Freshers' Challenge 2018- with answers

1. To infinity and beyond
Originally born Claire Boucher, Canadian singer Grimes announced that she was
legally changing her name to c. Among other reasons, she said that she hasn’t liked
her given name since she “became sentient” and that her speech impediment
makes it difficult to pronounce. The most cited reason by tabloids however is that
she did it because of her new boyfriend, whom she flirted with over Twitter over a
joke that blended artificial intelligence and French baroque art.
Who is this boyfriend? Why c?

2. I did not rape her. I did naaaht.
One of the foremost exponents of Ayurveda and the medicinal arts, he taught
Ayurveda to the four nomadic tribes in his kingdom (the Yaksha, Raksha, Naga, and
Vaddas) and represented his nation at a medical symposium at the base of
Himalaya in India during his era. He also wrote various books on Ayurveda which
are considered homoeopathic textbooks.
His kingdom came to revere physicians to the point that they were second only to
the rulers.
Who?

3. It all goes South from here
From Eminem’s song Marshall Mathers:
And amidst all this Crist' poppin' and wrist watches
I just sit back and just watch and just get nauseous
And walk around with an empty bottle of Remy Martin
Startin' shit like some 26-year-old skinny _______ (Goddamn it!)
An anti-Backstreet and Ricky Martin
Whose instinct's to kill N'Sync, don't get me started
FITB (indicative).

4. It all goes UP from here
Since the performers communicated through stories from the great epics
and ancient mythology through dance and music, which performing art gets
its name from a Sanskrit word for ‘storyteller’?

5. #AlLLivesMatter
This 1990 album by Public Enemy dealt with the social issues facing African-
Americans at the time, and is now considered to be one of the most important
hip-hop albums ever. The Porcupine Tree album “Fear of a Blank Planet”, while
unrelated content-wise to the Public Enemy album references it in its title.
Name the album.

*6. 99% of MIT graduates won’t get this
This Google Doodle featured on 29th June 2018, commemorated the 125th anniversary of an
important Indian personality. On the next two slides are a few of the early concept designs.
Identify this person, and the institute that he established.

Freshers' Challenge 2018- with answers

PC Mahalanobis, Indian Statistical Institiute

7. ShowerThoughts
Guantanamo Bay is a US military prison on the coast of Cuba, infamous for poor conditions
and torturing prisoners. Bush administration officials admitted that three detainees were
____________ (a form of torture that mimics the feeling of drowning) at the site, but a 2012
report by the Human Rights Watch says there could have been many more.
Abu Zubaydah, a suspected senior Bin Laden lieutenant, reportedly underwent the process 83
times and told the International Committee of the Red Cross: "I struggled without success to
breathe. I thought I was going to die. I lost control of my urine.”
_____________ at Guantanamo Bay sounds awesome if you don’t know what either of those
terms mean.
FITB.

8.
Iravan (a.k.a Iravat or Aravan) was the son of Arjuna and Ulupi. He was a Naga
prince and a fierce warrior. To defeat the Kauravas, the Pandavas decided to offer
a human sacrifice to goddess Kali. Iravan volunteered to sacrifice himself but on the
condition that he wanted to die a married man. Since he was destined to die, no
lady wanted to marry him. In the end, Lord Krishna, in his female form Mohini,
married Iravan.
His main temple in Koovagam, Tamil Nadu, witnesses an 18-day festival with the
reenactment of the above. This attracts a lot of Aravanis (or Thirunangai) for whom
Iravan has become a patron god. Who are these Aravanis?

9. Term
1. ______
2. Destruct______
3. Slave______
4. Copy and Paste______
5. Melt-______ 65000
6. Wood______
7. Coition______
8. Space Laser______
9. Make-up-your-mind______
10. Freez______
11. Poop______
12. Gloom-_____ 3000-________
13. Bread______
14. Ugly______
15. Giant Robotic Penguin Icy Freeze Your Socks
Off Breath______
16. Destructo______
17. Age Accelerator______
18. Now Who's Blinded by Sand/ Who's Crying
Now______
Prefixes to what? (Blanks not enough)

10. Bio-lab thief
“Several pieces of earthenware are used to create the sublime fragrance. The pieces are placed
in a copper vessel, to which water is added and heated. The steam from the vessel is passed
over sandalwood oil, kept in an adjoining vessel connected by a bamboo pole, which captures
the scent from the steam. What we ultimately get is the smell of X.”
The English name of this fragrance is derived from Greek for “godly blood of rocks”. The
colloquial (Hindi) names describe the source of the fragrance. ID X or the Hindi name(s).

X-Rain, Mitti Attar/Gill Attar. The English name: Petrichor

11. #JeopardyStylz
In 1988 New York fish and wildlife technician Richard Thomas reported to the Associated Press
about his research on X.
X, he said, typically weigh 5 to 10 pounds, and have thick, strong legs, perfect for burrowing.
Their homes consist of a main tunnel 25 to 30 feet long and six inches wide with three rooms -
one “spy” tunnel, one for sleeping and one for a toilet. Thomas multiplied 35 square feet, the
typical size of a burrow, by 20 pounds, the approximate weight of a square foot of soil, to
come up with 700 pounds as the answer to what he believes is one of the great unanswered
questions of Western Civilisation.
What’s the question?

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck
wood?

*12. #16
A ______ is a grammatically simplified means of communication that develops between two
or more groups that do not have a language in common. Its vocabulary and grammar are
limited and often drawn from several languages.
The word ______ is derived from a Chinese pronunciation of the English word business, and all
attestations from the first half of the nineteenth century in the Oxford English Dictionary mean
'business; an action, occupation, or affair' (the earliest being from 1807). The term ______
English, used in 1855, shows the term in transition to referring to language.
A popular folk-etymology that it is actually ______, which was used for carrying brief written
messages.
What?

13. Hitler by SouthWest
Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 is a
painting by James McNeil. After Thomas
Carlyle viewed the painting, he agreed to
sit for a similar composition, this one titled
Arrangement in Grey and Black, No. 2
(image).
What is the former painting colloquially
called?

14. F*ck The Police
In the _______ industry, it is known as a "flake." Two shapes of flakes are commercially
important. "Butterfly" (or "snowflake") flakes are irregular in shape and have a number
of protruding "wings". "Mushroom" flakes are largely ball-shaped, with few wings.
Butterfly flakes are regarded as having better mouthfeel, with greater tenderness and
less noticeable hulls. Mushroom flakes are less fragile than butterfly flakes and are
therefore often used for packaged _______ or confectionery. A single plant may form
both butterfly and mushroom flakes; hybrids that produce 100% butterfly flakes or
100% mushroom flakes exist, the latter developed only as recently as 1998.
FITB

15. 0.9144 metres. Also, *beep* you.
The Philippine-American War broke out in 1899 following the Philippine struggle for
independence that began in 1896. Just before the time when the war broke out, this
writer wrote a poem “________ ____ burden” which mentioned the native people of
the Philippines as “sullen peoples, half-devil and half child”.
He was widely considered as racist and fascist who was obsessed with white
supremacy. George Orwell has this to say about him, “during five literary generations
every enlightened person has despised him” as : morally insensitive and aesthetically
disgusting”.
Who is this writer?

16. #JustColoradoProblems
On Monday, January 29, 1979, Brenda Spencer, 16-year old San Diego high school student
who lived across from an elementary school, opened fire on the school with a rifle, killing 2
adults (including the principal) and injuring 9 kids before going back to her home. Police
surrounded her home and waited for 7 hours until she gave herself up. In that time, she spoke
with a reporter on the phone.
When asked why she did it, she replied, "I just started shooting, that's it. I just did it for the fun
of it. I just don't like _______. I just did it because it's a way to cheer the day up. Nobody likes
_______."
Bob Geldof, of the Boomstown Rats heard of this incident and created a song, in tribute,
called “I don’t like _______”.
Just FITB.

17. 2+2=4-1=3 QuickMaffs
“I looked at the box scores from the games I enjoyed, games where they didn’t
screw around and stall. I noticed each team took about 60 shots. That meant 120
shots per game”. Danny Biasone took this number and the duration of the game to
introduce something in the NBA in 1953.
This led to a sudden increase in the points scored per game. For instance, consider
the stats of the Boston Celtics from 1950-60 (on next slide)
What did he introduce?

Year League PS PPG FGS FGA FGP FTS FTA FTP

*18. G-Unit
Five photos were released a few months ago, all of the same scene from a major
event held in Canada. Each one was taken from a different angle and ended up
depicting completely different situations. In each photo, a different person looks to
be in charge of the group of people gathered there. In one photo, X is seen to be
looming over Y, with fists planted on the table in front of Y. In retaliation, Y
uploaded a photo in which it looks like Y is sitting in the middle of the group of
people, and everyone is bent towards them, almost pleadingly. The first photo went
viral.
Identify X and Y.

19. Precious Protection
As a fullback at the University of Maryland, Kevin Plank got tired of having to change
out of the sweat-soaked T-shirts worn under his jersey and heavy gear. He noticed that
compression shorts worn during practice stayed dry. This inspired him to make a T-shirt
using moisture-wicking synthetic fabric. After graduating, Plank developed his first
prototype of the shirt, which he gave to his teammates and friends who had gone on to
play in the NFL. Plank soon perfected the design creating a new T-shirt built from
microfibers that wicked moisture and remained cool, dry, and light.
Later, he went on to create a globally renowned sports-casual brand.
Identify this brand, which was worn by Tony Stark in Avengers: Age of Ultron.

20. Uh oh! Bada-baaaah!!!
_____ _________ is the main protagonist of the Sony Playstation game of the
same name. It was chosen to compete as a mascot with Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog
and Nintendo's Mario.
_________ are a group of about 20 species of small to medium-sized, terrestrial
marsupial omnivores in the order Peramelemorphia. Despite being endemic to the
Australia–New Guinea region, the term _________ originally referred to the
Telugu name of an unrelated Indian rat, which roughly translated to pig-rat.
FITB

21. Secret of my energy
The recipe for it is from Ayurvedic texts. The Ashwini twins were supposed to have
prepared this for ________ Rishi (Son of Bhrigu Rishi), hence the name. It’s a
cooked mixture of sugar, honey, ghee, amla, jam, sesame oil, berries and various
herbs and spices. The modern versions contain many other ingredients (some
claiming to have gold and silver infused), and its market size is around $80
million. What are we describing? FITB.

22. Common cold
Although X and Y are used interchangeably, there is a distinct difference in
the designs of the two. Xs are tapered at the head and foot and are wide
at the shoulders. They often have 6 sides(sometimes 8). Ys are cuboidal.
While both are used for the same purpose, Ys are gaining popularity,
mainly in North America, due to the ease in manufacturing aluminium and
other metal ones over the traditional wooden ones.
Identify X and Y.

23. #AllLivesStillMatter
Whose name has
been blanked out?
Or
Why was this paint
created?

Anish Kapoor, in retaliation to Blackest Black

25. G'schwindi
A 14 year old ___________ came to Bologna, in 1770, to study under Father Martini in the
hope of enrolling in Accademia Filarmonica. To be successful, one had to pass a challenging
exam that is still administered to hopeful applicants today, it involves composing an original
piece of music.
_______ composed just one piece for the exam that he supposedly aced in 30 minutes, but
there are three different versions of it. The first signed by ________, is full of mistakes, while
the second one, believed to be a revision by Father Martini, is free of mistakes. The third, an
exact copy of the second, but in a different handwriting was the one submitted to the
commission and is still preserved by the Accademia Filarmonica.
FITB

26. The Devil’s Talons
● Cerebro, the mutant-detecting computer of the X-Men detected him (a derivation of the Asgardian all-
father Odin) to be "the most powerful mutant ever registered".
● According to the Marvel Comic Universe, in December 1943, Adolf Hitler had him captured to destroy
the U.S.A.'s morale, but U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent Sgt. Nick Fury, Capt. America, and Bucky
to rescue him.
● His powers include longevity, ability to fit himself and others through narrow tubes, levitation,
transfiguration, teleportation, impeccable judgement, superhuman strength, ability to create snow and
softening even the hardest of the hearts.
● After being sued by The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, he had to redesign
his equipment.
● Currently, he has adopted a short, trimmed beard and a modernised outfit to fit in the crowd.
Who is this character?

27. Hentai
The X Y effect is the phenomenon of the brain's ability to focus one's auditory attention (an effect of
selective attention in the brain) on a particular stimulus while filtering out a range of other stimuli, as
when a Y-goer can focus on a single conversation in a noisy room. This effect is what allows most
people to "tune into" a single voice and "tune out" all others. It may also describe a similar
phenomenon that occurs when one may immediately detect words of importance originating from
unattended stimuli, for instance hearing one's name among a wide range of auditory input.
One theory about the origin of X, is that it is a corruption of the name of a 17th century British drink
prepared by adding a bag of parboiled, skinned and gutted rooster, with assorted herbs, to a
standard ale before allowing it to age.

28. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain
Arguably the most controversial match of the world cup, the head coach of
the Serbian national team later in an instagram post compared the
refereeing to the International Court of Justice's ruling on the Serbian leaders
of war crimes during Yugoslav wars. However, the far-fetched comment
wasn't the first reference to the tense history of the Balkans.
Which other controversial move during the match made headlines globally?

Xhaka, Shaqiri Two headed Albanian eagle

29. Who did this?
According to Wall Street journal, around a ten fold increase was reported in the
number of Google searches for a particular set of images over the past few years.
Due to these images, one in three high end smartphones in India is running out of
memory space. A cleaning app, File Go, was launched by Google, last December,
to deal with this issue. What images are these?

*30. Sounds like my ex
’u’ is an opera billed as the first authentic one of its kind. It was composed by Eef van Breen to
a libretto by Kees Ligtelijn and Marc Okrand under the artistic direction of Floris Schönfeld. The
story of ’u’ is based on the epic legend of "Kahless the Unforgettable", a messianic figure in
_______ history. It is apt as the ________ are passionate opera lovers. According to the
official webpage for the opera, "_______ opera uses the principle of musical combat. Beauty
in _______ music comes from the impact of two opposing forces.
FITB.
<video segments of the opera follow>

● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmQGO5U2n6s

31. Oklahomo
Alternate titles for which 2005 film?
• High Nooner
• Jeremiah's Johnson
• How The West Was Hung
• Very Raw Hide
• A Fistful of Ned
• Bone-Nanza
• Don't Mess With Tex' Ass
• Prances With Wolves

32. DQ DQ DQ DQ DQ DQ DQ DQ DQ DQ
The name X is popularly used to refer to this stadium. X is also home to the X
palace, built in the Indo-Saracenic style. The Central Research laboratory is
located here.
It is believed that the name “X” itself might have been derived from the Urdu
word meaning “Six gardens”.
X?

33.
In the early 1900's, MI6 used a substance X as a very odd choice for Y. It became so popular
that one of the higher-ups Captain Sir Mansfield Cumming, even coined the slogan “every
man his own stylo" when the discovery was made that X worked well as Y. The only downside
was that X would smell rancid if it wasn't used fresh. This became a problem when a Major
Richard Holme decided to store his supply for later use. According to another officer, "His
letters stank to high heaven and we had to tell him that a "fresh operation" was necessary for
each letter".
Give X and Y. Be specific for Y.

34. Trump
0. A witch travels back in time to prevent X earning his first money (1877)
1. X earns his first money and travels to the United States in a cattle boat (1877 - 1880).
2. X works on a riverboat on the Mississippi (1880 - 1882).
3. X becomes a cowboy (1882 - 1883).
5. X briefly returns home to prevent it from being taken over by the Whiskervilles (1885).
8. X prospects in the Klondike, falling in love with Goldie O’ Gilt (1896 - 1898).
<continued on next slide>

9. X briefly return home to Scotland, but realises that he does not belong there anymore (1898 -
1902).
10. X and his sisters move to Fort ________ (1902).
12. X takes in his grand nephews (1947).
Which character’s life from comics?

Scrooge McDuck
● #FeelTheELAS

35. Tired and Emotional
An Ernest Hemingway does not show any change in behavioral patterns. Mary Poppins,
practically perfect in every way, becomes sweeter a personality. Nutty Professors are
fundamentally introverts who sheds all their inhibitions. But Mr. Hydes should be treated
with caution, as they are less responsible, less intellectual and more hostile, pretty much like
the fictional character by the same name.
What are Ernest Hemingway, Mary Poppins, Nutty Professor and Mr. Hyde classifications
of?

*36. Not my lover
As suggested by TV czar Jerry Perenchio, X arrived at the location in Cleopatra
style, carried aloft in a chair held by four bare-chested muscle men dressed in
the style of ancient slaves. Y followed in a rickshaw drawn by a bevy of scantily-
clad models.
Identify X & Y and the occasion.

Billie Jean Riggs and Bobby Riggs. Battle of the Sexes
● lol

37. My Heart Will Go On
The etymology of the word is unclear. One theory is that it originally referred
to a cylindrical peg used to lock an oar in position on a dory (a small boat). It
would be inserted into a hole on the side of the boat. It also lends its name to
an island in Newfoundland, Canada. Others suggest the word is a corruption
of the Italian word for “delight”.
What?

38. What are we counting here?
26/05/14 - 25/10/14 - 5/31
26/10/14 - 30/10/14 - 6/31
31/10/14 - 27/12/12 - 7/31
28/12/14 - 23/05/16 - 8/31
24/05/16 - 30/12/16 - 9/31
31/12/16 - 14/03/17 - 10/31
15/03/17 - 17/03/17 - 11/31
17/03/17 - 18/03/17 - 12/31
19/03/17 - 26/12/17 - 13/31
27/12/17 - 08/03/18 - 14/31
09/03/18 - 16/05/18 - 15/31
17/05/18 - 19/05/18 - 16/31
20/05/18 - Present - 15/31

Incumbent Chief Ministers fromthe BJP

39. Ebbing with excitement
1 download = 75 streams = 1,000 airplay.
Downloads (divide by 10)
Streams (divide by 750)
Airplay (divide by 10,000)
Total it up.
This is supposedly the formula used by a certain company to do what they are
famous for. Which company?

40. Can’t Help Falling In Love
News excerpt from Times of India (23/06/2018):
"_______ have moved out of the bedroom and into the air in the Gaza Strip, where they’ve
become the newest weapon against Israel. Sometimes tied together for added buoyancy, the
inflated prophylactics are attached to gas-soaked rags, other burning items or explosive
devices, then flown over the border like balloons into southern Israel, where they set fire to
farmlands and nature reserves. An estimated 6000 acres have been destroyed in hundreds of
blazes caused by flaming kites, helium balloons, and now _______, according to Israeli
officials.”
FITB.

41. Spoonerism
Eg:
● Second-base prostitution, a Dickensian metropolitan tale (4, 7/6)
A: Sale of two titties, Tale of Two Cities
● A group of: airborne mammals, British apartments (5, 4/5)
A: Flock of bats, block of flats
Q: Flutter the canvas, rescue the leviathan (4, 5/6)

42. Spoonerism
Eg:
● Second-base prostitution, a Dickensian metropolitan tale (4, 7/6)
A: Sale of two titties, Tale of Two Cities
● A group of: airborne mammals, British apartments (5, 4/5)
A: Flock of bats, block of flats
Homosexual head of department, adored monarch (5/4, 4/5)

43. Mountains to molehills
Eg:
● It is inexpedient to metamorphose into a steep relief, a snitch’s knoll.
A: Don’t make mountains out of molehills
● It is advisable to abstain from sinking one’s denticulation into that truncal appendage which
supplies one with essential nutriment.
A: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Under no circumstances must one observe the buccal cavity of a palfrey given to one
as a token of appreciation.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

44. Mountains to molehills
Eg:
● It is inexpedient to metamorphose into a steep relief, a snitch’s knoll.
A: Don’t make mountains out of molehills
● It is advisable to abstain from sinking one’s denticulation into that truncal appendage which
supplies one with essential nutriment.
A: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
Avoid expunging your grime covered products of flax amidst general citizenry.

Don’t wash your dirty linen in Public

45. Tom Swifties
Eg:
● “It looks like the rapist had his eyes set on sodomizing the poor kid,” analyzed Tom.
● "Oh... Ruth must have fallen off the back of my motorcycle," said Tom ruthlessly.
Q: "I manufacture tabletops for shops," said Tom __________________.

"I manufacture tabletops for shops," said Tom counterproductively

Freshers' Challenge 2018- with answers

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