1 What did Bedouin shepherd Muhammed edh-Dhib and his cousins first bring to the attention of archaeologists after exploring a series of caves on the banks of the river Jordan?

2 Which actor noticed bit actor and bus conductor Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi entertaining the crew of the film Hulchul and recommended him to Guru Dutt, who renamed him Johnny Walker and launched him in Baazi?

3 What did DuPont scientist Roy Plunkett accidentally discover in 1938 while working for ways to make a new coolant for refrigerators?

4 In 1839, this inventor stumbled upon a major discovery when he dropped rubber inside a hot stove. Even though he discovered the process, he never made much out of it and died in debt. Forty years later, a company was started in his name which is today an $ 18 billion dollar global behemoth. Name the inventor.

5 In 2007, UK Sports launched the Sporting Giants scheme, where they invited young people fulfilling particular physical criteria to apply for training in specific Olympic sports. The major success of that scheme was a sportsperson who started participating in this particular sport in 2008 and actually won a gold medal in the London Olympics just four years later. Identify her and the sport.

6 Which word owes its origin to a letter from Horace Walpole, referencing a Persian fairy tale about three princes who were always ‘making discoveries by accidents and sagacity’?

7 Science fiction. What was discovered in 2131 just outside the orbit of Jupiter and originally mistaken for an asteroid?

8 Which multiple Olympic gold medal athlete was first spotted by Tennessee State track and field coach Ed Temple when she was playing basketball with her friends in 1953?

9 This actor attended his country’s institute of Dramatic Art and accompanied a friend who was auditioning for a film. As he had got into a pub brawl the night before he had bruises all over and the director thought he would make an interesting side character and asked him to get back in a few weeks. When he came back without the bruises the director asked him to audition for the title role, which he duly got. Identify either the actor, or this mammoth ’80s hit film, a franchise which has been recently reprised.

10 A much decorated researcher and linguist, this gifted scholar wrote two history books, a collection of essays and three Bengali novels, Pakshantar, Byatikram and Anukram. However, he is most remembered for something he first came across in 1919. Just name the person or his discovery.

Answers

1. The Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of manuscripts that date back to the 3rd century BC the earliest manuscripts that feature the original Hebrew bible.

2. Balraj Sahni

3. Teflon, the staple compound in all non–stick cookware

4. Charles Goodyear who discovered vulcanised rubber

5. Helen Glover, rowing.

6. Serendipity, the story was ‘The Three Princes Of Serendip’

7. Rama, an alien starship, in Arthur C Clarke’s Rendezvous With Rama

8. Wilma Rudoph, who, in 1960, won three track and field gold medals

9. Mel Gibson, Mad Max

10. Rakhal Das Bandyopadhyay who first brought the Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa sites to the notice of international archaeologists.

Joy Bhattacharjyais a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup

Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

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