Business-Pop Culture-Literature quiz. Conducted at Magnus Intellectus 2016. Cotton College, Guwahati, Assam. Contains 20 questions in the prelims and a total of 30 points. Top score was 13 points.

1. Penny and Dime
The BPL Quiz

3. Questions researched and set by:
Pratyush Pran Sarma
Dhruba Jyoti Barman

4. Quizmaster- Pratyush Pran Sarma

5. Disclaimer
The questions are self – researched and cross – checked. Much
attention has been paid in balancing the questions. Any resemblance to
questions in blogs, quizzes or pages are purely co-incidental. Any
mistake is asked to be forgiven of. Confusions regarding the information
in questions and answers, if any, will be discussed after the quiz.
Regarding the topics, the pop culture questions are indirectly based on
business or literature as there was another entertainment quiz.

6. Eliminators

7. Rules :
1. 20 questions in the eliminators.
2. Questions 1 – 10 carry 1 point each.
3. Questions 11 – 15 carry 2 points each. No part points allowed.
4. Questions 16 – 20 carry 1 point each and are starred questions.
5. Starred questions will decide a tie. After that, sudden death will be taken into account.
And while sudden death occurs, I/we shall not be objected by any participant or
organizer, no matter whose son/daughter/brother/sister, etc. and/or friend he/she is.
Happy Quizzing.

8. Questions

9. 1. Easy one to start with.
Just name the blanked out
character.

10. 2. Batik cake is a type of non-baked Malaysian cake dessert. This
cake was made by mixing broken ‘X’ combined with a chocolate
sauce or runny custard made with egg, butter/margarine, condensed
milk, Milo and chocolate powders.
The cake was served during special occasion like the Eid al-
Fitr and Christmas. As Malaysia and Brunei were once a colony of Great
Britain, it is believed the cake was introduced by the British. In Brunei, their
Batik cake is covering by green colour topping.
‘X’ ?

12. 3. Around November, 2014, more than 100 police officers and
plainclothes security forces converged on Bangkok’s prestigious Siam
Paragon cinema after anti-coup protesters had promised to hand out 160 free
tickets for the premiere of the movie ‘X’. In the cinema’s lobby, university
student Nachacha Kongudom posed while saluting with three fingers in front of
the movie’s huge poster, and allowed herself to be photographed by the media
before she was taken away by police. Near the Siam Paragon theater, police
detained two other protesters who raised the salute, which Thai dissidents
deliberately appropriated from the films as their own symbol of defiance. After
that a few more arrests took place. Then, eventually, the Thai military banned
the salute.
‘X’ ?

14. 4. In 2009, the company compensated Arnell Group about $1,000,000 to
work on the new logo. They provided the company with a 27-page report
describing what the logo represents. The report explains the logo represents
Earth's magnetic field, feng shui, Pythagoras, geodynamics, the theory of relativity and
more. The logo was shifted slightly counter clockwise to signify its movement and growth
in looking forward to the future.
Which company?

17. 5. What are these tweets all about?

20. 6. A ______ is a muzzle-loaded, smoothbore firearm, fired from the
shoulder. These were designed for use by infantry. It replaced the
arquebus, and was in turn replaced by the rifle. The term “______" is applied to a
variety of weapons, including the long, heavy guns with matchlock, wheel lock or
flint lock and loose powder fired with the gun barrel resting on a stand, and also
lighter weapons with a snaphance, flintlock, or caplock and bullets using a
stabilizing spin (Minié ball), affixed with a bayonet.
Which word, representing a soldier, was used because they used these guns ??

22. 7. McOndo is a Latin American literary movement that breaks from
the Magical Realism mode of narration, and counters it with the strong,
ideologic associations of the cultural and narrative languages of the mass
communications media, and with the modernity of urban living; the experience
of town versus country, of McOndo vs. Macondo. In the late 1990s, the Chilean
writers Alberto Fuguet and Sergio Gómez published the short-story anthology
McOndo (1996), the title of which combined the name ‘X’ with Macondo, the real
with the fictional; Fuguet’s coinage McOndo denotes a “a world of ‘X’ and
condos”.
‘X’ ?

23. 8. Slappy the Dummy is a fictional character and antagonist
in the Goosebumps children's series by R. L. Stine. He is one of the
series' most popular villains and the main antagonist of the Night of the
Living Dummy saga. He is also the main antagonist of the Goosebumps
movie. He is a Ventriloquist's Doll that comes alive by these words, "Karru
Marri Odonna Loma Maluno Karrano".
Here is a video of Slappy from the Goosebumps movie.
What is Slappy modeled after?

24. 9. The company ‘X’ conducted a thorough psychological research
interviewing hundreds of drinkers regarding their needs and desires.
The results clearly showed that the product itself was not that essential as what
people actually wanted was a place of relaxation and a special atmosphere that
could make them feel at home.
Taking all this into consideration, the company created a place where every detail
was carefully thought through. And so they did ‘it’. The strategic reason behind
doing ‘it’ is the fact that solo drinkers would feel less alone this way since there are
no empty seats.
What am I talking about?

25. 10. Cold Space is a comic book that was released on 14th April,
2010 by ‘X’. ‘X’ has teamed up with Eric Calderon to tell the story
of Mulberry, a space pirate in the year 4012. When the story begins, his ship
is boarded by space cops intent on arresting him. Mulberry easily eludes
them, and warp jumps to another area of space. His ship crash lands on a
strange, corrupt planet, and the adventure really begins.
Who is ‘X’, who actually looks like Mulberry(or the other way round)?

27. 11. Id the singer. What is he singing about ?? – which will
be pretty much obvious once you hear it. Hence, no part points.

28. 12. It is a legend and is likely to have originated from 17th-century
nautical folklore. The oldest extant version dates to the late 18th
century. Sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries reported it to be glowing with
ghostly light. The sight of it is often regarded as a portent of doom.
‘X’ references the endless traveling aspect of the story by having the name of the
legend painted on the rear sides of all it with regular livery.
What is the legend? Also solve for ‘X’.

29. 13. In 1993, an alleged gas leak took place in the factories of this
multi-national conglomerate in Washington Township, Bergen County,
NJ., resulting in the leakage of chemicals with dangerous levels of toxicity. In the
ensuing 24 months, 26 employees died from similar types of leukemia. A class
action lawsuit filed against the conglomerate by the surviving victims was
dismissed; they claimed there was no direct evidence linking their factories to the
diagnoses.
The logo of this conglomerate is inspired from this logo of an American energy,
commodities, and services company – Enron Corporation.
Which conglomerate ??
Bigger picture on next slide

31. 14. ‘Z’ is the surname of a pure-blood family. It is unknown if this
family is still extant or still pure-blood, as the only known family
member, Eileen ‘Z’, married an impure-blood and had a ‘Y’ son (Y is not his
name).
For this reason, the son – ‘X’ – has been nicknamed ‘Y Z’.
Who is ‘X’ and what is the nickname (Y Z) ?

32. 15. ‘X’ is a game of chance that expands. It is first used to settle a
dispute about what to watch on TV between two of the characters
in the television series ‘X’. It is mentioned again in another episode of the same TV
series.
The game was originally created by Sam Kass with Karen Bryla. According to an
interview with Kass, the series producers did not originally ask for permission to
use the game, but Kass was officially referenced by a character as the creator of
the game during the episode after which he states, "Hail Sam Kass!" to which all
then chant "Hail!" while raising their hands.
Which TV series?

33. 16. His father wanted him to join army, but he wanted to go to
Oxford. His father made him enter his name in Middle Temple, but he gave
up the Bar and announced his intention of becoming a painter. He had a
studio in London and drew many paintings there.
He was in love with/infatuated with the subject of a portrait that he drew,
which he considered to be his masterpiece.
Don’t need the name of the painter. Just name his masterpiece painting.

34. 17. In astronomy, the Pleiades or Seven Sisters (Messier 45
or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged
hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the
nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked
eye in the night sky. The celestial entity has several meanings in different
cultures and traditions.
Which company can you relate Pleiades with ??

36. 18. Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American isthmus. The
fauna of Nicaragua is characterized by a very high level of biodiversity,
the most abundant being the jaguar, cougar, jaguarundi, margay, and ocelot.
Fauna aside, the country has seen a period of political and economic turmoil under
dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle until the leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front
came to power in Nicaragua in 1979 supported by much of the populace and elements of
the Catholic church.
‘X’ is first full-length non-fiction book of ‘Y’, which he wrote in 1987 after
visiting Nicaragua. The book is subtitled A Nicaraguan Journey and relates his travel
experiences, the people he met as well as views on these political situations.
Solve for ‘X’.

37. 19. Hermes is a French manufacturer established in 1837, today
specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury
goods and ready-to-wear.
A Hermes handbag line/design named after this
lady,was featured in a Bollywood movie (can be
related to the quiz in a way).
How was this Hermes bag shown in the movie ??

38. 20. ______ _______ is a 1964 black and white American film
produced and directed by ‘X’ without the permission of the publisher and
based on the character ‘Y’. The film was screened only at ‘X’'s art exhibits. A
fan of the series, he made the movie as a “homage”. It is considered to be
the first film featuring a blatantly campy ‘Y’.
The film was thought to have been lost until scenes from it were shown at
some length in the documentary Jack Smith and the Destruction of
Atlantis (2006).
Solve for ‘X’ and ‘Y’.

39. Answers

40. 1. Easy one to start with.
Just name the blanked out
character.

42. Darth Vader

43. 2. Batik cake is a type of non-baked Malaysian cake dessert. This
cake was made by mixing broken ‘X’ combined with a chocolate
sauce or runny custard made with egg, butter/margarine, condensed
milk, Milo and chocolate powders.
The cake was served during special occasion like the Eid al-
Fitr and Christmas. As Malaysia and Brunei were once a colony of Great
Britain, it is believed the cake was introduced by the British. In Brunei, their
Batik cake is covering by green colour topping.
‘X’ ?

46. Marie Biscuits

47. 3. Around November, 2014, more than 100 police officers and
plainclothes security forces converged on Bangkok’s prestigious Siam
Paragon cinema after anti-coup protesters had promised to hand out 160 free
tickets for the premiere of the movie ‘X’. In the cinema’s lobby, university
student Nachacha Kongudom posed while saluting with three fingers in front of
the movie’s huge poster, and allowed herself to be photographed by the media
before she was taken away by police. Near the Siam Paragon theater, police
detained two other protesters who raised the salute, which Thai dissidents
deliberately appropriated from the films as their own symbol of defiance. After
that a few more arrests took place. Then, eventually, the Thai military banned
the salute.
‘X’ ?

50. The Hunger Games (The Mockingjay Part 1)

51. 4. In 2009, the company compensated Arnell Group about $1,000,000 to
work on the new logo. They provided the company with a 27-page report
describing what the logo represents. The report explains the logo represents
Earth's magnetic field, feng shui, Pythagoras, geodynamics, the theory of relativity and
more. The logo was shifted slightly counter clockwise to signify its movement and growth
in looking forward to the future.
Which company?

55. Pepsi
The New Pepsi Globe logo

56. 5. What are these tweets all about?

60. Ghostbusters(2016) female cast

61. 6. A ______ is a muzzle-loaded, smoothbore firearm, fired from the
shoulder. These were designed for use by infantry. It replaced the
arquebus, and was in turn replaced by the rifle. The term “______" is applied to a
variety of weapons, including the long, heavy guns with matchlock, wheel lock or
flint lock and loose powder fired with the gun barrel resting on a stand, and also
lighter weapons with a snaphance, flintlock, or caplock and bullets using a
stabilizing spin (Minié ball), affixed with a bayonet.
Which word, representing a soldier, was used because they used these guns ??

64. Musketeers
The Gun is called a Musket

65. 7. McOndo is a Latin American literary movement that breaks from
the Magical Realism mode of narration, and counters it with the strong,
ideologic associations of the cultural and narrative languages of the mass
communications media, and with the modernity of urban living; the experience
of town versus country, of McOndo vs. Macondo. In the late 1990s, the Chilean
writers Alberto Fuguet and Sergio Gómez published the short-story anthology
McOndo (1996), the title of which combined the name ‘X’ with Macondo, the real
with the fictional; Fuguet’s coinage McOndo denotes a “a world of ‘X’ and
condos”.
‘X’ ?

67. McDonald’s

68. 8. Slappy the Dummy is a fictional character and antagonist
in the Goosebumps children's series by R. L. Stine. He is one of the
series' most popular villains and the main antagonist of the Night of the
Living Dummy saga. He is also the main antagonist of the Goosebumps
movie. He is a Ventriloquist's Doll that comes alive by these words, "Karru
Marri Odonna Loma Maluno Karrano".
Here is a video of Slappy from the Goosebumps movie.
What is Slappy modeled after?

70. Carlo Collodi’s
The Adventures of Pinocchio

71. 9. The company ‘X’ conducted a thorough psychological research
interviewing hundreds of drinkers regarding their needs and desires.
The results clearly showed that the product itself was not that essential as what
people actually wanted was a place of relaxation and a special atmosphere that
could make them feel at home.
Taking all this into consideration, the company created a place where every detail
was carefully thought through. And so they did ‘it’. The strategic reason behind
doing ‘it’ is the fact that solo drinkers would feel less alone this way since there are
no empty seats.
What am I talking about?

73. Starbucks round coffee tables

74. 10. Cold Space is a comic book that was released on 14th April,
2010 by ‘X’. ‘X’ has teamed up with Eric Calderon to tell the story
of Mulberry, a space pirate in the year 4012. When the story begins, his ship
is boarded by space cops intent on arresting him. Mulberry easily eludes
them, and warp jumps to another area of space. His ship crash lands on a
strange, corrupt planet, and the adventure really begins.
Who is ‘X’, who actually looks like Mulberry(or the other way round)?

77. Samuel L Jackson

78. 11. Id the singer. What is he singing about ?? – which will
be pretty much obvious once you hear it. Hence, no part points.

80. Leonard Nimoy. The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien).

81. 12. It is a legend and is likely to have originated from 17th-century
nautical folklore. The oldest extant version dates to the late 18th
century. Sightings in the 19th and 20th centuries reported it to be glowing with
ghostly light. The sight of it is often regarded as a portent of doom.
‘X’ references the endless traveling aspect of the story by having the name of the
legend painted on the rear sides of all it with regular livery.
What is the legend? Also solve for ‘X’.

83. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
The legend is the Flying Dutchman ship.

84. 13. In 1993, an alleged gas leak took place in the factories of this
multi-national conglomerate in Washington Township, Bergen County,
NJ., resulting in the leakage of chemicals with dangerous levels of toxicity. In the
ensuing 24 months, 26 employees died from similar types of leukemia. A class
action lawsuit filed against the conglomerate by the surviving victims was
dismissed; they claimed there was no direct evidence linking their factories to the
diagnoses.
The logo of this conglomerate is inspired from this logo of an American energy,
commodities, and services company – Enron Corporation.
Which conglomerate ??
Bigger picture on next slide

87. E Corp/Evil Corp (of Mr. Robot fame)

88. 14. ‘Z’ is the surname of a pure-blood family. It is unknown if this
family is still extant or still pure-blood, as the only known family
member, Eileen ‘Z’, married an impure-blood and had a ‘Y’ son (Y is not his
name).
For this reason, the son – ‘X’ – has been nicknamed ‘Y Z’.
Who is ‘X’ and what is the nickname (Y Z) ?

90. Severus Snape (X)
The Half Blood Prince ( Y Z )

91. 15. ‘X’ is a game of chance that expands. It is first used to settle a
dispute about what to watch on TV between two of the characters
in the television series ‘X’. It is mentioned again in another episode of the same TV
series.
The game was originally created by Sam Kass with Karen Bryla. According to an
interview with Kass, the series producers did not originally ask for permission to
use the game, but Kass was officially referenced by a character as the creator of
the game during the episode after which he states, "Hail Sam Kass!" to which all
then chant "Hail!" while raising their hands.
Which TV series?

93. The Big Bang Theory
The game being Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock

94. 16. His father wanted him to join army, but he wanted to go to
Oxford. His father made him enter his name in Middle Temple, but he gave
up the Bar and announced his intention of becoming a painter. He had a
studio in London and drew many paintings there.
He was in love with/infatuated with the subject of a portrait that he drew,
which he considered to be his masterpiece.
Don’t need the name of the painter. Just name his masterpiece painting.

96. He is Basil Hallward, who drew The
Picture of Dorian Gray (obviously in
the story)

97. 17. In astronomy, the Pleiades or Seven Sisters (Messier 45
or M45), is an open star cluster containing middle-aged
hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the
nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked
eye in the night sky. The celestial entity has several meanings in different
cultures and traditions.
Which company can you relate Pleiades with ??

100. Subaru
Subaru is the Japanese name for the Pleiades star cluster M45 or "The
Seven Sisters" (one of whom tradition says is invisible - hence only six stars
in the Subaru logo).

101. 18. Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American isthmus. The
fauna of Nicaragua is characterized by a very high level of biodiversity,
the most abundant being the jaguar, cougar, jaguarundi, margay, and ocelot.
Fauna aside, the country has seen a period of political and economic turmoil under
dictator Anastasio Somoza Debayle until the leftist Sandinista National Liberation Front
came to power in Nicaragua in 1979 supported by much of the populace and elements of
the Catholic church.
‘X’ is first full-length non-fiction book of ‘Y’, which he wrote in 1987 after
visiting Nicaragua. The book is subtitled A Nicaraguan Journey and relates his travel
experiences, the people he met as well as views on these political situations.
Solve for ‘X’.

103. The Jaguar Smile
By Salman Rushdie

104. 19. Hermes is a French manufacturer established in 1837, today
specializing in leather, lifestyle accessories, perfumery, luxury
goods and ready-to-wear.
A Hermes handbag line/design named after this
lady,was featured in a Bollywood movie (can be
related to the quiz in a way).
How was this Hermes bag shown in the movie ??

106. Bagwati – in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Bum Pe
Laat- BPL - being the relation between the quiz and
the movie)

107. 20. ______ _______ is a 1964 black and white American film
produced and directed by ‘X’ without the permission of the publisher and
based on the character ‘Y’. The film was screened only at ‘X’'s art exhibits. A
fan of the series, he made the movie as a “homage”. It is considered to be
the first film featuring a blatantly campy ‘Y’.
The film was thought to have been lost until scenes from it were shown at
some length in the documentary Jack Smith and the Destruction of
Atlantis (2006).
Solve for ‘X’ and ‘Y’.

109. X – Andy Warhol
Y – Batman
The film is ‘Batman Dracula’