Sunday, July 31, 2005

Origins of the Names of the Periodic Table Elements - Part III

The name of this European capital city literally translates to ‘Log Islet’ in the local language. An element gets its name from the city's Latin name because it was the home town of one of its discoverers. Which element?

Holmium, after Stockholm.

This element was spectroscopically discovered by Robert Bunsen and Gustav Kirchhoff in 1860 in mineral water from Durkheim, Germany. Its identification was based upon the bright blue lines in its spectrum and it was the first element discovered by spectrum analysis. It gets its name from the Latin word meaning "sky blue" or "light blue". Which element?


Caesium

Although this element was first identified in Paris in 1886 by French chemist Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran, it was not isolated in relatively pure form until after the development of ion exchange and metallographic reduction techniques in the 1950s. Its name is derived from the Greek term for "hard to obtain". Which element?

Dysprosium

Which element, first synthesized in 1967 at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia, gets its name from the city in which the institute is located?


Dubnium, from Dubna.

This element, discovered in 1803 by Smithson Tennant, was named after the Latin word for ‘rainbow’, because many of its salts were strongly coloured. Which element?


Iridium

Origins of the Names of the Periodic Table Elements - Part II

This element was named after a person, who was the Chief of Staff (Colonel) of the Russian Corps of Mining Engineers, from 1845 through 1861. It was also the first chemical element named after a person. Which element?

Samarium, after Vasili Samarsky-Bykhovets.

There is a village in Sunart, an area in western Lochaber, Scotland, on the A861 road. It lies on the north shore of Loch Sunart, close to the head of the loch. The village name in Gaelic translates as the 'nose of the fairies', a low round hill inhabited by the mythological Sìth. Which element is named after this village?


Strontium

Which element, discovered in 1961, gets its name from the person who invented the cyclotron?

Lawrencium, from Ernest O. Lawrence.

There was an Austrian physicist who was the first to realize that Otto Hahn had inadvertently achieved the fission of uranium. Together with Hahn she discovered the element Protactinium and studied the effects of neutron bombardment on uranium. Which element is named after her?

Meitnerium

The Institute for Heavy Ion Research (Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung) in Germany has been responsible for the naming of two elements that were discovered there. One was named after the city in which the institute is located and another is named after the state. What are the two elements?


Darmstadtium and Hassium, after Darmstadt and Hessen respectively.

Origins of the Names of the Periodic Table Elements

The name of this European capital city literally translates to ‘Merchant's harbour’ in the local language. An element, which was discovered in this city, gets its name from the city’s Latin name. Which element?

Hafnium, after Copenhagen.

In 1899, a radioactive element was discovered by André-Louis Debierne, who separated it from pitchblende. He proposed a name for it, which was derived from Greek word for sun ray or sun beam. Which element?


Actinium

Sir William Crookes, who discovered this element in 1861 in England while he was making spectroscopic determinations for tellurium on residues from a sulfuric acid plant, was reminded of the color of the vegetation by its bright green spectral emission lines. So, he named it from the Greek term for 'a green shoot or twig'. Which element?


Thallium

Which element, discovered in the year 1803 by William Hyde, gets its name from the Greek word for ‘rose’?

Rhodium

Which element was named after a famous scientist who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in the year 1922?

Bohrium

The Life and Career of Sachin Tendulkar - Part III

Where did Sachin meet Michael Schumacher and was presented with the keys of a Ferrari for equaling Sir Donald Bradman’s feat of 29 Test centuries?

Silverstone

In which year Sachin did win the Wisden cricketer of the year award?

1997

In 2002, Fiat launched a variant of its car brand which was named after Sachin and featured his signature on its bonnet. Name the Car.


Palio S10

Sachin and Kambli were involved in a involved in world-record unbroken 664-run partnership for Shardashram Vidyamandir against St Xavier's High School .Which batsman was padded up to bat next but didn’t get the chance to do so?

Amol Muzumdar

What record did Sachin achieve when he scored 5 runs in the third and final Test against Pakistan in Bangalore in 2005?

He became the highest run getter for India in test cricket

The Life and Career of Sachin Tendulkar - Part II

Sachin Tendulkar became the first person to be adjudged run out by a third umpire in test cricket. Which umpire made the referral to the third umpire?

Cyril Mitchley

Who replaced Sachin tendulkar as the opener for the match against Zimbabwe in the 1999 world cup after he was forced to miss the match due to the demise of his father?

Sadagopan Ramesh

In which tournament did Sachin register his first ODI century?

Singer Cup in 1994 at the Premadasa Stadium

Who was the bowler to get Sachin out stumped for the first time in test cricket?

Ashley Giles

According to Sachin himself what is his favourite cricket ground?

The SCG

The Life and Career of Sachin Tendulkar

When Sachin made his ODI debut against Pakistan two other Indian players also made their debuts. Name both of them.

Vivek Razdan and Salil Ankola

Against which country has Sachin made the most number of runs in ODIs?

Sri Lanka, 2381

Sachin's best ever bowling performance was against Australia when he took 5/32 at Kochi. At which venue did he produce his second best bowling performance of 5/50?

Nehru Stadium, Kochi

For which club did Sachin play after missing the tour of the Caribbean in order to regain fitness for a possible comeback in August 2006?

Lashings world XI

During India's historic tour of Pakistan in 2004, Tendulkar went public with his disappointment at not being able to score 200, when Rahul declared the match with 16 overs remaining on Day 2 when Sachin was still unbeaten on 194. Where was this match played?

Multan

Sherlock Holmes - Part III

Which Sherlock Holmes story consists of two sections titled "The Singular Experience of Mr. John Scott Eccles" and "The Tiger of San Pedro."?

"The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge"

In "The Red-Headed League", what was the name of the bank which was to be robbed?

City and Suburban Bank.

Which are the two Sherlock Holmes adventures which are narrated in first person by Sherlock Holmes himself and do not feature Dr.Watson?

"The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier" and "The Adventure of the Lion's Mane"

In "The Adventure of the Gloria Scott", where did the ship Gloria Scott set sail from in 1855 and which country was it bound for?

Falmouth to Australia

In "The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle", where was the blue carbuncle stolen from?

Hotel Cosmopolitan

Sherlock Holmes - Part II

In the Sherlock Holmes adventures, which document begins with the line "Whose was it?" and ends with the line "For the sake of the trust."?

The Musgrave Ritual

Mark Haddon's 2002 novel "The Curious Incident Of The Dog in the Night Time" takes its title from which Sherlock Holmes adventure?


Silver Blaze

In "Silver Blaze", what is the name of the race in which the famous race horse 'Silver Blaze is supposed to run when its trainer John Straker is murdered?


The Wessex Cup

In the Sherlock Holmes adventures, what is the common name of the creature with the scientific name Cyanea capillata?


The Lion's Mane Jellyfish

Which are the only two Sherlock Holmes adventures that are narrated in Third Person?

The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone and His Last Bow

Sherlock Holmes

Holmes is generally depicted in various media as wearing a deerstalker hat. However, this was not the invention of Conan Doyle, but of the artist who originally illustrated the stories. What was his name?

Sidney Paget.

In "The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter", Holmes states that his grandmother was the sister of a famous French painter. Which painter?

Horace Vernet

In "The Adventure Of The Final Problem" Holmes' and Watson's journey go to a small town in Switzerland Switzerland from where they fatefully decide to take a walk which will include a visit to Reichenbach Falls, a local natural wonder. Which town?

Meiringen

Which was the first Holmes story set after his supposed death at the Reichenbach Falls, which involves Holmes's explanation of how he escaped?

The Adventure of the Empty House

Which Sherlock Holmes adventure features the use of a poison called Radix pedis diaboli which was brought all the way from Africa?

The Adventure of the Devil's Foot

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Mario Puzo's - The GodFather III

Before he became a big star, Johnny Fontane was a singer with a popular dance band. The band leader had signed Johnny on a highly unfair five-year contract and had to be persuaded by Don Corleone himself to release him. Who was the band leader?

Les Halley

Before meeting up with Jack Woltz, Tom Hagen gets in touch with the most powerful man in the movie labor unions to arrange a Labor Strike if the meeting did not go well. Who was this person?


Billy Goff

What were the names of the two guys who sexually molested Amerigo Bonasera's daughter, and left her badly hurt in the process?

Jerry Wagner and Kevin Moonan

Which character in the novel was wounded in Africa while fighting in the war and had been discharged in 1943?

Rocco Lampone

What was the name of the hospital in which Don Corleone was recovering from his shooting?

The French Hospital

Mario Puzo's - The GodFather II

What did Michael present Apollonia with when he met her in her house, after getting the permission of her father?

A heavy gold necklace.

In the novel, who once suffered from an eggshell fracture of the zygoma?

Michael Corleone

What was the name of the surgeon who operated successfully on Lucy Mancini to cure her of her problem, after being requested to by Dr. Jules Segal?

Dr. Frederick Kellner

The head of the Mafia family that controlled upper New York State was one of the few Dons who had never been arrested and whose true activities had never been suspected. He had served on civic committees and had once been voted as the "Businessman of the Year for the State of New York" by the Chamber of Commerce. What was his name?

Ottilio Cuneo

When Vito Corleone went into the Olive Oil Importing business with Genco Abbandando, under what brand name did they sell the Olive Oil in the United States?

Genco Pura

Mario Puzo's - The GodFather

Which character in the novel had four sons, all of whom went to Fordham University?

Captain Mark McCluskey

What was the name of the Italian restaurant in the Bronx where Michael Corleone kills Virgil Solozzo and Captain McCluskey?

Luna Azure

The press agent or public relations counsel for Woltz International Film Corporation threw a party every Friday night for major movie stars and young upcoming actors and actresses. What was his name?

Roy McElroy

Which character in the novel kills a man named Wax Baines, a notorious pimp, dope pusher and strong-arm artist, by striking him on his skull using his flashlight?

Albert Neri

What make of car did Michael Corleone use when he was hiding out in Palermo, and in which his wife Apollonia met her death?

Alfa Romeo