May 31, 2014

Q.1339

In May 2014, a scientist at Bing (Microsoft's search engine) posted a blog post, talking about Microsoft's association with an annual American event. The post begins as follows:
"When spellcheck first became popular, there was somewhat of an elegiacal interlocutory fracas by those who practiced the antediluvian deification of autochthonous language and viewed a deteriorating emphasis on canonical spelling as an almost sacrilegious demarche against the euonym and akin to vivisepulture."
What was the event?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.974

May 30, 2014

Q.1338

Manaus is one of the 12 Brazilian cities to host matches in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The stadium is designed in the form of a straw basket, which the local region is well-known for. The stadium, "Arena da ______" gets the second part of its name from the famous geographical region in which it is located.

What region?

Image: Wikipedia

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.973

May 29, 2014

Q.1337

In May 2014, a group of explorers working on a shipwreck (which was discovered in 2003) off the coast of Haiti, announced they had probably found a famous ship which was wrecked on Christmas Day, 1492. If the ship is mamed after Saint Mary, who commanded it?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.972

May 28, 2014

Q.1336

Italian programmer Gabriele Cirulli released this piece of code for a game in March 2014 and soon saw his creation go viral, with several clones and derivatives popping up soon (such as a Doge and a Tetris version). The Wall Street Journal described it as "Candy Crush for math geeks".

The game can be described as achieving a power level of 11 on the number 2 - what is this?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.971

May 27, 2014

Q.1335

Based on a guest question by Abhishek Veeraraghavan | contribute questions

Akhilesh Jaiswal was a writer on the film "Gangs of Wasseypur writer". In 2014, he made his directorial debut. Writing about the film's subject:

"___'s books are published even today and have a large readership in the North. I have read his books as a student. It's his writing that inspired me to make this fictional biography. If the real ___ is reading this or any publishers who made a killing on his numerous writings know about his family or dependents, please get in touch with us as rightly deserved limelight and remuneration await you".
What is the subject of this film?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.970

May 26, 2014

Q.1334

Paleontologists (i.e. dinosaur researchers) at Argentina's Museo Paleontologico Egidio Feruglio announced in May 2014 that they had unearthed remains of what could perhaps be the largest dinosaur of all time. The existing record is said to be held by another dinosaur species found in Argentina, called the "Argentinosaurus".

What genus (a matter of dispute) are these large dinosaurs put in, which gets its name from mythological beings from Greek legends?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.969

May 25, 2014

Q.1333

"Snack Hacks" is a web video series where well known chefs use this famous packaged food product in different ways, such as creating a new flavour of tortilla chips and using it in a pudding.

The company behind this was inspired to create this series after seeing a photo of someone who used a fork to dip this food item into milk so as to avoid getting their fingers sticky. Which food item?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.968

May 24, 2014

Q.1332

Based on a guest question by Avinav Prakash | contribute questions

India has over 2 crore cases pending in Indian courts. To make matters worse, the judiciary has long vacations, for which it is often criticised. In 2014, the Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha, made an almost revolutionary proposal that could help resolve clearing the case backlog, comparing it to sectors such as health or electricity.

What proposal?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.967

May 23, 2014

Q.1331

According to this chart (click to view a larger pic) published by Bill Gates in April 2014, what is the deadliest animal in the world (measured in terms of human fatalities)?

Image: Gates Notes

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.966

May 22, 2014

Q.1330

"Cubed" is the name of a 2014 book by Nikil Saval. Subtitled "A Secret History of the Workplace", it discusses the evolution of modern office culture, such as workplace layouts and relations between colleagues.

The book begin with a photo from a 1999 English film (and ends with a reference to it). Which film?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.965

May 21, 2014

Q.1329

For the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Nike is the official supplier of jerseys to teams such as Brazil and Netherlands. These jerseys, made of polyester, are supposed to have been recycled from what?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.964

May 20, 2014

Q.1328

"James Gordon" is this principal character in this new TV series, which begins airing in 2014 on the network in the US. The series takes its name from the city whose police force Gordon joins. What is the name?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.963

May 19, 2014

Q.1327

At the 61st Indian National Film awards given away in 2014, the 2013 documentary "The Quantum Indians" was selected as the "Best Educational Film". Which three Indian scientists does it celebrate, who give their name to a variety of concepts in physics such as an Effect, an ionization Equation, and a state of matter?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.962

Flavour of the Month: the 2014 Indian General Elections

A new series begins at Infinite Zounds from May: a set of questions around a theme from the month. For people in India, May 2014 (and April and March and what feels like eternity) has been about the Indian General Elections, so our first edition of "Flavour of the Month" is just that.


As subscribers to our mailing list already know, readers are also invited to send in interesting questions around this theme - the best of the lot will go into our special month-end quiz compilation.


To enter, use our "Guestionnaire" (make sure you read our guidelines for guest questions first).


May 18, 2014

Q.1326

"It's time to burn the beret and bury the blue dress."
Quote from a May 2014 article written by a person in the culture magazine "Vanity Fair", who became associated in American culture with these two fashion objects during events between 1997-98. Who?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.961

May 17, 2014

Q.1325

#KholoBC is a social media campaign in Pakistan, that takes its name from a 2014 song of the same name released by performers Adil Omar and Ali Gul Pir. The song, the last two letters of which are a reference to a expletive familiar to speakers of Hindustani, advocates for the "opening" of what?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.960

May 16, 2014

Q.1324

In May 2014, this project completed twenty years, having been officially opened in May 1994 by Queen Elizabeth II and French President Francois Mitterand. In 2013, the project won the "Global Engineering of the Century Award" by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers.

What project?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.959

May 15, 2014

Q.1323

In March 2014, Abhilash Tomy, a Commander in the Indian Navy, was presented with the Kirti Chakra, India's 2nd highest peacetime gallantry award by Indian President Pranab Mukherjee. In April 2013, Mukherjee had received Tomy at a ceremony in Mumbai, marking the end of Tomy's feat.

Tomy had become the first Indian to achieve something, doing so in the INSV Mhadei boat, unassisted and non-stop. What?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.958

May 14, 2014

Q.1322

Prince Harry, a member of the British Royal Family, is also a British military officer. He has launched a Paralympics-like sporting event for wounded servicemen; the first edition is to be held in late 2014.

This event takes its name from a famous poem, which was also the name of a film about events from another sport that the British love. What is this name?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.957

May 13, 2014

Q.1321

"Kochadaiiyaan" is a 2014 film featuring the actor Rajinikanth and directed by his daughter Soundarya. The film's music is composed by A.R.Rahman. One of the songs is sung by a lady named Latha, who has occasionally performed for films before, but has done more work on private albums.

How is she better known as?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.956

May 12, 2014

Q.1320

In 2014, French economist Thomas Piketty published the English translation of a book he had completed in 2013. "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" became a best-seller with its discussions on income inequality being hotly debated by the business media.

The book makes interesting references to characters from works of literature, using them to talk about incomes in various eras. One such example is the discussion about a fictional 19th century heroine who can only become well-off by marrying rich. From which author's book is this character taken?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.955

May 11, 2014

Q.1319

This hard-working country got a new national holiday in 2014 with the introduction of "Mountain Day", supposedly to encourage citizens to appreciate mountains in the country. This adds to other 'natural' holidays such as "Greenery Day" and "Ocean Day", and other interesting days such as "Respect for the Aged Day".

Which country?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.954

May 10, 2014

Q.1318

The British actor Martin Freeman, known for playing "Watson" in the TV series "Sherlock", appeared in another 2014 TV series, made in the US. This is a sequel to a 1996 film that won a couple of Oscars, including the Oscar for Best Actress.

Freeman plays a salesman in this TV series which has the same name as the film - also the name of a place. What's the name?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.953

May 9, 2014

Q.1317

Based on a guest question by Vaibhav Bajpai | contribute questions

Aizu cotton, super-fine Kawamata silk and the Aizu lacquerware are some of the raw materials native to this area. Recognising the work of craftsmen using these materials, the designer Jimmy Choo used these for a one-off set of shoes. In April 2014, he launched them at a lecture which also showcased the work of the local craftsmen.

Which area in Asia is this?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.952

May 8, 2014

Q.1316

"Fuleco" is the name of the official mascot for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. This represents a species of an animal native to Brazil and is endangered.

What type of animal is this, which incidentally rolls up into a ball when faced with danger?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.951

May 7, 2014

Q.1315

Haven't heard of the Marshall Islands? It's a republic of islands in the North Pacific. In a surprising development in 2014, the country filed a suit in the International Court of Justice against nine countries: the US, India, France, UK, China, Pakistan, Russia, Israel, and North Korea.

This law suit says these countries were in "flagrant denial of human justice". What is common to these countries, and why is Marshall Islands taking this step?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.950

May 6, 2014

Q.1314

"There Will Never Be Silence" is the name of an art exhibition at New York's Museum of Modern Art, that began in 2013 and will end in 2014. The main attraction of this exhibition is this painting called 4'33" (In Proportional Notation), which is accompanied by such artworks as "The Voice", "Zen for Film", and "3 Standard Stoppages".

This exhibition marks the museum's acquisition of a famous piece of music, also called 4'33" by John Cage (also the artist). What is interesting about this piece of music, which is hinted at by the painting?

Image: MOMA

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.949

May 5, 2014

Q.1313

Considered by some to be the world's most boring experiment, it had a huge flutter of excitement in April 2014, with the completion of the ninth drop. This time, this was caught on camera (thanks to three webcams) after the previous drop (in 2000) was missed due to a power outage.

What is all this about?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.948

May 4, 2014

Q.1312

In 2014, he became the 45th addition to a list that begins with the actress Devika Rani and includes the likes of the singer Lata Mangeshkar, the director Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and whose previous addition was the actor Pran. Who is he?

From "Picture Perfect", a quiz of ours on Indian Cinema

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.947

May 3, 2014

Q.1311

In the 80s, he wrote several episodes for such TV series as "The Twilight Zone" and "Beauty and the Beast". These days, his contribution to television is limited to writing an episode each in seasons of "Game of Thrones", including the episode "The Lion and the Rose" for the 4th season, first aired in 2014.

Who is he?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.946

May 2, 2014

Q.1310


The Dutch artist Carel Fabritius was a student of the painter Rembrandt. One of his most famous paintings was "The Goldfinch" in 1654. This painting and title came back into artistic awareness in April 2014 after being prominently featured in a 2013 book. How did it make the news, which also involved three sections of poetry by an Indian-born American?

Image: Wikipedia

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.945

May 1, 2014

Q.1309

This puzzle form continues to be popular in Britain, especially in newspapers such as The Times. In March 2014, the newspaper introduced a new form of the puzzle between its two conventional forms, which might therefore be said to be intermediate in speed and degree of mystery.

What type of puzzle, and what two word name is this new puzzle form called by The Times?

[+ Show Answer]

This day last year: Q.944