Quiz on bridges

October 10, 2020, marks the 28th anniversary of the inauguration of Kolkata’s Vidyasagar Setu — or the second Hooghly bridge. Time then for a quiz on bridges.

Building bridges

1 The Howrah Bridge — another Kolkata icon and also the first Hooghly bridge — is the busiest in the world in terms of pedestrian traffic. But the George Washington Bridge is the busiest in terms of vehicular traffic. In which city would you find it?

2 If an overpass is a bridge that separates incompatible intersecting traffic, especially road and rail, and a viaduct is a bridge that connects points of equal height, what is the term for a bridge that carries water?

3 Which famous bridge — also a tourist favourite — was nicknamed the ‘wobbly bridge’ by its city’s residents after pedestrians experienced an alarming swaying motion on the day of inauguration?

4 The Half Way to Hell Club was an exclusive association, which was linked to an iconic bridge. Who could join it? Trivia: It had only 19 members.

5 The Umshiang double-decker bridge in Nongriat village is probably the most recognisable among a particular kind of bridge found in some parts of north-east India. What is unique about these bridges, which is most prevalent in the state of Meghalaya?

6 What connects London’s iconic Tower Bridge, the Kidderpore Bridge in Kolkata and the Pamban Bridge over the Palk Strait in Rameswaram. The list is by no means complete.

7 The longest bridge in India — 9,150m (over 30,000 ft-long) — stretches across the Lohit River, connecting Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. After whom is it named?

8 The world’s tallest bridge is the stunning Millau Viaduct in Millau-Creissels, which reaches a height of 1,104 ft. In which country would you come across this bridge?

9 All bridges suffer corrosion from both wind and bird droppings. However, which other significant form of corrosion occurs in Howrah Bridge, which is unique to India?

10 There are many but the three most prominent are Cedar Bridge, Imes Bridge. and Cutler Donahoe Bridge. Why are these bridges celebrated in fiction and film?

Answers

1 New York; it connects Manhattan and New Jersey.

2 An aqueduct.

3 The Millennium Bridge in London, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge.

4 Workers who fell from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge during its construction and were saved by the safety net.

5 It’s built of living trees and roots, grown by the indigenous Khasi and Jaintia communities.

6 These are all bascule bridges, which open up in the middle to allow ships sail through.

7 Bhupen Hazarika.

8 France, designed by Norman Foster.

9 Corrosion due to people spitting paan and gutkha.

10 These are the iconic covered bridges in Iowa in The Bridges of Madison County .

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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