Quiz: Political candidates

1 In ancient Rome, if you were a candidate, what would probably be the colour of your toga? This is not a trick question.

2 In the US, candidates of this variety are referred to as ‘carpetbaggers.’ What is the more common adjective used to describe them in the rest of the world? Also, what does a carpetbagger do?

3 For which specific post did Victoria Woodhull announce her candidature in 1872?

4 The award-winning 1972 comedy Candidate was about a fictional senatorial race in California and was written by a professional political speechwriter. Who starred as the eponymous candidate in the film?

5 In the 1997 presidential elections, who stood as an independent candidate against the ruling party-backed K R Narayan?

6 In 1991, former Indian cricket captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi contested as the Congress candidate from Bhopal and lost. He had also contested a Lok Sabha seat 20 years ago, while still in active cricket. Which constituency did he contest from?

7 Which author, playwright and essayist famously ran for the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York and finished fourth in a field of five even though his campaign was widely publicised and acclaimed?

8 Fill in the blanks of this famous campaign line of the ’70s. Both blanks are the same word, the name of an Indian constituency. Ek Sherni, Sau Langur, ________ bhai ______.’

9 Which US Presidential candidate used Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In the USA’ in an election campaign, even after Springsteen made it clear that he did not support the candidate and made many negative references to him in his rallies?

10 If Laloo Prasad used the lantern as his symbol while standing for elections with the Rashtriya Janata Dal, what symbol did Devi Lal adopt when he founded the Indian National Lok Dal in 1996?

Answers

1. Shining white. The word ‘candidate’ derives from the Latin ‘candidus,’ which meant shining white. People aspiring to political office would usually wear that colour in all public gatherings

2. A carpetbagger is an election candidate who does not live in or has very little connection with the area he or she is running to represent. In the rest of the world, they are usually described as ‘parachute’ candidates, who have literally ‘jumped in’ recently

3. The post of the President of the United States of America. She was the first woman to contest the post. Woodhull and her sister also ran a brokerage firm

4. Robert Redford, one of his earlier successes

5. Former chief election commissioner, T N Seshan

6. Gurgaon. He was representing the Vishal Haryana party

7. Norman Mailer. He wanted New York city to secede from New York State and become the 51st state of the country

8. Chikmagalur, from where Indira Gandhi was re-elected in 1978 after losing the Lok Sabha elections in 1977

9. Ronald Reagan, during his 1984 re-election campaign. Reagan was unfazed

10. A pair of spectacles. He went on to join the cabinet as the Deputy Prime Minister

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

_{Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj}

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