Jan 31, 2014

Q.1219

In January 2014, an English team retained this sporting series beating its traditional rival by scoring the necessary number of points to assure victory. The series follows an unusual but interesting format: one Test is worth six points, the 3 ODIs and 2 T20s are worth 2 points each.

Which series is this, which was overshadowed by another series held roughly at the same time?

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This day last year: Q.854

Jan 30, 2014

Q.1218

In December 2013, this technology company signed a deal with the Spanish football club F.C.Barcelona to put their logo on the inside of the team's official jerseys. This was largely hailed as a smart move, as it nicely fits in with the company's 'interior positioning'.

So when Barca players celebrate a goal by pulling their shirts inside-out, what will you see inside?

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This day last year: Q.853

Jan 29, 2014

Q.1217

In January 2014, the American singer and actress Queen Latifah was sworn in as a commissioner in the US state of California (valid for only a short period of time) that essentially give her the license to officially preside over marriages. About thirty-odd couples were married by her; the event was accompanied by a performance of the song "Same Love" by the hip-hop singers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

What larger event was the backdrop to this event?

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This day last year: Q.852

Jan 28, 2014

Q.1216

Based on a submission by Kautuk Raj | contribute questions

In January 2014, it was revealed that the Indian government commissioned the development of an internet surveillance project designed to analyse online messages for use by intelligence agencies. This is the Indian equivalent of the US's now notorious Prism system. What is the apt name of the network traffic analysis software, which aims to be an all-seeing system?

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This day last year: Q.851

Jan 27, 2014

Q.1215

Jerome Champagne is a former French diplomat who, in Jan 2014, announced his candidature for the post of FIFA President (to be held in April 2015). Among his many proposals for the game is the introduction of the 'orange card' as a form of punishment for fouls. This would implement which concept seen in sports such as rugby?

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This day last year: Q.850

Jan 26, 2014

Q.1214

"Pronoy Pasha" was a 1978 Bengali film starring Soumitra Chatterjee, which did not do very well at the box office despite a high profile cast. What 'last' did this film mark, which was echoed in a physical sense in January 2014?

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This day last year: Q.849

Jan 25, 2014

Q.1213

From February 2014, visitors from Pakistan to India will have to show evidence of a certain kind of vaccination, so as to protect a hard-won Indian achievement. What achievement?

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This day last year: Q.848

Jan 24, 2014

Q.1212

In January 2014, the Indian state of Goa hosted the third edition of the Lusofonia Games, an international multi-sport event. The event was to be held towards the end of 2013 in keeping with a four-year cycle, but eventually happened in January.

Scheduled to be next held in Mozambique in 2017, which countries are eligible to participate in these games?

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This day last year: Q.847

Jan 23, 2014

Q.1211

In January 2014, the Petra Diamonds company announced that it had unearthed a blue diamond (considered very rare) of about 30 carats in a mine in South Africa. In which mine and town, which shares its name with the world's biggest gem-quality diamond (also discovered there) was this discovery made?

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This day last year: Q.846

Jan 22, 2014

Q.1210

Star Sports is the broadcaster for this Indian sporting event that begins in January 2014. To promote it, the channel has created ads featuring each participant team. The locations for the ads are the Delhi Jantar Mantar, the Golden Temple, the Dassam Falls near Ranchi, a Mumbai local train, the Puri Beach and some lanes in Varanasi.

Which event?

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This day last year: Q.845

Jan 21, 2014

Q.1209

"Travails of Chachi" is a non-fiction book set in New Delhi and UP, and is authored by Louise Khurshid, wife of Union Minister Salman Khurshid. The book was unveiled at the 2014 Jaipur Literature Festival in January 2014.

The book was launched by the socially ubiquitous Suhel Seth, after the original guest was unable to come. Who was this guest?

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This day last year: Q.844

Jan 20, 2014

Q.1208

"American Hustle" is a 2013 American film that has been picking up several gongs in the 2014 award season. The story is a loose retelling of what is known as the "Abscam" scandal from the 1980s, a sting operation that led to the fall of several important American politicans.

The name "Abscam" comes from the fictional front company used for the operation: originally, it referred to its nationality, but later it was revised to refer to its name. What name or nationality?

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This day last year: Q.843

Jan 19, 2014

Q.1207

Cecilia Abadie is a resident of California, USA. In January 2014, she faced charges in court for an alleged traffic offence committed in October 2013. The court threw out the case and thus, she did not have to pay a penalty for what would have been an unusual reason.

So what was the problem?

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This day last year: Q.842

Jan 18, 2014

Q.1206

Guest Question by Shivam Kumar | contribute questions

Formestane is a type I Steroidal Aromatase inhibitor used in the treatment of endocrine-dependent advanced breast cancer. It also acts as a prohormone to 4-hydroxytestosterone which is an active steroid which displays weak androgenic activity. How did this benefit an Indian (and India) in January 2014?

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This day last year: Q.841

Jan 17, 2014

Q.1205

"Bitcoin" is a digital currency that has taken the world of business and economy by storm in the last few years. Given that, central banks and other financial regulators have been taking a close look at various issues related to this and other currencies, which is why India has yet to formally approve their use in the Indian financial system.

This has also meant that India's first digital currency is also waiting for approval. What is the name of this currency, which cleverly replaces 'bit' by a guest Indians would like to invite home and not complain if they overstay?

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This day last year: Q.840

Jan 16, 2014

Q.1204

This disputed country's football federation has been fighting to enter FIFA (world football's governing body). In January 2014, FIFA allowed the federation to play friendly matches against other sides, except from countries of the former Yugoslavia, and asked them to avoid using national symbols during matches.

Which country?

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This day last year: Q.839

Jan 15, 2014

Q.1203

Guest Question by Shivam Kumar | contribute questions

'Little Eye Labs' is a Bangalore-based startup which develops tools to analyse the performance of mobile Android apps and was founded in May 2013 by four programmers Giridhar Murthy, Kumar Rangarajan, Satyam Kandula and Lakshman Kakkirala.

What Indian 'first' did the company set in January 2014 in the context of a blue-eyed technology giant?

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This day last year: Q.838

Jan 14, 2014

Q.1202

"Oh, What a Lovely War!" is a famous British musical play created by Joan Littlewood and others. It premiered in 1963 at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, and went to Broadway in the US in 1964.

Fifty years later, the play is being revived for the British stage: it will be staged again at the Stratford Theatre in February 2014. For what reason is it being revived?

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This day last year: Q.837

Jan 13, 2014

Q.1201

Soldier-turned-politician Ariel Sharon was one of the most controversial leaders to have emerged from Israel. The former Prime Minister died in January 2014 after being in a coma for eight years ; his death was 'greeted' in Palestine, where he was deeply unpopular.

Such was the hatred for him that for many years, a household product was the subject of boycotts in many parts of the Middle East, with some groups asking people to shun it because it was supposedly named after him.

Which product?

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This day last year: Q.836

Jan 12, 2014

Q.1200

Being billed as "India's largest public arts programme", it is in Mumbai and consists of a 3 km long display wall with works by over a thousand artists curated by Rajeev Sethi. Called "Jaya He", it is part of a space inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in January 2014.

Where exactly is this in Mumbai?

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This day last year: Q.835

Jan 11, 2014

Q.1199

Illustrated by well-known Norwegian artist Svein Nyuhus, this children's book was written by brothers Vegard and Bard Ylvisaker became an instant bestseller in December 2013. The book was based on a popular song of the same name.

Which book or song?

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This day last year: Q.834

Jan 10, 2014

Q.1198

An announcement in Jan 2014 confirmed that the 2014 edition of this annual sporting event will, despite what its name suggests, begin in Yorkshire, England, and make it to London after the end of the third stage. Which event, and where will it end?

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This day last year: Q.833

Jan 9, 2014

Q.1197

For the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Russia has issued a new banknote, a new coin, and a set of stamps. The banknote will feature a snowboarder.

You could say the banknote's unusual design will stand apart from other Russian banknotes. How?

A question from my Mood Indigo 2013 General Quiz

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This day last year: Q.832

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"Excellent Blog Overall... As a student, it helps me in keeping track of current affiars.... A regualar dose of blog will lead you to success in all quiz competitions(unless your competitors do not vist this blog (-: ) It would be nice to have some trivia each day!!"

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Strongly recommend this blog for all quizzers (especially the young ones)."

Mukund Marodia:

"I am a big fan of this blog. My passion for intense quizzing started a few years ago due to the quiz blogs on the net. Of all those, I find IZ to be the most regular, updated and presentable quiz blog. The questions are usually of moderate difficulty and the USP is that they are based on the recent happenings around the world. The questions are well framed and their length is perfect. So one might be well aware of the happenings around the world, yet one might find himself/herself being tricked by the questions posted on the blog, which I believe is a sign of great question-making and quizzing talent. Cheers for your superb effort!"

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"All Hail Quizzing... From the first visit to this site, ever since , I haven't missed a single question put up here. Quality , nothing else. Way to go... Keep up the good work . Best Wishes... With an infinite passion for quizzing, a sound mind from the god's own country ! :) "

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ffff:

"gdfgfdgdfgdgfdgdg"

IZ: We assume this means "great work!" in the Krakatoan language.


Jan 8, 2014

Q.1196

In January 2014, the Chief Minister of this Indian state has announced that they would like to switch back to 'bagan time', which is one hour ahead of IST, so as to make better use of daylight. Which state?

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This day last year: Q.831

Izzie.1196

Izzies are 'light' IZ questions that are ideal for beginners and children

Which famous sportsman suffered a serious accident on 29 Dec 2013 while skiing on a mountain named Dent de Burgin in France?

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Jan 7, 2014

Q.1195

In January 2014, Forbes magazine released its annual '30 under 30' list of people; those under the age of 30 who, in its opinion, are likely to have an impact on the world.

On the cover was Evan Spiegel, co-founder of an app that got hacked on Jan 1, 2014, leading to the release of private information belonging to over 4 million people. Which application?

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This day last year: Q.830

Izzie.1195

Izzies are 'light' IZ questions that are ideal for beginners and children

This country held elections in Jan 2014; the main opposition party (BNP) refused to participate, thus assuring the ruling Awami League of victory. Which country?

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Jan 6, 2014

Q.1194

  • Because, according to the American Dialect Society that picks the winning word, "[it] is now being used in new ways to introduce a noun, adjective, or other part of speech."
  • Because, according to Ben Zimmer (linguist and member of the Society), "[it] exploded with new grammatical possibilities in informal online use""
  • Because, as one person put it, 'because useful!'
Which word has the American Dialect Society picked as the 2013 Word of the Year?

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This day last year: Q.829

Izzie.1194

Izzies are 'light' IZ questions that are ideal for beginners and children

Doing it in 36 balls, what long-standing record did Corey Anderson of New Zealand break to make his own on the first day of January, 2014?

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Jan 5, 2014

Q.1193

On Jan 1, 2014, Lego began selling its latest addition to its catalogue. This is part of a series where fans vote for new Lego toys to be designed. A 1:20 scale model of technology creation that enjoyed a red-letter day in 2012, the Lego design was made by Stephen Pakbaz, who had also worked as an engineer on the original project.

So what is this based on?

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This day last year: Q.828

Izzie.1193

Izzies are 'light' IZ questions that are ideal for beginners and children

"The Empty Hearse" is the name of a TV episode that aired in January 2014. It marks the return of which British show?

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Jan 4, 2014

Q.1192

At the ATP Awards for male tennis players in 2013, Roger Federer won three words including the Sportsmanship Award (voted by his fellow players). This was the 9th time he'd won this prize, easily the record.

The award is named after a former player who himself won the prize 5 times: the award was eventually named in his honour because of this reason.

Who is this player, and why will he play a more important role on the tennis court (or just off it) in 2014?

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This day last year: Q.827

Izzie.1192

Izzies are 'light' IZ questions that are ideal for beginners and children

Thought not yet confirmed, which famous figure from Indian business is rumoured to be interested in contesting from South Bangalore for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections?

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Jan 3, 2014

Q.1191

"Milda" is the nickname of the Freedom Monument in this country's capital city, which commemorated the country's war of Independence just after World War I. Milda is a national symbol in the country: she was seen on the country's banknotes, which, from 1st Jan 2014, gave way to the Euro.

To be seen on one and two euro coins within that nation, which country is this?

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This day last year: Q.826

Izzie.1191

Izzies are 'light' IZ questions that are ideal for beginners and children

"Jai Ho" is Salman Khan's next Hindi film release, in Jan 2014 and has music by Sajid-Wajid. Which music director, closely associated with Salman Khan, will be the voice of the song "Photocopy" in the film?

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Jan 2, 2014

Q.1190

Guest Question by Navin Rajaram | contribute questions

Organized by Urdu Markaz, the first edition of this literary festival will be held between January 10-12, 2014 in tribute to an area that extends from Madanpura to Nagapada upto Mohammad Ali Road, in Mumbai. The rich literary and artistic roots of this area hark back to the Mughal era, reaching a peak when the Leftist Progressive Writers' Movement was initiated in 1932, at a coffee house here by Sajjad Babbar, Mulk Raj Anand and Munshi Premchand.

What festival is this, named after the area itself and which singer will grace this festival, by virtue of a lineal association?

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This day last year: Q.825

Izzie.1190

Izzies are simpler questions that are ideal for beginners and children

Rakhi Birla is the only woman minister in which ministerial Cabinet which was sworn into power in December 2013?

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Jan 1, 2014

Q.1189

Guest Question by W.P.Fey | contribute questions

This video, released at the end of 2013, went viral on the internet. It starts with the words "new beginnings" and as the music for Jetta's "Feels Like Coming Home" plays in the background, Prince George (the latest addition to the British royal family) is seen with his parents. The video ends with a photo of SFO's Batkid.

Which video and what was its purpose?

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This day last year: Q.824

Izzie.1189

(Izzies are IZ questions meant for beginners, especially children)

Which Russian city will host the Winter Olympics in Feb 2014?

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