Arvind's quiz (Sept 2007)

1. This is the Torre dell'Orologio on Piazza San Marco in Venice. The clock (alternatively known as St Mark's Clocktower or the Moors' Clocktower) displays the time of day, the dominant sign of Zodiac and the current phase of the moon. Here, two bronze figures stand and, on the hour, ring a bell. This pair were originally intended as giants, but with the bronze swiftly blackening in the Venice air, they became known as 'the Moors', hence the tower's nickname. What has happened here for the first and only time in history?


2. In a 1994 movie called "Sleep with me", there is this memorable dialogue. Which actor is playing Sid?
Sid: You want subversion on a massive level. You know what one of the greatest fucking scripts ever written in the history of Hollywood is? Top Gun.
Duane: Oh, come on.
Sid: Top Gun is fucking great. What is Top Gun? You think it's a story about a bunch of fighter pilots.
Duane: It's about a bunch of guys waving their dicks around.
Sid: It is a story about a man's struggle with his own homosexuality. It is! That is what Top Gun is about, man. You've got Maverick, all right? He's on the edge, man. He's right on the fucking line, all right? And you've got Iceman, and all his crew. They're gay, they represent the gay man, all right? And they're saying, go, go the gay way, go the gay way. He could go both ways.
Duane: What about Kelly McGillis?
Sid: Kelly McGillis, she's heterosexuality. She's saying: no, no, no, no, no, no, go the normal way, play by the rules, go the normal way. They're saying no, go the gay way, be the gay way, go for the gay way, all right? That is what's going on throughout that whole movie... He goes to her house, all right? It looks like they're going to have sex, you know, they're just kind of sitting back, he's takin' a shower and everything. They don't have sex. He gets on the motorcycle, drives away. She's like, "What the fuck, what the fuck is going on here?" Next scene, next scene you see her, she's in the elevator, she is dressed like a guy. She's got the cap on, she's got the aviator glasses, she's wearing the same jacket that the Iceman wears. She is, okay, this is how I gotta get this guy, this guy's going towards the gay way, I gotta bring him back, I gotta bring him back from the gay way, so I'll do that through subterfuge, I'm gonna dress like a man. All right? That is how she approaches it. Okay, now let me just ask you - I'm gonna digress for two seconds here. I met this girl Amy here, she's like floating around here and everything. Now, she just got divorced, right? All right, but the REAL ending of the movie is when they fight the MIGs at the end, all right? Because he has passed over into the gay way. They are this gay fighting fucking force, all right? And they're beating the Russians, the gays are beating the Russians. And it's over, and they fucking land, and Iceman's been trying to get Maverick the entire time, and finally, he's got him, all right? And what is the last fucking line that they have together? They're all hugging and kissing and happy with each other, and Ice comes up to Maverick, and he says, "Man, you can ride my tail, anytime!" And what does Maverick say? "You can ride mine!" Swordfight! Swordfight! Fuckin' A, man!

(Hint: Think of the colour BROWN)


3. What is common to the following acronyms: ADIDAS (All Day I Dream About Sports), SOS (Save our Souls), PERL (Practical Extraction and Report Language), GOLF (Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden) ?


4. This guy A was born in country X in 1649 and left for England when he was 4 years old, never to return. He was part of the British East India Company, and he became the second governor of a settlement at Madras (present-day city of Chennai) in 1687, after Streynsham Master. He was instrumental in the development of the Government General Hospital which was housed at Fort St George. A amassed a fortune in his lifetime, largely through secret contracts with Madras merchants, against the East India Company's directive. By 1692, A's repeated flouting of East India Company regulations, and growing embarrassment at his illegal profiteering resulted in his being relieved of the post of governor.
In 1718, a guy in country X contacted A to ask him for financial help in constructing a new building for a college just being formed. A donated nine bales of goods, which were sold for more than £560, a substantial sum at the time. He also donated 417 books and a portrait of King George I. The benefactor suggested that the college change its name to A College in gratitude to its benefactor, and to increase the chances that he would give the college another large donation or bequest. A was away in India when the news of the school's name change reached his home, a trip from which he never returned. And while he did ultimately leave his fortunes to the "Collegiate School within X," the institution was never able to successfully lay claim to it.
Who is A?
(Hint: One of the few universities to have its motto in Hebrew)

5. On June 29, 1950, West Indies completed an emphatic 326-run victory over England at Lord's. It was a defining moment, not only in West Indies cricket, but in the history of the Caribbean. CLR James, the legendary writer, had said that West Indian independence and national consciousness would not be shaped until they had beaten England at home at the game they had invented. They had now done that.
The enduring image of the Test, however, is not the game itself, but the post-match celebrations by a small group of West Indian spectators who, as The Times reported, rushed onto the field armed with "guitar-like instruments", and their celebratory calypsos.
Walcott, Weekes and Worrell held up their name
With wonder shots throughout the game
But England was beaten clean out of time
With the _____ bowling of ___________ & ________________


6. Hindi movies: Listen to the song: mammaiya kero.mp3. Identify the movie.

(Hint: 1985. Sunny Deol, Dimple Kapadia, Anupam Kher, Supriya Pathak, Raj Kiran, Prem Chopra )



8. ___________ are not exclusively war dances, and nor are they only performed by men. Some are performed by women, others by mixed groups, and some simple _______ are performed by children. __________ are performed for various reasons: for amusement, as a hearty welcome to distinguished guests, or to acknowledge great achievements or occasions. Various actions are employed in the course of a performance, including facial contortions such as showing the whites of the eyes and the poking out of the tongue, and a wide variety of vigorous body actions such as slapping the hands against the body and stamping of the feet. As well as chanted words, a variety of cries and grunts are used. It may be understood as a kind of symphony in which the different parts of the body represent many instruments. The hands, arms, legs, feet, voice, eyes, tongue and the body as a whole combine to express courage, annoyance, joy or other feelings relevant to the purpose of the occasion. Identify.


9. There is a brilliant series of comics/graphic novels by Neil Gaiman called Sandman. There are humans and then there are the Immortals. The main character, also an immortal, is known by an array of names, most often Morpheus, but also Oneiros, Lord Shaper, Lord Kai'ckul, Lord L'Zoril, the Prince of Stories, the Carrion King, and, rarely, "The Sandman." His most common name, however, starts with the letter D, as do those of his six siblings. Name them.


10. With respect to Unix-based programs, connect _nano_, a simple text editor created by Chris Allegreta and _elm_ one of the earlier email clients short for ELectronic Mail developed by David Taylor while at HP.