Quizzically Yours

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A hearty welcome to the quizzer in you, currently visiting Quizzically Yours. With more than 250 questions posted during 2010, Quizzically Yours has always been one of the most dynamic blogs around (at least from our side). For quite some time we the Blog Admins, though happy with response the blog has been getting, have been thinking about the limits of having a conventional quiz blog. So, when trying to get the blog moving and make it even more happening, we found out that it is really the participation from you that mattered the most. As a result, we have taken inspiration from the mother source of all quizzes, the great Wikipedia and have realized the potential of an open source quiz blog community.

We had to make this transition from Blogger to WordPress to accommodate difficulties which may arise with managing the user roles. Even though we did post the questions you had previously sent us, we felt that if you could post the questions directly on the blog, it would encourage more users to contribute to the community. From now on, anyone can share their posts to the site at their own will.

To be able to post, all you need to do is send a request email to quizzicallyours@gmail.com. The blog moderators will add you as a fellow author of this blog and from then on it becomes your own responsibility to manage your posts.
We request the fellow authors not to spam* the website. Any content which is considered as spam will be removed by the moderators immediately and might lead to permanent removal of the user from the site.

We feel that the biggest positive of this change is the option provided to you for posting a question without actually creating a new blog for yourself. Although this way of wiki-quizzing does seem to have a lot of potential, its on you that its success rides on.

*according to section 42, spam is defined as any material that isn’t related to the world of quizzing. Other quiz bloggers are encouraged to promote their own blogs and do try posting your questions here. Notifications on any quiz being organized by you are most welcome.

Quizzically Yours,
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1.Connect and give fundae.

2.What unique distinction does this head of state hold?

1)The recently passed law in US allowing homosexuals to be part of the army troops is known by this phrase. the phrase has 3 parts. The first part mandates that military or appointed officials will not ask about or require members to reveal their sexual orientation. The second part states that a member may be discharged for claiming to be a homosexual or bisexual or making a statement indicating a tendency towards or intent to engage in homosexual activities. The third part establishes what is minimally required for an investigation to be initiated. A fourth part was was added to the policy later. It ensures that the military will not allow harassment or violence against service members for any reason.

Now only the first 2 parts are used to denote the law. Give the phrase.

2) Kalaga Prabhu, a Goud Saraswat Brahmin merchant from Cochin was the foremost among the Konakani merchants in Cochin. As punishment for conspiring with the Mysorean king Hyder Ali to overthrow the king of Cochin, Kalaga Prabhu and his son Chorda Prabhu were arrested by the Dutch and exiled with their families for life to the Cape of Good Hope in 1771. What is significant about this?

1.He holds the distinction of being the first and only Indian to be 'something'. Who's this?



2.Connect









3.What 'nickname' did this 19th century American criminal earn for himself from a Scotland Yard detective due to his famed exploits? (Hint : British historian Ben Macintyre has penned a book about him.)

1.Claim to fame of the book?




2.Identify the controversial founder of a popular Swedish site.









3.The dargah of Sufi saint Bu Ali Shah Qalandar is located nearby this place. This place was renovated by the British in 1866. Whose simple unadorned tomb is this?

1)

"I have _______ ______, and no hatred. None of the police who have monitored, arrested and interrogated me, the prosecutors who prosecuted me, or the judges who sentence me, are my enemies. While I’m unable to accept your surveillance, arrest, prosecution or sentencing, I respect your professions and personalities, including ____ and ______ who act for the prosecution at present. I was aware of your respect and sincerity in your interrogation of me on December 3.

For hatred is corrosive of a person’s wisdom and conscience; the mentality of enmity can poison a nation’s spirit, instigate brutal life and death struggles, destroy a society’s tolerance and humanity, and block a nation’s progress to freedom and democracy. I hope therefore to be able to transcend my personal vicissitudes in understanding the development of the state and changes in society, to counter the hostility of the regime with the best of intentions, and defuse hate with love....

I do not feel guilty for following my constitutional right to freedom of expression, for fulfilling my social responsibility as a _______ citizen. Even if accused of it, I would have no complaints."

Statement written by X to be read at his trial. Identify X. All the blanks are NOT the same.

2) Historically it is believed that the first ______ were staged by Megha Bhagat, one of the disciples of Tulsidas in about 1625 AD, though there are some evidence of its existence in some form before the creation of this version as well.

Some scholars believe its first appearance somewhere between 1200 and 1500 AD. Later according to some, Akbar is said to have watched a performance. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu once he got carried away while performing in ______ in Puri, thus proving the existence of _______, before it was reported in literature.

Though it would safe to conclude that its implosion into the Hindi heartland, happened only after the literature was written in the people's language Ayadhi. Earlier the text were in Sanskrit which excluded much of masses from experiencing the inspirational saga,.

What fills the blanks?

1) Liu Xiabao

2) Ram Lila plays

1. The illustration depicts a 16th century Indian ruler's first meeting with a local dancer in his kingdom. Identify the lady.




2. Overlooking the Bay of Bengal, this 19th century fort was built by a Maratha ruler to commemorate what event? It derives its name from the word 'minaret'.







3. This guy, who was named as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME, has quite a way with words. Name him.






4. Identify the person bowling. (Hint: 'God help us' err... 'God is Great')




See comments for answers

In 1869 new rations of tinned mutton were introduced for British seamen. They were unimpressed by it, and decided it must be the butchered remains of X. The way her body had been strewn over a wide area presumably encouraged speculation that parts of her had been found at the Royal Navy victualing yard in Deptford, which was a large facility which included stores, a bakery and an abattoir.
"X" became slang for mutton or stew and then for anything worthless — from which comes the current use of "_____ X"  to mean "nothing at all". It can be seen as a euphemism for "fuck all" – which means the same.
This is not the only example of Royal Navy slang relating to unpopular rations: even today, tins of steak and kidney pudding are known as "baby's head". The large tins the mutton was delivered in were reused as mess tins. Mess tins or cooking pots are still known as X.

 X is Fanny Adams. And the phrase, Sweet Fanny Adams.
Mukunth gets it right.

X is a 75-year-old former mill worker, a founder member of Tamil Nadu's Home Guard, and a self-appointed traffic policeman Chennai. Much of his activism relates to regulating traffic in Chennai. Initially, he started unofficially directing traffic at the city's busy Parrys Corner. The local police were pleased with his efforts and provided him with an official identity card.
He has brought numerous public interest law suits in the Madras High Court. In 2007, he was attacked by his opponents' lawyers on the steps of the courthouse. This was not the first time, he has been attacked: in 2002, he was assaulted by fish sellers, after he obtained a ban on the use of motorised fish carts, damaging his sight and his family have disowned him. He has also had his office ransacked and papers were stolen. However, helped by donations from friends, he claims he will continue his fight to make Chennai the most livable and lovable city.
His activism has resulted in the demolition of some illegally constructed buildings in Chennai, restrictions on motorised fish carts, de-congestion of major bus routes by banning auto rickshaws from them, and a review of lavish state funding for a feature film (arguing the money could be more properly used for development work). He is now accompanied day and night by an armed police bodyguard.

Traffic Ramaswamy indeed.
Nanda gets it right.

What has been blocked out in the first pic?

Nanda is correct..
The blanked out part is Rosa Parks. The doodle is a dedication to her. The pic on the left shows where she sat on the bus. (Don't know where MLK Jnr. fits in though :) )

After much contemplation, X could not decide on a name for the attack, so he asked his wife. His wife came up with the name and the stances used during the attack. She also told X that it would be easy to remember the name of the attack if he used the name of the famous Hawaiian King named Y. X agreed, and the _______ attack was born.

The pic below shows the Hawaiian King mentioned above.

• In 1977, Richard Usborne in his appendix to the unfinished Sunset at _______ regarded the issue from the point of view of train journeys and travel times.

• In 1987, Norman Murphy in his In Search of ______ looked at a whole range of criteria based around architecture and landscape features. His main suggestions were Sudeley, Gloucestershire for the _____ itself, and Weston Park, Staffordshire for the ______. The owners of Sudeley, also the resting place of Queen Katherine Parr, have since emphasised the _________ connection.

• In 1999, Norman Murphy again suggested Hunstanton Hall in Norfolk, the home of the LeStrange family from 1137 to 1954, where ________ visited in the 1920s, as inspiration for _____, its master, and "the real Empress of _______".

• In 2003, Dr Daryl Lloyd and Dr Ian Greatbatch (two researchers in the Department of Geography and Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London) made use of a Geographic Information System to analyse a set of geographical criteria, such as a viewshed analysis of The Wrekin and drive time from Shrewsbury. Their final conclusion was that Apley Hall in Stockton, Bridgnorth, Shropshire (Apley Hall of the Whitmore Baronets) was the best suited location for fulfilling the geographical criteria.

Possible locations of what? (blanked out names so that it isnt obvious(not that it isnt now))

Possible locations for Blandings Castle.

• More Beasts
• X's Abandoned School
• Y Hunting
• The Sex Scene
• Burning Bulldozers
• Z Death Scene

(no need to find the unknowns)

They are all a part of the nine minute extra footage in the Avatar special edition.

This picture is of The Great Karachi. Karachi was one of the great Indian magician—except that he was actually from Plymouth in the Southwest corner of the United Kingdom. And his name was Arthur Derbyh.

The pic shows him performing an act with his assistant (a jamoora). This act was first reported by Marco Polo. Ibn Batuta claimed to have seen it too. When John Wilkie first published this article in The Tribune, the entire west was thrown into madness. Four months later, the Tribune printed a retraction noting the story had been written for the purpose of presenting a theory in an entertaining form.

Identify legendary act which even today, remains a mystery.

Prateek gets it right...
It is the Great Indian Rope Trick..

        connect the two.

Connect: The huge painting in Anbesivam is a reference to Diego Rivera' s Man at the crossroads.
And you all know the "fact" that Sundar.C "directed" Anbesivam

1) Note left by whom?



2) In India _____ are produced mainly in four major cities. These are Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Whenever a ____ is produced out of these cities, they put an identification mark on every ____ .

Identification mark on the _____ is :
Delhi – A dot.
Mumbai – A diamond.
Hyderabad – A star.
Kolkata – No mark.

3)________ is the largest media conglomerate in India. It is headed by brothers Samir and Vineet Jain. The company has

• eleven publishing centers
• fifteen printing centers
• fifty-five sales offices
  
• over 7000 employees
  
• five dailies, including two of the largest in the country with approx 4.3 million copies circulated daily
  
• two lead magazines (Femina and Filmfare)
  
• twenty-nine niche magazines reaching 2468 cities and towns
  
• thirty-two Radio Stations (including Radio Mirchi)
  
• two Television News Channels
  
• one Television Life Style Channel
  
• turnover in excess of USD 700 million.

Which company?

4) In the year of 1284, on the day of Saints John and Paul
on 26 June
130 children born in X were seduced
By a Y, dressed in all kinds of colours,
and lost at the place of execution near the koppen.

This is the earliest account of a tragic event in the city of X. Rats were later added to the account as it passed on through generations. People believe today the phrase, "pay the ___" arose from this event. To "pay the ___" now means to face the inevitable consequences of one's actions.The phrase is also attributed to meaning to recompense a minstrel or similar musician in the mediaeval period for services rendered. Minstrels were a significant status symbol, hence refusing payment would be great mark on the nobleman's reputation and a noticeable loss in his social standing.

Funda pls.

5) Operation ______ , was the program used to recruit the scientists of Nazi Germany for employment by the United States in the aftermath of WW-II (1939–45). It was executed in the context of the burgeoning Cold War(1945–91). One purpose of Operation _____ was to deny German scientific knowledge and expertise to the USSR and UK.

President Harry Truman's order expressly excluded anyone found “to have been a member of the Nazi Party, and more than a nominal participant in its activities, or an active supporter of Nazi militarism.” Said restrictions would have rendered ineligible most of the scientists the JIOA had identified for recruitment, among them rocket scientist Wernher von Braun and the physician Hubertus Strughold, each earlier classified as a “menace to the security of the Allied Forces”.

Werner Osenberg, the engineer-scientist heading the Wehrforschungsgemeinschaft (Military Research Association), recorded the names of the politically-cleared men to the Osenberg List, thus reinstating them to scientific work.

Name the operation.

6)Identify

7) Identify the brand being advertised.

8)Kraken Opus, works to produce definitive publications featuring the finest writers, stunning images displayed on an epic scale and presented in a beautifully-designed, luxury format. So far, Kraken Opus has successfully produced Opus-es for Manchester United, Arsenal, Burj Khalifa and Michael Jackson to name a few.

For the print version of an Opus for a famous sportsperson, they decided to go for a "blood edition". The signature page will be mixed with X's blood – mixed into the paper pulp so it's a red resin. Kraken asked for a sample of his saliva and used this to create his DNA profile, which will be printed on a two-metre gatefold in the book. The book which weighs 37kg, measures half a metre square and stretches to 852 pages edged in gold leaf. It will be out next February.

Which sportsperson?

9) This grisly phrase is the proper name for the death sentence. The sentence was given to others after 1790 but not carried out. It was the punishment for traitors. Women traitors were burned at the stake. The punishment was most often meted out for high treason - acts of betrayal, or actual or attempted murder of the sovereign.

The victims were first hung by the neck but taken from the scaffold while still alive. The entrails and genitals are then removed, the head cut off and the torso was chopped up. A very famous account of such an execution was when the sentence was meted out to conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot. (Robert Keyes, Guy Fawkes, etc.)

The above paras have almost everything you need to guess the phrase. Please do the needful.

Nanda, Sparky and Nabarun get it right in parts

1. Christopher McCandless ('Into the Wild' guy)

2. Indian coins

3. The Times Group

4. Pied Piper of Hamelin

5. Operation Paperclip

6. Simo Hayha (The White Death. More here)

7. Winston Cigarettes

8. Sachin Tendulkar

9. Hung, Drawn and Quartered

The second pic is of a mural called, "America's Heart", built in memory of 9/11 by someone who had first made it as a painting. He decided to make it into a mural under the condition that he would not be credited as the painter. Instead, he wanted the line - "The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but by the size of the heart". It is located at the WTC site.


Now connect the pics.

Sparky is spot on again.
Yakov Smirnoff is the connect.
He is the creator of the Russian Reversal joke and also ordered the construction of the mural.

Connect.. or put funda..

What is special about the happenings in this pics?

The lady is yesteryear actress Kamini Kaushal. She is receiving a Filmfare award, which is believed to be modelled on her.

                                As always...keep the guesses coming,
                                Mods

Other kids' games are all such a bore!
They've gotta have rules and they gotta keep score!
_______ is better by far!
It's never the same! It's always bizarre!
You don't need a team or a referee!
You know that it's great, 'cause it's named after me!

Fill the blanks.

Nabarun and Sparky are spot on....
Calvinball it is...

While issuing tickets as a B.E.S.T. bus conductor, Badruddin used to entertain passengers aboard with some antics. These antics caught the attention of actor and script-writer Balraj Sahni  in 1950 while he was once traveling in a B.E.S.T. bus on which Badruddin, then 27, was working as a conductor. Sahni was penning at that time the script for the movie, Baazi (1951), and introduced Badruddin to Guru Dutt  as a candidate for the role of a comedian. Badruddin's screen test consisted of acting as a drunk, and he did it so well that Guru Dutt gave him the screen name, X. Later X was cast as the hero in a movie, X (1957), which was named after himself.


mysore gets it.
Johnny Walker.

Identify the poem by Lord Afred Tennyson, whose first stanza is given below. It describes an attack at Balaclava during the Crimean War. There is a more famous poem describing another attack in the same war, having similar name.

The charge of the gallant three hundred, the _______ !
Down the hill, down the hill, thousands of Russians,
Thousands of horsemen, drew to the valley -and stay'd;
For Scarlett and Scarlett's three hundred were riding by
When the points of the Russian lances arose in the sky;
And he call'd, 'Left wheel into line!' and they wheel'd and obey'd.
Then he look'd at the host that had halted he knew not why,
And he turn'd half round, and he bade his trumpeter sound
To the charge, and he rode on ahead, as he waved his blade
To the gallant three hundred whose glory will never die-
'Follow,' and up the hill, up the hill, up the hill,
Follow'd the _______.

Sparky is correct

Its the "Charge of the Heavy Brigade". The more famous poem is the "Charge of the Light Brigade".

The foundation of the X as well as that of modern Indian poultry industry was laid back in 1971, when Padmashree Dr. BV Rao gave shape to his vision by setting up Y - the flagship company of the Z, a Rs. 1300 crore conglomerate.

W was initially known as Western Hatcheries Limited and was established in 1976, mainly to produce day-old layer and broiler chicks for the dense poultry markets of North India.

W has over 30 units spread across India. The company's Specific Pathogen Free Egg unit is among four such units in the world and the only one of its kind in the developing world.

The Forbes business magazine ranked W as 67th among the 100 best global small companies in the year 1999-2000. Russian tennis player Elena Dementieva, also sports the W logo on her outfit. W is also a part of Z.

Id W, X, Y and Z. Tell me why they are in the news.

Nabarun is spot on...
Z=VH group
Y= Venkateshwara Hatcheries
W= Venky's

In the news because of the Blackburn Rovers takeover

Regarding the first pic, which is the poster of a movie, this is what the director had to say:

"We planned several topics to shoot about, like black horses, _____, gambling, misjudges, terrorism and hooligans. And we chose to shoot the _______ when the amazing prophet X appeared,” said Xiao Jiang, the director. X is the lead actor in the movie but passed away about two months after the release.

Taking the current situation into account, come up with a phrase/line to connect the two

Sparky is partly correct..
themasterhimself gets it fully correct

"Paul is Dead"

This is a pic of Boulevard du Temple, in Paris. It was taken in spring of 1838 by Louis Daguerre, the inventor of the Daguerrotype process of developing photos. The pic shows a man standing in an otherwise empty boulevard, getting his shoes shined. Why is the pic significant?

Sparky is spot on
This pic is the first photograph of a person. More here.

The country _____ changed their flag, national anthem and their name recently. The changes were outlined in a new constitution proposed in 2008. The government ordered that the old flags be burnt after being lowered by a person born on a Tuesday. The new flags were to be hoisted by a person born on a Wednesday. The pic shows the new flag of _____.

In 1989, the then rulers changed the English translations of many places, including the name of the country itself to _____. This prompted one scholar to coin the term _____ to refer to the top-down programme of political and cultural reform in the context of which the renaming was done.

Fill the blanks. All the blanks need not be the same.

Prasanna gets this one
It's Burma or any variations of the name. The word is 'Myanmarification'. More here.

In the 1970s, the government of India introduced new regulations for a certain product. The product was so popular that you had to wait around 6 months to get your hands on one. The company, thinking these regulations would lead to higher (and un-necessary ) production costs refused to budge and lost market share heavily.
Sadly, the popularity of this product faded with time and production stopped in 2009.
Stating on the emotional moment of the last day of its production, its makers famously proclaimed that the product had lost relevance in this new age just like ___________.Till date it has sold more than 10 million units.
What product and what was the regulation that killed it?

Prasanna is right....
Bajaj Scooters it is.. The regulation was introduction of indicators.

The title of this cult movie suggests that it is a part of a series of films, but it is actually a 3 in 1 film. Part I runs for about 9 minutes from the start. Part III runs for about 1 minute towards the end just before the credits are shown. The remainder of the movie is Part II, hence the movie was titled ____. Ramesh Sippy, Coen Beothers, Tarantino, RGV are acknowledged as inspirations. It marked the debut of Shashanka Ghosh as director. Name this movie which has 3 singers making cameos too.


The Thinker gets it ....

Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part 2

Id the building, the location of which is shown in blue in the second pic.

Prasanna and Sparky get this one
Its the 7 World Trade Center

The first plan was proposed in 1832, to be set up near Chintadripet Bridge but it never materialised. In 1836, an experimental setup was established. The East India Co. tried to bring in private investors for this purpose. The companies were to work under a 99 year lease.

Later two companies were set up, GIPR and EIR in Bombay and Calcutta to establish experimental setups there. The first successful instance of the completed project occurred on 22 December 1851.

What?

Sparky gets it...

Indian Railways

Ciphers were exchanged between London and New Delhi and between New Delhi and Fort St George in Madras. Ultimately, the governor of Madras agreed to take personal responsibility for the project. He selected two reputed and loyal ____ manufacturers of  _____.They were sworn to utmost secrecy to produce the best quality ____ for a ‘burra’ sahib in England. To handle the affair, the governor required an intelligent English-speaking person as an assistant. He needed to have knowledge about _____; in fact, he had to be a ____. The normal process of post creation would not suffice. Nothing could be disclosed about the project. Hence by exercising his special powers under the Defence of India Rules, the governor created a post of an assistant, naming it CCA. It was located in the chief secretary’s secret cell. No one but the governor, the chief secretary and the incumbent knew the real meaning of CCA, and an aura of mystique came to surround the post. Many thought it stood for chief confidential assistant who dealt with ultra-secret matters.

Sparky gets it.
Its the Trichinopoly cigars.

Pls note that the pics do not make an exhaustive list. Some older instances involve King George III and the Shah of Iran.

Connect the pics and give the most popular instance missing from the funda.

Okay, it was a little arbit. All these statues were pulled down after the downfall of the leaders.
From right to left: Enver Hoxha, Saparmurat Niyazov and Stalin. The famous instance is that of Saddam's bronze statue