The first of these quiz columns appeared in Jan 2014l. Over 500 columns and 10 years on, its finally time to say goodbye. This week’s quiz, appropriately, is about ‘lasts’.

1.      The son of Parikshit, the grandson of Uttara and Abhimanyu, and the great grandson of Subhadra and Arjuna, who is regarded as the last major character in the Mahabharata?

2.      Who is the last captain of the Pakistan national cricket team to be born in India?

3.      The Thylacine was a carnivorous mammal, the last known species of which passed away in a zoo in Hobart in 1936. By what names was it more commonly known?

4.      In 1975, which became the last kingdom to become a part of the Indian Union?

5.      The last of what was sent by a certain Ashwani Mishra to Rahul Gandhi on July 14th, 2013?

6.      What specifically is the biggest tourist attraction of the Santa Maria della Grazie, a church and Dominican convent in Milan?

7.      The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place was the title of the last ever Sherlock Holmes story written by Arthur Conan Doyle, and published in 1927. But what was the name of the last Holmes story Conan Doyle intended to write, where he disappeared at the Reichenbach Falls while grappling with Moriarty?

8.      A bit of a trick question. Which was the last black and white film to win an Academy Award for Best Picture?

9.      The Apollo 11 was the first ever manned moon mission in 1969. What was the name of the very last, in 1973?

10.  The longest lasting car model was undoubtedly the Volkswagen Beetle, which entered production in Germany in 1938. The last of over 21 million vehicles rolled off the production lines in which country in 2003?

Answers

1.      Janmajeya

2.      Asif Iqbal, who started his cricket in Hyderabad, India

3.      The Tasmanian Tiger, or the Tasmanian Wolf

4.      Sikkim

5.      The last ever telegram, after 163 years of use

6.      The Mural of the Last Supper, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci

7.      The Final Problem. Doyle had to resurrect Holmes in a few years after a public outcry

8.      The Artist, in 2012! The last fully Black and White film to win Best Picture before that was The Apartment in 1961, though Spielberg’s Schindler’s List was predominantly in black and white

9.      Apollo 17, commanded by Eugene Cernan

10.  Mexico

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