LitSoc Main Quiz 2017 - Finals

litsoc main quiz
gaf/ ananth ‘stan’ sundararaman/kat
finals

dries 1
8 questions
+10/0 on bounce
+10/-5 on pounce

1. Two parts - who’s speaking,
and what is he reading out?

mark hamill reading
donald trump’s tweets

Male boxers, after Rio 2016, have stopped a certain practice that has
been part of the sport for many years.
Rather ironically, it is supposed to increase safety by playing on the
psychological effect that less force will be used. Major injuries will be
avoided but minor ones may become more prevalent.
Another way this increases safety is by preventing obstruction of
peripheral perspective.
What has been banned now in men’s boxing?
2.

3.
Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) is a fluorine-based plastic designed to
have high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range.
Structural panels made out of ETFE cladding allows more light and heat
penetration than traditional glass, resulting in a 30% decrease in energy
costs.
In 2004, the use of ETFE panels we're confirmed for a certain building. The
building itself is modelled after a ‘Weaire–Phelan structure’, a complex 3-D
representation of soap lather. While a true Weaire-Phelan structure
maintains that the edge of each cell is curved in order to maintain 109.5
degree angles at each vertex, this was not followed in the design of the
building for want of a better support system that could resist axial
compression.
Which building employed these ETFE panels?

4. An excerpt from a news article:
“_ _ _ has begun living the fantasy life of a blossoming male teenager. He
lives and roams luxuriously. He eats and sleeps a ton. And he’ll have sex up
to three times a day.
“He enjoys it quite a bit,” said Stewart Fitzgibbon, commercial manager at
Castleton Lyons farm in Lexington, Ky. “And it’s not hard to see why.”
After _ _ _ retired, his breeding rights were sold to Coolmore Stud for an
undisclosed amount in 2014. He now commands $200,000 per cover
(impregnation), and according to the New York Times, has taken to his new
career with the same drive and skill as he did his old one.”
FITB.

5. This is an anatomically incorrect object, but still heavily used
now by people around the world. In Ancient Greece, this
symbol was used to portray a vine leaf (image on next slide). In
Ancient Italy, ivy leaves signified procreation, fidelity and
rebirth.
The current connotation of this symbol seems to have been
arrived at by a mistaken understanding of human anatomy. The
advent of playing cards from the middle ages onwards caused a
great surge in popularity of this connotation of this object.
What is being spoken of?

why does the heart
emoji denote the heart?

6.
This phrase originated from the Bible (Isaiah 57), and referred to
the eternal torment of Hell that awaited sinners. The phrase
became a lot more common in the 1930s (when it was used as a
title of a Little Orphan Annie comic strip), and is now used to
express a belief that someone will have to work with no break for
sometime.
Its usage now is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, implying that the
person will have to work hard as a result of their sins, although
their immorality is never literally implied.

7. This custom of following opposite practices on both sides of the
Atlantic relating to a food product goes back to the USA’s decision
to not mandate vaccination of chickens for salmonella. Due to no
vaccination, US food processing agencies use a process that
involves soap/shampoo and hot water, which then ends up
washing away the ‘bloom’, a natural antibacterial protective
cuticle on the product. As a result an oil coating and then
_____________ must be done to prevent bacterial issue. None of
this is mandated in Commonwealth countries such as India. Which
opposite practises, that makes products on either side of the
Atlantic illegal is being explained here?

8. The word X was named the Word of the 20th Century by the American
Dialect Society. One of the most striking aspects of X is its speed and energy.
One theory is that this first gained in popularity in the red light districts, and
therefore got its name from a shortening of a type of perfume used by
prostitutes.
A variant (homophone?) of the word is also slang for a woman’s backside. On
a related note, as it traveled from New Orleans to New York, a major source
of irritation was the erasing of the first letter from posters to denote the
same.
What’s the good word?

special round
instagram accounts
5x +5/0

1.
On the next slide you will see a
screenshot from an Instagram
account that has a one-word
name. The word references what
this company/service offers. It is
also used often in sports
reporting to reference a
superlative performance from an
individual or sometimes a team.
What is the word?

2.
Murad Hossman is a music video photographer, but he shot
to fame on social media a few years ago for a series of
photographs featuring him and his girlfriend. The project
was started in 2011 and is called “Follow Me”. The
uniqueness of this series is the perspective of the pictures.
What is the premise of the pictures in this person’s project?

The following slides have
some pictures from a
company’s account. Which
company?3.

4.
Whose pictures do you
see in the following
slides?

5.
Again, ID the account. It’s
American.
Account bio: “This is the
official X account. Stay tuned
for pictures of X &
travel-related images.”

2.
Murad Hossman is a music video photographer, but he shot to fame on social
media a few years ago for a series of photographs featuring him and his
girlfriend. The project was started in 2011 and is called “Follow Me”. The
uniqueness of this series is the perspective of the pictures. What is the
premise of the pictures in this person’s project?

The following slides have some pictures
from a company’s account. Which
company?
3.

4. Whose pictures do you see in the
following slides?

5.
Again, ID the account. It’s American.
Account bio: “This is the official X
account. Stay tuned for pictures of X &
travel-related images.”

dries 2
8 questions
+10/0 on bounce
+10/-5 on pounce

9.
_____ is a 1945 movie starring X who
plays the lead role as character Y. The
plot is set in the 16th century and
chronicles the story of Y, who is
deeply in love with Krishna, but is
married against her wishes to
Nagaiah, the Rana of Mewar.
X, Y?

10. PAPA is an organization supporting the game of _______ as a recreational and
competitive sport. Towards that end, they have built two world-class annual
tournaments, created the PAPA Tournament Circuit
During the tournament, the settings on machines are adjusted to avoid giving random
awards, so that scores reflect mostly skill and not luck. The physical setup of the
machines is also configured to make things as challenging as possible. This can be done
in a number of ways, for example:
● Adjusting or removing outlane posts, which make the side drain gaps larger.
● Increasing the playfield angle (by adjusting the legs on the cabinet). This makes
it more difficult to make shots in the back of the playfield.
● Making the "tilt" mechanism more strict, allowing less nudging and shaking of
the machine.
Which sport, or expand PAPA.

11.
BACA, or _ _ _ Against Child Abuse, are an organization of _ _ _ with
multiple chapters around the world who help victims of child abuse by
essentially acting as bodyguards to them - standing guard outside houses at
night, escorting victims to school and welcoming them into their tight-knit,
usually very exclusive community.
A member explains why they’re so effective: 'We're a rough lot, and we're
scarier than their perpetrators. We are scarier than their demons. It works',
going on to add, 'They get that any one of us would gladly take a bullet for
them. It is probably the most important role in my life. These kids have no
one. We're that single strand of barbed wire between hell and happiness for
them. All these kids are our heroes. We're just the guys who ride around and
give them some support. I'm in it for life.'
FITB.

12.
Richard Brennan released a
dictionary of scientific terms. What
are the first and last terms of this
dictionary?
The first term has two words and is
a lower limit.
The second term is a single word
that comes from Greek for “to join”
or “to yoke”.

13.
X is the son of two-time Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Prem
Kumar Dhumal. He was elected unopposed as the head of the HPCA
at the age of 25. He aspired to become a selector for the BCCI, but
faced a roadblock - he hadn’t played in the Ranji Trophy, a necessary
condition to become selector. Not to be deterred, he selected himself
as a player for HP’s Ranji team, played a game (scoring a duck) and
became a selector. He rose up the ranks steadily, until finally being
ousted in early 2017.
Who?

14. The story of this item’s conception involves a plane, where a certain
company’s chief executive was told by a celebrity that is was tough
for her to find a leather weekend <word> she liked. The chief
executive then designed, in 1984, a <word> for her which was
spacious with many pockets to contain many items. What was
designed now is an item of extreme luxury and is named after the
celebrity. What item?
Additionally, a hairstyle is named after this same person. What is the
name given to this hairdo, which sounds similar to the <word>
named after as well?

15. When X was chosen to represent his country for the Rome Olympics, he and his
teammate Wakjira were taken to meet the Emperor, who remarked "How can
such thin people win?" At that time, X measured 5'10'' and weighed 126 pounds.
However, X upset both the heavily favoured Soviet Sergei Popov and Moroccan
Rhadi Ben Abdesselam on his way to a gold. There were political overtones to X’s
victory in Rome. Italy, under Mussolini had invaded his country in 1935, causing
the Emperor to go into exile in England for several years.
Identify X, after whom the Vibram named their first running-specific shoe.

16.
Goldsmiths were perhaps the first professionals to diversify into
this line. The hippopotamus and the walrus have served as sources
of raw materials for this product. Large social gatherings such as
the Battle of Waterloo and other similar events have also served
as sources for this purpose. The first man made substance that
was used was vulcanite, produced by the Goodyear family. Modern
versions are made of Polymethylmethacrylate or PMMA.
What product is this?

special round
hp mashups
5x +5/0

dries 3
8 questions
+10/0 on bounce
+10/-5 on pounce

Improper play in this sport has caused a surprisingly high number of deaths
and injuries. Severe injuries are almost always caused by amateur organizers
using the wrong types of ____ and underestimating the forces generated by
play, according to the president of the USTOWA.
A man participating in a game in Tennessee in 1995 had the ____ wrapped
around his hand, which is a bad practice. In the middle of the game, events
led to his hand being torn entirely off.
Another casualty Jim Thurber says, “I had retired. But I thought it was one
more chance to give the municipality a hand.” He never suspected he’d mean
that in a literal sense.
What sport is this?
17.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel was a Prussian architect, city planner, and painter who also
designed furniture and stage sets. He is known for his extensive use of metals in the
design of buildings. Being an innovator, he often preferred to construct statues with
metals such as zinc and then give a stone or bronze-look finish to make them look like
sculptures.
He is best remembered for re-designing X, upon being commissioned by King Freidrich
Wilhelm III of Prussia. While the colors of X were derived from the colors of the
Teutonic Order’s shield insignia, the design was that of a cross pattee. The item itself
was made from an alloy of copper, zinc, nickel and not only just a single metal like the
name suggested.
X?
18.

X was installed on the eve of Y, causing considerable media attention. It was
commissioned by State Street Global Advisors (and designed by artist Kristen Visbal)
to signal its solidarity with the day’s demonstrators.
The move was part of SSGA’s ongoing campaign to pressure top companies to rectify
an imbalance that they noticed on the companies’ boards. Another strategy in their
campaign is to wield their ability to vote in board meetings of companies (as a result of
the shares they own) in order to engineer a move in this direction.
Speaking about X, the CEO said, “The artist, Kristen Visbal, was terrific in trying to
understand what this commission was really about. Early renditions had a more
confrontational pose. But the point was not that—it was not “You versus me.” The
point was that where there once was just a you, now there’s a me, and we’re here
together. I’m getting a little intergalactic on you! Sorry.”
X?
19.

______ : A Game is a new video game released by the Game Innovation Lab
and has been called “the world’s most improbable game” by the Smithsonian
Magazine. The game’s objectives are to collect arrowheads, cast their fishing
poles into a tranquil pond, buy penny candies and perhaps even jot notes in a
journal. The developers came up with the game to reinforce humans’
connection to the natural world and to challenge our hurried culture,
channeling the work done by a man born a little over 200 years ago.
“You can choose how to spend your time, what to emphasize, the ways the
game can play out,” a developer says. “You might spend all your time in the
woods, you might focus on bean farming, you could become a famous author
— sending off articles to your editor, Horace Greeley — or you could become
an activist, working on the Underground Railroad.”
What is the name of the game?
20.

The phenomenon revealed differences in human colour perception which have been the
subject of ongoing scientific investigation in neuroscience and vision science, with a
number of papers published in peer-reviewed science journals.
One hypothesis focuses on the naming of colours as a possible explanation. According to
this view, the eye can differentiate between over 3 million colours but we only have
names for 20 to 30 of them. The Journal of Vision, a scientific journal about vision
research, announced in March 2015 that a special issue about this would be published
with the title A Dress Rehearsal for Vision Science.
One researcher commented, “Our visual system is supposed to throw away information
about the illuminant and extract information about the actual reflectance... but I've
studied individual differences in colour vision for 30 years, and this is one of the biggest
individual differences I've ever seen.”
What is being talked about?
21.

A widely held belief that Xs are rigged is actually true. The owner of an X
can fine-tune its settings so that power is routed to the X only a fraction of
the time that people play. Alternatively, the owner can manually adjust the
“dropping skill” as well - this means that on a fraction of tries, the X will
have power cut to it before the player’s objective can be achieved.
Xs also allow the owner to select a desired level of profit, and then to
adjust X strength to make sure that the margin is achieved.
X?
22.

The _____ _____ Statue of Integrity is
located in a Swedish Forest as a tribute
to someone. It was created by Icelandic
artist Jón Leifsson and just like this
person would have wanted, it is alone
and deep in the forest. This person was
so famously demanding of privacy and
solitude that a word denoting a recluse
derives from his/her name. Who?
23.

special round
asterix round
5x +5/0

1.
ID the alcoholic drink.
____ is any of a variety of alcoholic
beverages. The word originally referred to
a drink made with water and rum, which
British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon
introduced into the naval squadron he
commanded in the West Indies on 21
August 1740. Vernon wore a coat of
_______ cloth and was nicknamed Old
____.

2. ID the term.
The origin of the expression is unknown. It is supposed it to be the use of a kipper (a
strong-smelling smoked fish) to train hounds to follow a scent, or to divert them from the
correct route when hunting. However, modern linguistic research suggests that the term was
probably invented in 1807 by English polemicist William Cobbett, referring to one occasion on
which he had supposedly used a kipper to divert hounds from chasing a hare, and was never an
actual practice of hunters.

3.
ID the person on the right.
____ is any of a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to a drink
made with water and rum, which British Vice Admiral Edward Vernon introduced into
the naval squadron he commanded in the West Indies on 21 August 1740. Vernon wore
a coat of _______ cloth and was nicknamed Old ____.

4.
ID the real life inspiration behind Mykingdomforanos, the chief of a tribe seen
in “Asterix in Britain”.
He was a Labor Party politician who served as the prime minister of UK from
1964-70 and 1974-76.

5.
Which actor did Uderzo model Subbelosix after?

dries 4
8 questions
+10/0 on bounce
+10/-5 on pounce

25. What is this a ranked list of? Also, FITB with the name of a Indian politician.
1. ____________
2. Ayatollah Khomeini
3. Pope John Paul II
4. Umm Kulthum
5. Gamal Abdel Nasser
6. Diana, Princess of Wales
7. Victor Hugo
8. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

largest funeral
gatherings
Annadurai

This eponymous word is oft-used when it comes to describing literature.
Merriam Webster describes it as “of, relating to, or suggestive of _____
_____ or his writings; especially: having a nightmarishly complex, bizarre, or
illogical quality”. The popularity of the word spiked after Han Kang won the
Booker Prize in 2015 for her The Vegetarian.
This other word is also eponymous, and an English professor Julian Cook
says, “[...] Similarly, speed cameras are not X. [...] It’s also incorrect to use
the term to describe anything loosely connected with the state. This word
describes draconian measures that are detrimental to the welfare of a free and
open society.
Academicians and critics say that overuse of both these adjectives may make
them meaningless. Which two words?
26.

Along with the obvious
Star Wars reference,
what else is this poster
referencing?
27.

28. “350.org” was founded by a group of professors in the U.S.
along with author Bill McKibben, who wrote one of the first
books on a particular issue for the general public.
Organized in 2008, it established the website to educate the
public on ‘the most important issue facing humanity’ — an
issue mired in politics and all but stalled. The website reads
“We didn’t know how to fix things, but we knew that one
missing ingredient was a movement that reflected the scale of
the crisis.”
What is the issue and why have they named it 350.org?

climate change and 350
ppm of CO2 is the safe
upper limit to prevent
climate tipping point

Mahmoud Tammam is a visual artist
who makes images like the ones you will
see in the following slides. What is he
modifying to create these?
29.

Between 1988 and 1989, the pair met on three occasions, X and Y met 3
times, with Y winning all the three matches. In 1990, X put a new theory to
the test. A small, but ever so important observation he had made after endless
hours of watching replays of Y in action. X theorized that that just before Y
tossed the ball on his serve he would stick his tongue out. If it went to the left
of his mouth he was serving wide towards the tramlines, if it remained in the
middle the ball was staying central.
The discovery transformed X’s record against Y. In the 11 meetings which
followed, Y managed just one victory (Wimbledon semi-final 1995) before
ending his career in 1999 with a 4-10 record against X.
Which rivalry is being talked about?
30.

Moon Duchin is an associate professor of mathematics and the director of the
Science, Technology and Society program at Tufts University in the USA. Last
year, she began to apply some of her findings and research in metric geometry to
combat a certain problem.
To do so, she has been instrumental in creating a five-day summer program that
trains mathematicians. The program first talks about the legal, historical,
civil-rights, and mathematical contexts of the problem at hand. Attendees of the
program’s final two days will participate in one of three specialized tracks on
giving expert testimony, teaching, and working with geographic-information
systems.
She says that the major point of contention is the definition of ‘compactness’ - the
Supreme Court says that _________s should be compact, but there is no formal
definition of ‘compactness’ outside of mathematics.
What is the issue she is fighting against?
31.

In 1971, a photo featuring X was taken outside furriers "K. West" at 23
Heddon Street, London looking south-east towards the centre of the city.
X said of the sign, "It's such a shame that sign was removed. People read so
much into it. They thought 'K. West' must be some sort of code for 'quest.' It
took on all these sort of mystical overtones.We did the photographs outside on
a rainy night, and then upstairs in the studio we did the Clock Orange
look-alikes that became the inner sleeve. The idea was to hit a look somewhere
between the Malcolm McDowell thing with the Mascaraed eyelash and
insects.”
X, and what is he talking about?
32.

LitSoc Main Quiz 2017 - Finals

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LitSoc Main Quiz 2017 - Finals