1. On this date in 1783, what first was achieved by two siblings at a public demonstration at Annonay, France?
2. Who was chosen the MVP of this season’s IPL?
3. What was the Christian name of Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice ?
4. Which South African sportsperson recently decided that he will not take part in any sports this year as he awaits his trial for murder?
5. Which kingdom in the Pacific Ocean, with Nuku’alofa as the Capital, got its independence from British protection on this date in 1970?
6. What is the successor to Xbox 360, recently announced by Microsoft, called?
7. What is the more commonly used name for the Japanese art Kado?
8. Which herbivore features in the Lamborghini logo?
9. Which popular game’s name was coined and copyrighted by Joseph P. Babcock, an American resident of Shanghai?
10. What was the nationality of the explorer Abel Tasman?
11. What would connect arrows and a bunch of cobras?
12. Measuring 349 x 227 metres, about three times the size of a football field, which European country’s national flag recently became the largest flag ever made: Romania, Hungary or France?
13. Why should Clark Kent be wary of the name of the element with the atomic number 36?
14. If two of the four basic maritime knots are bowline and the reef, name the other two.
15. Nutrition and diet: What does RDA represent?
Answers: 1. The first manned ascent, in a balloon, by the Montgolfier Bros.; 2. Shane Watson; 3. Fitzwilliam; 4. Oscar Pistorius; 5. Tonga (or the Friendly Islands); 6. Xbox One; 7. Ikebana; 8. Bull; 9. Mah Jong; 10. Dutch; 11. Quiver; 12. Romania; 13. Krypton has atomic number 36 and Kryptonite is detrimental to his superhero avatar — Superman; 14. Figure-of-eight knot and the clove hitch; 15. Recommended Daily Allowance.