General Quiz Questions

Kutaka by Aryabhatta and Ashtadhyaya by Panini have caused a major surge of interest . An Arab mathematician Mohd al Khwarizmi based his second important work in mathematics on these two works . al Khwarizmi is credited with the creation of algebra , which formed the basis of his first work kitab al jabr muqabla ( al jabr gives algebra ) . In his second work , based on the theories of the Indian mathematicians , he put forward certain other mathematical principles . How has this been immortalized in science?

Ans: Algorithms

He held , too in his enlightened way , that Americans have a perfect right to exist . But he did often find himself wishing Mr. Rhodes had not enabled them to exercise that right in Oxford . - In which famous novel about Oxford do these lines occur ?

Ans: Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

In an episode of That 70's show, Eric and his friends go to a wrestling match, two WWF wrestlers have made a guest appearance here. Who?

Ans: Ken Shamrock And The Rock

From '42-45, he served in the US Navy during WWII as a fighter pilot. During '71-73, he was US Ambassador to the UN. During '76-77, he was the head of the CIA. Who is he? (Clue: His son is making news.)

Ans: George Bush Sr.

What was built by King Joonkar as a wedding gift for his wife Sheba, queen of Tigra so that he could spend the first night of his marriage with her, there?

Ans: The Jade hut at Keelawee

He was the wicket-keeper captain of St. Columba's High School. His teammates included Rahul Roy and Marc Robinson. He once asked Imran Khan for an autograph at Ferozeshah Kotla and the annoyed cricketer hit him with a bat. Who is this guy?

Ans: Shahrukh Khan

Which tennis player was described as having a body like Adonis and a name like a skin disease ?

Ans: Vitas Gerulitas

In the fall of 1979,the school children of Islington Green officially went on a study tour? What did they do?

Ans: Went to the studio to sing the chorus of Another Brick in the wall Part 2 by Pink floyd.

This euphemism was established during WW2. It has its origins in French for Mind the water dating from the days when utensils were emptied into the streets.

Ans: Loo

Guisseppi Garibaldi adopted the Red Shirt from South Africa where the butchers wore it. What inspired him to adopt this?

Ans: To hide blood stains

One of the things being in politics has taught me is that men are not reasoned or a reasonable sex. Whose words?

Ans: Margaret Thatcher

What is Spanish for fair weather at sea?

Ans: Bonanza

A Bombay based jewellery house launched a range of earrings a couple of years ago called H.B. What does H.B stands for ?

Ans: Henry Blofield

During the sepoy mutiny, what was a Cawnpore Meal ?

Ans: Beef or Pork

At the nuptials of Peleus and Thetis , all Gods were invited except one . Enraged at her exclusion she threw a golden apple among the guests with the inscription For the fairest, causing a competition between Juno, Minerva and Venus. Who was the goddess who was not invited?

Ans: Eris

Apart from the first chapter in what order are the chapters of the Koran arranged?

Ans: Descending order of length

Which is the only rule which is mandatory among prostitutes in Italy?

Ans: Their name should not be Mary.

What is known as the white line fever?

Ans: After driving too long people start concentrating on the divider

What is the name of the daku in the movie Bombay to Goa ?

Ans: Daler

William Sydney Porter was caught embezzling funds from the bank he worked for in Austin, Texas. He fled to Honduras on being discovered. When he returned he was jailed in Ohio. He started writing short stories as a prisoner under what pseudonym?

Ans: O' Henry

Whenever Leo Tolstoy had a problem,he tried to solve it by playing which game?

Ans: Solitaire

Which former Australian cricketer hosts the show Who Dares Wins on AXN?

Ans: Mike Whitney

He is supposed to have bought a fleet of Mercs and 200 BMW bikes with a 1 million pound loan from from France. Derived inspiration from watching Queen Elizabeth's Coronation on video. Who is this prodigal tyrant?

Ans: Jean Bedel Bokassa

What's common to Aescalapius, Hygeia, Panacea & Apollo ?

Ans: worshipped as gods of different fields of medicine

Which product gets it's name from the Hindi for eating a lime?

Ans: Limca

Before Ganga married shantanu whom did she try, unsuccessfully, to marry?

Ans: Pratipa, shantanu's father.

It was Copernicus who proposed that the Earth with the other planets rotated around the Sun and not that the Sun rotated around the Earth. Who proposed the latter theory?

Ans: Cladius Ptolemy

It used to be called the polished stone age. What is it called today?

Ans: Neolithic age

Norman Peartoline editor-in-chief of Time Inc. and former editor of the Wall Street Journal rated him the CEO of the century.Who?

Ans: Jack Welch

Who said to Columbus You are lucky. No one rewards me for reaching the wrong place

Ans: The Skypac Man

This insect would reappear periodically in great numbers on the surface of the Nile mud flats. This led the Egyptians to associate this insect with resurrection and immortality. Which insect?

Ans: The Scarab Beetle.

This movie of the early eighties had its basic themes in Englishness and Christianity and takes its name from a William Blake poem. Just complete this poem. Bring me my bow of burning gold, bring me my arrows of desire Bring me my spear , oh, clouds untold Bring me my ------- ---- ------

Ans: Chariots of Fear

I don't know who you are or where you are from but I am gonna get you. Who said this to whom?

Ans: Deep Blue to Kasparov

Which present day structure is said to symbolise Mount Meru, the abode of the Hindu Gods in mythology?

Ans: Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia

In Oliver Twist he was a pompous and officious beadle.

Ans: Mr. Bumble

According to Business Week, when New York's World Trade Centre was bombed in 1993, a man James McIntyre led a group of people across 34 floors using what as a source of light?

Ans: A Timex Indiglow watch

Who is known as the Father of the American Constitution?

Ans: James Madison

In which sport is playing with the left hand not allowed?

Ans: Polo

Miss M.Wade has a topsy turvy friendship with which fictional character?

Ans: Dennis the Menace

Whose autobiography is titled My life, time and fortune

Ans: Henry Luce

What was the name of King Arthur's sword?

Ans: Excalibur

This shock rocker's father was a priest. He had his pet boa constrictor bitten and killed by a rat. He came out with his first album Pretties For You, followed by a total of 22 albums including Brutal Planet which is to come out in March '00. One of his albums was sold with an article of ladies' underwear and needless to say there was a boom in sales.

Ans: Alice Cooper

What is located on Boothia's peninsula in Canada?

Ans: The North Magnetic Pole

What was started by Subramanya Aiyer and the Triplicane Six with a rupee and six paise?

Ans: The Hindu

What would you find in a glass box placed in a marble column at the summit of Mt.Olympus?

Ans: Pierre de Coubertin's heart

Annapurna Tharkad enjoyed a unique teacher - student relationship with Tagore. What did she teach him ?

Ans: English etiquette

Which substance owes its name to the fact that it was once used as a beauty aid for women?

Ans: Belladonna

Of which apsara was King Pururavas, one of the early ancestors of the Pandavas and Kauravas, the consort?

Ans: Urvashi.

What is common to these words and phrases, 'down to earth', 'flesh and blood', 'loony bin'and 'pip-squeak'?

Ans: All were coined by P.G Wodehouse.

Guillermo Vilas is the second Argentine sportsperson to be honoured with the Key to the city of Buenos Aires.Who

was the first?

Ans: Juan Manuel Fangio

The beautiful game. A very famous sportsperson's assesment of the game he excelled in. So who is the sportsperson and what is the sport?

Ans: It's Pele on football/soccer

For the winners of what is the Raghu Ramaiah Cup given?

Ans: The winners of the Lok Sabha versus the Rajya Sabha cricket match

What fashion statement was linked to arthritis of the knees in women, in a 1998 study?

Ans: High-heeled shoes

Who on whom? If he was a plumber he would control all the water in the world and force anyone who wanted to use

the precious liquid to cut a deal with him.

Ans: Larry Ellison on Bill Gates.

What is the capital of Hell in John Milton's Paradise Lost?

Ans: Pandemonium

Which city is the backdrop of The Practice and Ally Mcbeal?

Ans: Boston

Gilbert Imlay,father of her daughter Fanny,rejected her.Then she authored A vindication of the Rights of Women.

Considered to be one of the founders of Women's Liberation.She decided to commit suicide.Later married one of the

premier philosophers of her day. Who?

Ans: Mary Wollstonecraft

Which now defunct newspaper was started by Vijaypat Singhania of the JK Group.

Ans: The Indian Post

When the Turkish Sultans got tired of their women's bodies, they had them eliminated from the harem by dumping

them into the Euphrates.What phrase originated from this practice?

Ans: Getting the sack

On the banks of which river does Jammu stand?

Ans: Tawi

Tintin and Capt Haddock go to Sicily hot on the heels of Art dealers selling forged paintings and sculptures. They stumble on the truth while fleeing from Bianca Castafiore. name this adventure.

Ans: Tintin and the Alpha Art

This person wrote a poem to Queen Elizabeth of Belgium. He sent a small twig of a tree that she had planted on a previous visit with the following quatrain. In cloister garden small tree stands planted by your very own hands.It sends greetings to convey , a twig for it , itself must stay. In response the queen wrote The twig of greeting did convey from the tree that had to stay, and from the friend whose heart's so big could send joy by a tiny twig. A thousand thanks aloud I cry unto mountain , sea and sky Now when stone begin to shake, I pray one stone nor harm will take Who wrote the poem?

Ans: Albert Einstein

Nobert Pearl Roth could read 13 languages. He read 350,000 books in a span of two years for a particular purpose.

What?

Ans: For bringing out Ripley's Believe it or Not

What term is used to describe the group of people who were opposed to the exclusion of James the Duke of York from accesion to the throne?

Ans: The Tories.

He was the Godfather to one of Ben Johnson's children and after the christening , being in a deep study , Johnson came to cheer him up and asked him why he was so melancholic . No, faith , Ben , says he , not I , but I have been considering a great while what should be the fitest gift for me to bestow upon my godchild and I have resolved at last ..I prithee what ?says he . I faith , Ben , I'll e'en give him a dozen good Latin spoons , and thou shalt translate them .

Ans: William Shakespeare

During the earlier days, a skull was engraved on wedding rings in England. What did this signify?

Ans: Love is greater than Death

Complete the series birdie, eagle----

Ans: Albatross

This woman was the first woman member of the Statistical Society. She designed prefabricated bridges with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Also the subject of H.W.Longfellow's poem Santa Philomena. Who?

Ans: Florence Nightingale

He is the inventor of a data encryption program called PHB. Also invented the D- Chop television filter. Holds a masters degree in Computer Engineering from MIT.He made 10 million dollars by investing in a company called Zymed.He has an account in the Bank of Ethel in Switzerland.Who?

Ans: Dilbert

Term coined by T H Huxley in 1869 to indicate the mental attitude of those who withhold their assent from whatever is incapable of proof

Ans: Agnostic

To whom did Jupiter grant the boon to be priests and guardians of his temple ? . They were so till they lived and when they became very old he saw his wife begin ' to put forth leaves ' and she saw her husband changing in the same manner. A leafy crown had grown over their heads. Who?

Ans: Endymion and Diana

What is the object on Malta's flag?

Ans: St. George's cross

The temple of Rose Mars is in a village called Devalapura near Bangalore. Who is worshipped here?

Ans: Elvis Presley

Against whose onslaught did Yudhishthira take fright and run away during the Kurukshetra battle?

Ans: Drona

Line from the poem Never too late by Robert Green. _______ and a swan's eye has as high a reach as a Lord's Look.

Fill 'er up.

Ans: A cat may look at a king.

What is commom to the French Kiss, British Stiff upper lip and Italian Romance?

Ans: Royal Toothbrush

What is the US name for the Zebucattle derived from the Indian breed BOSINDICUS and used for crossing with beef

breeds to produce a type able to stand the humid climate of the gulf states?

Ans: Brahmin

In 1967, Sylvia Easter, an East German swam the 100m in 57.9 sec, which was then a world record. However it was

not accepted. Why?

Ans: She swam in the nude

What issue did the Seneca Falls convention of 1848 first bring up?

Ans: Women's Rights

The year Mulk Raj Anand's 'Untouchable' was published, 1935, saw the literary debut of an Indian novelist, R.K.

Narayan. Which was the book?

Ans: Swami and Friends

The first of its kind was performed by Mona at the Four Arts Ball at Moulin Rouge on Feb.9,1893. What?

Ans: The first striptease

Who replaced Michelle Stephenson and certainly has every reason at present to consider herself extremely

fortunate?

Ans: Emma Bunton

Norman Peartoline editor-in-chief of Time Inc. and former editor of the Wall Street Journal rated him the CEO of

the century.Who?

Ans: Jack Welch

The Latin phrase meaning Southern land has given which place it's name?

Ans: Australia

What is the claim to fame of a book named Spiritual milk for Boston babes in either England drawn from the breast

of both testaments for their souls nourishment written by a puritan teacher John Cotton in Massachusetts?

Ans: First book for children.

Which now defunct newspaper was started by Vijaypat Singhania of the JK Group.

Ans: The Indian Post

Complete this line 'There is one cup to win, eleven proud people, twelve proud nations, lean to win the cup _____'

?

Ans: 1996 Cricket World Cup

Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol introduced two phrases into the English language one was Scrooge, which meant

miserly person. What was the other?

Ans: Merry Christmas

This palace in Cannongate, Edinburgh was the place where whisky was first sold .Originally called Mackies,it was

later changed after the visit of Mary, Queen of Scots.What was it changed to?

Ans: White horse Inn

In A.E.W. Mason's Four Feather she was engaged to Harry Feversham until she resigns his commission.

Ans: Ethne Eustace

What was named after the then Treasurer of the British Navy in 1690 by an English sailor Capt. John Strong?

Ans: Falkland Islands

What was built by King Joonkar as a wedding gift for his wife Sheba, queen of Tigra so that he could spend the

first night of his marriage with her, there?

Ans: The Jade hut at Keelawee

He scripted , directed and acted as Valmiki in the much acclaimed play of the same name.For sometime he used the

pseudonym Bhanu Sinha.Who?

Ans: Tagore

What is the Diogenes cup?

Ans: It is formed by both your hands

Whose definition of heaven is playing the saxophone at an all girls cabaret in Las Vegas?

Ans: Hobbes

He has published the short story Escape to Hell. His collection of short stories Village Village Land Land and the

astronaut's suicide and his green book on Do-It-yourself government have also been published. Who?

Ans: Colonel Gadaffi

Which famous custom came to England when Prince Albert married Queen Victoria?

Ans: Decoration of Christmas trees

Tazio Secchiaroli, a photographer died in June 1999, What is his claim to fame?

Ans: He was the model for the role of Paparazzi in Fellini's movie La Dolce Vita

Name the Pandava with whom Krishna's discourse the Anugita (which occurs in the Ashwamedhika and is different from

the Gita) took place?

Ans: Nakula.

This person in his younger days was much against marriage , to the dislike of his father and made a song

describing the cumbrances of it , beginning thus : Like a dog with a bottle tied close to his tail Like a tory in

a bog , or a thief in jail ... etc But afterwards being smitten with a fair virgin , and more with her fortune ,

he did marry her on 26th November 1972 whereupon his ingenious comrades did serenade him that night , while he was

in the embrace of his mistress , with the above song . Who?

Ans: Thomas Flatman

What is common to the following sportsmen-Ille Nastase,Jimmy White,Dennis Compton ?

Ans: All have won the National Title of India in their respective sports.

It used to be called the polished stone age. What is it called today?

Ans: Neolithic age

This person was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I and is considered the father of cold storage. He studied the

effects of stuffing chicken with snow, contracting a cold during the process of his experiments and died. Who ?

Ans: Francis Bacon

Who is the only cricketer to have scored a test century against every test playing nation?

Ans: Steve Waugh

Created by the brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle, he was a cricket-playing gentleman law-breaker.

Ans: Raffles

Which poet said about himself My face looks like a wedding cake left out in the rain?

Ans: W.H.Auden

Term coined by T H Huxley in 1869 to indicate the mental attitude of those who withhold their assent from whatever

is incapable of proof

Ans: Agnostic

He was a student of Pythagoras, saved Pythagoras' life when he supported the roof of a collapsing building in

which Pythagoras was teaching and held it until the class had finished. Who?

Ans: Milo

Mozart's full name was Wolfgang Amadeus Theophilus Gottlieb Mozart. What's so special about his middle names?

Ans: All three mean Loved by God

Which company had its humble origin in a chartered train journey from Leicester to Loughborouhg in UK, 1841?

Ans: Thomas Cook

He took Frank Capra for a swim in the nude at Juhu beach. He planned a movie with Shirley Maclaine and had a

critical discussion with Charlie Chaplin on Limelight at his villa in Switzerland and is the only Indian to have

Somerset Maugham's autograph. Who?

Ans: Dev Anand

Century House is the only utilized building in Westminster Bridge Road.Funda plis?

Ans: It's the HQ of the MI6

Which country gets its name from the Inca word for Cold winter?

Ans: Chile

On her invoking which God was Kunti blessed with Arjuna?

Ans: Indra

This author wrote this novel sitting in an apartment a few blocks west of Hopkins hotel in San Francisco. It

featured in a pulp detective magazine beginning from Sept 1929. This book was first published 1930 and was a hit.

Which book?

Ans: The Maltese Falcon

According to the US Weather Bureau what was the scientific term used to describe cumulonimbus clouds above the

height of 30000ft and below 40000ft?

Ans: Cloud Nine

Why, according to Garfield, (the cartoon cat) is his body temperature 110 F?

Ans: It's the temperature of microwaved lasagna

He held , too in his enlightened way , that Americans have a perfect right to exist . But he did often find

himself wishing Mr. Rhodes had not enabled them to exercise that right in Oxford . - In which famous novel about

Oxford do these lines occur ?

Ans: Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

1. John Lyly wrote the books "______ : the Anatomy of Wit" and "_____ and
his England", where the blank denotes the name of the hero of these books,
which, in Greek, means a well endowed man. The literary style used in the
books has now been named after their hero. Name the hero.
Answer : Euphues (Hence Euphuism, meaning a very affected literary style)

2. Connect the words hymn and terpsichorean w.r.t. their origins.
Answer : They both originate from names of muses (Polyhymnia and Terpsichore respectively).

3. A London toymaker and watchmaker base in Fleet Street in the 17th &
18th centuries invented an aloy of Copper and Zinc which looked like Gold.
Who?
Answer : Christopher Pinchbeck (hence the word Pinchbeck, meaning tawdry)

4. This word comes from the name of a place where Jesus drove out the
devils that had entered two men. Which?

Answer : Gadarene
5. This word is said to come from the Hebrew words for Father, Son and the
Holy Ghost. Identify this word, which has been used as a cablistic charm.

Answer : Abracadabra

6. What password was used, according to the Old Testament, by the
Gileadites, after the defeat of Ephraimites, to distinguish their own
ranks from those of the fleeing Ephraimites (the password could be
effectively used because of a difference in pronounciation between the two
peoples) ?
Answer : Shibboleth (now you know why the MI passwords competition is
called Shibbolth)

7. What equivalent of wish-washy derives from the satirical
nickname of
the poet Ambrose Philips?
Answer : Namby-Pamby

8. It was once thought that imbeciles, having been baptized,
would go to heaven, since they were incapable of sin (being too
moronic). Which word originates from this belief?
Answer : Cretin

9. What word is a transliteration of the Chinese phrase K'wai Tsze,
meaning the "quick ones"?
Answer : Chpstick

10. In Greek theatre, what was the circular depression in which the chorus
stood called?
Answer : Orchestra

1. In Greek myth, who was the messenger of the Gods?
Hermes.

2. Which 1995 movie, directed by, and starring, Woody Allen, also starred Mira Sorvino and Helena Bonham Carter?
Mighty Aphrodite.

3. Who was Zeus' paternal grandmother?
Gaea

4. Name the Greek God of war.
Ares

5. He was raised on the milk of the goat Amaltha. Who?
Zeus

6. In Greek myth, which of the Titans was associated with Time?
Kronos

7. In Greek myth, this god of sky had his genitals cut off by one of his sons. Who?
Uranus

8. Which Gene Hackman movie was released with the tagline "Hell, Upside Down" ?
The Poseidon Adventure.

9. In World War II, what was the codename given to the fuel pipelines which were laid across the bed of the

English Channel from Sandown
PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The Ocean)

10. Give the connection between the answers to the above nine questions. We're looking for a very specific

connection.
The gods mentioned here (or, where they are Greek, their Roman counterparts) are the names of the nine planets in

order. (Hermes= Mercury, Aphrodite = Venus, Gaea = Earth, Ares=Mars ... and so on).

1. What additional feature was added to the German game Heidenwerfen (knock down pagans) after it was banned in

many states in the USA in the 1840s ?
Ans : An additional pin was added (which made it ten-pin bowling).

2. Which English football league team is nicknamed "The witches"?
Ans : Ipswitch

3. In the 720 BC Olympics, Orsippus of Megara, who wasn't fancied to win the foot race, suffered an accident of

some kind during the race, and went on to win. What ancient Olympics tradition began from this incident?
Ans : Till then participants used to compete with a loin cloth on. Orsippus' loin cloth fell off; people thought

that his winning was due to his running naked. Hence from then on, participants competed in the buff.

4. Why was Roger Binny nicknamed Jacky?
Ans : His posterior was shaped like jackfruits.

5. Who sponsored the Great Britain Gymanstics team for the 1984 Olympics?
Ans : Mick Jagger

6. Which is this golfing term, obsolete since 1952 : a player was "laid a _________" if the opponent's ball

happened to fall in the line of his path to the hole (provided the balls were not within 6 inches of each other) ?
Ans : Stymie.

7. In the days of Wild West, what was the place where the dead were buried called (a term in cricket originates

from this) ?
Ans : Boot Hill.

8. Who did the victorious Brazlian team dedicate World Cup Soccer '94 to?
Ans : Ayrton Senna.

9. Shah Rukh Khan was first noticed in the TV series Fauji, which starred the brother of an Indian test cricketer

as his friend. Name the cricketer.
Ans : Nikhil Chopra.

10. Around sept. '99, Julia Carling, TV presenter and ex-wife of English Rugby player Will Carling, changed her

name before the Rugby World Cup which was held in England in oct. '99. Why the change?
Ans : As part of a marketing strategy by Heineken, the sponsors of the World Cup, she changed her name to Julia

Heineken; Carling is the competitor of Heineken

1. Shawn Fanning, a college dropout, invented something that revolutionized the music industry. What did he

invent?
Ans : Napster

2. Remember "Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron", especially the scene in which Nasiruddin Shah and Ravi Vaswani accidentally

photograph a murder in a park. Now, this park was called Antonioni Park in the movie, and director Kundan Shah had

a very specific reason for naming it thus. Give the full funda behind this.
Ans : The sequence was inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni's movie "Blow Up".

3. AC/DC's album "Who made Who" was the official soundtrack for the B-grade horror flick "Maximum Overdrive". Who

made his directorial debut with this movie? Incidentally, it was the only movie he ever directed.
Ans : Stephen king

4. Which band gets its name from the French for "Fast Fashion" ?
Ans : Depeche Mode

5. Which Ridley Scott movie title come from a William Burroughs story about people who supply medical instruments

to outlawed doctors who are unable to obtain them legally? The movie had nothing to do with the story and was

based on another book.
Ans : Blade Runner

6. Which famous line in Kurt Cobain's suicide note was taken from the Neil Young song "My My Hey Hey"? neil Young

held himself responsible for Kurt's death because of this.
Ans : "It's better to burn out than fade away"

7. He took a break from his very successful career in music in 1970 to pursue a career in acting. He soon turned

back to music, and the only role in which he got noticed during his short acting career was that of Nately,

Yossarian's friend in the movie version of Catch 22. Who?
Ans : Art Garfunkel

8. The Spielberg movie "The Colour Purple" has the dubious distinction of having the maximum no. of Oscar

nominations without winning a single Oscar. Two debutantes were nominated for best actress and best supporting

actress. Name both.
Ans : Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey

9. His real name is Marshall Mathers. He was held up by cops recently for possession of murderous weapons. Both

his mother and his wife have filed seperate suits of defamation against him. How do we know him better?9. His real

name is Marshall Mathers. He was held up by cops recently for possession of murderous weapons. Both his mother and

his wife have filed seperate suits of defamation against him. How do we know him better?
Ans : Eminem

10. An easy one to end the quiz : connect German existentialist Frederick Nietschze, composer Richard Strauss, and

Stanley Kubrick.
Ans : "Also Sprach Zarathustra" - This was Richard Strauss's composition in Stanley Kubrick's movie 2001: A Space

Odyssey and was also the name of Nietschze's work.

Now, the answers for those who could not crack it ... 1.For which song composed in a hotel room in 1972,both lata

& bhupinder received the national awards.Song was written by Gulzar.Name the MD & the film?  Answer: Beeti na

bitai raina,Parichay,R D Burman 
2.Mohd. Rafi got a comeback with this song in 1977 for which he received the FF award. Song?  Answer: Kya hua tera

waada 
3."Uncle,i have learnt alot from my father & will do so but i shall create my own style."-whose words & who is the

uncle?  Answer: R D to Majrooh
4.Ravi had composed almost 15 tunes to suit her voice & finally selected one.who is the singer & the song? 

Answer: Salma Agha,Dil ke armaan 
5.Jatin-Lalit's first movie as composers?  Answer: Yaara dildaara
6. Identify the following :
A) The "same" solo song sung by :
1) Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar
2) Manhar, Mohd.Rafi, Hemlata
3) Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey

B) The first song with :
1) Gulzar as lyricist
2) Neeraj as lyricist
3) Mahendra Kapoor as singer
4) Hasrat Jaipuri as lyricist
5) Farah Khan as choreographer
 Answer: 6A1 - Tum bin jaaon kahan... (Pyaar ka mausam)
Answer: 6A2 - Tu is tarah se meri jindagi mein shaamil hai.. (Aap to aise na the)
Answer: 6A3 - Jiska koi nahin uska to khuda hai yaaron.. (Lawaris)
Answer: 6B1 - Mora gora rang lai le.. (Sujaatha/Bandini, I need to check)
Answer: 6B2 - Subah na aai, shaam na aai.. (Cha-Cha-Cha)
Answer: 6B3 - Shyaamal-shyaamal badan.. (Navrang)
Answer: 6B4 - Jiya bekarar hai.. (Barsaat)
Answer: 6B5 - Pehla nasha.. (JJWS) (also the first song entirely in slow motion)

7. Give the full names of :
A) A.R.Rahmaan
B) C. Ramachandran
C) O.P.Nayyar
 Answer:7A - Alla Rakha Rahmaan
Answer:7B - Chitalkar Ramachandran (he sang with the name Chitalkar)
Answer:7C - Onkar Prasad Nayyar

8. Which is the only movie produced by Shailendra?  Answer: 8 Teesri Kasam 

The answers to the Brain Teasers are...

1. There are 154739 participants in a knockout tennis contest. How many matches have to be played to decide a

winner?
Answer : Number of participants(n) - 1, because each knockout match has one loser and the total number of losers

is n-1.

2. I have a bunch of flowers (1 or more). All but 2 are roses. All but 2 are daisies. All but 2 are tulips. How

many roses, daisies and tulips do I have?
Answer : I have 1 rose, 1 daisy and 1 tulip.

3. There are two perfect logicians A and B sitting and facing each other. Each of them has a positive number

written on his (her) forehead. It is known that the two numbers are consecutive. Now A starts by saying, "I do not

know the number on my forehead." B replies by saying, "I do not know the number on my forehead." A again says, "I

do not know....". This goes on for 61 times. Then finally A says, "Now I know the number on my head." What were

the numbers on the foreheads of A and B?
Answer : A has 62 and B has 61.
This can be seen by induction. Take a simpler case where A sees 0 on B. Then A knows that he has 1. If A sees 1, A

is not sure of his number. If B too is not sure, then A deduces that his number is 2, because if it was 0 then B

should have been sure of his number. In each case number of 'uncertain' statements is one less than the actual

number on the head of the person who manages to guess his number first. This can be seen for higher numbers as

well.

4. 10^3 (read as 10 to the power 3), 10^9, 10^27, 100, 0, 4, 8, 3,...
Answer : The answer is 5. 10^3 is the first whole number in which the letter A appears - one thousAnd, and so on.

10^9 - one Billion. 10^27 - one oCtillion. 100 - one hunDred. 0 - zEro. 4 - Four. 8 - eiGht. 3 - tHree. 5 - fIve.

5. B, B, E, B, G, A, I, A, G, B,... (Hint: Think of a world event. Members from the year 1958 have been

enumerated. Note the four B's. There is only one more member in this series so far.)
Answer : These are the initial letters of the winning World cup Soccer teams. Brazil(1958, 1962, 1970 and 1994).

England(1966). Germany(1974 and 1990). Argentina(1978 and 1986), Italy(1982). So the last member of the series is

F - France(1998).

6. A man pushes his car. Finally he reaches a hotel and knows that he is bankrupt. How come?
Answer : He is playing Monopoly.

7. George and Evelyn never actually met. It has been said that Evelyn fell in love with George quite early in

life, but she never even heard of him despite his fame. 1928 was the year of his remarkable decline and fall, and

Evelyn died in 1966 at the age of 63. A few months after her marriage in 1880, George (by then Cross!) died at the

age of 61, but Evelyn did not know this at that time. She had already achieved fame by the middle of March in

1871. Given that both were writers, how would you explain the above statements?
Answer : Basically, George is a woman and Evelyn a man. George lived in the 19th century and Evelyn in the 20th.

The famous personalities in mind: a) George Eliot (1819-1880) who married John Cross in 1880. Her best known work

- "Middlemarch" published 1871. b) Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966).

8. I am in a boat. I drop a cannonball into the water. Will the water level change? Why?
Answer : The water level goes down. When the cannonball is in the boat, the water displaced has MASS equal to that

of the ball, while when in water, water displaced has VOLUME equal to that of the ball. Now the density of the

cannonball is greater than that of water......

9. There are two 50-foot ropes hung from a ceiling of a room which is 40 feet high and the points of suspension

are 20 feet apart. How much of the rope will I be able to steal, if I have only a knife with me? (Look, I do not

want to get injured either! It's a concrete floor you know!)
Answer : Almost all of it. Tie the ropes together. Climb up one of them . Tie a loop in it as close as possible to

the ceiling. Cut it below the loop. Run the rope through the loop and tie it to your waist. Climb the other rope

(this may involve some swinging action). Pull the rope going through the loop tight and cut the other rope as

close as possible to the ceiling. You will swing down on the rope through the loop. Lower yourself to the ground

by letting out rope. Pull the rope through the loop. You will have nearly all the rope.

10. None of the following statements are true:
A: I am certainly not over 35! And you are at least 34!
B: You are at least five years older than I am! And I am 33!
So, how old are A and B really?
Answer : The ages are: A is 36 and B is 32.

Which photographer and fashion designer won Oscars for Costume Design for Gigi and My Fair Lady?

Cecil Beaton

Which is the most famous role played by Kenny Baker, a dwarf of height 3 feet and 4 inches?

R2D2

So as not to offend Soviet feelings the Bond film, From Russia with Love, had its title modified when screened in

India. what was the inoffensive title?

From 007 with Love

Which film starring Girish Karnad was originally banned but later went on to win the National Award?

Samskara

When President Garfield was assassinated, X-rays had not been discovered, so the bullet in his body couldn't be

located by X-rays. However an attempt was made to locate the bullet by means of a rudimentary metal detector.

Which famous scientist attempted to recover the bullet in this way?

Alexander Graham Bell

The stage and film musical A Little Night Music is based on which Ingmar Bergman film?

Smiles of a Summer Night

What is Archibald Leach better known as ?

Cary Grant

Woman of the Year (1942) featured the first pairing of which legendary on-screen romantic team?

Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland

Name the Hungarian born British director-producer whose London films helped establish such stars as Charles

Laughton, Robert Donat and director Carol Reed.

Alexander Korda

Bollywood's gossip queen 'Devi' is really...

Devyani Chaubal

Which British pop singer made curious forays into film acting appearing in The Man who fell to Earth and Merry

Christmas, Mr Lawrence among other films.

David Bowie

What word was totally eliminated from the script of The Godfather because of pressure from the Italian-American

league?

Mafia

Nagesh Kukunoor's production company is known by the initials S.I.C. What does it stand for?

Ans:Stability is a Curse.

Which Indian star refused the role which Omar Sharif eventually played in Lawrence of Arabia?

Dilip Kumar

Which famous murderer, at the time of his execution, looked at the trapdoor of the gallows and exclaimed, 'Are you

sure it's safe?

William Palmer

Who composed music and played the lead role in the 1943 kannada hit movie `Vani' directed by K.Hirannayya ?

T Chowdiah

Who was the first American ever to star in a Akira Kurosawa film-Rhapsody in August?

Richard Gere

It was composed of spit pea soup and oatmeal but it brought about nauseous feelings to thousands of moviegoers in

the 70's. What was it?

Linda Blairs vomit

In the Bombay film industry, what does the phrase Dial M for Murder signify?

Call Meenakshi Seshadri and be sure of a flop

It may be peculiar that cricket is popular in the Fiji islands, but several Indian clubs have toured there. A very

strong Air India team visited in 1972 and Vijay Manjrekar and Ajit Wadekar got a century there for a club side

playing under A.K.Sharma. Between these two occasions, in 1973 another Indian club toured these islands. Name the

club.

Hyderabad Blues

When forced to sign on an unknown European actress as part of his contract with director Mauritz Stiller in 1929,

Louis B. Mayer muttered, In America men don''t like fat women. Who was the fat woman?

Greta Garbo

Which studio tea-boy worked his way up to become the editor of Pygmalion (1938) and eventually got his break as

director when he co-directed In Which We Serve with Noel Coward?

David Lean

Who made his directing debut with the film, That Thing You Do?

Tom Hanks

The tribulations of Billy Hayes, an American student arrested in Turkey for carrying hashish, were portrayed in a

gripping film by Alan Parker with an Oliver Stone screenplay. This film was duly banned in India in deference to

Turkish sentiments. Name the film.

Midnight Express

Director Fritz Lang, while detained for several hours aboard a ship in 1924, conceived the idea for which

futuristic film while gazing at the Manhattan Skyline?

Metropolis

This master sculptor forged an Etruscan statue and sold it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1918

for $40,000. Forty years later it was discovered that it was a fake. Who was this master forger?

Alfredo Fioravanti

S.S. Vasan's Insaaniyat starred a chimpanzee from Hollywood which was lodged in a five-star hotel in Madra. Name

the chimp.

Zippy

Who co-produced the multiple-award winning One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest along with Saul Zaentz?

Michael Douglas

A famous electrical expert was present at the first electrocution. He critized the electric chair by pointing out

that electrocution was not instantaneous. Who was this expert?

Nicola Tesla

Who played Mike Hammer in The Girl Hunters?

Mickey Spillane

Which eminently enjoyable film introduced the word ''cameo'' to the movies? It''s director Michael Todd roped in

over 40 movie stars to play brief roles in the movie?

Around the World in Eighty Days

Which outrageous actress declared that 'It's better to be looked over than be overlooked' and also said, 'It's not

the men in my life that count, it's the life in my men'?

Mae West

Which famous spy was the principal secret agent of George Washington?

Robert Townsend

An ape hurls a bone into the air which becomes a spaceship to the majestic music of Richard Strauss' Also Spake

Zarathushra. Which movie?

2001-A Space Odyssey

Which is the only Tintin story which was first made as a cartoon film and only later appeared as a comic book?

The Lake of Sharks

Which is the only country in the world to have never imposed film censorship?

Belgium

When forced to sign on an unknown European actress as part of his contract with Mauritz Stiller in 1929,

Louis.B.Mayer muttered In America men don't like fat women. Who was this fat woman who later became a legend?

Greta Garbo

Which actor also wrote screenplays for his films using such exotic pseudonyms as Otis J.Criblecoblis and Mahatma

Kane Jeeves?

W.C. Fields

The first Sherlock Holmes story was 'A Study in Scarlet'. Which was his last story?

'The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place'

A fairly obscure 1914 movie starring Theda Bara A fool There Was, was based on a play which in turn was based on

Kipling poem, The Vampire. What word did this movie introduce into English language?

Vamp

Who said after receiving his first Oscar for best actor ''Now I am on equal terms with my wife.''

Paul Newman

What word literally originated from an exciting scene in an early Pathe film The Perils of Pauline?

Cliffhanger

Which famous fictional detective was created by G K Chesterton?

Father Brown

Which Indian film was inspired by the Japanese film ugetsu Monogatari?

Mrig Trishna

Which football great was accused in the Bogota bracelet case in 1970?

Bobby Moore

Charles 'Kid' McCoy, former world welterweight champion, who senselessly murdered his sweetheart, Mrs.Albert Mors,

in 1924 in Los Angeles, provided the story for which famous film?

They Made Me a Criminal

Another lollipop. Who holds the record for being the most filmed author?

William Shakespeare

Which brilliant and absorbing Vittoria de Sica film (1947) was hailed throughout the world as the postwar Italian

Neorealism?

Bicycle Thieves

He was the hero of many of Sergio Leone''s spaghetti westerns and is introduced to the screen with the music of

Ennio Morricone. Who?

Clint Eastwood

This magazine founded in 1967 was advanced with the line ''If you are a corporate executive, and are wondering

what is happening to youth, you cannot afford to do without ----------''

Playboy

With which film star would you associate 'Ajanta Arts'?

Sunil Dutt

Which star''s career was given a boost when Mae West chose him as her co-star in She Done Him Wrong? It was to him

that she directed her famous line ''come up and see me sometime''!

Cary Grant

Producers, directors, actors and practically everyone in the field of cinema for Filmfare's 1953 beauty poll. Who

won?

Nalini Jaywant

Starting out as The Three Nightingales and later expanding into The Four Nightingales and The Six Musical Mascots,

this crazy group was best known by what name?

The Marx Brothers

Which star has potrayed Napolean, Mark Anthony, Fletcher Christian and Zappata on screen?

Marlon Brando

In which film does a film producer wake up one morning to find his favourite horse's severed head (a real one at

that) on his bed?

The Godfather

The famous fictional detective Father Brown appeared in film in 1954. Who acted in the title role as Father Brown?

Alec Guinness

Which movie was released in Chicago with the tag line, Bring the Kiddies in 1910?

Henrik Ibsen's The Doll House

Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two members of her own guard. This was not the first instance when such an act

happened. Which other head of state was assassinated by two members of his own guard?

Caligula

This director while shooting in New York was visited by Michael Salmon and his Italian actress and wife Luciana

Baalusia (star of Thunderball). She remarked that he looked like a baby prompting the director to grow a beard.

Who?

Shankar

While on cartoons, Walt Disneys remake of Fantasia (not scheduled for completion till about a year), is expected

to surpass a record held by its animated feature Beauty and the Beast (1992) in which aspect?

To be more expensive

Which European director on leaving Hollywood after an enforced wartime sojourn said, 'Goodbye Mr. Zanuck, it

certainly has been a pleasure working at 16th Century Fox'?

Jean Renoir

Who made his debut in a movie called Umang?

Subhash Ghai

In which film did Shantaram appropriately cast Mazhar Khan as a Hindu and Jagirdar a Muslim?

Padosi

Which famous spy was born in Ambala, India?

Kim Philby

Which movie according to it's makers is based on the life of Srinivasa Ramanujam?

Goodwill Hunting

Which of the following statements about the Oscar Awards is incorrect?

There are six nominees for any particular category of award

This highwayman from Normandy became famous for the daring way he made his attacks and for the polite way in which

he treated the ladies he robbed. He was ultimately hanged at Tyburn in 1670. Who was he?

Claude Duval

On the sets of which film was Amitabh Bachchan seriously injured during a fight scene with Puneet Issar?

Coolie

Guiseppe Balsamo was a famous confidence trickster, who sold fake elixir of youth and love potions tothe rich

people of Europe. He was ultimately condemned to death in 1789. How is he more commonly known as?

Count Cagliostro

Who played Peter Seller's son in the film The Magic Christian, based on a black comedy by Terry Southern?

Ringo Starr

Who introduced M.S.Subbalakshmi on screen in the film Meera?

Sarojini Naidu

Which controversial Marlon Brando film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci was condemned in Italian courts as obscene

and indecent?

Last Tango in Paris

The film PT-109 was based on the war time exploits of which famous person?

John.F.Kennedy

What was unique about Peter Seller''s roles in the movies The Man Who Never Was and Soft Beds, Hard Bottoms?

He played Hitler and Churchill

Who or what were variously known as ''Horse oprys'', ''oaters'' and ''sagebushers''?

B grade westerns

Which director and producer was responsible for many of the Harold Lloyd and Laurel and Hardy classics?

Hal Roach

For what is a mixture of bleached cornflakes, chopped feathers, shredded asbestos, balsa chips, sawdust, and

certain plastic products used?

Artificial snow

Which person starred in an X-rated movie It''s Not Only There But It Also Works which ran succesfully in American

theatres. Who?

John Wayne Bobbit

He was born in 1970, and his parents are both doctors in Philadelphia. His first movie was about a man who

consumed a bottle of sleeping pills and slept for 40 hours. As a result for the next 2 days he was __________

_________. Fill the blanks and figure out this 30 yr old.

Manoj''Night'' Shyamalan

Director Fritz Lang, while detained for several hours aboard a ship in 1924, concieved the idea for which

futuristic film while gazing at the Manhattan skyline?

Metropolis

What word literally originated from an exciting scene in an early Pathe film, The Perils of Pauline?

Cliffhanger

Which famous criminal, facing a firing squad, when asked if he had a last request stated, 'why yes - a bulletproof

vest'?

James W. Rodgers