QC - 6

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Trivia

Q. All the major sections are built in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom. Due to their size, they are brought to the assembly hall in Toulose in France by surface transportation. The components are provided by suppliers from across the world (Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN, Goodrich, General Electric, United Technologies to name a few). The front and rear sections are loaded on a Roll-on/Roll-off ship in Hamburg in northern Germany and shipped to the UK, where the wings are manufactured and added to the ship. In France, the ship adds larger assembled sections, including the nose and unloads in Bordeaux. The ship then picks up the belly and tail sections from Spain and delivers them to Bordeaux. From there, all the parts are transported by barge to Langon and then by road to the assembly hall in Toulose. The assembled unit is then sent to Hamburg where it is furnished and painted. It takes 3600 litres of paint to cover the 3100 sq.m exterior of the ______. The name of the assembled mammoth unit fills the blank!

A. Airbus A380

Questions

1. X studied at the La Martiniere Boys’ College in Lucknow and obtained his MS in Industrial Engineering, PhD in Industrial Engineering and a PhD in Economics from the North Carolina State University. He was on the Board of Directors of the Indian Oil Corporation, Board of Directors of GAIL, National Thermal Power Ltd, the Board of Governors of Shriram Scientific and Industrial Research Foundation, the Executive Committee of the India International Centre, New Delhi, the Governing Council of the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, and the Court of Governors, Administrative Staff College of India. He was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001. Name X!

A. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri, chief of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shares the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

2. Connect – Macy’s, Mark Burnett, ImClone, Alderson Federal Prison.

A. Martha Stewart.
- Macy’s recently released a line of home related equipments designed by Martha Stewart.
- She collaborated with Mark Burnett for the Apprentice : Martha Stewart.
- ImClone was the company for which she was tried for insider trading.Alderson Federal Prison was where she served her prison time.

3. Made out of pure spring water, this is the first Asian vodka in the US market. This is said to be the only vodka infused with a polished rice spirit. The oval shaped bottle is designed by Dennis Mukai and the bottle has the insignia of a famous Asian dynasty. Which brand of vodka is this?

A. The Han. The bottle has the insignia of the Han Dynasty of China.

4. Connect – ‘Impotency drugs help hamsters recover from jet lag’, ‘A machine that catches bank robbers by dropping a net on them’, ‘Limits of the Human Appetite, by using a self-refilling “bottomless” bowl of soup’, ‘Health consequences of sword swallowing’, ‘How cloth sheets become wrinkled’, ‘Census of creatures that live in people’s beds’, ‘Method of extracting vanilla fragrance and flavouring from cow dung’, ‘Rats cannot tell the difference between Japanese and Dutch when spoken backwards’, ‘How the word “The” confuses people when they try to put things in alphabetical order’ and finally ‘Gay Bomb’.

A. The 2007 Ig Nobel Awards. These are the researches/discoveries in the various fields of Medicine, Physics, etc which have been awarded the 2007 Ig Nobel Awards!

5. Identify the logo. (Refer pic1)

A. NYSE

6. Connect the lady in pic2 with the below given quote –

‘The original _____ _____ was a series of brilliant accidents. It had a great smell, it had a funky name. It was positioned between two funeral parlours – that always caused controversy. It was incredibly sensuous. It was 1976, the year of the heatwave, so there was a lot of flesh around. We knew about storytelling then, so all the products had stories. We recycled everything, not because we were environmentally friendly but because we didn’t have enough bottles. It was a good idea. What was unique about it, with no intent at all, no marketing nous, was that it translated across cultures, across geographical barriers and social structures. It wasn’t a sophisticated plan, it just happened like that.’

(Hint: The blank is the connect)

A. Body Shop. The lady in the pic is Dame Anita Roddick, the founder of Body Shop, who passed away recently.

7. This character was loosely based on the arbitrageur Ivan Boesky and real life investor Carlos Icahn. The person who portrayed this character won an Oscar for it. This character is set to return to the screen in the as-yet embryonic film ‘Money Never Sleeps’. Who is this character who was rated as one of the Fifteen Richest Fictional Characters by Forbes in 2002?

A. Gordon Gecko from the movie ‘Wall Street’, played by Michael Douglas.

8. Yahoo! has created, what it calls, the world’s first branded knowledge video search. What was it for?

A. To launch Dove Haircare Products.

9. Which company is taking over Navteq, a maker of maps (like Google Maps) and navigation systems, for 8.1bn?

A. Nokia

10. Identify the building in pic3.

A. Burj Dubai. This skyscraper is currently under construction in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It recently became the world’s tallest free standing structure, surpassing the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada. The construction of this massive structure began on Sept 21, 2004. It is expected to be completed in late 2008.

Bonus Question

Q. Connect ‘Spencerian Script’, ‘hobble skirt’ (refer pic4) and NYSE:KO.

A. Coca Cola.
- The cursive script used in the logo is called the Spencerian Script.
- The famous Coca Cola bottle is also known as the ‘hobble-skirt’ bottle.

- NYSE:KO is the ticker symbol of Coca Cola.

QC - 5

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Trivia
Q. This ancient city was developed in a lotus-like formation with a temple at the centre and the streets layered one after the other in a concentric manner. The streets were named after the months in the Tamil calendar. According to legend, on the day the city was to be named, Lord Shiva blessed the land and the people and divine nectar showered on the city from his matted locks. The city, thus, came to be named _________, meaning ‘The Land of Divine Nectar’. Often referred to as the ‘Athens of the East’, how we do know this city today?
A. Madurai. The blank is ‘Madhurapuri’.

Answers
1. What is the name of the new children's channel that was recently launched by Sun TV?
A. Chutti TV

2. X has become the first Indian bank to set up a branch in Qatar with a license from the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA). Name X.
A. ICICI Bank

3. Tata motors has launched the Tata Ace in a second international market after Sri Lanka. Where has it been launched?
A. Nepal

4. What is going to be unique about Spider-Man in comparison to other Marvel Comic book heroes?
A. Spider-Man will be the first Marvel comic book hero on whom a Broadway musical will be based. Bono and The Edge from U2 are to write the music and lyrics for this musical.

5. This service is the brainchild of 47-year-old entrepreneur Revathi Roy. She felt the growing female workforce in Mumbai was not being looked after well enough and decided to start her own service that appreciated the needs of the female gender - cabs driven by women, for women. What is the name of the service?
A. Forsche - Porsche spelt with an F, but pronounced 'For She', because it is for ladies only.

6. Identify the logo. (refer pic1)
A. Barclays Bank

7. TV 18 Group and Infosys BPO have announced the launch of a media outsourcing services company, X. it will provide a full spectrum of services including digital archiving and meta-tagging, repurposing content, work flow charting, ideation and re-editing to media and entertainment companies globally. It already has National Geographic Channel International as a client. While Infosys BPO will deliver the process and technological support, TV 18 will bring its domain knowledge and expertise in media to the initiative. Name X.
A. Source 18

8. March 2007, Mexico, in an attempt to lower the amount of weapons on the street, offered an X to anyone who turned in a weapon. Name X.
A. Microsoft XBOX

9. This company was founded by Milan Puskar & Don Panoz in White Sulphur Springs, WV and is now set to buy the generic drugs business from Merck. Name the company.
A. Mylan Pharmaceuticals, initially named Milan Pharmaceuticals

10. Connect: Disney, The Rolling Stones and Shantaram.
A. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
- Disney is the producer of Pirates of the Caribbean
- Keith Richards, the founding member of The Rolling Stones, will be making a cameo appearance as the father of Jack Sparrow in the movie
- Shantaram – of course, for Johnny Depp!

Bonus Question

Q. While in X, the human body's weight is temporarily reduced by about 1% when going eastwards and increased by about 0.3% while going westwards. The speed of X exceeded that of the solar terminator and it was able to overtake the spin of the earth. Name X. (Hint: 'Arrive before you leave')
A. X – Concorde. The weight of a human being is reduced while travelling east due to the centrifugal effects because the airspeed added to the speed of rotation of the Earth. Similarly, while travelling towards the west, it cancelled out the normal rotation.
Also, the Concorde was flown at such high altitudes that the weight of the passengers was reduced by an additional 0.6% because of the increased distance from the centre of the earth.The 'Arrive before you leave' slogan was used by British Airways to publicize the fact that the Concorde could overtake the spin of the earth. Hence, on westbound flights, it was possible to arrive at the destination at a local time earlier than the flight's departure time.

this week's quiz . Anwers will be posted in one week.

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Trivia
Q. X, also known as the ‘Anti-Fascist Protective Rampart’, was built in an effort to stop the drain of labour and economic output associated with the daily migration of huge numbers of professionals and skilled workers from either side. It was over 155 km long and work started on a second parallel one upto 91 meters and there was a no man’s land created between the two. This became known as the ‘death strip’, which was paved with raked gravel, making it easy to spot footprints left by escapees. It was booby-trapped with trip-wires and offered a clear field of fire to the watching guards. Name X.
A. X – The Berlin Wall

Questions

1. Oslo.zip. Why was it in the news recently?
A.

2. This company has decided to pull out its brand of San Frisco jeans from the market. Which company?
A.

3. Identify the gentleman. (Refer: pic1)
A.

4. Connect:
a) Belgium and Netherlands
b) Austria and Switzerland
c) Poland and Ukraine

A.

5. Easy one: Identify the lady sitting next to Ash. (Refer: pic2)
A.

6. Jaya Pradha, Sridevi, Juhi Chawla and Karisma Kapoor — who endorsed this product on silver screen since 1980, did not have the chance to grace the Dabur Amla bottles, which went with a picture of an unidentifiable young woman. But all that has changed as the brand ambassador X will now be reaching out to the 35 million strong customers of Dabur Amla hair oil with her picture on the bottles. Name X.
A.

7.
a. He is an award winning English architect famous for his initiativeson low-cost housing.b. He came to India in 1945 and has lived and worked in India since then.c. He was given the Indian citizenship in 1989 and lived inThiruvanathapuram, Kerala.d. He was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian Government in 1990 and the UNO Habitat Award and Roll of Honour in 1992.
Who is he? (Refer: pic3)
A.

8. This US based company has acquired 51% stake in Godrej Beverages and Foods Ltd. Which company?
A.

9. This company has topped the list of world's most eco-friendly electronic firms, compiled by Greenpeace. Name the company.
A.

10. This company has launched a DVD player with a USB port and a multi-card reader on the faceplate, which further expands its playback capabilities. This enables the user to connect USB drives as well as SD/MMC/MC storage cards directly to the player and play music tracks stored in them. Name the company.
A.

Bonus Question (2 points)

Q. The shape of this product is modelled after a hyperbolic paraboloid. This design characteristic is beneficial as it helps keep the product from breaking during distribution by eliminating lines of stress along which a small crack may easily propagate. Further, it keeps a stack of the product tightly interlocked or nested during distribution. The name of the product came from a street in Cincinnati. The people that picked the name chose it simply for its sound and appeal. Name the product.
A.

QC posted on 02/27/2007

Trivia
Q. This Japanese company was established in 1933 as Precision Optical Instruments Laboratory. The original purpose was to research the development of quality X. In 1934, they released their first X called Kwanon, named after the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy. The company name was changed to Y in the following year to reflect a more modern image and the current corporation was founded in 1937. Name X and Y.
Ans. X – camera(s); Y – Canon

Questions

1. X is Apollo’s brand of low cost, secondary care hospitals. Name X.
a. First Med

2. Who has recently launched a political party named Nagarik Shakti?
a. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus

3. X invented the wireless Y for a Z. His Y used sound to communicate with a Z instead of using light. It used aluminium rods struck by buttons on the device to produce high-frequency tones that would be interpreted to control functions by the Z. In the 1960s, X modified his invention to use ultrasonic signals. X, Y, Z? (Hint: We use it everyday! And no, it’s not a mouse.)
a. X – Robert Adler, Y – remote control, Z – television(s)

4. Identify the gentleman. (Refer: pic1)
a. David J. O’Reilly, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Chevron

5. The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to set up an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) named after X in Shillong. Name X.
a. Rajiv Gandhi

6. This company recently conducted a painting and cartoon competition based on an imaginary character named ‘Chulbuli’, representing the quintessential Indian girl. The competition revolved around mother-daughter relationships and was aimed at inculcating good habits in children. Which company?
a. HLL

7. Y has become the first living ex-Prime Minister to be honoured with a statue in the House of Commons in Britain. During the unveiling of the statue, Y said, ‘I might have preferred iron, but bronze will do. It won’t rust and this time I hope, the head will stay on’. Name Y.
a. Margaret Thatcher

8. A new Belgian carrier, Brussels Airlines, has been forced to change its logo (Pic attached). What was the reason for doing so?
a. There were 13 dots which make the ‘b’ of the logo. Passengers thought that it would bring bad luck. It has now altered the design to accommodate an additional dot.

9. Identify the gentleman. (Refer: pic2)
a. Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone.

10. Which famous Indian singer was hired by Microsoft to sing the ‘Wow is Now’ song for the launch of Windows Vista?
a. Sunidhi Chauhan


Bonus Question (2 points)
A. The early ones were heavy and bulky products composed of fluff pulp with a rayon topsheet and a polyethylene backsheet.
B. In 1984, the product changed to an hourglass shape. The first thin ones were made with absorbent gelling material, elastic leg gathers, tabs that could be refastened and a softer liner was released. This made the average weight of a typical medium sized one decrease by about 50%.
C. X paid $50,000 to be featured in the film ‘Three Men and a Baby’.
D. A mascot called ‘Pampa’, an elephant, was introduced in several markets in East Asia.
Name X.
Ans. Pampers

QC posted on 02/19/2007

Trivia
Q. In 1888, John Boyd _______’s small son was prescribed cycling as a cure for his heavy cold. He hit on the idea of making the boy’s tricycle more comfortable by fitting it with something. Fill in the blank and name the invention.
Ans. Dunlop and he invented the pneumatic tyre.


Questions

1. __________ recently acquired MTR Foods Ltd. Fill in the blank. (Hint: refer pic1)
a.Orkla

2. ___________, Exclusion, Stella. Complete.
a.‘Water’. ‘Exclusion’ and ‘Stella’ are the next movies by Deepa Mehta.

3.Identify the gentleman. (refer: pic2)
a.Sidney Sheldon, who passed away recently.

4.Who is the new brand ambassador for Mayur Suitings?
a.Salman Khan

5.Titan is to launch its Aviator collection of watches. Who has designed them?
a.Neil Foley

6.‘Hi’ to ‘How are you?’. What does it refer to?
a.Vodafone’s acquisition of Hutch-Essar. ‘Hi’ was Hutch’s successful ad campaign slogan. ‘How are you?’ is Vodafone’s slogan apart from their ‘Make the most of now’. In spite of this acquisition, Cheeka (the pug) will continue to be used in the ads. J

7.Who owns the restaurant brands – Khazana, Grain of Salt and The Yellow Chilli?
a.Sanjay Kapoor

8.This company has recently named one of its icecream flavours ‘Stephen Colbert’s American Dream’, in honour of the comedian. The icecream maker is known for naming its flavours after people such as Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy and the band Phish. Name the company.
a.Ben & Jerry

9.Under what brand name has Tata launched a national durable retain chain with Woolworth?
a.Croma

10.
a. X was born in 1937 in Mumbai and graduated from the Cornell University with a degree in Architecture and Structural Engineering.
b.He turned down a job offer from IBM and continued with the family business. In 1975, he completed the Advanced Management Program from the Harvard Business School.
c.He is a member of the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India and of the Prime Minister’s Council on Trade and Industry.
d.He is a member of the international advisory boards of the Mitsubishi Corporation, the American International Group, JP Morgan Chase and Booz-Allen Hamilton Inc.
e.He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Bhushan on 26th January 2000, on the occasion of the 50th Republic Day of India.
Identify X. (Hint: Refer pic3)
a.Ratan Tata. The hint: This is the logo of Corus Steel.

Bonus Question (2 points)

Q. Sigma 6, The Megga Deaths, The Screaming Abdabs, The Architectural Abdabs, The Abdabs, Tea Set, ________. Fill in the blanks.
a. The Pink Floyd. The band was known by all these names before it finally got the name as we know it today.

QC posted on 02/02/2007

Trivia
Q. The phrase X referring to New York City was first used in a 1909 book, The Wayfarer in New York edited by Edward S. Martin. In a metaphor explaining the sentiment in the Midwest that the city receives more than a fair share of the nation's wealth, he explains: " 'New York [was] merely one of the fruits of that great tree whose roots go down in the Mississippi Valley, and whose branches spread from one ocean to the other... [But] X [New York] gets a disproportionate share of the national sap’. What is X?
Ans: X - The Big Apple

1. If ‘Fresh’ is the retail chain of Reliance then whose retail chain is ‘Fresh@’?
a.Heritage Foods– founded by Chandrababu Naidu

2. Before becoming an established writer, A worked as a car mechanic in a garage. He has written a book called "Ravi Paar" .He has developed a new style of writing poems called "Triveni" which comprises stanzas comprising three lines rhyming with each other. His daughter is a film director. One of the famous actresses B of Indian cinema left for A bits and pieces of Urdu poetry which she had written under the pseudo name ' Naaz'. Name A and B.
a. A – Gulzar, X – Meena Kumari

3. X gets its name from two great rivers – Brahmaputra and Moskva. It has been developed as a joint venture between the Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) from India and the Federal State Unitary Enterprise NPO Mashinostroyenia (NPOM) from Russia. It is currently one of the few supersonic cruise missiles in the world and at speeds of 2.5 to 2.8 Mach is about 3 times faster than the subsonic Tomahawk cruise missile. Name X.
a. BrahMos

4. Identify the gentleman. (Refer: pic). (Hint: His book is currently ‘roaring’ in the market)
a. Steve Hamm, author of 'Bangalore Tiger'.

5. Which company owns the furniture brand named ‘Vibrant’?
a. WIPRO

6. Identify the 2 boys. (Refer: pic)
a.Boddepalli Manoj Kumar (left) and Mohd. Shaibaaz Tumbi, two Hyderabad city lads created cricketing history piling up a stupendous 721-run partnership in 40 overs flat .Triple centuries by openers B. Manoj Kumar (320 not out, 127 balls, 46 x 4) and Md. Shaibaaz Tumbi (324 not out, 116 balls, 57 x 4) saw them race past the previous record of 664 runs scored by Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli in 1987-88. In fact, the boys scored in a single day unlike the famous duo, which took three days for the record partnership. Have given partial marks if names are not mentioned but the record is.

7. At present, most international airlines operating to India offer two to three class configurations. However, it will be the first time that an international airline is launching a purely business class flight to India. That airline is the official airline of Universal Studios Japan. Name the airline.
a. ANA (All NipponAirways)

8. After Wipro Spectramind, Raman Roy was inspired to crate something "beyond the existing", and as a result this BPO was born. Name the BPO.
a. Quattro

9. Who is the author of the book? (Refer: pic)
a. Magnus Magnusson

10. This bank has unveiled its new corporate logo, the symbol of two hands strongly clasping onto a pillar (that is the bank). The Malayalam actor Mammootty unveiled the logo. Name the bank.
a. The South Indian Bank

Bonus Question (2 points)
Q. What is the significance of the cartoon? (Refer: pic)
A. The phrase 'Teddy Bear' was born with this cartoon. The phrase was created in 1902 when President Theodore Roosevelt was taking a well-deserved break on a shooting trip in Mississippi. When the local game failed to show up, aides captured and stunned a bear cub and offered it to Rooseveltto finish it off. Deeming this 'unsporting', the President declined. His act of mercy was caricatured in the next day's Washington Post. The cartoon caught the eye of New Yorksweet shop owner Morris Michtom, who asked his wife to make a 'Teddy Bear'.

QC posted on 10/27/2006

Trivia question :
See pic Triva . this was the first logo designed by the company's founders in 1976. Not continuing with it for long they replaced it with the iconic logo that we know today. Name this maverick company.
Ans. Apple Logo. Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne designed the first logo. It depicts Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an Apple tree. It was immediately replaced by the one designed by Rob Janoff (the rainbow-colored silhouette of an apple with a bite taken out of it)

1. Amazon.com has unveiled a widely anticipated Internet service offering movies and TV shows that can be downloaded to personal computers, solidly moving the online retailer into the nascent market. How it is branded ?
a. amazon Unbox

2.

Identify the logo in img3.
a.Grameen Bank, which with its founder Mohammed Yunus, was awarded the nobel prize for peace for 2006.

3. X is an an incentive scheme for Cognizant's employees. Designed on the lines of a frequent flyer programme, X helps Cognizant employees to earn reward points that can be accumulated and redeemed against Cognizant merchandise ranging from denim shirts to signature coffee mugs, watches to jackets, or even a DVD player. Name X.
a. Wah!

4.Amar Chand, 76, died recently after observing a centuries-old Jain practice where a person starves to prepare spiritually for their death. every year, around 100 people observe this to attain salvation. what is the name of this custom?
a. "santhara"

5. connect and tell me the missing one:
The Secret River, Carry Me Down, In the Country of Men, Mother's Milk,The Night Watch.
a. The missing one is " The Inheritance of Loss ". Written by Anita desai's daughter Kiran desai. She won the booker prize and the name mentioned above are the names of the other books who were shortlisted this time for booker prize but couldn;t make it. Kiran desai is the youngest to win it.

6.

Identify the train in img1.
a. The first 'Garib Rath' train, aimed at providing airconditioned comfort to the poor at subsidised fares, was on Wednesday flagged off by Railway Minister Lalu Prasad at the Saharsa railway station in north Bihar .For the 1,500-km journey a passenger will pay only Rs. 695 as against the fare of Rs. 1,279 for travel in AC three-tier in an express train. Travel in the AC chair car will cost only Rs. 595. However just as in low-cost airlines any extra service would be charged. Passengers will have to pay for bedrolls as well as food.

7.

What is special about the model in img2?
a. Blaupunkt's product christening strategy involves the names of major cities located across the globe. The image is of the recently launched Mumbai MP26 car radio, the first car radio named after an Indian city.

8.

What is the inovative product in img4 ? and name the chain of resturants that intruduced this?
a. Though Pizzas are traditionally round in shape, the chain restaurant, Pizza Corner, in a way to attract more diners, has come out with a new concept - pizza in a cone called `conizza'

9.

Identify the logo in img6?.
a. It’s World Bank

10. "An excellent piece to help us understand what happened in the world during the 20th century, what is going on now and the greatest threat looming over our planet: The hegemonic pretension of US Imperialism that puts at risk the very survival of the human species," extolled Chavez. He wanted the `brothers and sisters' in the US to first read the book `because the threat is in their own house.' Which book he is referring to?(chavez even called Bush "A devil".)
a. Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance , by Noam Chomsky.

Bonus question (2 points)
Q. The world's largest diamond reported to have been found this century is a 603 carat white diamond. What is its name ?
A. "Lesotho's promise". The small mountain kingdom of Lesotho is marking its 40th anniversary of independence from the United Kingdom by flying a new more peaceful flag. The military emblem of a shield, spear and knobkerrie is replaced by a traditional cone-shaped hat on the blue, white and green flag. See img5