Quiz on general knowledge

1 If it is Ferrari or Ferraro in Italy; Lefebvre, Fabre and Faber in France; what is it most often in England and the US?

2 It lost four letters in 1949, temporarily changed another two in celebration of a new State law in 1976. It then lost another, temporarily, in honour of a state visit by a visiting religious dignitary in 1978. Which is this landmark?

3 What are the last lines of this stirring poem?

Us roshni mein jo nirnay ki roshni hai/ sab kuchh s’maan hoga kya?/Ek palde mein napunsakta/ek palde mein paurush/aur theek taraazu ke kaante par.. .

4 Who should be the next two names on this definitive list — VT Trumper, Manchester 1902; CG Macartney, Leeds 1926; DG Bradman, Leeds 1930?

5 After this director read the proofs of this Nicholas Pileggi book, he immediately called the author and said, “I’ve been waiting for this book my entire life.” The author replied: “I’ve been waiting for this call my entire life.” Name the director and the Oscar-winning film.

6 Some claimed he lived as Yogindra Dayanand Maharaj in Gujarat. Others say he lived out his days in western Nepal. A third account claims that he actually lived near Sitapur in UP and Brahma Chaitanya performed his last rites. Who is this mysterious figure in Indian history?

7 1935 and 1936 both featured interesting choices for the TIME Person of the year — the first being emperor Haile Selassie, the first African to be chosen, and in 1936, it featured the first woman winner. Name her.

8 Very rarely are product names inspired by the popularity of a famous book among the workers who make the product. But this world famous product, around since 1935, was named after a character who was a favourite of the Cuban workers. Name the product.

9 Aligarh Muslim University counts former President Zakir Hussain, Sheikh Abdullah and Dhyan Chand among its alumni. But who is its only alumnus to win a Bharat Ratna?

10 Artist Stuart Semple has created what he claims is the “world’s pinkest pink”. If you would like to buy it, you have to promise to not share it with a particular Indian artist. Who and why?

Answers

1. Smith; these are the variations of the surname Smith in other languages

2. The Hollywood Sign. Lost the letters ‘land’ in 1949. Was changed to Hollyweed on 1976 and recently again. When the Pope visited they removed an ‘l’ to make it ‘Holywood.’

3. Ardh satya; this is the Dilip Chitre poem that inspired the name of the Govind Nihalani film

4. Majid Khan and David Warner. Only players to score test centuries before lunch

5. Martin Scorcese, Goodfellas

6. Nana Sahib

7. Wallis Simpson, the American to marry whom king Edward VIII abdicated the British throne

8. Montecristo Cigars, from Dumas’s The Count Of Monte Cristo

9. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

10. Anish Kapoor, who enraged many in the artistic community for not allowing anyone to use the patented Vantablack

_{Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup; Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj}

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