BCQC March 2014 . Prelims - Annotated version

questionable intelligence . BCQC. 2014 . ramanand@gmail.com
Questionable
Intelligence
The March Open Quiz
Prelims+Answers
Annotated Version!
16th March 2014
J. Ramanand

What is an “annotated version”*?
*insert expletive here
I‟m a quizzer. I‟ve stopped offering apologies for it. In conversations with (the admitted small number of) non-
quizzers who know me, I am found trying to explain the kind of quizzing that I like doing. I am usually found
failing at this.
There are those whose only public view of me is via online media, which invariably and exclusively involves
posts about quizzing, ever since the decline of my personal blog. Which is why they ignore me, unfriend me,
or silently mouth vituperative phrases about me.
I‟ve always felt that quizzing, in the way that some of us do it, isn‟t as arcane as it is misinterpreted. Like with
cryptic crosswords, once someone shows you how it is done, they will see (cue: heavenly light of
enlightenment). The aim is to get people to figure out/get comfortable with this process. I wouldn't ask most of
these qns for an audience I know is not regularly quizzing, but this isn‟t wholly out of reach either.
I did this quiz in March 2014, and thought I might try posting a version of the questions with some notes on
how to solve them. Or figure out that yes, this is irremediably arcane.
This is for the occasional quizzer, the budding student quizzer, the non-quizzer.
Presumptuous, perhaps. Let‟s find out.

These are 26 preliminary questions that I did for a quiz
organized by the BCQC, Pune.
Each question appears on a slide – you can take a shot at
them. On the following slide are some hints and a
possible approach. The third slide in the triplet will have
the answers, with some final notes.
Since this is a “General quiz”, questions range around a
variety of topics. Some of them claim to have clues within
them, and hence hold the possibility of „working the
answer out‟.

In computer science terminology, if a set
of eight bits is called a ‘byte’, what is a set
of four bits called?
1

In computer science terminology, if a set
of eight bits is called a ‘byte’, what is a set
of four bits called?
1
How to attempt solving this
Assuming you believe this can be worked out, what facts in
the question can you spend time on? Naturally the word
“byte”, which sounds like “bite”.
What word could signify “half a bite”? is a question that has
probably formed in your head by now.

Answer
A Nibble
(makes sense? “Nibble” is a little bite. Perhaps “peck” would make a good
guess too. Good guesses, though not rewarding points-wise, are better
than uneducated guesses)

Two special (Indian) National Tourism
Awards were announced in 2013 to the
director of a 2012 film and a writer
associated with it, for promoting
Munnar and Pondicherry as tourist
destinations. Which film?
2

Two special (Indian) National Tourism Awards were
announced in 2013 to the director of a 2012 film and a
writer associated with it, for promoting Munnar and
Pondicherry as tourist destinations. Which film?
2
During the prelims, I gave out the clue that this was a non-Indian film. Again,
assuming this is a reasonably well-known film (or else let’s stone the QM),
what to take out? Shot in South India. Awards in 2013. Based on a book. Made
India famous, so story presumably set in India too. Extremely well
photographed, likely.

Answer
Life of Pi, to Ang Lee & Yann Martel
Those of you who’ve seen the film perhaps see how this makes sense with the
clues. (Life of Pi is partly set in Pondicherry, an unusual location even for
Indian films.)
Those of you who haven’t heard of the film or book: rush, as they say, to the
nearest exit and thence to the online store.

According to Islam, Iblis was a type of
‘jinn’ who was expelled from Paradise
because he refused to obey Allah’s orders
to bow to Adam. What word was
therefore applied to Iblis?
3

According to Islam, Iblis was a type of ‘jinn’ who was expelled
from Paradise because he refused to obey Allah’s orders to
bow to Adam. What word was therefore applied to Iblis?
3
This is harder than it looks. What do I know of Islamic mythology, you ask?
Once again, let’s trust the ‘pitch’ – assume this is something you may know
about.
So: some kind of a bad chap in Islam. What could fit?

Answer
Shaitan
Known to most Indians, I am sure.

What suffix is applied to monstrously
large 100 x 100 Sudoku puzzles? (i.e. they
are called “Sudoku-___ puzzles” – fill in
the blank).
4

What suffix is applied to monstrously
large 100 x 100 Sudoku puzzles? (i.e. they
are called “Sudoku-___ puzzles” – fill in
the blank).
4
This relies more on your knowledge of Japanese culture than Sudoku. Why
Japanese? Because Sudoku originates from Japan – that may not be your first
line of thinking, but that is essential here.
What are the clues here? 100x100 (something to do with googol?) puzzles?
Monstrously? Hang on…

Answer
Sudoku-zilla
You are familiar with the sizeist monster “Godzilla”, I hope. OK, this is
perhaps a hard one to get right, but again, the trick is to be able to generate
some plausible options without getting too stuck, and then picking the best of
what you have.
By the way, this isn’t a strict term; I think someone created it as the title of a
book about monstrously large puzzles of that size. Michael Bay and Roland
Emmerich have purchased the screen rights to it, I hear.

In which language is the name of
Switzerland written on coins of the
Swiss Franc?
5

In which language is the name of
Switzerland written on coins of the
Swiss Franc?
5
Probably a tough one, depending on what you know about Switzerland and
languages. But hopefully, nice to learn about, which is also one of the aims of
going to a quiz, apart from strutting about and showing off your knowledge about
“Breaking Bad” (eh, what is that?).
Let’s see: if you can’t work this out, then just guess a European language. Those of
you who collect stamps may have come across the Swiss name on them
(“Helvetia”). Those of you who’ve gone cuckoo over Swiss cheese may know that
Switzerland has a lot of local languages compared to the avg. European state.

Answer
Latin. Switzerland has four
official languages (German,
Italian, French, and Romansh),
so the coin is language-neutral.
As a quiz-setter, I like this question because it captures a little bit about the
underlying socio-political structure of Switzerland and also brings in the
neutrality aspect that the country is famous for.

This is the flag of which organization?
6

This is the flag of which organization?
6
This is deceptively devoid of any clues, so again, put your faith in the pitch.
Stare closely at the picture – it doesn’t seem as much as a stylized set of objects as
it looks like a stylized set of letters. Also, this is an ‘organization’.

Answer
OPEC
If you didn’t see that, go back a slide – you will spot it. It’s in your face. Just like
OPEC is.

In the Chota Bheem series, this lady is the mother of
Chutki and her laddoos are the victim of Bheem’s sweet
tooth.
Which yesteryear Hindi film singer-actress shares her
name with this character?
7

In the Chota Bheem series, this lady is the mother of
Chutki and her laddoos are the victim of Bheem’s sweet
tooth.
Which yesteryear Hindi film singer-actress shares her
name with this character?
7
This q is ideally suited for teams with wide variance in age. If you are not in one of
them, then your best bet is to think of a former singer-actress. There are, I fear,
quite a lot of them, but are all of them so large?
[Perhaps toughest on those participants who are too old to have missed the Chota
Bheem revolution and too young to have enjoyed this actress’s antics]

Answer
Tun Tun

Identify this avid quizzer who won the 1985 IIT
Delhi Director's Gold Medal.
Image: IIT Delhi
8

Identify this avid quizzer
who won the 1985 IIT Delhi
Director's Gold Medal.
Image: IIT Delhi
8
Ok, possibly famous guy. I don’t know any avid quizzers except the jerk who set
this quiz, so ignore that red herring. 1985 – so in his 50s now.
Now let’s look at him closely: try ageing him, remove moustache, lesser hair may
be, more beard may be.
Looks like an intelligent guy, despite that quizzer part.

Answer
Raghuram Rajan,
present RBI Governor
Image: FirstPost.com
Aged well, don’t you think?

Who is welcoming
whom, during the
latter’s visit to this
centre?
(June 1970)
Image: Wikipedia
9

Who is welcoming
whom, during the
latter’s visit to this
centre?
Image: Wikipedia
9
Clearly something to do with space, given the guy at the back. You need to identify
a lady and the gent. Here’s where general awareness/schoolboy knowledge will
help. The lady – there are very few of them who fit that timeline – is perhaps easier
to guess, due to lack of options. The gentleman: 1970? Famous? What would make
this answer really cool?

Answer
Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in space)
Neil Armstrong (first man on the moon)
(at the Yuri Gagarin Centre in Russia)
What’s nice about this photo is that despite the USSR-USA space
race, they managed moments like these: Armstrong was invited
over after winning the moon for the US. Yuri Gagarin is a good
option too, but it’s not as cool as a photo of a Russian cosmonaut
and the US astronaut.

This is Malala Yousufzai
addressing a conference
at the United Nations in
July 2013.
She is wearing a shawl
that once belonged to
whom?
10

This is Malala Yousufzai
addressing a conference at the
United Nations in July 2013.
She is wearing a shawl that once
belonged to whom?
10
If you know anything about Malala, it would be that she is Pakistani, and a symbol
of Pakistani girls. If the shawl “once belonged to someone”, it’s worth wondering if
that someone is still around.

Answer
Benazir Bhutto, the former Pak PM.
How many Pak women in public life do you know? (If the answer
is “lots”, then you are certainly well aware. Shabaash.)

This is a bureaucratic rendition of the
opening lines of a famous literary work.
Which work?
“____, ____ with refulgent conflagration
in the nocturnal afforestation
kindly provide details regarding nature of supernatural identity
responsible for your design and technology”
11

This is a bureaucratic rendition of the
opening lines of a famous literary work.
Which work?
“____, ____ with refulgent conflagration
in the nocturnal afforestation
kindly provide details regarding nature of supernatural identity
responsible for your design and technology”
11
Tough one, no doubt. But let’s attempt. Bureaucrats are notorious for using long
words where smaller ones would do. If you’ve finished your Dilip Oak’s GRE word
list, you may be able to translate some of the words into simpler English. Clearly,
an English poem. The first two words are not given, indicating this is hard to
translate without giving it away.

Answer
‘Tyger Tyger Burning Bright’ by
William Blake
Tyger, tyger, burning bright.
In the forests of the night,.
What immortal hand or eye.
Could frame thy fearful
symmetry?

According to the Chicago Manual of Style,
an “orphan” line is the first line of a
paragraph that appears on the bottom of a
page by itself (the rest of the paragraph is on
the next page). What name is given to the
opposite case where the last line of a
paragraph appears alone on the next page?
12

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, an “orphan”
line is the first line of a paragraph that appears on the
bottom of a page by itself (the rest of the paragraph is on
the next page). What name is given to the opposite case
where the last line of a paragraph appears alone on the
next page?
12
One of those questions where it should be possible to come up with a plausible
guess. What could be the opposite of an ‘orphan’? Someone older perhaps, OR
someone who has lost children (is there a word for it?), etc.

Answer
Widow
To be honest, there’s no clear cut logic behind such terms – but it kind of makes
sense. (I hope.) Best not to over-think these matters.

Arjuna, from the Mahabharata, was nicknamed
“Savyasachi”. What ability, also seen in sportsmen
such as
Sachin Tendulkar
Kobe Bryant
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Paolo Maldini
Jonny Wilkinson
does this refer to?
13

Arjuna, from the Mahabharata, was nicknamed
“Savyasachi”. What ability, also seen in sportsmen
such as
Sachin Tendulkar
Kobe Bryant
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Paolo Maldini
Jonny Wilkinson
does this refer to?
13
So it’s a skill of some kind. Since, out of this
list, you are perhaps most familiar with
Sachin, think of aspects associated with
him.
“Savyasachi” – hmm, Sanskrit. What does
the word mean? Something to do with
“sach” (truth?)

Answer
Ambidexterity (can use both
hands/feet equally well)
The “truth” angle didn’t get us anywhere, but hopefully it
struck your mind that Sachin writes with his left hand
while batting right handed. This is a skill that sportsmen
might find useful.
One possible guess might be “sharp”-ness, since Arjuna
was involved.
I considering putting in hints such as “this helps double
their skill” etc., but found it too much pandering.

This 2006 Malayalam film is named after its
lead character, a tough cop played by
Mohanlal. The character’s last name is a
tribute to his own mother (this helps the
film indulge in what is known in Tamil
movies as ‘mother sentiment’).
In a strange coincidence, this film’s name is
the same as a Pune-based industrialist.
What name?
14

This 2006 Malayalam film is named after its lead character, a tough cop played
by Mohanlal. The character’s last name is a tribute to his own mother (this helps
the film indulge in what is known in Tamil movies as ‘mother sentiment’).
In a strange coincidence, this film’s name is the same as a Pune-based
industrialist. What name?
14
Local question, since this is set in Pune. So unless you know your Malayalam/Lal-
ettan films, let’s try to work this out:
This character’s last name has to also be a possible female name (“Kiran”-types).
That rules out Pune industrialists such as Rahul Bajaj or Lila Poonawalla.

Answer
Baba Kalyani

This formerly princely state in Satara district
is home to the Shri Bhavani Museum,
boasting of several articles of European and
Indian art, including works by Henry Moore
and Raja Ravi Varma. What is this former
state, which shares its name with a part of
Pune?
15

This formerly princely state in Satara district is home to
the Shri Bhavani Museum, boasting of several articles of
European and Indian art, including works by Henry
Moore and Raja Ravi Varma. What is this former
state, which shares its name with a part of Pune?
15
Simple, just pick a part of Pune to guess. Be done with it.

Answer
Aundh, as it turns out

Because his cameos were much anticipated
and ruined the mood he was trying to create
in his films, Alfred Hitchcock began
appearing earlier than before in his
films, usually within the first 30 minutes. In
an episode of “Koffee with Karan”, Mahesh
Bhatt says a similar strategy was used by his
production house for something (in some of
their films). For what?
16

Because his cameos were much anticipated and ruined the mood
he was trying to create in his films, Alfred Hitchcock began
appearing earlier than before in his films, usually within the first
30 minutes. In an episode of “Koffee with Karan”, Mahesh Bhatt
says a similar strategy was used by his production house for
something (in some of their films). For what?
16
What aspect of films related to the Bhatt production house could
you identify? Music (usually crowd-pleasing), somewhat sleazy esp.
with the Emraan Hashmi brand of films, …

Answer
Emraan Hashmi’s mandatory kiss in their films
was done with as early as possible so as to get
on with the rest of the story.
I found this to be a very interesting piece of trivia: it’s a nice way to talk
about Hitchcock’s clever strategy (Hitchcock was all about commercial
success in his day after all), how film genres evolve, and someone like
Mahesh Bhatt who straddles all these highbrow and lowbrow worlds.
(BTW, in his interviews, Emraan Hashmi comes across as being very
erudite and intelligent)

The first ever question asked was:
“Who are all of the ____ employees”
It was answered by Adam D’Angelo as:
Adam D'Angelo, Charlie Cheever, Rebekah Cox, and
Kevin Der
Fill in the blank.
17

The first ever question asked was:
“Who are all of the ____ employees”
It was answered by Adam D’Angelo as:
Adam D'Angelo, Charlie Cheever, Rebekah Cox, and
Kevin Der
Fill in the blank.
17
It’s very hard, at first glance, to figure out what area this fits into – but it is
something to do with questions and an organization with employees. Possible
options: some quiz contest? Some company/place to ask questions?

Answer
Quora, the Q&A website (Adam, the CEO, answered the
test qn on their site, naming himself and his colleagues)
In hindsight, this question’s framing is a little too cryptic – nothing much
to hold on to in terms of clues. If it clicks – the business could be a site –
then you might have a chance.

What does the ‘G’ stand for in this
advertisement featuring Novak Djokovic?
[video removed]
18

What does the ‘G’ stand for in this
advertisement featuring Novak Djokovic?
[video removed]
18
The ad shows Djokovic using a very powerful racquet – it’s fair to assume that the
composition of the racquet is at the heart of the “G” mystery.

Answer
Graphene
This is a super-material which apparently
makes racquet frames very light. Graphene (not
to be mistaken with Graphite) is all over the
place in emerging materials technology.
Not all that guessable, but hopefully, something
to be learn about.

Considered by some to be “the most
memorable Bond girl ever”, who is seen here
receiving an honorary BAFTA award in April
2013 from Sir Kenneth Branagh, for services
to film and television?
19

Considered by some to be “the most
memorable Bond girl ever”, who is seen here
receiving an honorary BAFTA award in April
2013 from Sir Kenneth Branagh, for services
to film and television?
19
Think of Bond girls – this dame looks a
little old, so think older Bond girls.
Also think of possible red herrings.
Look at the background behind.

Answer
Queen Elizabeth II
Ah, so yes, a bit of a trick question. The Queen
appeared beside Bond during the 2012 London
Olympics opening ceremony, and so despite not
being strictly a Bond girl, hopefully this was a nice
way to approach this.

This vegetable is an important symbol in Taiwan, because the
country’s shape is often compared to it.
Which vegetable?
Image: Wikipedia
20

This vegetable is an important symbol in Taiwan, because the
country’s shape is often compared to it.
Which vegetable?
Image: Wikipedia
20
Your best bet is to think of different vegetables that might fit
this shape, and guess. Given the geography, you may also
think of vegetables that is used in Chinese cuisine.

Answer
Sweet Potato
This may not be the most obvious thing
to guess, or be something that you
closely identify with Chinese cooking. Or
maybe you did know this or get lucky
with your guessing.
Image: bonappetit.com

Edward Tufte is renowned for his data visualizations. He is also a sculptor. He
held an exhibit called “All Possible Photons: The Conceptual and Cognitive Art
of _____ _____”.
Here are some examples from it. What are the words in the blank?
Image: Edward Tufte
21

…contd. Image: Edward Tufte

Image: Edward Tufte
21
Clearly something to do with Physics (‘photons’) and
diagrams. If you know a little bit about the subject, then
perhaps something comes to mind? (it’s not a very obscure
topic for enthusiasts of science)

Answer
“Feynman Diagrams”. The physicist Richard Feynman created these diagrams
to depict Quantum Electrodynamic concepts. In one instance, he put them on a van (Tufte seen
below with Feynman’s van)
If you didn’t know this, or don’t know of Feynman, you should
definitely read up more about one of the most influential physicists
of all time.
Image: Edward Tufte

What were Sachin Tendulkar and Roger
Federer backing? 22

What were Sachin Tendulkar and Roger
Federer backing? 22
nothing to do with tennis or cricket? 2020 looks like a
reference to the year. Who is the lady next to RF?

Answer
Squash’s bid to be included in the 2020
Olympics. If you’ve read about sports like
wrestling fighting to stay or be included
in the Olympics for 2020 – squash was
one of them. The lady is Nicol
David, world no. 1 in squash.

In 1922, Leonard Jennings, a British sculptor,
created a sculpture of soldiers to mark the
contributions of the princely states of Jodhpur,
Mysore, and Hyderabad to the Empire during
World War I. In 1930, another building came up
near this landmark to house the Commander-
in-Chief of the British military in India. Which
place, and who was the last resident of this
place?
23

In 1922, Leonard Jennings, a British sculptor, created a
sculpture of soldiers to mark the contributions of the princely
states of Jodhpur, Mysore, and Hyderabad to the Empire during
World War I. In 1930, another building came up near this
landmark to house the Commander-in-Chief of the British
military in India. Which place, and who was the last resident of
this place?
23
Several likely clues. Some kind of famous sculpture? Doesn’t say where in India – but since it
housed the C-in-C, probably the capital i.e. New Delhi. There were three states – when you
see a list, always try to see if the number is useful. All princely states – something to do with
war or royalty? Was the last resident the Army chief, or some kind of leader? May be Indians
stayed there after independence? The q says “last” – does that mean no one stays there
anymore, or there was someone who still stays there? “Was” – so probably not occupied.

Answer
Teen Murti Bhavan, the residence of Jawaharlal Nehru
until his death. It now houses a museum to his
memory.
“teen murti” – “3 statues”. The first part is more
guessable than the person.
Image: Wikipedia

In Olympic records (Summer and Winter)
from 1956 till 1964, this team (represented
by a flag with Olympic rings in it) is
identified by the code “EUA”. Which region
did this team represent?
24

In Olympic records (Summer and Winter)
from 1956 till 1964, this team (represented
by a flag with Olympic rings in it) is
identified by the code “EUA”. Which region
did this team represent?
24
So this team briefly took part in the Olympics. This suggests that either they represented a
country that no longer existed, or they represented a group of people who could not or were
not able to take part under their country’s name. Since the flag had Olympic rings on it,
likely that this is not about a country (or a country whose Olympic association is
suspended).
What was the geopolitical nature of the world then? What continent could this region be in?
What can we make of the letters ‘E’, ‘U’, and ‘A’?

Answer
The Unified Team of Germany
(Équipe Unifiée d'Allemagne)
A tough one to get purely by working it out – an educated
guess could work here. This acronyms was French-based,
making it harder.
I found this very interesting, which is why it’s in the quiz.

This word of interest to quizzers was created by the writer Norman
Mailer and defined as:
“facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or
newspaper”
And anecdotally as:
“something that everyone knows is true, except it ain't!”
What word?
25

This word of interest to quizzers was created by the writer Norman Mailer and defined as:
“facts which have no existence before appearing in a magazine or newspaper”
And anecdotally as:
“something that everyone knows is true, except it ain't!”
What word?
25
Where do you start here? It could be anything which means “a fact which can’t be trusted”.
Think of such words or prefixes – “apocryphal”? “un-”, “something fact”, “counterfactual”
etc.?

Answer
Factoid
Often used (incorrectly) as a “little fact” or
“little piece of information”.

“___ ____ syndrome : idiopathic facial paralysis during
pregnancy”
This 2006 paper by Hellebrand et al studies the
increased incidence (“up to 3.3 times”) of Bell’s Palsy
during pregnancy.
(Bell’s Palsy: weakness or paralysis of muscles on
side of the face)
What are the missing words above?
26

“___ ____ syndrome : idiopathic facial paralysis during pregnancy”
This 2006 paper by Hellebrand et al studies the increased incidence (“up to 3.3
times”) of Bell’s Palsy during pregnancy.
(Bell’s Palsy: weakness or paralysis of muscles on side of the face)
What are the missing words above?
26
The missing words possibly indicate the name of a person – may be someone whose face is
notable for something. Does that person have paralysis? Got to be a woman, right? Because
of the pregnancy part?

Answer
Mona Lisa
One conjecture is that the enigmatic
Mona Lisa smile is because the subject
was pregnant and had Bell’s Palsy
(a popular wrong guess was Sylvester Stallone – fits a lot
of the criteria except for the ‘woman’ part. Had it not
been intended as a slightly tough qn – this is a
competitive prelims after all – I would have liked to
provide more clues. Throw in words such as ‘enigmatic’
or ‘famous woman’.
Image: Wikipedia

What did you think?
The act of writing these notes helped me analyse several things about these
questions: how accessible they were, what could be a particular route to
answering a question, how amenable some questions were to „working out‟,
compared to others, and striking a balance between offering the quiz to know-
it-alls and work-it-outs.
Tell me if you found this useful/loathful in any way, and if it changed the way
you look at some of this kind of quizzing.
Like Prince Charles and African Elephants, I‟m all ears. Email me at
ramanand@gmail.com
A non-annotated version of this prelims is available here. The finals are
available here.

Questionable Intelligence
Prelims End
Infinite Zounds
J. Ramanand

BCQC March 2014 . Prelims - Annotated version

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