1. The term was first used in English in British India and neighbouring countries to refer to the strong, seasonal winds blowing from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea in the southwest, bringing heavy rainfall to the area. The term can be traced back to an Arabic word for ‘season’. This occurs when the temperature on land is significantly higher or lower than the temperature of the ocean. What is this phenomenon which affects most of India (and which is slated to begin in June)?
2. On May 29, 1660, a system of government was restored in England. Charles was made leader, on his 30th birthday. This was after several years of a system under a ‘Lord Protector of the Commonwealth’. What form of government was established which exists even today (though not in its full capacity)?
3. May 30 is the birthday of Peter I, who transformed the city of his birth into a major political, economic, cultural, and scientific centre in its continent. The name of the city comes from a river that runs through it, whose name itself means ‘a river’. Which city is this that boasts of having the largest forest in an urban area within its borders?
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4. Australia is quite unique in the sense that it has two types of mammals which have fascinating ways of giving birth to their young ones. One of them (eg. kangaroo) gives birth to a live but underdeveloped foetus which travels into its mother’s pouch and then develops there. The other one (platypus) lays eggs! In zoology, these unconventional mammals are known as Metatheria and Prototheria. What are they more commonly known as?
5. Who is the only Indian politician to have his signature printed on a currency note and why?
6. Which animal is responsible for the most number of human fatalities in the history of Earth, accounting for almost a billion deaths since records were maintained?
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7. According to an urban legend, Raffaele Esposito, a pizza maker from Naples, wanted to honour the queen consort of the king of Italy who was visiting his city. So he created a pizza in her name, garnished with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil, to represent the national colours of Italy, as on their flag. What was the queen’s name? (In pic)
8. The Royal Indian Navy was the naval force of British India and the predecessor of the current Indian Navy. Admiral John Henry Godfrey was its commander in 1946, when the Bombay Mutiny broke out. Indian Naval personnel began giving left-handed salutes to British officers. Godfrey went on air with his order to ‘submit or perish’. This led to a wave of patriotic fervour and eventual mutiny. This admiral is immortalised in fiction by an author who had served under him in Gibraltar previously. Which character was based on Admiral Godfrey?
9. This is a percussion instrument consisting of a set of wooden bars arranged like piano keys and struck with mallets to produce musical tones. Steve Jobs commissioned a study and found out that ideally, a good ring tone will register clearly if it is in the audio range that is central to human hearing, from about 2 to 4 KHz. This instrument was found to be perfect for the same. So what is the name of the instrument and where would you most likely hear it nowadays?
10. ‘Crash Test Dummies’ is a Canadian alternative rock band easily identifiable by the distinctive bass-baritone voice of singer Brad Roberts. Their biggest hit was a song about the isolation and suffering of children who seem different to the others. Roberts decided to hum the refrain of the song rather than sing it because humming “sounded more resigned”, befitting the nature of the song. What 12-letter (four-word) title is given to the song? (An appropriate end to this quiz!)
Answers
1. Monsoon
2. Monarchy
3. Moscow
4. Marsupials and Monotremes
5. Manmohan Singh. He was the governor of RBI from 1982 to 1985
6. Mosquito
7. Margherita
8. ‘M’. Head of the British Secret Service (MI6) and James Bond’s superior
9. Marimba. The default ringtone for iPhone
10. ‘Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm’
A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’.