The Questions from the Prelims of the Mumbai Landmark Quiz 2011. Thanks to Dr. Navin for sharing the questions.
1. In 1956 Potti Sriramulu the Telugu nationalist fasted to death, an event that led to the reorganisation of states on a linguistic basis. In 1960, members of Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti were fired upon when they gathered in Bombay for a demonstration. The protests eventually led to the creation of the modern state of Maharashtra. What was the former name of the spot where this demonstration took place?
2. On 29th September 2010 Ranjana Sonawane of Tembhli village in Maharashtra became the first person in India to receive what during the launch of an important all-India project?
3. Which planet's poisonous atmosphere has been described as the product of a “runaway greenhouse effect”?
4. The death of Princess Diana on 31st August 1997 led to a collective outpouring of grief around the world. Which global Indian's death that same week became a footnote to the fulsome obituaries written for Diana in the world's newpapers?
5. What substance forms when hydrogen burns in air?
6. This person felt that lack of physical education in schools contributed to country's defeat in Franco-Prussian war. He was also was a fan of Tom Brown's Schooldays that stressed importance of physical strength. He visited Much Wenlock village in Shropshire in 1890 where Dr William Penny had put together a revival of _______ in 1890 which led him to his inspiration. What?
7. Barbie Doll has had 124 careers since 1959, ranging from Stewardess to Paratrooper. What is her latest that hit the stores in Winter 2010 that has her sporting glasses?
8. Which mountain pass in the Aravalli range that connects the Rajsamand and Pali districts is associated with a distinctive yellowish colouration of its soil and was the site of a famous battle?
9. In 2006, the World Bank Institute concluded that the village of Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra was transformed from a highly degraded village ecosystem in a semi-arid region of extreme poverty to one of the richest in the country. The Ralegan Siddhi example, now 25 years old, showed that it is possible to rebuild natural capital in partnership with the local economy. In 1992, who received a Padma Bhushan for his efforts in making Ralegan Siddhi a model village for the rest of India?
10. Which scientist’s birthday on 31st March was celebrated by this Google Doodle?
**11. When 87 year old Kerala Chief Minister VS Achuthanandan made his famous 'Amul baby' remark, attacking 40-year old Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, dairy brand Amul was not late in issuing this ad “They are both Amul babies”. Interestingly Rahul Gandhi had earlier featured in another Amul ad. What was the incident and what was the tag line that parodied a well loved 1958 Bollywood comedy?
**12. VISUAL: This millionaire bought the island called Moskito in the British Virgin islands group in 2007 for £10m and pledged to turn it into the world's most ecologically friendly resort. He has now triggered a coservation row by planning to relocate this animal half a world away from its natural habitat in Madagascar to the Caribbean. Name the millionaire and this animal.
**13. Whose tomb did Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose visit after giving his famous "Delhi Chalo" call?
**14. The largest artery in the body is the aorta that arises directly from the left ventricle of the heart to supply blood to the entire body through various branches. Which organ gets the first supply of oxygenated blood?
**15. On July 9, 2011 the world's newest country will come into being (the 195th) ending Africa's longest running civil war. Names that were considered were Azania, Nile Republic, Kush Republic (referring to the ancient Biblical kingdom) and Juwama, after Juba, Wau and Malakal, the three major cities here. What was the final name chosen because of its “familiarity and convenience”?
**16. What remarkable achievement links these four athletes: Eddie Eagan (USA), Jacob Tullin Thams, (Norway), Christa Luding-Rothenburger (GDR), and Clara Hughes (Canada)?
**17. Which “standing dialect” spoken mainly in rural surroundings of Delhi and adjacent UP and Uttarakhand is generally accepted as the main dialectical precursor of Standard Hindi and Urdu which are the official languages of India and Pakistan respectively?
**18. This famous woodblock print titled The Great Wave of Kanagawa (showing a tsunami) by 19th century Japanese artist Hokusai is the first of his Thirty Six Views of _______?
**19. According to the Puranas there are 49 different storm gods. They consider Hanuman as their leader. What name is given to Hanuman in his manifestation as the leader of the storm gods?
**20. The IIT-JEE 2011 was held for admission to all the 15 IITs and two special institutions that, according to the IIT-JEE website, “are the oldest institutions in India and are known for their immense contributions towards society at large and for science and technology in particular.” Name these two institutions.
21. Who are the only two umpires to be honoured by the Umpire of the Year award by the ICC since the awards were instituted in 2004?
22. In 1852, while stationed in Dehradun, Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician from Bengal, was the first to identify what geographical superlative using trigonometric calculations based on James Nicolson's measurements of 1849?
23. Which country became a member of SAARC on 13 November 2005?
24. To which deity was Indira Gandhi famously compared to after her victory in the 1971 Indo-Pak war?
25. This space probe’s name is an acronym for _________ Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging. The name itself is appropriate considering the planet which it is probing. On 18th march 2011 it became the first space probe to orbit this planet. Name the planet.
26. This indigenous term of Scandinavian origin refers to an official, usually appointed by the government, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens. What word is this and what is its Indian equivalent?
27. A scale assessing what uses these following categories: Flawless, Internally Flawless, Very Very Slightly Included, Very Slightly Included, Slightly Included, and Included?
28. Canadian Lieutenant Harry Colebourn purchased this bear from a hunter for $20 and named it after his hometown in Manitoba, and because of World War One, left it in the care of the London Zoo. What was the name of this bear?
29. It is India’s largest city without a Hindu population majority but ironically it is named for a Hindu deity and the name literally means a place of wealth and abundance. Which city?
30. Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām (also known as the Grand Mosque) is the largest mosque in the world. Apart from its size what else is its claim to fame?
31. Billings Artworks Ltd., with the help of Semco Industries, created a custom alloy of zinc and aluminium which they named Gramium. For what speicific purpose was this alloy developed? It continues to be used for the same.
32. The most popular and modern version of tying/arranging this object is called the nivi style and was made popular by the works of Raja Ravi Verma. What object is this?
33. VISUAL: This is native art of which country and what animal does it depict?
34. VISUAL: Who is this?
35. VIDEO: (Scene from Saat Khoon Maaf) Name the actor whom Priyanka Chopra is talking to?
36. VIDEO: (viral hit about Twitter) This is a parody of which movie?
37. VIDEO: This scene is from the movie version of which non-fiction bestseller?
38. VIDEO: (Tata Capital TVC): The song featured in this commercial is from which film?
39. VIDEO: (The first Bollywood musical that premiered in September 2010): Name the show.
40. AUDIO: (Lady Gaga’s Born This Way – The Bollywood Remix): This remix was created by which duo?
ANSWERS:
1. Flora Fountain (that was renamed Hutatma Chowk)
2. Unique ID or Aadhar
3. Venus
4. Mother Teresa (died 5th September 1997)
5. Water
6. Coubertin was inspired by Penny's revival of the Olympic Games.
7. Computer engineer
8. Haldighati.
9. Anna Hazare
10. Robert Bunsen
**11. Rahul Gandhi's ride on a Mumbai suburban train / Chalti ka naam Gandhi
**12. Richard Branson / Ring-tail Lemur
**13. Bahadur Shah Zafar in Rangoon
**14. The heart (coronary arteries)
**15. Southern Sudan
**16. Only athletes to have won medals in both the Winter and Summer Olympics
**17. Khariboli
**18. Mt Fuji. The work or art is The Great Wave of Kanagawa (a tsunami)
**19. Maruti (leader of the Maruts)
**20. Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (IT-BHU) Varanasi and Indian School of Mines (ISM) Dhanbad
21. Simon Taufel and Aleem Dar
22. Mt Everest being the world's tallest peak
23. Afghanistan
24. Durga
25. Mercury. After its launch in 2004 and 3 flybys, the last in Sept 2009, the Messenger spaceprobe entered Mercury’s orbit on 18th March 2011.
26. Ombudsman / Lokpal
27. Diamond clarity (Gemology Institute of America). This appears in Amitabh and Jaya TVC for Tanishq
28. Winnipeg. Christopher Milne had named his teddy after Winnipeg, after this bear which he and his father AA Milne often saw at London Zoo. AA Milne named his character Winnie the Pooh after this bear.
29. Srinagar
30. The Kaaba is located inside it.
31. To make the Grammy award
32. The sari
33. Australia / Platypus
34. Siddhartha Mukherjee (Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer)
35. Ruskin Bond (Scene from Saat Khoon Maaf)
36. Social Network (This viral hit about Twitter is called The Twit Network)
37. Freakonomics
38. Masoom
39. Zangoora, The Gypsy Prince (the first Bollywood musical that premiered in September 2010)
40. Salim and Sulaiman (Lady Gaga’s Born This Way – The Bollywood Remix)
