founded the Omidyar Network. They promote what has come to be called "venture philanthropy", in which foundations are expected to achieve quick results and financial independence. However, Pierre is famous for other reasons too. What is his claim to fame ?

Ans: He founded the auction site E-Bay.

3. In 1935, the then Governor of the US State of Kentucky,Ruby Laffoon made this gentleman born in Henryville, Indiana an honorary Colonel. The Colonel's exploits included not only at the battlefront but elsewhere too. Name him.

Ans: Colonel Harland Sanders of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken).

4. Wipro, Infosys, Hero Honda, Bajaj Auto, Ranbaxy, German Remedies and Cadilla Health are among the 40 odd companies whose debt does not exceed 33 per cent of the company's market capitalisation and their receivables stay below 45 per cent of the company's total assets. How does this make them unique in the financial markets in terms of investments ?

Ans: They are companies who comply with the Islamic Investment Laws and have broken into the club of the Islamic Equity Fund. They have been considered Shariah compliant by the Islamic fund management company, Parsoli Corporation Ltd.

5. It has happened regularly since 1919 at the NM Rothschild offices at St.Swithin's Lane, London twice each weekday at 10:30am and at 3pm. What are we talking about?

Ans: The world gold and silver prices are determined at these times everyday.

For the Archives:

In less than 8 months, two places , which have played an important role in my little under than three decades of existence, have bore the brunt of nature's wrath. In both cases, among the people who bore the brunt were people I knew, grew up with, went to school or work.

After the killer Tsunami that rocked the Andamans, the place I spent 17 years of my early life, last week saw metropolis Mumbai, the place where I started earning my bread and butter ,coming under torrential downpour.

944 mm would soon find its way to the Record books but what wont be seen or taken into account is the courage and resilience that the people displayed.

In blogdom, be sure to check out CloudBurstMumbai which is as comprehensive a source for the situation back home in Mumbai. Also worth visiting is MumbaiHelp.

Elsewhere, Team India under Chappell and Dravid started season 2005-06 in Sri Lanka. The team may have a new coach and captain but the symptoms it developed last season do not seem to have healed.

On the personal front, with my team in Mumbai, still coping with the Monsoons, it was left to us here to double for them as well. 15-16 hours of workload throughout the week has left me with very little time to do anything else but take the much needed sleep over the weekend.

So its a dry quiz of 5 questions this time. Audio and Visuals would hopefully be back next week.

And before I wind up, the blog recorded its 10,000th visitor last week. Was reminded of Gavaskar taking his 10,000th run in Ahmedabad off Ejaz Fakih. A big Thank you to all who made it possible.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 11:06 PM 3 comments

Hi All,

Time to come out with the answers. And this time, we have a four way tie for the top spot.

As we move on, we have new enthusiasts joining in. Hope to have all of you in the regulars list in the days to come.

Aditya Pethe, Amresh Kumar , Sampreeth Kumar and Shovon Chakraborty share the top honours for the round with an identical score of 8.

As always keep your responses and suggestions flowing at aniruddhadutta@gmail.com.

Questions:

1. Officially titled the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002, it was signed into law on July 30, 2002 . It was designed to review the dated legislative audit requirements, and is considered the most significant change to federal securities laws in the United States since the New Deal in the 1930s. How do we popularly know it as ?

Ans: Sarbanes Oxley Act.

2. Cushrow Russy was his first name. How did we better know him as ?

Ans: CR Irani of The Statesman who passed away recently.

3. What is the claim to fame of the company InfoEdge India Pvt. Limited ?

Ans: It runs the portal naukri.com.

4. It was first published in New York in the late 1970s by the specialist puzzle publisher Dell Magazines in its magazine Math Puzzles and Logic Problems, under the title Number Place.The puzzle was introduced in Japan by Nikoli in the paper Monthly Nikolist. Currently, the New York Post and USA Today also publish the puzzle. How do we better know this puzzle ?

Ans: Sudoku.

5. Also referred to as the "hathiwala cream", it is the flagship brand of GD Pharmaceuticals Ltd. On 15th August 1947, it was distributed free to anyone who asked for it during the day from two of its outlets. Name the product.

Ans: Boroline.

6. Visual Questions:

6.1 This was the company's logo prior to its merger in 1998. Identify the company.

Ans: Price WaterHouse prior to its merger withLybrands and Coopers.

6.2 This person's invention is credited for bringing in the era of skyscrapers. Identify him.

Ans: Elisha Graves Otis.

6.3 With which brand would you associate this company.

Ans: They manufacture the Aamar PC / Apna PC / Aamchi PC / Namma PC brand of computers.

7. Audio Questions:

7.1 Identify the singer (Clue: she is however famous for other reasons.)

Ans: Satyajit Ray (from the documentary : Tagore).

For the Archives:

Another round of blasts and this time Egypt bore the brunt. With terror creeping in, closer home, the New York Penn Station was evacuated earlier in the day on account of a bomb scare.
But we all live to tell our tales. However, for 27 year old Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian born electrician, that was not to be. Five shots in the back of the head and he was a man wrongly gunned down. All that his near and dear ones got were words of regret.

On the technical front, Windows' Longhorn will now be known as "Vista". For trivia sake, XP was earlier codenamed "Whistler".

In other happenings, blogdom till a few weeks back was up in arms against Parnab Mukherjee. And guess who rose in defence !! Someone who has borrowed all but the first letter of his name. The Great Bong, who has got me addicted to his blog for sure, defends all accusations in a way, only he can. Read it here. If you always believed that Laughter was the Best Medicine, this is where you should head to.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 9:04 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

Its time to give out the answers yet again. Lots of new faces this time. Not to take away any credit from the enthusiasm of the regulars which has shown no signs of dying down.

We have a new winner. Amresh Kumar recorded a perfect 10 closely followed by Kiran Kumar Bakka.

Regulars Anukriti Pandey and Sanjeev Mittal were not far behind.

As always keep your responses and suggestions flowing at aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

Answers follow the question yet again. Let me know if you guys require a change in the format in which the answers are given out.

Now the Answers:

1. This annual event was started as a publicity event for the newspaper L'Auto (presently known as the L'Equipe) by its editor and co-founder, Henri Desgrange alongwith jouranlist Géo Lefèvre to rival another event sponsored by a rival journal. The event proved a great success for the newspaper and circulation leapt from 25,000 before to 65,000 after it. The event continues even today and is organised by the Amaury Organisation (ASO), which is a part of the media group that owns l'Équipe. Which event is being talked about ?

Ans: Tour De' France.

2. As a part of a US $100 million agreement, German company Lufthansa Technik is installing a product called Rockwell Collins’ Tailwind 560 on board Qatar Airways' fleet of 15 A330s. What would this result in for the passengers flying Qatar Airways ?

Ans: Lufthansa Technik will install Rockwell Collins’ Tailwind 560 product for onboard live satellite television on the airline’s fleet of 15 A330s. Passengers will be able to watch live TV from selected networks, further enhancing their inflight entertainment options.

3. Why were Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company Ltd. of England in the news recently in India ?

Ans: They were the ones involved in the construction of the Howrah Bridge. The Bridge was in the news recently when it suffered damages recently after being hit by a barge.

4. The current top of the line models for this sports gear is the Firebolt. Other models include Nimbus 2001, Cleansweep 7s and Nimbus 2000. Which sport are we talking about ?

Ans: They are brands of Brooms. The Game: Quidditch.

5. It was originally a call used in British Army camps to signal the end of the day. Its name derives from the practice of inspecting all the sentry posts around such a camp at the end of the day, and playing a bugle call at each of them. This custom dates from at least the 17th century, and originated with British troops stationed in the Netherlands where it drew on an older Dutch custom, called 'Taptoe'. How do we better know this custom today ?

Ans: The Last Post.

6. Visual Questions:

6.1 This European Bank was set up as a federation of local credit unions primarily for farmers. It also is involved in sponsoring major sports events and even sponsors a professional road cycling team. It also has a presence in India. Identify the bank from its logo.

Ans: Rabobank.

6.2 Identify this logo of a publishing company which is in the news.

Ans: Bloomsbury , publishers of Harry Potter in the UK.

6.3 This South African is in the news more in India than in his native country. Identify him.

Ans: Albie Sachs who will hear Sourav Ganguly's appeal against the ban.

7. Audio Questions:

7.1 This Kannada song set to music by Ilayaraja is said to be the inspiration for a very well known Ad jingle. Identify the Advertisement.

Ans: Fauja Singh. The grand old man of Marathons.

Audio Courtesy: www.historytalking.com , www.itwofs.com

For the Archives:

The week gone by has been quite an eventful one. While it opened up new challenges at the work front (leading to extra long hours on some days) to something quite refreshing and encouraging on the blog front as well.

The blog reported 100 plus hits on three consecutive days during the week. The number of people linking up to the blog grew and offers to post quizzes elsewhere also came by.

Technorati reports of this blog finding a mention in the Mumbai edition of The Times Of India (Mousetrap section) on the 17th of July,2005. Yours truly searched up the e-Paper but could not locate it. Here is the link that Technorati has fetched for me. If someone among you could officially verify it, that would be good.

The list of quiz blogs and the enlightening on a certain individual also drew people to narrate their personal experiences.

Its time to move on and for the first time this week, the quiz features "Audio" questions in addition to the Visual ones.

Well this week saw HT entering the doorsteps of Mumbaikars with juicy news from Bollywood. I guess some producer must be on his way to registering the title "Maine Phone Kyun Kiya".
Potter Mania overshowed the gloom that had engulfed 7/7 and kids flocked round the world to grab the latest offering from Ms. Rowling.

Ownership of the Taj Mahal and Leadership of the BJP were other issues to hog headlines in India.

Much as we engross ourselves in Politics and Potter, read along the achievements of 9 year old Arfa Karim Randhawa from Pakistan here.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 8:36 PM 17 comments

Hi All,

Its time to come out with the answers. Once again, responses flew in from far and near.

And once again, it was the enthusiasm to which I bow. All I can write is to keep up the interest and I would try to bring in my trivial pursuits to your screens (computer screens as of now) periodically.

High fliers with a score of 7 were Chandra Sekhar Sasrula and Rakesh Taklikar.

Seasoned quizzer from Hyderabad Aravind Ghosh Suri wasn't far behind.

So here go the answers.

Answers:

1. In London, they are referred to as "one-unders". In New York, they are known as "track pizzas". Who are we talking about ?

Ans: People who commit suicide by coming under the underground trains.

2. This Arabic word means 'guaranteeing each other' or joint guarantee. LIC's new international joint venture company - Indo-Saudi Insurance Company will be the first to introduce it in India. It can also be described as cooperative insurance where policyholders contribute a certain amount of money to a common pool. Each member pays his subscription (premium) to help those that need assistance. What are we talking about ?

Ans: Takaful.

3. Easy one. 7th July, 2005 in Headingley - Umpire Rudi Koertzen makes a "T" signal. What follows ?

Ans: The first super substitution in One Day Cricket. Vikram Solanki walking in for Simon Jones.

4. C-Sam Inc. offers a suite of secure web-based services that enables users to execute transactions in the real as well virtual worlds using mobile phones and PCs. Which famous Indian is associated with this venture ?

Ans: Sam Pitroda.

5. David Bonderman, James G. Coulter and William S. Price, III founded this firm in 1993 with offices in San Francisco, Washington, New York, Fort Worth, and London. It has significant investments in many important brand-name companies including Burger King, Seagate, J.Crew, Bally, and Ducati. This company hogged the headlines last week on account of an Indian partner. Name the company and the Indian partner.

Ans: The Texas Pacific Group / Vivek Paul who recently quit Wipro.

Visual Questions:

6.1 Dont ask me the names of these ladies. But tell me the name of their Indian counterpart ?

Ans: Malaika Arora. The ladies can be found on the Yahoo Mail home pages.

6.2 An alumnus of the London International College of Business and Technology, has been in the news for his "exploits" elsewhere. Who is he ?

Ans: Junaid Miandad who is set to marry Mahrukh - Dawood Ibrahim's daughter.

6.3 From the world of sports, identify this once world beater in the news again.

Ans: British long distance legend Sebastian Coe.

For the Archives:

Well, the responses to the last weeks quiz was stupendous. Responses flew in from all corners of India and a few from closer New York as well.

Most of the responses I receive are from students mostly pursuing their Engineering or their Masters and sometimes responses come in from 15 and 16 year olds too.

When I was that old , how much did I know !!

But times surely have changed. Was going through blogdom and chanced upon this article on Today's kids.

Also, have been hunting for Blogs that feature quizzes or have posts related to quizzing on a periodic basis. Visitors and fellow Jaldi Quizzers may help me with more.

1. Notes and Stones - From and for the Quizzing fraternity in Pune.

2. IT Mavens - Dig into the archives and you would find some good IT quizzes.

3. Audit Trails of Self - Aaman Lamba's blog features some very good quizzes.

4. Quiz Chakra - from Shovon Chakraborty (again dig into Archives).

5. Bhrigu's Question - No quizzes but Interesting posts from the Quizman.

6. Gautam Ghosh's Quizzes - Not a Blog but Weekly Quizzes nevertheless.

Roaming through the corridors of Blogdom led me to these posts on Quizmaster Parnab Mukherjee. Read this and this and also go through this.

Held high regards for the man before going through the above !!

Anyway, the world over it was 7/7 which hogged the headlines. The London attacks have become another pointer to the world that we live in.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 7:00 PM 5 comments

Hi All,

When I had replied with the scores for Round 18, this person who missed maxing the quiz by a point, wrote back saying:

"Damn! Couldn't max it again this time! Ok never mind. Round 19 may be."

And now, Anukriti Pandey from Delhi can offer herself a small jig. She indeed has maxed Round 19.

Its such enthusiasm that comes around in most of the replies that I receive and it really is a humbling experience.

Congratulations are also due to Aishwarya Varma, Himanshu Gandhi and Jaldi quiz veteran Rakesh Taklikar.

Its answer time and here they are:

Answers:

1. The new World Trade Center (WTC) design was unveiled last week. "The Freedom Tower", designed by architects David Childs and Daniel Libeskind, will retain the height of the earlier towers - 1776 feet symbolising the year of America's independence. The construction should get over by 2009.

The Question however is - What is the name of the memorial that is going to be built to honour the victims of 9/11 ?

Ans: Reflecting Absence.

2. How do we better know " Lateral epicondylitis" ?

Ans: Tennis Elbow.

3. Other than Mahesh Bhupathi, there was another person of Indian origin - Jayant Mistry who won a title at the Wimbledon this year. Incidentally he is a leading player in his category. Which event did he win ?

Ans: Wheelchair Tennis.

4. Which political leader jailed during the Emergency chose to name his daughter after the Maintenance of Internal Security Act that he was booked under ?

Ans: Laloo Prasad Yadav (The daughter's name: Misa)

5. What 2943 square-yard plot formerly occupied by Air Force Stables in South Mumbai was leased to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) for 999 years at a nominal annual rent of Rs 1 ?

Ans: Metro Cinema.

Do you know -

In Sport, what is "Ban Qiu" in Chinese ?

Ans: Cricket.

6. Visual Questions:

6.1 Identify this gentleman, a pioneer in his field, who died recently.

Ans: Jack Kilby, the Nobel laureate who gave us microchips and the calculator.

6.2 Identify this logo of an organisation always in the news.



Ans: OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries).

6.3 Easy One. Two Car Brands.Identify them.



Ans: Infiniti and Acura. (Rakesh Taklikar adds - Infiniti is the luxury brand of Nissan and Acura is the luxury brand of Honda).

For the Archives:

Its Independence Day weekend here and in a few hours of writing this post, it would be fireworks time in New York.

Macys has been bringing the spectacular fireworks display for over a quarter of a century and yours truly has had the good fortune of viewing it on a couple of occassions.

In other places round the world, after Pistol Pete, its Federer who has made Wimbledon a part of his own backyard. Venus Williams, when all thought that the Russian Revolution had eclipsed the Williams Rule, laid her hands on the trophy that bears her name.

Also noteworthy is Salil Oberoi's performance. The 21-year-old Rhodes scholar who has played first-class cricket for Delhi, broke a 74-year-old record when he made 247 for Oxford University against Cambridge at Fenner's.

In the process he surpassed the Nawab of Pataudi Snr's 238 not out in 1931, the previous-highest in a Varsity match. Read about his exploits here.

On the silver screen, when War of the Worlds rages in Hollywood, its RGV with (AB) sqaured who Sarkar the territory in Bolly land.

On a sad note, Gujarat again bears the brunt - After the earthquake and the Godhra mayhem, it is the fury of the floods.

In trivial news, our most "loved" quizmaster, Derek O Brien missed out on the Rajya Sabha ticket Mamata Banerjee wanted to give him. The party has now nominated "Mohun Bagan" and "Sambad Pratidin" 's Swapan Sadhan (Tutu) Bose. O'Brien would have to be content handling Didi's mouthpiece - Jaago Bangla.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 3:47 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

Another week has come and gone by and its answer time yet again. Not very many responses this time but the regulars were in business.

Rakesh Taklikar and Aditya Das taking the honours for this quiz.

Here come the Answers.

As always, mail your answers / comments / suggestions to: aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

Answers:

1. Located on Bhausaheb Hirey Marg in Mumbai, this structure was designed by architect Claude Batley in 1936.From 1948 to 1983, it was the residence of the British High Commission. The owner of this house was offered a monthly rent of three thousand rupees in exchange. How do we better know this structure ?

Ans: Jinnah House.

2. What was established in 1806 by Faiz Talab Khan ?

Ans: The princely state of Pataudi.

3. With which annual publication well known the world over would you associate HIT Entertainment ?

Ans: The Guinness Book of World Records.

4. Who rang the opening bell at the NYSE when the fictional newspaper "The New York Star" went public ?

Ans: Sarah Jessica Parker who played Carrie Bradshaw in the HBO Series "Sex and the City". The first episode of the final season began with Bradshaw's paper "The New York Post" going public. The shot also featured the then NYSE President Richard Grasso.

5. Which company calls it highway hospitality "dhabas" in Uttar Pradesh "Al Plazas" ?

Ans: Reliance.

6. Where in India (specific location) is the TJ Brand of Confectioneries (including Potato Chips/Wafers) manufactured ?

Ans: Tihar Jail.

7. Who becomes the first Pakistan football player in over 50 years to be invited to play for an Indian Club (though East Bengal says it is yet to make an offer)?

Ans: Mohammad Issa.

8. Accidentally invented by General Electric's James Wright when he dropped boric acid into silicone oil, what was used by the crew of Apollo 8 to secure tools in zero gravity ?

Ans: Silly Putty.

9. With whom would you associate "The ____ and Videocon School of Cricket" ?

Ans: Sourav Ganguly.

10. Easy one, with its headquarters in Raj Bagh in Srinagar, this "party" takes its name from the Arabic word meaning "Freedom". It even has the word "Freedom" in brackets in its signboard. Name the "party".

Ans: All Party Hurriyat Conference.

The 11th Question:

Connect Kokilaben Ambani's recently released statement on the settlement between the Ambani brothers to the form of Lord Krishna in which he lifted the Govardhan hill and subdued Indra who was sending an incessant downpour of rain, causing immense hardship to the cowherds of Gokul.

Ans: Sreenathji.

Visual Questions:

12.1 Identify the film from the illustration.

Ans: Pather Panchali.

12.2 A famous cricketer in his own right, he had to face the wrath of the spectators in Calcutta, when as a selector, he dropped Mushtaq Ali from the "Test match" against Australia. "No Mushtaq, No Test" is what the crowds demanded. Identify the man in the picture.

Ans: Duleepsinhji.

12.3 Identify the logo of this company from the world of television.

Ans: Geo TV , the leading news channel in Pakistan,owned by the Dawn Group.

12.4 Part of the team which created the jingle - "Bole Mere Lips, I love Uncle Chips", who is this person who has been in the limelight recently.

Ans: Shantanu Moitra who scored the music for Parineeta (2005).

12.5 Born in the 15th century, followers of this religious leader are in the news recently. Identify the person and the name by which his followers are known.

Ans: Jambho Ji, the religious leader of the Bishnois - the people who were behind the Chipko movement and also regard the Black Buck as sacred.

Highlights:

And there is another one called QuizVyasa.com , where Jaldi Quizzing and Wikipedia are the only sites that find a mention. And to top it all, the contents of the page are protected by Copyright (what Copyright !!). Kindly enlighten...

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 9:13 PM 4 comments

Aloha Quizzards,

“The Best thing about computers, is that no matter how much ever information you pack into them, they don’t get more heavier“ – Bill Gates

So we start this episode of Trivia with some heavy words from the SATAN of computers, which I totally endorse .

This week’s trivia consists of Filling the Blanks.

Trivia of the Week:

No, Mr. Sullivan, we can´t stop it! There´s never been a ­­______ with that tough a head or that long a tail! It´s building itself, don´t you understand? Already it´s passed a billion bits and it´s still growing. It´s the exact inverse of a phage- whatever it takes in, it adds to itself instead of wiping... Yes, sir! I´m quite aware that a ______ of that type is theoretically impossible! But the fact stands, he´s done it, and now it´s so goddamn comprehensive that it can´t be killed. Not short of demolishing the net!

CLUE: “what man creates he himself destroys”, is the apt saying that comes to my mind, when I read these lines from John Brunner.

Answer:

“ WORMS ”; no this ain’t the latest production from Walt Disney or Pixar animation but the computer worm; remember MELISSA.

What is a computer Worm (Definition) :

A computer worm is a program that self-propagates across a network exploiting security or policy flaws in widely-used services. They are not a new phenomenon, having first gained widespread notice in 1988 [16]. We distinguish between worms and viruses in that the latter infect otherwise non-mobile files and therefore require some sort of user action to abet their propagation. As such, viruses tend to propagate more slowly. They also have more mature defenses due to the presence of a large anti-virus industry that actively seeks to identify and control their spread.

More info here : Worms

Creators of WORM : John Shoch and Jon Hupp at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center discover the computer “worm,” a short program that searches a network for idle processors. Initially designed to provide more efficient use of computers and for testing, the worm had the unintended effect of invading networked computers, creating a security threat.Shoch took the term “worm” from the book “The Shockwave Rider,” by John Brunner, in which an omnipotent “tapeworm” program runs loose through a network of computers.

Isn’t it an irony that what was created first as a potential usage for identification and utilization of idle computing power became a potent killer by residing in the computer memory and scavenging it like a parasite?
Act one : The first worm to attract wide attention, the Morris worm, was written by Robert Tappan Morris, Jr., who at the time was a graduate student at Cornell University. It was released on November 2, 1988, and quickly infected a great many computers on the Internet at the time. It propagated through a number of bugs in BSD Unix and its derivatives. Morris himself was convicted under the US Computer Crime and Abuse Act and received three years’ probation, community service and a fine in excess of $10,000.
Slimy worms and slithering Bugs… Man the life of a Software engineer can be quite Buggy… NO more comments people !!!!

Questions:

Mail your answers to : bhaskaran.deepak@wipro.com

1. Also known as “Mailissa”, “Simpsons”, “Kwyjibo”, or “Kwejeebo”, is a computer worm that also functions as a macro virus, hence making it a “multipartite virus”.

Ans: "Melissa" A Word macro virus that was unleashed in the spring of 1999. It sends an e-mail message with a list of pornographic Web sites. named by David.L.Smith after a LAP Dancer he met in Florida... Hmmm

2. In computer terminology what (or) who is 1977 Trinity ?

Ans: The 3 companies that came out with ready to run PCs in the year 1977. They were Apple, Tandy (Of RadioShack) and Commodore.

3. What is common to David Smith, Joe Popp and Christopher Pile? [Clue: Virus and Law and yes the list is not ending there …]

Ans: They are the only three virus writers who have been sentenced and served time in jail. David Smith for writing Melissa, Cristopher Pile also known as the "Black Baron" for creating a toolkit (SMEG) which could boost the impact of existing viruses by randomizing their code, and Joe Popp for mailing 20,000 copies of a Trojan Program.

4. OK.. just to go with the Trivia of the day, What is the name of the protagonist of “The ShockWave” by John Brunner ?

Ans: Niel Haflinger

5. 30 June 1945: The “First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC” was written and set the stage for computer architectural design for many years. This work included the concept of a “stored program” and this architectural style was named after him. What is the architectural style?

Ans: The inimitable "VON NUEMAN Architecture"; every Computer Professionals Bible.

6. This game was Atari’s comeback to Space Invaders and defined the genre of addictive video games. Employees had to be pulled away from the prototypes and made to work. The thrust, direction and hyperspace buttons were new concepts and it was the first game to save High Scores for all to see and went to smash all Space Invaders Records.

Ans: Asteroids.

7. Name another word which is also inspired by a similar play of words or from another Sci-fi Novel ? (Additional points for more Words )

Ans: YAHOO (Gulliver's Travels) or TROJAN ( Homer's epics) or VIRUS (H.A.R.L.I.E),etc etc

# posted by Deepak @ 9:10 AM 0 comments

Hi All,

The time has come to give out the answers for Round 16. Responses were overwhelming to say the least.

However, this time, we have a new winner in Shiva Nath from Delhi who beat the field by 0.5 points.

Congratulations are due to Amit Kumar Aditya Das, Rakesh Taklikar and Anukriti Pandey who came pretty close.

And yes, Jaldi Quizzing now has over 5000 hits with around 450 hits measured during the course of this round.

Praising myself... Maybe !!

Useless Trivia:

In addition to having the Bachchan father-son pairing for the first time on screen in the con caper "Bunty aur Babli", Bunty also happens to be Big B's estranged brother Ajitabh Bachchan's pet name at home. Amitabh on the other hand responds to "Munna".

Another interesting observation -

The Times of India's latest offering in Mumbai - Mumbai Mirror calls its Readers' feedback section - Mirror Blog.

Well, much as I deliberate my offerings here being termed as a blog, could Mumbai Mirror's feedback section qualify as a blog !!

Answers:

1. One of the most loved Umpires in World Cricket - David Shepherd is officiating in his final Test in the West Indies currently. Incidentally, his retirement comes 200 years after the Battle of Trafalgar - Lord Nelson's most famous military campaign. The question is - Name the county for which Shepherd once played County Cricket.

Ans: Gloucestershire.

2. This organization is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. Though it receives funds from the government, more than half of its income is self generated - through teaching English, conducting examinations and managing aid and development projects. Has a good presence in the Indian metros as well. Name the organization.

Ans: The British Council which completes 70 years of its existence this year.

3. If it is "Daily Desher Kotha" in Tripura, "Theekathir" in Tamil Nadu and "Prajashakti" in Andhra Pradesh, what is it in West Bengal and Kerala ?

Ans: Ganashakti - West Bengal and Deshabhimani - Kerala. They are all dailies brought out by the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

4. Where would you be if you reached 2650 Virginia Avenue, Washington DC, USA ?

Ans: The Watergate Hotel in Washington.

5. Which company, in the news a year earlier, published Rudyard Kipling's "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales" in 1888 ?

Ans: A H Wheeler.

Visual Questions:

6.1 Identify the connection between the gentleman and the lady. (Hint: The gentleman is not a movie star).

Ans: The gentleman is W. Mark Felt identified as the Deep Throat in the Watergate controversy. The lady is Linda Susan Boreman better known as Linda Lovelace, who starred in the film "Deep Throat".

6.2 Identify the connection between Greg Chappell and the lady.

Ans: The lady is Sudha Shah. The connection - Coaches of the Indian Cricket Team (Eves and Mens').

6.3 Identify the logo.

Ans: British Council (again).

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 10:16 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

Its answer time again. Though there were fewer responses this week, the mailbox was kept busy by the regulars who seem to have developed a liking to the quiz.

Thank you all for dropping by with words of encouragement.

For the second week in succession, Anukriti Pandey secures a podium finish and giving her company is another Pandey, Amit Pandey from Mumbai.

Time for the answers now.

Answers:

1. It was first founded by the California clothing company Pacific Mills to showcase its Catalina swimwear brand. Later, it became a part of Kayser-Roth and then Gulf and Western Industries. In 1996 the ownership was taken over by Donald Trump. What are we talking about ? (Hint: Current Affairs)

Ans: Miss Universe pageant.

2. Established in 1970, it is one of the leading Business groups in the Middle East. In its initial years it dealt primarily in the sale and manufacturing of gold products. Over the past 34 years, it has grown into a multinational company and has interests in Manufacturing, Refineries and the Media. The company bears the name of its founder. Name the company.

Ans: ARY (named after Abdul Razak Yakoob)

3. Which newspaper in India once advertised itself with the following tagline - "No one but us to break the records, it’s a lonesome feeling. Ask Bubka."

Ans: Malayala Manorama.

4. In the blogging world, what is a Blogsnob ?

Ans: A person who refuses to respond to comments on their blog from people outside their circle of friends.

5. Which company listed on the New York Stock Exchange has the initials of a famous composer as its ticker symbol ? Name the company and the music composer.

Ans: Steinway Musical Instruments. Their ticker on NYSE is LVB after Ludvig Van Beethoven.

Visual Questions:

6.1 This father son is one of the most popular pairs in the "Indian Entertainment Industry". Name them and their profession.

Ans: The famous numerologists - Bansilal Jumani and Sanjay Jumani.

6.2 What is the significance of this photograph to the world of Internet ?

Ans: This was the first photo to appear on the Internet.

6.3 Name the event being advertised here.

Ans: 2005 Scripps National Spelling Bee Contest (Anurag Kashyap being the winner this time. His winning word - appoggiatura which means an embellishing note, usually one step above or below the note it precedes and indicated by a small note or special sign.)

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 8:16 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

The long weekend hangover is yet to recede. And that is the reason why posting Round 15 of the Jaldi Quiz is held up as of now. Will post it soon.

In the meantime, here are the answers to the Questions for Round 14.

Congratulations are due to two regulars of the Jaldi Quiz - Yashasvi Arun and Anukriti Pandey.

They have come up with the top scores in this round.

As always, keep the responses and suggestions flowing.

Answers:

1. The logo of this production company is the only one to change after every telecast of their television show. Their "latest" logo was that of a plate with a check that had the words "No Charge" written on it. Name the production company and the famous show being talked about ?

Ans: The "Where's Lunch" logo. Their production - Everybody Loves Raymond.

2. A month back, Imphal saw its oldest library burnt down. The reason being the script used to write Manipuri. The majority Meitei community want a return to the Meitei Mayek script from the present one. Which script has been used to write Manipuri for the last 300 years ?

Ans: Bengali.

3. The United Eco Action Fund (UNECO) runs a school in war torn Liberia. Who is this school especially run for ?

Ans: Children fathered by the UN Peacekeepers.

4. The Fasli, Shahanshahi and Qadimi hold a significant place in the Zoroastrian religion. Often they have led to controversies and confusion. What are Fasli, Shahanshahi and Qadimi ?

Ans: Calendars.

5. The underarm delivery is one of the infamous incidents in International cricket. Very recently, another bowler pretended to do the same but was "red carded" by the umpire. Who is the person in question ?

Ans: Glenn McGrath against New Zealand in the first Twenty-20 International. The umpire - Billy Bowden.

The Star Wars Round:

1. The Star Wars Universe has its own dating system or calendar where events are referred in either BBY or ABY. What do BBY and ABY stand for ?

Ans: Before Battle of Yavin and After Battle of Yavin.

2. Very Very Easy One. The Star Wars fight sequences are characterised by the use of this weapon. This is the weapon of the Jedi which when deactivated appears as a polished metallic handle, about 30 centimeters long, lined with control studs. What is the name of this weapon ?

Ans: The LightSaber.

3. Which work of Joseph Campbell serves as an inspiration to both Star Wars and the Matrix ?

Ans: The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

4. Another easy one, which Star Wars creature is able to understand the galactic language "Basic" but communicates in his own language "Shyriiwook" due to a vocal defect ?

Ans: Chewbecca.

5. The name Yoda is derived from the Sanskrit word "Yoddha". But who was the original Yoda sculpted to look like ?

Ans: Albert Einstein.

The 6th Star Wars question: What is George Lucas's next project called ?

Ans: Red Tails.

Visual Round

6.1 Identify these logos.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 7:41 AM 1 comments

Hi All,

Responses to this quiz really packed my inbox throughout the week. It feels nice to interact with quizzers with varied tastes and interests from all over.

This week saw not one but two people who came out with the maximum correct entries.

Congratulations are due to Amit Pandeya, the seasoned Biz Quizzer from Mumbai and to Bharat Choragudi.

Infact, Amit was the only one who came quite close to answering the fourth visual.

Without further ado, here are the Answers:

Answers:

1. The French have a strong aversion to English terms. They seem to be coining words in French and are putting them to official use. The Académie Française came up with words related to the Cyber world like ARROSAGE, BOGUE and COURRIEL. How do we better know these terms ?

Ans: Arrosage - Spam, Bogue - Bug , Courriel - Email.

Ans: AT & T and Minolta (known as Konica Minolta after its merger with Konica.)

6.2 This is the logo of a Foundation located in Tampa, Florida dedicated to assisting charitable and educational causes in the West Central Florida region. The Pirates Flag is synoymous with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However the person behind the Foundation and the Buccaneers is creating a storm and is the reason for protest elsewhere. Whom are we talking about ?

Ans: Malcolm Glazer who now has control of Manchester United.

6.3 Easy one. Kanan Dairy Products located in Illinois,USA is the sole importer of what to the USA ?

Ans: Amul Products.

6.4 He was a person in the news recently. He belongs to the film fraternity but is not an actor or a director . Identify him and his claim to fame.

Ans: The only unanswered question. He is Manoj Desai, the owner of the Maratha Mandir theatre where DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge) completed 500 weeks. He also is the executive director of the G-7 theaters in Bandra,Mumbai. Infact, he produced the Amitabh Bachchan - Sridevi starrer Khuda Gawah and is the Chairman of the Amitabh Bachchan Fan Club.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 9:53 PM 0 comments

Hi All,

The 12th Round saw answers pouring in from various corners of the globe. But it was Shovon Chakraborty who came out with the maximum correct answers.

Congratulations Shovon !!

Answers:

1. An international Airline company called PB Air has been granted permission by the Indian Govt. to begin bi-weekly International Charter Flights between Bangkok and an Indian destination from December 2005. Name the Indian City.

Ans: Port Blair (Andaman and Nicobar Islands).

2. Which greats of the Music World were known as Tom and Jerry in their early days ?

Ans: Simon and Gaurfunkel.

3. A High School in Pakistan is to be named after an Indian Prime Minister. Name the Prime Minister in question and also the place where this school is located?

Ans: Manmohan Singh. The village is Gah in Punjab, Pakistan.

4. Connect Montpelier, the capital of the US state of Vermont with the fast food chain - McDonalds ?

Ans: Only US State Capital without a McDonalds outlet.

5. A sitter. Someone who featured in a commemorative postage stamp in 1988 has recently been named the Brand Ambassador of an airline company. Name the figure and the Airline company.

Ans: RK Laxman's Common Man for Air Deccan.

6. Visual Questions:

6.1 This ship built in Mumbai was used extensively during the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka. It has been in service for over 30 years now and shares its name with a very famous Indian ruler. Name the ship.

(I was always fascinated with the shape of its chimney which is quite unlike the other ships).

Ans: M V Harshavardhana.

6.2 Identify this person from the Indian film fraternity who has been in the news recently. (Hint: He is not Shahid Kapoor.)

Ans: Soham Shah (Director of Kaal).

6.3 Both these persons have been the President of a Middle East Asian country. They were succeeded and preceeded respectively by someone who needs no introduction the world over. Whom are we talking about ?

Ans: Saddam Hussein. The men above are Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and Jalal Talabani respectively.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 7:05 PM 2 comments

Well, for most of us who have been bitten by the Quizzing bug, its always a question of Us versus They (They - who ?? those who consider Quizzing to be a sheer waste of almost everything)

Chanced upon this interesting article on a Blog maintained by Tadatmya Vaishnav where he brings out all that the non Quizzing world has to say.

But Tadatmya, the quizophile that he is, rebuts in a blow by blow account and stands in defence of quizzing.

Do read this two part article:

Part I

Part II

Update: Almost 500 hits in a matter of 3 days since the last post. Quizophrenics have dropped in from far and wide. From quizzers in Pakistan to the Trinidad and Tobago, a warm welcome to all.

Aniruddha Dutta

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 11:44 PM 0 comments

Answers:

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 10:10 AM 3 comments

Hi All,

Thank you all for responding to the Jaldi Quiz Round 10. Though the number of people actually responding to the quiz is just beginning to pick up, the number of people giving a dekko has been phenomenal.

Congratulations to Mr. V. Raja from Mumbai who sent in an all correct response.

A few of you suggested that the answers be posted after the questions. So scroll down and see how many of them you got.

Questions:

1. The membership of this club is fixed at 7000. Any death or non-renewal of membership for two years vacant a place for a new member. There are two kinds of memberships that are currently being offered to the people - Ordinary / Tennis membership and Life Membership. The Annual Membership fees are Rs.3000 (Registration Fee) and Rs.261 (Annual Fee). For a Life Membership, you need to pay Rs. 12250 (Registration Fee) and Rs. 3 (Annual Subscription Fee). Which club are we talking about ? (Hint: This club is currently in the doldrums.)

2. What are Bubble Range, Gold Crown, Ridgeback Series and Kahuna Range types of ? (In the news)

3. Why is the dialect Ku from the African republic of Matobo in the news recently ? (Both the dialect and country are however imaginary)

4. Traf-O-Data , a company formed in 1972 developed a computer system for recording automobile traffic flow on a highway. It kept track of traffic from black hoses laid across the road. Who were the founders of this now defunct company ?

5. Who am I ? This one time talk of the town in India wanted to make it to the Civil Services. Eventually he did not. In his hey day he even modelled for a TV commercial. However at present, he is doing a one year MBA, specialising in marketing and public relations at Edinburgh University.

6. Here comes the Visual Round:

6.1 Identify this legendary footballer of yesteryears who even has a street named after him in Calcutta.

6.2 This is the logo of a company which is making the headlines in the Sporting world. Identify the company.

6.3 Pope John Paul II was the first pope of the Internet age. Here he is seen sending his first email in a much televised event. What was this "email" all about ?

Answers:

1. Mohun Bagan (Really sad to see the state of affairs of the club I still love. A relegation would surely hurt all who still care)

2. They are types of cricket bats made by the Kookaburra company.

3. Matobo is the imaginary African country and Ku is the imaginary dialect from the film "The Interpreter - the first film that was allowed to be shot inside the UN )

4. Bill Gates,Paul Allen and Paul Gilbert.

5. Harshavardhan Navathe - India's first Crorepati from Kaun Banega Crorepati. (Well KBC also had a Couples round and a Junior KBC

Vijay and Arundhati Raul were the Crorepatis from the Couples Round whereas Ravi Mohan Saini was the Junior KBC winner)

6.1 The legendary footballer from Mohun Bagan - Gostho Pal

6.2 Kookaburra

6.3 The Pope apologised for the injustice committed by Roman Catholic Clergy in the Pacific Island Nations.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 12:45 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 5:07 PM 1 comments

Hi All,

Here are the answers to the Round 8 of questions. The 6th question still remains answered. Anyone having any clue of the answer can reach me at the following id.

Mail your answers to: aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

Answers:

1. What connects the following CEOs - Tim Taft of Pizza Inn, Eric Schmidt of Google and Steve Jobs of Apple ?

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 7:20 PM 0 comments

Answers:

1. Connect Adrian Florisz Dedel with Pope John Paul II.

Ans: They are the last two non Italian Popes. Adrian VI was from Netherlands of German ancestry. John Paul II born Karol Wojtyla was from Poland.

Addendum: Jay Srinivas from the QFI group adds on non Italian Popes: Adrian IV or Hadrian IV, born Nicholas Breakspear is the only Englishman who has occupied the papal chair (1154 to 1159).

2. What connects Castel Gandolfo in Italy to the Pope.

Ans: It is the summer residence of the Pope.

3. What was first mentioned in a letter of Pope Clement IV to his nephew in 1265 ?

Ans: The Fisherman's Ring. The Ring features features St. Peter fishing from a boat.

4. Applicants to this job must be Roman Catholic males of Swiss nationality who have completed basic training with the Swiss military and can obtain certificates of good conduct. Recruits must be between 19 and 30 and at least (5ft 9in) tall. Which job ?

Ans: The Swiss Guards.

5. What was first created in Ireland for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979 ?

Ans: The Popemobile.

The 6 th question: Which organisation has the motto "Nation Shall Speak Peace Unto Nation "

Ans: BBC.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 11:06 PM 0 comments

Answers

1. The Italian for this word is "slave", However off late this word has been hogging headlines all over the US for other reasons. What is the word ?

Answer: Schiavo (in the headlines due to the Terri Schiavo case)

2. What is a Perkins Brailler ?

Answer: The Perkins Brailler is a simple, inexpensive typewriter used to write Braille.

3. If the Red Ribbon is used as a symol for AIDS awareness, what does a Yellow ribbon symbolize ?

Answer: A yellow ribbon is a symbol associated with those waiting for the return of a loved one or of military troops who are temporarily unable to come home.

4. Seeking truth from facts is the motto of which political party?

Answer: Chinese Communist Party

5. Who are said to be belonging to the Sandwich generation ?

Answer: People who have to support both their children as well as their parents.

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 12:30 AM 3 comments

Mail answers to: aniruddhadutta@gmail.com

Answer: Kareena Sood from Kareena Kareena (Zee TV)

Answer: The Shivpuris. Ritu Shivpuri starred in Aankhen while her mother Sudha Shivpuri plays Ba in KSBKBT. Ritu's father Om Shivpuri was a popular character actor in Hindi films.

Answer: Sachin, the maker of the hit series Tu Tu Main Main had registered the title - Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. When approached by Jeetendra for the title, he was happy enough to give it. Hence the thanks.

Answer: Radio Curry (Kareena Kareena)

Answer: Smriti Malhotra Irani and Gauri Pradhan Tejwani (in KSBKBT - Tulsi and Nandini)

6. Why does Fernando Gaitam Salom's name appear on Indian Television ?

Answer: The original screenplay of the hit series Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin is written by this guy.

7. What connects Amar Upadhyay, Inder Kumar and Ronit Roy ?

Answer: All of them played Mihir Virani on KSBKBT

8. Which TV Star also runs a Security Agency, Ace Security and Protection ?

Answer: Ronit Roy

9. The production house Optimystix Entertainment which produced the Indian Idol also produces a daily soap. Which one ?

Answer: Yeh Meri Life Hai (Sony)

10. Which television star is set to make his big screen debut in the film "Lips"?

Answer: Anuj Saxena (plays Abhay Kapoor in Kkusum on Sony)

11. Which serial had its lead going to St. Martins College ?

Answer: Yeh Meri Life Hai (Sony)

12. Which popular Indian TV villain appeared in the World’s first full length feature film sold online using peer-to-peer technology ?

Answer: Akashdeep Sehgal (Ansh Gujral - Virani from KSBKBT)

13. Identify the connection - Sunidhi Chauhan - Kareena Kareena,Shreya Ghoshal - Yeh Meri Life Hai, Shaan - Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin.

Answer: The playback for the title track of these serials

14. What is the claim to fame of Colonel Raj Kapoor in the Indian television industry ?

Answer: He produced ad directed Fauji - Shah Rukh Khan's debut serial

15. Which TV stars once represented the Baroda and Sabarkantha constituencies in the Lok Sabha ?

Answer: Deepika Chikhalia (Sita from Ramayan) and Arvind Trivedi (Ravan from Ramayan)

16. Sudhir Dalvi played the patriarch "Govardhan ....." (surname would be a giveaway) in which popular Balaji soap ?

Answer: Virani (Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bau Thi - Star Plus)

17. Which Eagle Video Film production is the most award winning show on television.

Answer: Office Office (SAB TV)

18. What connects the following BSE scrip codes wrt. Indian Television - 532299,532515 and 532529 ?

Answer: 532299 (TV Eighteen - CNBC), 532515 ( TV Today ), 532529 (NDTV)


19. What is the contribution of Mr.Anil Wanvari to the Indian television industry ?

Answer: He is the CEO of indiantelevision.com which gives away the annual Indian Telly Awards.

20. Connect the families with their serials - Viranis -, Agarwals -,Basus -,Wadhwas -,Suris -,Kapoors -.

Answer: Viranis - Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi (Star Plus)

Agarwals - Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki (Star Plus)

Basus - Kasauti Zindagi Kay (Star Plus)

Wadhwas - Kumkum Pyaara Sa Bandhan (Star Plus)

Suris - Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin (Sony)

Kapoors - Kkusum (Sony)

# posted by Aniruddha Dutta @ 11:34 PM 1 comments