Prelims - Kaikuu General Quiz 2017

Kaikuu 2017
The General Quiz
Prelims

Content and Presentation
Sameer Dharur
Raghav Pandey
Aashish Duddukuri

➢ 34 questions.
➢ Questions 27 to 34 carry two points each, and will resolve ties.
➢ 42 points in all.
➢ No negatives. Feel free to take guesses for every question.
➢ Clues will be dispensed at our discretion.
➢ Good luck!
The Deal

1.
Ernest Jaspar was a prominent Belgian architect who was called upon to
design the famous Heliopolis Palace Hotel in Cairo in 1910.
He created a synthesis of Persian, Islamic and European neoclassical
architecture – as a result of which he was approached 20 years later by
engineers Ali Nawaz Jung and Zainuddin Khan in his hometown Antwerp,
who invited him to undertake an international trip to helm a project that
would also end up looking very similar, with the incorporation of elements
from various styles of architecture in a truly ‘secular’ fashion.
What structure, at the forefront of much national attention at the turn of this
decade, was he invited to create?

The Arts College at Osmania University.

2.
The Subaru Impreza is a compact family car that has been manufactured
since 1992. The 5 door hatchback variant has been considerably popular
in the American market, because of its great mileage and control.
From the year 2007, it has become the preferred choice for a certain
company in its purpose of creating one of its key products which
mandates the versatile mobility of its chosen vehicles – with this variant
being one of the most used ones in the company’s functioning.
What purpose have these vehicles been used for?

3.
Among the first records of this term comes from the latter half of the 17th
century in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I – used to refer to certain constructions
reminiscent of Roman amphitheaters, and the activities they hosted.
In a strange leap of evolution, it soon began to be extended to the context of
warships referring to the rear end of the lower decks which were often stuffy,
claustrophobic and tense. It then to spread to its best known context where its
usage persists to this day owing to the appropriate conditions it conveys.
What term is this, that was first popularized by its usage in Shakespeare’s Henry
V to refer to the ominous arrival of war?

4.
David Mulder is a creative designer at the agency XML and recently took
on a personal project in the field to help expand his worldview.
After extensive study, he concluded that the roughly 200 entities under
his observation from around the world could be condensed into five
design categories – semicircle, horseshoe, opposers, circle and classroom
– which are reflective of their principle of functioning.
What structures were the subjects of his study?

5.
Which anomalous work of art started off being called ‘The Mortality
Sequence’ in 1973 only to achieve completion at a location in London
when a certain Claire Torry was given the instruction to ‘pretend that she
herself was an instrument’?

The Great Gig in the Sky – from Pink Floyd’s Dark
Side Of The Moon.

6.
Arko Dutta was a journalist employed by the Reuters whose career-
defining moment came at the expense of his subject who faced
humiliation and ostracism from his employers and lost multiple jobs over
the years.
A few years ago, Arko made an attempt to patch things up for this
unintended misery by paying him a visit.
Whom is he going to meet in the following clip?

Qutubuddin Ansari, commonly known as the
‘face’ of the 2002 Godhra riots.

7.
Stroke of Genius is a much acclaimed cricket book by Aussie writer Gideon
Haigh that takes its inspiration from the work of GW Beldham – described by
the author as a ‘genuine pioneer’ in artistic terms.
This output of his work from the early 20th century remained dormant within
his confines for a couple of decades until he revealed it to friends working at
the Sydney Mail which eventually gave it the ubiquitous and era-defining
aura that it enjoys. Haigh describes it as the ideal personification of the time
and a utopian throwback to unrestrained skill and delight.
What exactly is the inspiration for his book?

The Victor Trumper photograph.

8.
John Bercow, who served as the Speaker of the UK House of Commons since
2009, fluttered a few feathers with an announcement late last year.
He sought to do away with a meaningless and antiquated tradition in the
Parliament to help make things ‘less stuffy and itchy’ in the Hall. However, this
attempt at modernization wasn’t welcomed by all – suggesting that age-old
traditions are to be left untouched and doing away with this was removing the air
of dignity and solemnity to proceedings by putting individuals above institutions.
What tradition is this, that has been much ridiculed in the recent past for its
antique sense of formality and abandoned in another field as well?

The wigs donned by the Clerks in the
House of Commons.

9.
Nigel Hartnup was an upcoming photographer in 1960s London who worked at
Chelsea Manor Studios where he received his most ambitious project.
He set out to perform an artificial colouration of numerous black-and-white
images obtained from the BBC Radio Times Hulton Picture Library, and
meticulously applied photographic dyes layer upon layer to produce a tint of
the desired quality – which had to endure upon cardboard cutouts the influence
of soil and hyacinth they would soon be subjected to.
What exactly was he working on at this time, that earned widespread popularity
around the world?

10.
Brainsy is a DC-based online portal that has set up consulting services for clients
in a certain track, leveraging a growing fad among the country’s students.
Much of the coaching that follows is based on historical trends observed since
the 1980s from experts in a similar age group, hired especially to help with their
recent experiences. The fee is steep at $200 per hour, but the business continues
to boom with parents gladly willing to sign their children up at various schools
across the length and breadth of the country.
What are these coaching services intended for, featuring a high proportion of
Asians in their clientele?

Coaches for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.

11.
Among the largest scale of orders received in the history of the Gramophone
Record Company’s Calcutta factory came in the aftermath of the 1965 Indo-
China War wherein several thousands of 78 RPM copies had to be made and
sent out to certain specific places in the towns and cities of India.
A decade or so later, these were put out of operation owing to evolving
technology and eventually replaced in the 2000s by its first fully digital variant
that came to be widely used throughout the country, overlooking a few legal
and technical troubles – in the interest of serving an important public purpose.
How did the latest variant in this series of arguably forced measures regain its
usage all over the country last year?

The minute long video film used to play the
national anthem in movie halls.

12.
In the run up to the Rio Olympics in 2016, Nike pioneered the creation of its
much awaited AeroSwift product as a modern and safe alternative to an
outdated entity.
Functioning like a kinesiology tape dotted with 3-D printed plastic teeth,
aerodynamic studies revealed an advantage upon using them. They were
tested in a wide range of humid and sweaty conditions and seemed to serve
the purpose owing to their perforated polyester knitting.
What redundant accessory, kept alive to this day merely for sponsorship
purposes was this product trying to replace?

The bib pinned to track and field athletes.

13.
Muzdalifah is a region in Saudi Arabia that experiences heavy movement
of people and is sometimes thronged with thousands of visitors everyday.
It’s an area marked by its vast open spaces with most visitors having to
spend their stay open-air. Most significantly, the expanse of the region
and its geological characteristics are its prominent attractions that elicit
the large turnout of people.
What essential resource on the pilgrimage is abundantly sourced from
here, owing to the above natural traits of this region?

Collection of pebbles for the Stoning Of The
Devil at Mecca.

14.
Supun Kellapatha and Nadeeka Nonis are a Sri Lankan refugee couple living in
Hong Kong whose applications for asylum have taken a hit in the already
improbable process owing to their actions four years ago, setting the Sri
Lankan and the Hong Kong governments onto them for criminal prosecution.
Under the bonafide services of reputed local human rights lawyer Robert
Tibbo and with the $100,000 raised through extensive crowdfunding, efforts
are on to migrate them to Canada to get off the radar of the two countries.
What ‘crime’ of theirs, which aided a high profile evasion, are they currently
paying the price for?

Sheltering Edward Snowden after his email
leaks from the Hong Kong hotel.

15.
Mithapur is an Indian town that began to develop in the late 1930s thanks
to the establishment of a Tata Chemicals factory in its vicinity for the
creation of one of its flagship products.
Over the years, local doctors have observed a unique trend among
workers best summarized by a common slogan – “You either die of
gangrene or tuberculosis or you go blind.” With an average lifespan of
50-60 years, most workers in the town after their death are buried in a
unique way, with their hands and feet collected and burned separately to
ensure natural decomposition.
Where exactly do these employees work, that comes with these severely
hazardous implications on their lives?

The salt marshes of the Runn of Kutch, where
Tata Salt is sourced from.

16.
Max Yasgur, a hugely successful dairy farmer of the 1960s in New York state, was
infamously targeted by his neighbouring families who ostracized him from the
community and even sued him for property damage in 1970.
This outrage stemmed from an accommodative request he agreed to in
exchange for $10,000 – that was inevitable considering the wet year which
curtailed hay production. Despite damage caused to him and his resources, he
chose to stick to his principles and always believed he had done the right thing.
What decision was this, which elevated his stand to iconic status in the years that
followed?

Rented his farm out to the hosts of the
Woodstock festival in 1969.

17.
Qianmen is a local region in China best known for its once-thriving
community of Opera singers and classical scholars from the time of the
Qing dynasty.
Sometime last decade, this chapter of China’s cultural history came under
severe threat leading to a group of prominent scholars filing a petition with
the National People’s Congress asking for the damage to be halted,
warning about the erosion of the rich legacy of the place. However, it didn’t
help much as the region underwent severe changes which caught the
attention of the media all over the world.
What circumstances were responsible for this much criticized damage?

‘Cleansing’ of Beijing’s localities for the 2008
Olympics.

18.
To visualize the gruesome fate suffered by many individuals in this early 19th
century disaster, a certain individual developed relationships with the area
hospitals and morgues in Paris to study what happens to the body right
before and after death – which involved borrowing of limbs and other bits of
bodies like a severed head that enabled him to detail a landmark work
released in 1819.
The detailing of human body parts wasn’t limited to the landmark work but
also to works that were for entirely his own edification.
What work which, due to its association with cannibalism and the collapse of
society, was seen as a sensitive and bold move in the times?

Raft Of The Medusa by Theodore Gericault.

19.
Camilla Naprous owns a British company whose operations over the last 30
years have been carried out with the help of impeccable veterinary support,
ensuring the monopoly of their business.
Over the last couple of years, Camilla claims the company has had the most
challenging project in its history – requiring travel to remote locations in Belfast,
Croatia and Malta often having to make boat rides in difficult conditions to get
there, along with the setting up of make-shift camps in villages to accommodate
about a hundred of her subjects over several months and hiring 60 people
specifically to ensure their adequate training and well-being.
What project, that gave her subjects the biggest worldwide audience to date, is
this company an important feature of?

The horses used in the battle sequences on
Game of Thrones.

20.
Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent is an old family-based establishment that specializes
in a certain set of crops which are exported on a humungous scale around UK.
In the wake of Brexit, the owners raised serious concerns this year on the
sustainability of the business given how most labourers are from Romania or
Bulgaria, with a majority of them temporarily moving to Kent in the summer
months to meet the demands of their biggest client to whom nearly 28,000 kg
of the product has been supplied every year for over 3 decades – who now
oppose the idea of ever importing them in the event of stricter regulations.
What products are these, synonymous with the client and supplied to several
thousands of visitors each year?

The strawberries at Wimbledon.

21.
Bheru da Sthan is one of the longest standing temples in Lahore, built during
Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s rule over the region in the 19th century – mostly by the
largesse of his concubine Mora who summoned bricks from the 100 villages
she was granted, to help with the temple’s construction.
The origins are appropriately secular, as this temple has never faced an
existential threat – except once in the 1990s when the extremist group Jamaat-
i-Islami organized a large group of supporters who gathered around the
structure and issued a threat to eliminate it, which eventually fizzled out.
What explained this one-of-a-kind threat to its survival, never seen before or
after this incident?

To avenge the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

22.
‘90 moves in 9 seconds’ by Brooklyn based sculptor Jen Durbin is a
physical representation of a certain cylindrical object from a fleeting
reconstruction done across 486 frames.
After a keen observation of it, the artist produced a set of 10 sculptures
tracking its shifting spatial orientation, especially the path and angle with
various axes.
What object, that burst into popular consciousness over half a century
ago, is the subject of his work?

Jackie Kennedy’s pillbox hat during JFK’s
assassination.

23.
Francesco Boffo, an Italian architect, received a unique international project in
1825 which made him travel to Odessa in Ukraine.
The project intended to link the city’s entrance to the sea-shore which was done
through a massive engineering effort that locals initially complained caused
more harm than good for the sheer effort required to get through to the
entrance. The 142 metre long construction was eventually built by 1841 and
stood as a unique architectural accomplishment for the city.
How was this structure immortalized around the world roughly eight decades
later – following which it also came to be named after this moment that
brought it into the limelight?

The iconic staircase used in Sergei Eisenstein’s
Battleship Potemkin.

24.
Among the more controversial cases of land grabbing by the govt in the
USA in the 20th century was one that involved evicting Civil War refugee
families (and their descendants) – around 150 of whom were displaced
from the district called Hell’s Bottom along the Potomac river.
What followed was a project undertaken with the intention of not
obstructing the view across the river for strategic purposes. The design is
also said to have taken off from the seemingly inevitable instruction to
avoid the construction of elevators.
What unique design is this an explanation for?

The choice of shape for the Pentagon.

25.
The village panchayat of Goleshwar in Maharashtra issued an unusual
ultimatum to the state government earlier this year of threatening to auction
an artifact of national importance.
Led by the efforts of the man pictured ahead, the group alleges neglect by
the government after announcing a fund of Rs. 1.58 crore in 2009 to meet
their demands of setting up a world-class facility, as envisioned by the village’s
most famous resident in the 20th century.
What prestigious artifact, greatly treasured in the country’s history, are they
threatening to auction following this long-standing stalemate?

KD Jadhav’s bronze medal from the 1952
Helsinki Olympics.

26.
Gold Medal Camp Furniture was responsible for the first introduction of
this chair into the American market, with its innovative design winning
various awards for excellence in casual furniture design in the 1890s.
The design is said to be appropriately inspired from the Roman curule
chair (pictured), which was a symbol of political or military power and the
seat upon which magistrates holding imperium (the power to command)
were entitled to sit.
What chair is this, which gets its name from its regular use in a certain
occupation owing to its portability?

27.
In her autobiography A Patchwork Life, actress Leela Naidu narrates that after
having wrapped up shooting for one of her most famous films, she was
summoned onto the sets once again to have a retake of the final scenes due to
objections from distributors in the North.
They deemed the current ‘happy’ version of the ending unacceptable to the
audiences and their morality, owing to strong reasons of mythological faith.
Following this objection, two separate versions were released in the cow-belt
and the rest of the cosmopolitan market ending in death and peace respectively.
What popular real life character from a much talked about story was she
portraying in the film? What mythological character was cited by the producers
for suggesting that the original ending would not be accepted in the North?

Sylvia, of Nanavati-gate fame, as the character
of Neena in Yeh Raste Hain Pyar Ke.

Sita being banished after her abduction by
Ravana in the Ramayana.

28.
After their worst franchise year in the 1989-90 season, the San Antonio
Spurs’ lone bright spot was the acquisition of their new center with whose
help they had the single greatest season turnaround.
This started their upward trend, which saw them become a dominant force
in the sport for nearly the last 30 years. This makes the title of the Sports
Illustrated cover from 1990 on their new acquisition the ode it was meant to
be, where the gender of a 1968 American favorite song had been altered to
signify the value of their new signing.
What was the title of the SI cover from January 1990? Despite having drafted
their center in the year of 87, why did they have to wait till the 1990 to
acquire his services?

Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson
Drafted from the Naval academy, David was completing his
years of military service

29.
Being a blues harmonica player, he used to perform live in numerous
places. During one such performance – owing to the tightness of his
pants caused while binding the blues notes, he executed an almost
involuntary action.
This morphed into a habit and slowly creeped into all of his other
performances as a signature move, which resulted in the media
comparing him to an animal due to the ‘involuntary action’, with some
calling him deranged.
Who? Which animal is he compared to?

30.
Saffron is a multinational design company that counts among its clients
some of the biggest web enterprises in the recent past.
Earlier this year, they designed a unique font for a certain client intending
to rebrand itself for the first time since its founding over a decade ago.
The letters of the font were created to ensure an aesthetic unique to the
service – by having them softly rounded to match the outer edges of the
product’s most iconic element ‘used’ by millions of people around the
world on a daily basis.
What product is this? What is its core element that inspired the creation of
these letters?

31.
Documenta is a popular contemporary art show in Germany whose leg in
the town of Kassel this year attracted attention most notably for this
installation by Argentinian artist Marta Minujin.
Calling it the most political of her works, she declares that the freedom of
expression was the driving motivation behind this installation that takes
inspiration from an infamous 20th century incident.
What structure has been replicated here? What appropriate entities have
been used as the building blocks in its construction?

Made out of banned books, to
commemorate the infamous incident of
Nazis burning books in Kassel in 1933.

32.
Diclofenac was a livestock drug that found widespread usage in the Indian
subcontinent for the veterinary treatment of cattle animals a decade ago.
However, it was banned by the government following reports of the
contamination among certain other creatures whose numbers fell by almost
95% in and around Mumbai. The decision was arrived at after conservationist
groups and followers of a certain faith complained about the rapid
disappearance of these creatures, which were of prime importance in the vicinity
of Malabar Hill.
What creatures were these? What explained the alarmist concern from a certain
community for whom a tradition spanning thousands of years was under threat?

Vultures, which contracted the banned drug
from the carcasses of cattle.

Their dwindling presence hampered the
functioning of Dakhma – the tower of silence.

33.
Michaël Eytzinger was a 16th century cartographer whose career’s best
known work was in a political cause to aid the efforts at unification
following revolution in his homeland by offering them a ‘mascot’.
The country was going through its roughest times under the despotic
reign of Philip II of Spain whose establishment pejoratively referred to this
colony as ‘those lands around there’. After a successful effort at liberation,
Eytzinger created this sketch in 1583 which not only helped bring people
together but also found a lasting relationship with the land through a
certain design choice in 1807.
Which country did he create this for? How does the association endure to
this day?

Incorporated into the country’s official coat of
arms for its role in unifying the people.

34.
Comic Relief is a UK based charity organization that released the following
video last year bringing together celebrities from various walks of life.
In the clip, they are seen to be auditioning for a certain ‘role’ after nearly 30
years of the current one being in operation.
What role is being auditioned for? Which celebrity refused to take part in
the audition, cheekily demanding a doubling of his payment received in a
project from a couple of years ago, for ‘having to go through it all over
again’?

Eddie Redmayne, following his portrayal of
Hawking in the 2014 biopic.

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