PRELIMS

MAYANK MUJUMDAR

24 questions in the prelims.

1 point for each correct answer.
Q16 to 24 will be used to resolve ties.
Top 8 teams battle it out in the finals.

Co-founded by Emile Moreau, a French author & Mr. T.K. Banerjee, an

Indian businessman; which brand started its first outlet at the
Allahabad railway station in 1887 and was mocked for its Englishsounding name by Lalu Prasad Yadav in his 2004 Railway Budget as

Angrez chale gaye, ______ reh gaye?

This print ad is based on which celebrated movie?

Shown here is the patch worn by the members of the (fictional) Expedition
31 to the International Space Station. It features the names of the 3 crew
members and their nationalities.
If Mike Massimino (USA) and Dmitri Rezinov (Russia) are two of them, who
was the third?

A lesser known fact about this renowned author is that he was a selftaught veena player who earned commendation of the veena maestro of
Mysore Palace - Vidwan Doreswamy Iyengar and was also his pupil.
In return, he taught Doreswamy Iyengar English, and helped him to obtain
his B.A. degree. Who is this prolific author?

This short, loose-fitting nightgown (or negligee) intended as

nightwear for women is often trimmed with lace, ruffles,
appliques, marabou fur, bows, and ribbons. Sometimes made of
sheer or translucent fabric like nylon or chiffon or silk, it is also
classified as a form of lingerie by some retailers.
For what reasons, very different from fashion, did its name
become popular among the Indian masses sometime earlier this
year?

Although this person is known world over for his designs, that does come
with a share of people who criticize him for his excessive minimalism, his
love for gradients and affinity for Helvetica as seen in these parody
designs.
Who are they parodying?

From the James Bond universe, what connects the following

characters:
From Russia with Love - David Somerset
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Sir Hilary Bray
Diamonds Are Forever - Peter Franks
The Man with the Golden Gun - Francisco Scaramanga
The Spy Who Loved Me - Robert Sterling
A View to a Kill James - St. John Smythe
The World Is Not Enough - Dr. Mikhail Arkov
Die Another Day -Van Bierk
Casino Royale - Arlington Beech

The following covers are some of the many tributes to which iconic comic
cover?

Based on a movie of the same name, every episode of which dark

humor/drama/crime TV show starts with the following super:

"This is a true story. The events depicted took place in Minnesota in 2006.
At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of
respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred. ?
This claim is completely fictional, and the producer says he let it stay only
because it allows him to tell the story in a new way.

Usually available in the shape of an isosceles triangle with

rounded edges, these were initially made of bones , shell, wood,
metal, amber, stone or ivory before the use of celluloid material
resembling tortoise shell material was started circa 1922.
Tortoise shell was used for making it extensively, until its use
was outlawed in 1973.
Since a lot of people are prone to losing these, a company even
came up with a magnetic version but was met with mixed
reviews.
What are we discussing?

During the Vietnam war, unpopular officers were sometimes killed by their
subordinates or serving officers. The method of killing them typically
using a particular kind of grenade gave rise to a term that has hence
been shortened and is now typically used in a video game context (FPS
games), where a player dies temporarily and is then resurrected when he
receives sufficient lives.
What term?

10

11
X is a method of carving, or an object such as an engraved
gem, item of jewelry or vessel made in this manner. It nearly
always features a raised (positive) relief image; as opposed
to intaglio, which has a negative image.
Historically, X only referred to works where the relief image
was of a contrasting color to the background; this was
achieved by carefully carving a piece of material with a flat
plane where two contrasting colors met, removing all the
first color except for the image to leave a contrasting
background.
What is the popular usage of the term, associated largely
with plays, films and television because of its analogy to "a
short literary sketch or portrait?

These are the past 3 winners of the Grammy award in which category?

Long Night Moon, Reckless Kelly

2014

Biophilia, Bjrk
2013

The Suburbs, Arcade Fire

2012

12

As a part of the promotion of which 2014 Hindi movie was a video of the
National Anthem shot with the lead actress with officers from the Mumbai
Women Police, as tribute to the women police force of our country?

13

This is the cast of which movie appearing

together to celebrate 20 years of its
release?

14

When a now famous sculpture was under work,

the foundry workers noted its similarity to the
tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino,
sculpted by Michelangelo between 1520 and
1534 - named Il Penseroso.
As a result, even the sculpture was renamed
and treated as an independent artwork instead
of the original commission.
Originally titled The Poet, what is this artwork?

15

Watch this clip from Coke Studio Pakistan, where Sajjad Alis Bolo Bolo is
being covered. Who was the lead singer of the Pakistani band entity
Paradigm , whos quite a rage among the ladies off late?

16

Verizon told George Vaccaro that bandwidth charges in Canada were .002
cents per kilobyte, but billed him at .002 dollars, i.e,100 times as much as
he was quoted. When he called, Verizon customer service insisted there's
no difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents. This evolved into a
major brouhaha and ultimately Verizon apologized for their error.
Which person expressed his support for George Vaccaro by putting online
this check?

17

Circa 2002, the fashion photographer Slve Sundsb produced a set of experimental
images for Dazed and Confused magazine using a handheld 3D scanner with which he
scanned his models. Since the scanners of that time were comparatively primitive and
couldnt read color or detect softer materials like hair or fabric well and also had a
limited range, the results were interesting images like these. The lead singer of a
famous band was flipping through the issue and decided to use one of them for the
bands upcoming album.
Sundsb went on to design several more album covers for them. Which band?

18

Developed as a cheaper and quicker substitute to

hand embroidery to adorn bridal clothing of
regional tribes in Kutch, this form of art is now
practiced only by one family in Nirona village near
Kutch.
The colors used are prepared by boiling safflower,
linseed or castor oil over two days and then it is
colored mixing in natural coloring agents. The
designs are traced freehand and usually feature
intricate floral or spotted motifs. Based on the
complexity, a single work can take anywhere from
a month to years to complete.
Name this art style which derives its name from
Persian for oil.

19

Seen here is Ed Munro, a 15 year old stage actor,

who got his Hollywood break in a rather unusual
way by being the subject of an artwork central
to the plot of a recently released movie that has
been applauded by critics and the masses alike.
It was quite strange sitting in a big old crazy

building with these amazing old clothes. My

hands started to hurt after a while holding the
apple, is what he had to say about his portrait.
In which movie did his portrait get featured?

20

Seen here are Jason Segel & Jesse Eisenberg photographed during the
the shooting of The End of the Tour, a film based on Although Of Course
You End Up Becoming Yourself a memoir by journalist David Lipsky
(played by Eisenberg) who spent a few days with a celebrated American
novelist & essayist (played by Segel) as he was on a promotional tour of
what would eventually become his magnum opus.
Who is Jason Segel playing here?

21

Battlefield Earth is a 2000 sci-fi movie starring John Travolta. The film depicts

an earth that has been under the rule of the alien Psychlos for 1,000 years and
tells the story of the rebellion that develops when the Psychlos attempt to use
the surviving humans as gold miners.
Travolta was trying for years to make the movie, which was finally produced by
an independent company Franchise Pictures. The film was a major flop, and
the company soon got bankrupt.
Despite being rated as one of the worst movies of all time, Travolta maintains
that he was always very keen to make the movie and has no regrets. This can be
attributed to the fact that it was based on a novel by an author who is known
among Hollywood A-listers for more than his writing skills.
Who is this author?

22

Bystander Apathy is a phenomenon of disputed existence where

individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation, if other

people are present. The more the number of onlookers, the less likely
anybody would offer help.
This gained recognition after the Kitty Genovese rape and murder case in
1964, when a serial rapist and murderer stabbed Kitty over half an hour in
the presence of many witnesses in a New York neighbourhood, none of
whom made any attempts to save her.
Which comic book character decided to become a vigilante after reading
about this event?

23

Through the works of which artist does the protagonist sift

through in this sequence from Akira Kurosawas Dreams (1990)?
Which celebrated directors special effects company provided the
visual effects to execute this scene?

24

Co-founded by Emile Moreau, a French author & Mr. T.K. Banerjee, an

Indian businessman; which brand started its first outlet at the
Allahabad railway station in 1887 and was mocked for its Englishsounding name by Lalu Prasad Yadav in his 2004 Railway Budget as

Angrez chale gaye, ______ reh gaye?

A.H. Wheeler & Co.

This print ad is based on which celebrated movie?

Castaway

Shown here is the patch worn by the members of the (fictional) Expedition
31 to the International Space Station. It features the names of the 3 crew
members and their nationalities.
If Mike Massimino (USA) and Dmitri Rezinov (Russia) are two of them, who
was the third?

Howard Wolowitz

A lesser known fact about this renowned author is that he was a selftaught veena player who earned commendation of the veena maestro of
Mysore Palace - Vidwan Doreswamy Iyengar and was also his pupil.
In return, he taught Doreswamy Iyengar English, and helped him to obtain
his B.A. degree. Who is this prolific author?

R.K Narayan

This short, loose-fitting nightgown (or negligee) intended as

nightwear for women is often trimmed with lace, ruffles,
appliques, marabou fur, bows, and ribbons. Sometimes made of
sheer or translucent fabric like nylon or chiffon or silk, it is also
classified as a form of lingerie by some retailers.
For what reasons, very different from fashion, did its name
become popular among the Indian masses sometime earlier this
year?

Babydoll

Although this person is known world over for his designs, that does come
with a share of people who criticize him for his excessive minimalism, his
love for gradients and affinity for Helvetica as seen in these parody
designs.
Who are they parodying?

Sir Jonathan Ive

From the James Bond universe, what connects the following

characters:
From Russia with Love - David Somerset
On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Sir Hilary Bray
Diamonds Are Forever - Peter Franks
The Man with the Golden Gun - Francisco Scaramanga
The Spy Who Loved Me - Robert Sterling
A View to a Kill James - St. John Smythe
The World Is Not Enough - Dr. Mikhail Arkov
Die Another Day -Van Bierk
Casino Royale - Arlington Beech

Aliases used by James Bond

The following covers are some of the many tributes to which iconic comic
cover?

Action Comics No. 1 (Supermans first appearance)

Based on a movie of the same name, every episode of which dark

humor/drama/crime TV show starts with the following super:

"This is a true story. The events depicted took place in Minnesota in 2006.
At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of
respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred. ?
This claim is completely fictional, and the producer says he let it stay only
because it allows him to tell the story in a new way.

Fargo

Usually available in the shape of an isosceles triangle with

rounded edges, these were initially made of bones , shell, wood,
metal, amber, stone or ivory before the use of celluloid material
resembling tortoise shell material was started circa 1922.
Tortoise shell was used for making it extensively, until its use
was outlawed in 1973.
Since a lot of people are prone to losing these, a company even
came up with a magnetic version but was met with mixed
reviews.
What are we discussing?

Guitar picks

During the Vietnam war, unpopular officers were sometimes killed by their
subordinates or serving officers. The method of killing them typically
using a particular kind of grenade gave rise to a term that has hence
been shortened and is now typically used in a video game context (FPS
games), where a player dies temporarily and is then resurrected when he
receives sufficient lives.
What term?

10

Frag , from fragmentation grenade

10

11
X is a method of carving, or an object such as an engraved
gem, item of jewelry or vessel made in this manner. It nearly
always features a raised (positive) relief image; as opposed
to intaglio, which has a negative image.
Historically, X only referred to works where the relief image
was of a contrasting color to the background; this was
achieved by carefully carving a piece of material with a flat
plane where two contrasting colors met, removing all the
first color except for the image to leave a contrasting
background.
What is the popular usage of the term, associated largely
with plays, films and television because of its analogy to "a
short literary sketch or portrait?

Cameo

11

These are the past 3 winners of the Grammy award in which category?

Long Night Moon, Reckless Kelly

2014

Biophilia, Bjrk
2013

The Suburbs, Arcade Fire

2012

12

Best Recording Package/ Best Album Art

12

As a part of the promotion of which 2014 Hindi movie was a video of the
National Anthem shot with the lead actress with officers from the Mumbai
Women Police, as tribute to the women police force of our country?

13

Mardaani

13

This is the cast of which movie appearing

together to celebrate 20 years of its
release?

14

Little Rascals

14

When a now famous sculpture was under work,

the foundry workers noted its similarity to the
tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino,
sculpted by Michelangelo between 1520 and
1534 - named Il Penseroso.
As a result, even the sculpture was renamed
and treated as an independent artwork instead
of the original commission.
Originally titled The Poet, what is this artwork?

15

The Thinker

15

Watch this clip from Coke Studio Pakistan, where Sajjad Alis Bolo Bolo is
being covered. Who was the lead singer of the Pakistani band entity
Paradigm , whos quite a rage among the ladies off late?

16

Fawad Khan

16

Verizon told George Vaccaro that bandwidth charges in Canada were .002
cents per kilobyte, but billed him at .002 dollars, i.e,100 times as much as
he was quoted. When he called, Verizon customer service insisted there's
no difference between .002 dollars and .002 cents. This evolved into a
major brouhaha and ultimately Verizon apologized for their error.
Which person expressed his support for George Vaccaro by putting online
this check?

17

Randall Munroe of xkcd

17

Circa 2002, the fashion photographer Slve Sundsb produced a set of experimental
images for Dazed and Confused magazine using a handheld 3D scanner with which he
scanned his models. Since the scanners of that time were comparatively primitive and
couldnt read color or detect softer materials like hair or fabric well and also had a
limited range, the results were interesting images like these. The lead singer of a
famous band was flipping through the issue and decided to use one of them for the
bands upcoming album.
Sundsb went on to design several more album covers for them. Which band?

18

Coldplay

18

Developed as a cheaper and quicker substitute to

hand embroidery to adorn bridal clothing of
regional tribes in Kutch, this form of art is now
practiced only by one family in Nirona village near
Kutch.
The colors used are prepared by boiling safflower,
linseed or castor oil over two days and then it is
colored mixing in natural coloring agents. The
designs are traced freehand and usually feature
intricate floral or spotted motifs. Based on the
complexity, a single work can take anywhere from
a month to years to complete.
Name this art style which derives its name from
Persian for oil.

19

Rogan art

19

Seen here is Ed Munro, a 15 year old stage actor,

who got his Hollywood break in a rather unusual
way by being the subject of an artwork central
to the plot of a recently released movie that has
been applauded by critics and the masses alike.
It was quite strange sitting in a big old crazy

building with these amazing old clothes. My

hands started to hurt after a while holding the
apple, is what he had to say about his portrait.
In which movie did his portrait get featured?

20

The Grand Budapest Hotel

20

Seen here are Jason Segel & Jesse Eisenberg photographed during the
the shooting of The End of the Tour, a film based on Although Of Course
You End Up Becoming Yourself a memoir by journalist David Lipsky
(played by Eisenberg) who spent a few days with a celebrated American
novelist & essayist (played by Segel) as he was on a promotional tour of
what would eventually become his magnum opus.
Who is Jason Segel playing here?

21

David Foster Wallace

21

Battlefield Earth is a 2000 sci-fi movie starring John Travolta. The film depicts

an earth that has been under the rule of the alien Psychlos for 1,000 years and
tells the story of the rebellion that develops when the Psychlos attempt to use
the surviving humans as gold miners.
Travolta was trying for years to make the movie, which was finally produced by
an independent company Franchise Pictures. The film was a major flop, and
the company soon got bankrupt.
Despite being rated as one of the worst movies of all time, Travolta maintains
that he was always very keen to make the movie and has no regrets. This can be
attributed to the fact that it was based on a novel by an author who is known
among Hollywood A-listers for more than his writing skills.
Who is this author?

22

L. Ron Hubbard

22

Bystander Apathy is a phenomenon of disputed existence where

individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation, if other

people are present. The more the number of onlookers, the less likely
anybody would offer help.
This gained recognition after the Kitty Genovese rape and murder case in
1964, when a serial rapist and murderer stabbed Kitty over half an hour in
the presence of many witnesses in a New York neighbourhood, none of
whom made any attempts to save her.
Which comic book character decided to become a vigilante after reading
about this event?

23

Rorschach

23

Through the works of which artist does the protagonist sift

through in this sequence from Akira Kurosawas Dreams (1990)?
Which celebrated directors special effects company provided the
visual effects to execute this scene?

24

Vincent van Gogh, George Lucas

24