UTPT 2018 Sci-Biz-Tech Quiz Prelims
- 3. Rules • 20 Questions • 25 points; last 5 questions are worth 2 points each • Part points are applicable wherever mentioned • Top 8 teams qualify for finals • Key points are highlighted in yellow • Orange text indicates what is expected as the answer • QM is gawd
- 4. Q1 This technology essentially makes use of air cushioning systems. The ____ are supported by air allowing it to experience and aerodynamic lift. They will be accelerated via a magnetic linear accelerators placed at multiple points along the length of the tube. The movement of the ____ is comparable to that of an air hockey puck. However, since the concept is self energizing, air from below will be sucked up, compressed and forced through holes to create the levitation effect along with the desirable motion at high speeds. What technology is being described here?
- 7. Q2 What company has been blanked out in the below list?
- 8. ANSWER Indian Oil Company Limited
- 9. Q3 Earlier this month, the X Foundation rolled out an update to their popular line of single-board computers. This updated model of the product line was announced on that particular day since the day and the product shared the same name. What product line am I talking about, a popular platform among developers and makers, and on what day was it released, which should be obvious given its name?
- 11. Q4 AsRock has introduced a new member to it’s lineup of hardware offerings called the H110 Pro X+. (X has been intentionally blanked out) It boasts of 13 onboard PCIe slots for GPUs, additional power connectors for advanced system stability. What kind of customers are AsRock hoping to attract with their H110 Pro X+ hardware platform?
- 12. ANSWER Cryptocurrency / bitcoin miners
- 14. ANSWER Heavy metal Part points for just metal
- 15. Q6 A trip to space is certainly be a life-changing one. For Scott Kelly, it quite literally was. NASA sent Scott to the International Space Station for a one-year mission to study the effects of space on the human body, while his twin brother Mark kept his feet firmly planted on Earth. When Scott returned back to Earth, scientists discovered a fundamental change between Scott and his twin, Mark, and the research made news all around the world. What was this change, that was brought about by the conditions of space?
- 16. ANSWER There was a significant change in his DNA between him and his twin brother
- 17. Q7 X is a replica of England’s Y located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska. Instead of being built with large standing stones such as in the case with the original structure Y, X is made from vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. Built by Jim Reinders, X, as coincidentally built to commemorate the Summer Solstice of June 1987. Give the name of the monument X, which is a combination of Y, and the constituents of X.
- 19. ANSWER Carhenge (from Car + Stonehenge)
- 20. Q8 Connect the comic on the left and the character on the right to glitches seen in a certain company’s products.
- 21. ANSWER Apple Bugs in iOS 11
- 22. Q9 The printer shown here is the HP Envy ____-_______, and it is custom-designed to be used in a specific location, X. The blank represents the unique condition under which the printer was designed to function. Contrast the design of the paper tray of this printer, to that of a regular output tray, and hence arrive at the purpose of such a printer, and accordingly where it will be put to use.
- 24. ANSWER Blank – Zero-gravity X – ISS
- 25. Q10 This contraption was used in Delhi a few months ago. Why?
- 27. Q11 A Halbach array is a special arrangement of permanent magnets that augments the magnetic field on one side of the array while canceling the field to near zero on the other side. This is achieved by having a spatially rotating pattern of magnetization. Which household object utilizes this principle?
- 29. Q12 X is a popular powdered flavouring introduced by Thomas Mayne during the Great Depression, to help children get enough nutrients in their diet. The name X is borrowed from an athlete of Greek Mythology. A person known for his remarkable strength, capable of carrying heavy weights, the name X seemed to be a perfect fit for the namesake product, given its apparent effect on its consumer. Initially sold in several outlets in Australia, the drink was popularized in several countries through various distribution channels. Give X, which forms a cherished part of our childhood.
- 30. ANSWER Milo
- 31. Q13 In 2011, noted Huffington Post blogger Dan Mirvish noted a strong correlation between the frequency of news pertaining to a certain celebrity X, and the stocks of a company Y, even though the fields in which X & Y operate are worlds apart. Whenever news about X or their work hit the internet, fancy trading computers running fancier algorithms buzzed and whirred all around the world, causing the stock price of Y to rise. ID the celebrity X, who shares who shares a part of their name with Y.
- 32. ANSWER X – Anne Hathaway Y – Berkshire Hathaway
- 33. Q14 Ambrosia is a San Francisco based startup, run by a 32-year-old doctor called Jesse Karmazin. Patients are charged $8000 for participation in what he has dubbed a “study”. So far, the startup has had 600 customers, with a median age of 60. According to their website, “It is an exciting new therapy which shows promise for aging and the reversal of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. Our patients have reported improvements in areas such as energy, memory, and skin quality. The treatment is an outpatient procedure and takes about 2 hours.” Taking the name of the startup as a hint, and the utopian world that is Silicon Valley, what service does Ambrosia offer?
- 34. ANSWER Blood transfusion service named ’Young Blood’
- 35. Q15 “Yep, we did it. We said goodbye to the blobs. We moved away from the asymmetric and slightly dimensional shapes to an easily scannable squishy circle, relying on bold color, purposeful asymmetry, such as the new mind-blown X or the prop-wearing cowboy X, and loud facial features to convey emotion.” These were the words of Rachel Been, an engineer at ______, who was part of the team responsible for the major redesign and overhaul of the X font on Y, from rigid constructs, to more free flowing and naturally designed entities. Give X (generic) and Y.
- 36. ANSWER X – Emoji Y – Android
- 37. Q16 Which brand, (not the company), celebrating what day?
- 38. ANSWER Brand – PlayStation To celebrate International Women’s Day
- 39. Q17 X began developing this series of robots in 1980s, including several prototypes that preceded Y. It was the company’s goal to create a walking robot which would eventually aid their human counterparts. The first iteration was “E0”, a walking bipedal robot, part of the X E Series, which was an early experimental line of self-regulating, walking robot, with wireless movements. After nearly 20 odd iterations, X came up with an advanced step in innovative mobility, and the 21st edition that we know today. Give X and Y.
- 40. ANSWER X – Honda Y - ASIMO
- 41. Q18 In fluid flow, __________ (X) effect is a commonly recurring effect observed as a result of sudden increase in cross section or sharp change in direction, creating a partial vacuum zone, causing the flow to be constricted. This is a minor loss which affects the flow properties. This effect causes severe problems in metal castings as it can create metal voids in the final product. The root word of ___________ (X) means to direct one's hopes or ambitions towards achieving something. An informal synonym of X is ____ (Y), also called pruritus is an indication of the biological body to indicate abnormality in the skin. A simple action performed with one’s fingernails is usually used as a temporary solution for Y. Give X and Y.
- 42. ANSWER X – Aspiration effect Y – Itch
- 43. Q19 Sam Blackburn had been responsible for the technology which allowed X to communicate for the past five years. Sam would often receive calls in the middle of the night stating, “X can’t speak, what do we do?” “So I needed to modernize the system. One of the first pieces of tech that I improved upon was the infrared sensor mounted on X’s cheek. That kind of improvement is much easier for him to accept than a radical new system with a steep learning curve.” When asked about whether or not the voice used by X could be change, Sam replied that he could, but X did not want to. Give X, and why did X’s voice have to sound the same?
- 44. ANSWER X – Stephen Hawking Hawking’s synthesised voice could not be change as it was unique to him and changing it to be less robotic sounding meant that it wouldn’t be his voice anymore.
- 45. Q20 X is a one of the largest branded jewellery retailers in the world, and has over 50% of the overall organized jewellery market in India. The founder of the company came up with the name of the company, X, by combining the names of his 2 daughters – Ita and Anjali. Recently, this company was at the heart of a multi-billion dollar banking scam. ID X, and the scam that X was involved in.
- 46. ANSWER X – Gitanjali PNB fraud