Tuesday, August 30, 2005

 

Plagiarism Or Inspiration

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)


Comments:
Congrats AD2!
Well, I believe in knowledge being shared. There is no harm in borrowing questions from another place. But I do feel that they should acknowledge the work done by the people whose work they have borrowed from. Well, you can copyright this quiz and then sue them if you like. But again in case of some questions you can never trace the original source...So carry on the good work. I feel proud that this quiz has shaped up so well. I still remember the super cold winter in Seoul when I was all bundled up in front of my laptop trying to reformat before I posted them. I am off to Seoul again coming weekend. Full circle?!! Well done! And keep the level up!
 
dude, this is so true, blantant copying, or inspiration has cost me many a quiz and more pride in the del ciruit, where all quizzing is abt copying from MMI and kcircle or quiznet. And this doesnt stop at the DU colleges, goes rite into IIT D, surprised, not really.

PS: Thats why people attend parnab's quizzes, i guess, i mean, u cant verify and copy. But my o my, of late some of his q's even found their way into the mailing lists of quiznet.

what can i say
 
great post dude...keep it up...
 
Hi Aniruddha,

Whassup ?? No quizzes from a long time. It's like having almost withdrawl effects !!!

Do keep posting
 
This is shameful. Plain shameful. Very much against the unwritten rules of Quizzing. Goes to show how copycats simply overshadow the real quizzers and nobody can do anything. Nice of AD to atleast mention it in such a highly visited blog- now the world can see the truth.
 
Hi,
This is an interesting blog... I will be here more often... how does it work? You firs post the questions and then after a few days post the answers in the same post??
 
please put up the answers to the quiz!!we r waiting...

BTW ur blog totally rocks.. keep the good work...
 
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