BCQC March Open Quiz

24 March 2012

The Rules• Every question has two answers. One is APJ

Abdul Kalam. We want the other answer.• Rebounds are Infinite, Pounces are Limited.• +10 for questions straight to you, +10/-10 for

Pounces.• Every team gets 4 Pounces. Use them wisely.• The discretion of the QM is final.

1. Although most species of mammal are colonized by between one and three species of this parasite, humans are unique among apes in having two visually distinct species specific to them. The divergence of these two species occurred because of the separation of their habitats, and has been used by scientists to date a significant epoch in human evolution. What parasite is this?

Answer: Lice (Head lice and Pubic lice)

2. Douglas Adams originally got the idea for having Arthur Dent’s love interest to be named after the station in whose ticket line she was conceived at X station in central London. However, the name X was already taken by a character in children’s fiction, who was found at X station after sailing to London from the Darkest Peru in a lifeboat. Instead, Adams named the character Fenchurch, after Fenchurch Street station, also in central London. What is X?

Answer: Paddington

3. This military rank was used in the British Indian Army, and was the junior most of the Viceroy’s Commissioned Officer (VCO) ranks, ranking below Subedars. After Independence, both Indian and Pakistani armies renamed the rank to Naib Subedar due to the word having acquired a rather unfortunate meaning in Hindi and Urdu. What is this historical rank?

Answer: Jemadar

4. Jalal-ad din Mohammad Balkhi was a Persian poet from modern Tajikistan who emigrated to the Seljuk Sultanate in Anatolia and wrote most of his works there. As the area where he lived had very recently been ruled by the Byzantine Empire, he was known throughout the Muslim World by an ethnonym that means Byzantine, which is the source for the name by which he is known to English speakers. What is this name?

Answer: Rumi

5. The flag of the Netherlands traditionally used to be Prinsenvlag, a tricolor based on the standard of the Princes of Orange who traditionally commanded Dutch armies. The Dutch national flag changed to the present one of two reasons, one being to echo the French tricolor after the establishment of a republic in Holland by the French and the other being that the old flag used a dye that faded into red with use, leading to the current flag. The old flag survives in some former Dutch colonies, namely in the Flag of the City of New York. However, it most famously formed the basis of a former national flag. What national flag was this?

Answer: South Africa

6. The Treaty of Tordesillas, signed in 1494, concerned itself with finding the midpoint between the Azores and the Caribbean islands in order to make a certain demarcation. This boundary was finally set at 370 miles west of the Azores, and was accepted by both parties to the Treaty. However, in 1500, Pedro Alvares Cabral discovered that a key assumption of the treaty negotiators was wrong. By then, it was too late, and the Treaty had far reaching effects. What did the Treaty of Tordesillas demarcate?

Answer: The boundary between the Spanish and Portuguese colonial empires

7. Ashford vs. Thornton was an English murder case in 1818, where the accused (Thornton) was found not guilty in his trial, but had his acquittal appealed in court by the victim’s family. Thornton escaped being tried on appeal by invoking an ancient legal procedure that had somehow not been repealed yet. Soon after, the ability of family to appeal murder acquittals and the ancient procedure were both abolished. This case is held to be the inspiration for the climax of Ivanhoe, which was written around the same time. What was the procedure in question?

Answer: Trial by combat

8. What show is Rick Castle referring to? <Clip>

Answer: Firefly

9. The ending of the 2005 movie Fever Pitch had to be significantly changed, and several extra scenes had to be shot in St. Louis, Missouri due to an unanticipated but long-awaited event finally occuring. What was this event?

Answer: The Boston Red Sox winning the World Series

10. Star of David – Palestine (1931), Mehrab-e-Ahmar – Afghanistan (1935), Lamb – Congo (1963), Wheel – India (after Independence), Hakuai Sha – Japan (1877), Cedar – Lebanon (after the Civil War), Rhinoceros – Sudan (after independence), Palm – Syria (after World War II), Sapa Unalom Deng – Thailand (1893), Star – Zimbabwe (after independence), Swastika – China (1922). What is this a list of?

Answer: Failed proposals for symbols for national Red Cross / Red Crescent societies

11. Since 1969, only one municipality in the UK preserves an old electoral law, where firms based in that municipality receive votes for the body’s election in proportion to the number of employees they employ. The rationale given is that since the municipality has only 10,000 residents, while more than 450,000 people work within it. What is this municipal jurisdiction?

Answer: The City of London

12. Sabir was a pidgin language used throughout the Mediterranean basin from the 11th to the 19th centuries to facilitate communication between traders speaking different languages. It is based on Italian, but contains Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic and Turkish influences. The languages other name is a commonly used term in English. What is it?

Answer: Lingua Franca

13. Since 1895, 27,863 Taiwanese and 21,181 Korean soldiers have been accorded a certain honour against the wishes of their families. In 2005, a group of Taiwanese aborigines attempting to have this honour withdrawn from their family members were stopped by police and protesters. Officials in charge of giving out this honour have stated that once given it cannot be withdrawn, which is also the reason why a long-standing East-Asian political controversy cannot be defused. What is this honour?

Answer: Enshrinement at Yasukuni

14. <Clip> Why does Abed hand out fake beards to everyone?

Answer: As a reference to the Star Trek (TOS) episode Mirror Mirror where evil universe Spock sports a goatee

15. Following is an extract from an interview with an actor describing how he had an epiphany when he heard that another actor X had remarked that the character Y will feature in his (X’s) obituary and how he was okay with that:

“It was only watching X - and I have great respect for X, both as an actor and as man. I love him. And the gravitas that this great Shakespearean actor gave to his role, that I suddenly realized that this guy is taking Y every bit as seriously as Macbeth. And I used to. And I stopped. And what the hell's the matter with me? It was a great piece of work. Everybody contributed to three years that has lasted 50. It's a phenomenon. Why aren't I proud of it? And that's when I had that moment.”

Name the actor giving the interview, whose entire career has arguably been overshadowed by an early role.

Answer: William Shatner

16. Lessepsian migration is a biological phenomenon that has been observed from 1869 to the present day. So far, over 300 species have participated in this phenomenon. What was the cause of this phenomenon?

Answer: The opening of the Suez Canal

17. In 1515, a gift was made to the Portuguese King Manuel I by the Sultan of Cambay Muzafar II, which made quite an impression on the people of Lisbon when it was displayed publicly. A Moravian merchant was one such observer of the gift and wrote a letter to a friend in Nuremberg. Albrecht Dürer, who lived in Nüremberg at the time read the description (and saw an accompanying sketch) and made a woodcut based on his impressions, which despite its inaccuracies (Dürer was misled by analogies to plate armour in use in Europe at the time) was incredibly popular. Salvador Dalí was a particular fan of the woodcut . Dalí made several artworks on the same theme, including a famous 1956 sculpture that was particularly inspired by Dürer’s woodcut. What am I talking about?

Answer: Rhinoceros

18. <Clip> This dance form is characterized by free, expressive, exaggerated, and highly energetic movement involving the arms, head, legs, chest, and feet. The early followers of this form saw it as a way to escape gang life and "to release anger, aggression and frustration positively, in a non-violent way". Name the dance form.

Answer: Krumping

19. This World War II battle fought in 1942 was one of the worst military defeats suffered by Britain ever. Over 80,000 British and Commonwealth troops were taken prisoner, and the major blow to the prestige of the British and the poor conditions in British service led to heavy recruitment for the Indian National Army among the POWs captured in this battle. In fact, over 75% of all troops who served in the INA had been captured by the Japanese after this battle. Name it.

Answer: The Siege of Singapore

20. X is a cocktail made from a mixture of light beer and a stout, most commonly Guinness. The drink is associated with Ireland because of the use of Guinness, although the Irish rarely use the name because of its association with a hated group. In 2006, Ben & Jerry caused controversy by naming a flavour after the drink as a St. Patrick’s Day promotion. Name the drink.

Answer: Black and Tan

Meme Round

Meme Round – IFITB

Answer: It’s a Trap!

Meme Round – IIWhat is his name?

Answer: Neil Degrasse Tyson

Meme Round – IIIWhat was the caption that accompanies the first

appearance of this image macro?

Answer: I can has Cheezburger?

Meme Round – IVIdentify the Original Artist

Answer: Joseph Ducreux

Meme Round – VIdentify the Meme

Answer: Steve Buscemi eyes

21. In The Simpsons episode 8 season 19, John Mahoney guest starred as Dr. Robert Terwilliger, the father of Robert Jr. and Cecil. Why was Mahoney chosen for this role.

Answer: John Mahoney plays the father in Frasier. Robert Terwilliger Jr. (aka Sideshow Bob) is a recurring role on The Simpsons played by Kelsey Grammar, while his brother Cecil has been played in the past by David Hyde Pierce

22. What has been blanked out in these stills?

Answer: See you next Wednesday

23. <Clip> In this Rage Against the Machine video, directorial credits are split between two people. One of these people is Peter Christopherson, while the other had been dead 48 years when the video was released. Who is the other person credited as director.

Answer: Sergei Eisenstein

24. X and Y are characters who appear in every story set in their fictional universe. They are friends, and they met as infants in front of Quick Stop Groceries while their mothers shopped inside RST Video. X is crude and curses excessively, which trait is shown to be due to the influence of his foul-mouthed mother. Y is a gadgetery genius and laconic, but when he speaks he usually has something profound and thoughtful to say. X and Y together operate a drug dealing business, but on one occasion were shown to be selling illegal fireworks. Name X and Y.

Answer: Jay and Silent Bob

25. A line in Outkast’s 2003 single Hey Ya makes a reference to a product while exhorting female listeners to dance vigourously. This seemingly throwaway line helped revitalize the eponymous company that made the product and they hired OutKast to promote the product, despite the fact that the line in the song refers to an action that was no longer required with the technology used in the product. Name the product.

Answer: Polaroid Cameras (“Shake it like a Polaroid Picture”)

26. X is an artifact, believed to have originated in Ireland, but has been closely associated with Scotland. The artifact was captured by the English in the 13th Century. A treaty with Scotland promised its return, but rioting crowds prevented its removal from Westminster Abbey. The artifact was attacked by suffragettes in 1914 (although it suffered only minor damage), and was stolen by Scottish nationalists, who accidentally broke in, in 1950. The artifact was returned to London in 1951, but as of 1996 now resides mostly in Scotland. Terry Pratchett satirized the artifact by creating a similarly named artifact among Discworld Dwarfs, which was a spectacularly hard quick bread. Name the artifact.

Answer: Stone of Scone (The Pratchett parody is the Scone of Stone)

27. In 1936, as part of their effort to use the Berlin Olympics for propaganda purposes, the Nazis introduced an innovation to the Olympic ceremonies that had no ancient or modern precedent. The Nazis’ main reasons to introduce the innovation were to strengthen the association of Ancient Greece with their ideology, and to gain publicity for the idea of their sportsmen as Aryan superheroes. What is this innovation, that is still carried out in modern Olympics?

Answer: The torch relay from Mt. Olympus

28. <Clip> The dramatic soundtrack in this scene of Inception is actually intended to be understood as playing in the movie’s reality. The technique required to achieve this piece of soundtrack, among others, led to Inception winning an Oscar for Best Sound Editing. Put fundaes.

Answer: It is a slowed down version of the theme Je, Ne Regrette Nien that appears through the movie

29. In 1925, the Bulter Act was passed in Tennessee. The ACLU, eager to defeat the Act in Court, put out ads in every newspaper in the state asking for volunteers to do a particular thing. The town of Dayton, TN responded positively, hoping to gain publicity and hopefully new business for the small town. The ploy worked tremendously well, and as national politician William Jennings Bryan got involved, a huge media circus descended on the town. Even today, the events of 1925 drive significant tourist traffic to the town. What did Dayton, TN do in 1925?

Answer: Prosecute John Scopes for teaching evolution

30. This song was intended by the artistes as a parody of songs such as “Smokin’ in the Boys Room” and “I Wanna Rock”. However, the irony was lost on most listeners. One of the members of the group that made it said, "The only thing that upsets me is that we might have reinforced certain values of some people in our audience when our own values were actually totally different. There were tons of guys singing along to __________ who were oblivious to the fact it was a total goof on them." The group have expressed distaste for it, and have refused to play the song live since 1987. In 2011, Adam Yauch made a surreal short comedy film based on the song, starring Elijah Wood, Seth Rogen and Danny McBride as the protagonists of the original music video, and Will Ferrel, John C. Reilly and Jack Black as future versions of the protagonists. Name the song.

Answer: (You gotta) Fight for your right (To Party!)

31. X is a science fiction novel that won the Hugo award in 1970 and the Nebula award in 1971. Widely considered a classic of hard science fiction, it still drew flak for scientific inaccuracies in some of its plot points. One major error in physics drew a lot of attention, with a famous incident in which MIT students attending Worldcon 1971 chanted, “X is not stable!” when the author appeared there. The author later retconned the sequel to X to provide a scientifically plausible explanation for the seeming error. Terry Pratchett published a 1981 novel, Strata which was a homage/parody of X, and while unconnected to any of his other work, it introduced a concept that would be a cornerstone of his fiction writing. Solve for X.

Answer: Ringworld

32. The Twenty-Second Amendment to the US Constitution codified a principle that existed since 1797 as a sort of unwritten rule. The unwritten rule was broken once, and came very close to be broken in 1877 and 1912. Since its ratification, this amendment has affected 4 men. What does this amendment do?

Answer: Introduce term limits for the US President

33. <Clip> Put Fundaes.

Answer: Where’s Waldo

34. This term never referred to a single geographical region, but rather was an ethnographic region along the German and Austrian borders. The majority of its population were descendents of settlers invited by the kings of the Premyslid dynasty, until they were all forced to move west and north in the middle of the 20th Century. Name this region (Flag Pictured).

Answer: Sudetenland

35. Until World War II, a system of diplomatic rank was followed for determining the relative status or precedence of diplomats, with major powers appointing Ambassadors and minor powers appointing Ministers. Since World War II, this system has been discontinued. How is diplomatic precedence determined today?

Answer: Time since the accreditation of the Ambassador

36.

37. In 1966, William Hartnell was in ill health and could not continue a role he had been playing for the past three years. However, as the character he played was incredibly popular, his employers did not want to simply discontinue it. To get around this problem, they devised a plot device, allegedly modeled on LSD trips. What plot device?

Answer: Doctor Who’s regenerations

38. Frank Farian is German record producer and songwriter who achieved notoriety when it was discovered that he had orchestrated the events that led to the Milli Vanilli scnadal. However, this was not the first group Farian had created where the visually appealing people to front other people’s singing. His 1974 track Baby do you Wanna Bump launched a disco act, many of whose songs were recorded by Farian himself. The group was incredibly popular during the disco era, and even did live tours, where large numbers of backing singers needed to be hired to cover the “singer”’s vocal deficiencies. Which group?

Answer: Boney M

39. FITB

Answer: Top Men