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’. @bertyashley
Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning
Andy Weir authored a humour web comic called Casey and Andy featuring fictionalised ‘mad scientist’ versions of himself and his friends.
START THE QUIZ
1 / 10 |
On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles, the film maker, as part of his Mercury Theatre on the Air series performed an adaptation of a science fiction novel by H.G. Wells on radio. He presented it as a news bulletin, and many listeners thought the earth was actually being invaded by aliens from Mars, causing massive panic. What novel was this, which also inspired Robert Goddard to develop the first multi-stage rocket?
2 / 10 |
Frank Herbert was researching on stabilising shifting sands to make a hostile desert landscape, green. His research led him to write a novel which after being rejected by more than 20 publishers was finally published in 1965. It is now considered as one of the greatest science-fiction novels. Name this novel that was first made into a film by David Lynch in 1984?
3 / 10 |
‘The Sentinel’ was written as a short story in 1948 by a British author. It dealt with the discovery of an artefact on the moon. It hypothesises that this ‘sentinel’ was a ‘warning beacon’ for possible intelligent and space-faring species that might develop on Earth. A highly successful novel/ film was adapted and expanded from this story which also inspired many tech innovators such as Steve Jobs. What movie was this and who was the author?
Answer : 2001: A Space Odyssey, Arthur C Clarke
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4 / 10 |
The 1931 novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley features a messianic figure in the World State. The World State is built upon his principles of the assembly line — mass production, homogeneity, predictability and consumption of disposable consumer goods. The calendar number years in the ‘AF’ era, referring to his name, with it beginning in CE 1908, the year in which his first successful product rolled off the assembly line. Who is this and what is the product that, in the novel, corresponds to the beginning of a new era?
5 / 10 |
Mary Shelley wrote this novel when she was 18 years old as a result of a competition with Lord Byron, about who could write the best horror story. Published in 1823, it is an early example of science fiction infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. The story revolves around a scientist who conducts an unorthodox scientific experiment. A common misconception is that the titular character refers to the outcome of the experiment rather than the experimenter. What is the name of this novel that becomes very popular during Halloween?
6 / 10 |
Andy Weir released this book on his website one chapter at a time, free of cost. On the request of fans, he made a Kindle version available at 99 cents (the minimum allowable price), which rose to the top of Amazon’s list of bestselling science-fiction titles in three months. This led to a publishing contract, topping The New York Times Bestseller List, and a 2015 film adaptation. In December 2014, the Orion spacecraft carried the cover page on the first test flight of the unmanned Exploration Flight. What is the name of this book?
7 / 10 |
This 1961 Robert Heinlein novel is about a human who comes to Earth after being born and raised on planet Mars. The author was inspired when his wife suggested a new version of Kipling’s Jungle Book, but with the child being raised by Martians instead of wolves. The title of the book comes from Exodus 2:22 in the Bible. What is this book that significantly influenced modern culture in America?
8 / 10 |
The ____ is a Harsh Mistress is a 1966 novel by Robert Heinlein that deals with the revolt of humans (criminals and political exiles) living on an extraterrestrial object, against the rule of Earth. They want Earth governments to build a catapult to transfer supplies, especially water in exchange for grain. Eventually, Earth concedes and they win their independence. What place fills in the blank which was in the news three years later?
9 / 10 |
The title of the third book in the Ender’s Game series by Orson Scott Card is a combination of the Greek word for ‘alien’ and the usual suffix added to mean ‘killing of’. In the book, the protagonist switches mode from his acts in the beginning of the series and eventually works towards saving the entire species. What is the name of this book?
10 / 10 |
This is a comedy science-fiction series originally conceived as a BBC Radio broadcast but was later novelised into a ‘trilogy’ that contains five books. The author had the habit of improvising as he wrote so further revisions had many changes which led to all official adaptations and revisions being different. The work has become a seminal part of popular culture, and has become the answer to the Google search for ‘what is the meaning of life, the universe and everything’. What fantastic series is this in which our home planet is described as just ‘mostly harmless’?
Answer : The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER?
YES
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