Know Brainers Cabin

FICTIONAL ROGUES GALLERY

1. Born to wealthy parents in Lithuania in 1938. His father was a count, his
mother a descendant of theVisconti family in Milan. His family was killed by
the Nazis, and he was the lone survivor. In 1970’s he started his
psychiatric practice in Baltimore, Maryland. He is described as being short
with maroon colored eyes and 6 fingers on his left hand. He has the habit of
tilting his head to one side while listening, and his former caretaker
Barney Jackson spotted him last in Buenos Aires in 1993.

HANNIBAL LECTER

2. Based on real life serial killer Ed Glein, he first appeared in a novel
by Robert Bloch. Emotionally dependent on his mom, he killed her when she
had a lover. He suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder, and often
assumed his mother’s identity. Who is he?

NORMAN BATES

3. He is a man of good birth and excellent education, endowed by nature with
a phenomenal mathematical faculty. At the age of 21 he wrote a treatise upon
the binomial theorem, which has had a European vogue. He won the
mathematical chair at one of the smaller universities in Britian and had a
great career in front of him. His choice of weapon was the “air rifle”,
which was made for him by a blind German mechanic Von Herder and used by his
employee Col Sebastian Moran.

PROF MORIARTY

4. Born and raised in the fictional Applachian town of Crikkside,KY, he was
subjected to systematic abuse as a child turning him into a sociopath. A
brilliant student noted for his talents in acting, he hated the small town
mentality. He went down into the mine with his father and from then on
developed a fear of darkness. At the age of 16 he ran away to Boston,
where he was taken in by Richard Rushman the city’s archbishop. Rushman was
a paedophile and forced him to take part in child pornography,along with his
girlfriend Linda. He brutally murdered Rushman and the case created a
sensation in the city. His case was handled by Martin Vail. This character
appeared in a novel and movie of the same name. Who is he?

AARON STAMPLER

5. One of the most notorious fictional pirates, he served under Captain
Flint of the Walrus. Capt Flint himself a notorious pirate was afraid of
this man. He had a parrot named Flint. Name this guy.

LONG JOHN SILVER

6. He was responsible for “the delivery of prisoners to the court,
collection of rents and taxes, and generally keeping the “King’s Peace”.
From 1450 to 1835, this position was shared by two people. The current
person who holds this position is Derek Cresswel. What am I referring to
here?

SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM

7. He was born on May 28,1908 to a Polish father and Greek mother in Gdynia.
He studied economics at the University of Warsaw. He later studied radionics
at the Warsaw Institute of Technology. During WW2, he worked for Turkish
radio and set up an intelligence organization. He headed one of the most
notorious fictional criminal organization which spread terror across the
globe. His birthdate is in fact the author’s birthdate and his name was
inspired by the surname of the father of a well known English cricket
commentator, with whom the author went to school. Who is he and what is the
organization?( 2 points)

ERNEST BLOFELD, SPECTRE

8. His German name is Merkwurdigliebe. He was modeled after Herman Kahn,
Werner Von Braun, Henry Kissinger and Edward Teller. His speeches are
interrupted by struggles to gain control over the affliction of alien hand
syndrome. One of the most popular screen villains of all time. Who?

DR.STRANGELOVE

9. His first name is Viktor. He is a self taught disciple of medeieval
alchemy. He leaves his family in Geneva to study modern science at
Ingolstatdt in Germany. His surname is derived from the former name of
Zabkowice Slaskie a city in the Silesian province of Germany after whom one
of the city’s families is also named. He has often been called the Modern
Prometheus.

FRANKENSTEIN

10. Born to Amanda, who later became a nun and changed her name to Sister
Mary Helena. During his high school days he met a waitress Loretta Johnson
and married her. He was a serial killer and used to prey on kids. His crimes
were discovered by the cops and he was dubbed the “Springwood Slasher”. He
is the spirit of a child serial killer and has the tendency to attack kids
in their dreams. Name this character and the series of movies in which he
was the central villain.( 2 points)

FREDDY KRUGER, NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

English Words of German Origin

1. This beverage takes it’s name from a German word meaning “to store”.
Brewed primarily from hops, malted barley and water between 5 C and 15 C
that causes bottom fermentation. Dortmund, Helles, Pilsner are some popular
varieties of this drink. Which one?

LAGER

2. Louis …………. was a tax collector in 1890 who needed a protection dog to
guard him. He wanted a dog that was strong, loyal, intelligent and fierce.
And this dog was achieved by the cross breeding of many breeds like
Rottweiler, Greyhound, Great Dane, German Shepherd Dog and ………….. Fill in
the blanks to give the full name of the dog.

DOBBERMAN

3. The literal meaning of this German word means “double goer”. It has been
adapted to an English term meaning the ghostly double of a living person.
Another meaning of this word is where you catch your own image out of corner
of your eye. Very much used in Hollywood horror movies. Which term ?

DOPPELGANGER

4. Literally meaning “substitute” in German, the term in English refers to
any cheap replacement for a product, which is of much inferior quality
compared to the original one. Also used as an expression of disgust. Which
word?

ERSATZ

5. During WW2 the German 88 was one of the best known artillery pieces. It
was a series of anti aircraft guns which were referred to officially as
8.8cm X 18,36 or 37. X is a short form of the German word for anti aircraft
gun. What is X, which is also used in English language in another context
also.

ACK ACK

6. This word is believed to have originated in the Munich art markets of the
19th century to describe cheap but easily marketable pictures or sketches.
Another theory holds that it is connected to a German verb meaning “to
scrape up mud from the street”. It appealed to the crass tastes of the
noveau riche Munich bourgeoisie who tried to ape the culture of the
traditional German elite. The word eventually came to mean “to slap a work
of art together”.

KITSCH

7. From a German expression meaning “damage and joy”, its literal meaning is
“ to take pleasure from some one else misfortune”. It is commonly
characterized as a “sick pleasure” or the human tendency to make fun of
people less fortunate than us.

SCHAUDENFREUDE

8. The literal meaning of this German word means “the leading theme”. And
this term is used in music, literature basically to represent a repeating
musical score or a recurring theme in a literary work.

LEITMOTIF

9. This term used mostly in mountaineering means “to rope down” in German.
Also called as rapelling, rapping, snapelling. It basically describes the
process of descending down a fixed rope.

ABSEIL

10. It is the German word for “armor”. Also an abbreviation of the German
designation for tanks during WW2 which when translated into English meant
“Armored Combat Vehicle”. If you are a WW2 buff, this should be a sitter for
you.

PANZER

Hollywood Biopics Quiz

I round off my list of quizzes for 2005 with another
one on my fav topic-Hollywood. This time its on
Hollywood biopics, and keeping the year end spirit in
mind, i have made it quite easier. So awaiting ur
replies in 2006 and once more WISH U ALL A HAPPY NEW
YEAR.

1. The 1992 biopic “Hoffa” about the controversial
Teamsters Union leader “Jimmy Hoffa” starred Jack
Nicholson in the title role. Which actor directed the
movie and also played the role of Hoffa’s associate
Bobby Ciaro?

DANNY DE VITO

2. Jerry Bruckheimer and Joel Schumacher are usually
remembered for all those typical Hollywood action
blockbusters. This 2003 movie starring Cate Blanchett
was however a serious biopic about a real life Irish
journalist who takes on the Dublin drug mafia and
ultimately was gunned down by them. Name the movie

VERONICA GUERNIN

3. The 1996 movie Michael Collins about the Irish
revolutionary leader who was later assassinated had
Liam Neeson playing the title role. The movie however
was criticized for showing Collin’s rival Eamon De
Valera in a negative light. Which actor, usually seen
as the bad guy in Hollywood movies, played the role of
Valera?

ALAN RICKMAN

4. 1917: Theda Bara, 1934: Claudette Colbert, 1963: ?

ELIZABETH TAYLOR

5. In the 1965 movie The Agony and The Ecstasy ,
Charlton Heston played the role of Michaelangelo, and
even put a rod in his nose, to make it look broken.
This British actor who played the role of Pope Julius
II however refused to grow a beard for the role. Which
actor?

REX HARRISON

6. The 1939 movie Jesse James starring Henry Fonda as
the outlaw became notorious after the death of a horse
on it’s sets. What started as a result of it?

DISCLAIMER ABOUT ANIMALS NOT BEING HARMED

7. This 1992 movie Malcolm X about the controversial
American Black leader who later converted to Islam,
had Denzel Washington in the lead role. Which real
life political leader played a cameo in the movie as a
teacher?
NELSON MANDELA

8. The 1999 movie Man on the Moon starring Jim Carey
was about real life American comedian Andy Kauffman.
The movie gets it’s title from a song by a well known
rock band which in turn is taken from the album
Automatic for the People. Name the band.

R.E.M

9. Should be a sitter, who traveled along with Alberto
Granado on the La Poderosa which means the “Mighty
One” and what resulted because of it?

CHE GUEVARA, MOTORCYCLE DAIRIES

10. Halle Berry and Whitney Houston were considered
for playing the role of Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic
Whats Love Got to Do with It, before Angela Basset
finally played the role. Which black actor turned down
the role of her abusive husband Ike Turner and finally
accepted when he learnt that Basset was playing the
role?
LAURENCE FISHBURNE

Hollywood Quiz 2K6
From now onwards i would be posting answers and scores on my blog out here, and all my Quizzes would be appearing out on here.

1. When Gregory Peck died in 2003, the eulogy was
delivered by a relatively unknown actor Brock Peters.
What was his claim to fame?
HE PLAYED THE ROLE OF BLACK MAN TOM ROBINSON WHOM PECK DEFENDS IN TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD

2. Malcolm Johnson a reporter with the now defunct New
York Sun won a Pulitzer Prize in 1949 for a series
called Crime -------------. This series would be the
basis for an all time great American classic. Name the
movie.
ON THE WATERFRONT

3. X starred in the stage version of One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest as Murphy and bought the rights to the
novel. He however couldn’t convince movie studios to
produce this movie and years later X transferred the
rights to Y who co produced the movie along with Saul
Zentz of United Artists. Who are X & Y?
KIRK AND MICHAEL DOUGLAS

4. He had a none too impressive start to his career
with duds like You are a Big Boy Now, Finian’s
Rainbow. He got his first major break when he won the
Best Screenplay Award along with Edmund North for
Patton in 1970. He however shot into fame as a
director of a movie regarded as a classic in it’s
genre. Who?
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

5. After the success of the “cavalry” trilogy John
Ford & John Wayne came together for this very unlikely
movie which was a romantic comedy set in Ford’s native
country of Ireland. However with no major studio
wanting to risk this movie, Ford approached Republic
Studios which was noted for it’s B Grade movies. The
movie was a success in spite of John Wayne not playing
his typical cowboy role. And Republic Studios had
their first Oscar nomination in 17 years for Best
Movie. Name the movie.
THE QUIET MAN

6. Tom Selleck was originally considered for this
role, but he declined as he was busy with his TV
serial Magnum PI. Selleck would later appear in a
similar sort of movie called High Road to China. Tim
Matheson, Nick Nolte and Peter Coyote were some of
the other choices. Which role am I referring to?
INDIANA JONES

7. “Paramount News brings you a special coverage of
Princess Ann's visit to London, the first stop on her
much-publicized, goodwill tour of European capitals.
She gets a royal welcome from the British, as
thousands cheer the gracious young member of one of
Europe's oldest ruling families. After three days of
continuous activity and a visit to Buckingham Palace,
Ann flew to Amsterdam, where her Highness dedicated
the new International Aid Building and christened an
ocean liner. Then went to Paris, where she attended
many official functions designed to cement trade
relations between her country and the Western European
nation. And so to Rome, the Eternal City, where the
Princess' visit was marked by a spectacular military
parade”
Opening sequence of which movie?
ROMAN HOLIDAY

8. The 1952 Western movie High Noon was seen by many
as an attack on Mc Carthyism and the cowardly
townspeople who refuse to bail out the embattled
sheriff as representing the co operative witnesses
before House of Un American activities Committee. As a
rebuttal to this liberal and un American movie Howard
Hawks and John Wayne came up with a typical Western in
1959. Which movie was that?
RIO BRAVO

9. Breathless, and The Man on Lincoln's Nose were some
of the titles considered for this thriller classic.
Before taking the final title from a quote in
Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Name the movie
NORTH BY NORTH WEST

10. Based on James Jones 1951 novel it was considered
unfit for movies due to it’s violence and raw sexual
content. Colombia Picture’s head Harry Cohn took it
upon himself to convert the book into a movie and the
project was nicknamed as “Cohn’s Folly”. However
released in 1953 the movie was a major box office
success and won 8 Academy awards. Name the movie.
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY

THE SCORES
Tuppence-5
Rajnish-5.5
Hitler-5
Arindam-5
Ramanujam-4
Shafeek-7
Vijay-3
Sri Harsha-10( Thanks for comments)
K.A.Balasubramaniam-7
Balaji-3
Priyananda-4
Harikrishnan-5
Tipu-10
Karthik-7
Madhav-7
Dhananjay-3.5
Raja Manoor-10
Sumnanth-10
Vikram-9
Sid Menon-5
Sreeram-6.5
Neelakantan-10
Rajesh-4

Real Life to Reel Life Quiz
This Quiz is about well known Hollywood movies based on real life incidents
or persons. Hope you enjoy this quiz well.

1) “Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my ………”.
The above is a quote from poem New Jerusalem by William Blake. Complete it
to get the name of the Academy award winning movie based on a real life
event.
CHARIOTS OF FIRE

2) The 1989 movie “Born on the 4th of July” starring Tom Cruise and directed
by Oliver Stone was based on the life of this real like Vietnam war veteran
who was paralyzed in the war and later became an anti war activist. The
title of the movie derives it’s name from the autobiography of this person.
Whom am I referring to?
RON KOVIC

3) This 1975 Al Pacino movie was based on the real life story of John
Wojtowicz who held 7 Chase Manhattan bank employees in New York hostage in
1972 to finance his boy friend’s sex change operation. Apart from the Elton
John song Amoreena in the credits of the movie, it does not have any
background score at all. Which movie?
DOG DAY AFTERNOON

4) The 1990 gangster movie Godfellas was based on the novel Wiseguy by
Nicholas Pelligi starring Robert De Niro as Jimmy Conway and Ray Liotta as
Henry Hill. Which talented but often under rated actor won the Best
Supporting Actor Award for his performance as Tommy De Vito which was based
on the real life gangster Tommy De Simone?
JOE PESCI

5) The 1991 movie JFK about Kennedy’s assasination details the investigation
done by New Orleans attorney Jim Garrison( played by Kevin Costner). Often
criticized as “Dances with facts” for it’s wild conspiracy theories, it
ironically had the real life Jim Garrison playing the role of a person to
whom he was bitterly opposed. Which real life person did he play?
EARL WARREN

6) One of Robert Redford’s best movies as a director, this 1994 movie
starring Ralph Fiennes was about a _________ scandal of the 1950’s. It
chronicles the rise and fall of Charles Van Doren one of the most popular
contestants on this TV program. Name this movie.
QUIZ SHOW

7) The 1980 WW2 movie starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven is
based on the novel Boarding Party. The novel itself is based on a real life
incident during the war when a group of British expatriates track down a
German U Boat in Goa then under Portugese rule and find a secret transmitter
on it. Name the movie.
THE SEA WOLVES

8) Henri Charriere was also nicknamed as ………., the French word for
“Butterfly”. The 1973 movie starring Steve Mc Queen and Dustin Hoffman was
based on his memoirs of his detention at Devil’s Island in French Guiana.
Name the movie.
PAILLION

9) This was a really good if somewhat under rated movie starring Clint
Eastwood as Frank Morris who along with the Anglin brothers has the
distinction of being the only persons to ……………
ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ

10) Schindler’s List is about the efforts of Oskar Schindler to save the
Jews from the Nazi camps. The movie is also about this notorious Nazi camp
commandant of Plaszow who was played by Ralph Fiennes. This man was one of
the cruellest of the Nazis it was said about him “ When you saw …….., you
saw death”. Who?
AMON GOETH

Cold War Novels Quiz
This quiz is about novels from the good old days of Cold War. The Cold war
might be over,but i still love these novels, and i am sure there r many like
me out here. I tried to make up a decent quiz over this and dont feel its
very good. Anyway all the best.

1. This Forsyth novel deals with a KGB plot masterminded by Kim Philby to
detonate a nuclear device in London. Code named as “Plan Aurora” ,it is
ultimately foiled by the British secret service. Also made into a movie
starring Michael Caine and Pierce “Bond” Brosnan.
THE 4TH PROTOCOL

2. Complete the series( 2 points): …., House Under Water,….., Billion Dollar
Brain. One of the best Cold War series of novels.
IPCRESS FILE,FUNERAL IN BERLIN

3. This 1978 spy thriller by Craig Thomas is about a Vietnam vet Maj
Mitchell Grant who has to infiltrate into the Soviet Union to steal a highly
advanced Soviet fighter plane known as ………. From the fictional air base of
Bilyarsk. Also made into a movie starring Clint Eastwood.
FIREFOX

4.
Percy Alleline, the current head of the Circus
Bill Haydon, chief of the London Branch
Roy Bland, Bill Haydon’s second in command
George Smiley the lead character.
What is the Circus referred to here, it get’s it name from it’s location at
Cambridge Circus in London ? And the codenames of the above characters make
up the name of this Cold War novel? ( 2 points)
CIRCUS IS M16, TINKER,TAILOR,SOLDIER,SPY

5. The US Navy is eager to develop a nuclear defense system using a very
rare mineral called Byzanium. The only known source of this lies in X.
Identify X to get the name of this novel by Clive Cussler which is quite a
popular thriller bestseller. The movie however was a major turkey at the
B.O.
RAISE THE TITANIC

6. This Jack Higgins novel gets it’s name from a French anti ship missile
which get’s it name from the French word for Flying Fish. These missiles
were used for the first time extensively in the Falklands war.
EXOCET

7. One of Maclean’s lesser known novels,it deals with a British agent
Michael Reynold’s attempt to help a Hungarian scientist defect from
Budapest. Its notable for it’s climax on the snow swept roof of a train.
Which novel?
THE SECRET WAYS

8. John Tanner, Richard Tremayne and Maxwell Danforth meet for the weekend
at Tanner’s country home. Lawrence Fasset a CIA agent suspects the others in
the party are KGB agents. Which novel am I speaking about?
THE OSTERMANN WEEKEND

9. Leon Uris generally known for his historical themes covering Israel(
Exodus), the Warsaw Ghetto( Mila 18), came up with this novel, dealing with
the 1962 Cuban Missile crisis. Name it.
TOPAZ

10. Another well known Cold War novel tells the story of Alec Lemas a
British spy who defects to East Germany, but who is in reality being
manipulated by George Smiley to infiltrate the East German secret service.
Also made into a 1965 movie starring Richard Burton.
THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD

Hollywood Movie Directors
This is a Quiz on famous English movie directors and the movies which made
em famous(or even infamous).

1. A leading light of the naturalistic movement in Hollywood, this director
was born to a Catholic family in Missouri. He started his career as an extra
in Danny Kaye’s “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”. In 1950 he joined the
Calvin Company, the largest industrial film production company and during
this time directed a series of industrial short movies to promote their
products. In 1955 he came up with his first feature “The Delinquents” a low
budget flick on teenage crime. He directed some of the episodes of Alfred
Hitchcock Presents. Due to his constant fights with Jack Warner, he
developed a dislike for the Hollywood system which was to be seen in one of
his later movies The Player in 1992. He however had his major breakthrough
in 1969, when he was offered this movie script rejected by 15 other
directors and it went on to become a critical and commercial success also.
Name the director and the movie.
ROBERT ALTMAN, MASH

2. Born to a working class Jewish family in Chicago, he joined the American
Left in 1930. He started his career as a screen writer in Hollywood. During
the Mc Carthy years in the 1950’s, he was blacklisted due to his early years
in the Communist Party and his refusal to testify. He received an Academy
nomination for High Noon, which itself is taken to be a satire on Mc
Carthyism. However due to Hollywood’s boycott, he migrated to England where
along with another blacklisted writer Michael Wilson, the wrote the script
for The Bridge on the River Kwai. He directed the 1963 anti war movie The
Victors. Ironically we in India, would remember him for giving the
screenplay for a movie regarded as a classic in the war genre and which is
quintessentially Hollywood. Name this script writer and the movie I am
referring to.
CARL FOREMAN, GUNS OF NAVARONNNE

3. Born in France, he was the nephew of Carl Leammle, the founder of
Universal Pictures. He started his career with Universal and later relocated
MGM for which he directed classics like Jezebel and Wuthering Heights.
During the War, he served in US Army Air Corps as a major and won an Academy
for his documentary The Fighting Lady. He won Academy Awards in 1942 and
1946 for his movies Mrs.Miniver and The Best Years of Our Lives. He also
directed Roman Holiday which made Audrey Hepburn a major star, however he
would always be remembered for this 1954 classic for which he won his 3rd
Oscar. Known for his perfectionism and total control over story,location and
crew, who is this all time great director and which movie remains his
landmark?
WILLAM WYLER,BEN HUR

4. He often said that his experience of growing up as a minority, Jewish and
gay, influenced his development of this series of sci fi movies. One of his
favorite movies is Jaws and he adopted a line from that movie to name his
production company as Bad Hat Harry productions.During the 1993 Sundance
movie festival, he discussed this story idea with his friend Christopher Mc
Quarrie. And the outcome was this 1995 movie regarded as one of the best
movies in the thriller genre. It however won only two Oscars for Best
Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. Name the director and the
movie.
BRYAN SINGER, USUAL SUSPECTS

5. Born to Hungarian parents in New York, he started his Hollywood career in
1929 with Paramount Pictures as a co director before he made his debut with
Tarnished Lady in 1931. He left Paramount and joined RKO where he directed a
series of hits like David Copperfield and Little Women. He was originally
supposed to direct Gone With the Wind, but due to his gay habits he was
removed. In 1939 he directed The Woman with an all female star cast and the
1940 classic The Philadelphia Story starring his favorite Katherine Hepburn.
He also directed Greta Garbo in her last screen appearance 2 Faced Woman. In
1954 he made his first color movie A Star is Born starring Judy Garland. And
in 1964 he won his first Academy Award for Best Director, for his screen
adaptation of a well known play. His last movie was 1981 Rich and Famous saw
the debut of Meg Ryan into Hollywood. Name the director and the 1964 movie I
am referring to.
GEORGE CUKOR,MY FAIR LADY

6. Born in France, his parents fled Hungary after the 1956 revolution there.
His first movie as a director was Burried Alive a TV movie. He however shot
to fame when he adapted two well know Stephen King novella into two great
movies of the 90’s and he received Academy nominations for both. He is also
known to have written the scripts for Saving Private Ryan and Minority
Report. His current project is Fahrenheit 451 based on Ray Bradbury’s novel
of same name.Name the director and any one of those landmark movies.
JAMES DARAPONT,SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE GREEN MILE

7. Martin Brest was well known as a director due to Beverly Hills Cop and
the often underrated Midnight Run. His 1992 movie however bought him acclaim
as well as helping the hero of this movie to win a Best Actor award after 20
years. His next movie Meet Joe Black was nothing great, but he found himself
on the other extreme in 2003, when this movie directed by him was a critical
and financial disaster and it won a record 6 Razzies. Name both those
movies.
SCENT OF A WOMAN,GIGLI

8. After the twin debacles of The Last Boy Scout and Hudson Hawk, Tony
Scott, brother of Ridley Scott, wanted to get out from the image of a
Hollywood Big Bang director and turned to a much more smaller budget movie
which was technically polished. Scott was introduced to a bright
enthusiastic video store clerk called X. X offered him samples of his
scripts to read. Though Scott liked both, X refused to part with one of his
scripts as he wanted to direct that movie himself. Scott ended up directing
the other one True Romance which established himself as an auteur himself.
Name X and the movie.
QUENTIN TARANTION, RESERVOIR DOGS

Mixed Bag Quiz-II
Another mixed bag Quiz from me.

1. In 1951 as a medical student,he traveled along with his friend Alberto
Granado on a 1939 500 cc motorcycle nicknamed La Poderosa II meaning “The
Mighty One” all over South America. Who is he and what was the name of the
book he wrote based on his travels?
CHE GUEVERA, MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

2. This word is originally derived from a Greek word meaning “A Burnt
sacrifice ordered to Gods”. This is from the Greek and Roman pagan custom
where burnt animals were offered to Gods of the earth and nether world.
Another origin is from the sacrifice Jews were required to make on Torah. We
are familiar with this word in a totally different context. Name it.
HOLOCAUST

3. This German city gained notoriety for being the first city in the
Medieval ages to have Iron Maiden torture device. It was a center for
Renaissance in 15th and 16th centuries. From 1933 to 1938 it was a center
for holding Nazi congress. The city gained a lot of notoriety during the
World War. Name this place.
NUREMBERG

4. The 1957 movie 12 Angry Men directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry
Fonda is one of the finest Hollywood movies, about a lone juror played by
Fonda who believes in the innocence of the defendant. It was remade into an
equally good Hindi movie by Basu Chatterjee and premiered as a TV movie.
Name the Hindi version.
EK RUKA HUA FAISLA

5. This fictional character’s address is 56B Whitehaven Mansions,Sandhurst
Square,London W1. He boasted to his friend and partner Arthur Hastings, that
he could solve a case by using his little gray cells. Who?
HERCULES POIROT

6. In the movie The Italian Job, Michael Caine plays the role of the thief
Charlie Crocker who leads the team. Which famous playwright plays the role
of the mastermind Mr Bridger who runs his entire Mafia empire from the jail?
NOEL COWARD

8. This novel deals with career of a 15 year old teen Alex DeLarge. His main
pleasures in life are classical music, rape, and random acts of extreme
violence. He tells his story in a teen slang called Nadsat which combines
18th century Russian and English slang. Also made into a critically
acclaimed movie. Name the book.
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, ANTHONY BURGESS

9. In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, Napoleon the lead Pig is
clearly modeled on Josef Stalin, on which real life character is the other
Pig Snowball modeled on?
LEON TROTSKY

10. If Surya Kiran is the fixed wing aerobatic display team of IAF, then
what is the name given to the helicopter formation display team of IAF.
Hint: The word means Peacock and also the name of a popular Indian college
Youth Fest.
SAARANG

Cult Movies Quiz
There are movies and there are cult movies. This Quiz is dedicated to movies
which have achieved a cult status of their own. Like them or hate em, you
cant ignore em. So for all fans of Burton, Tarantino,Kubrick here comes your
quiz.

1. In the by now famous cult sci fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey, the movie
starts off with Richard Strauss’s “Thus Spake Zarathusthra”. Which equally
famous composition of Johan Strauss’s was used for the spectacular space
station rendezvous and lunar landing sequences?
WALTZ OF BLUE DANUBE

2. The setting used for the 1986 movie Aliens depicting the Alien nest was
not dismantled after the movie was shot.It lay unused for some time and was
again reused as a major set piece in this 1989 movie. Name the movie.
BATMAN

3. The Diner(Part 1), Vince & Jules, Jackrabbit Slims,”The Gold Watch”,”The
Bonnie Situation”, The Diner(Part II)- Connect all these events to come up
with the name of a cult classic movie. Should be a sitter.
PULP FICTION

4. In which cult comedy classic would you find “Hawkeye”, ”Trapper John”,
“Duke”,”Hot Lips” and “Dago Red”?
M.A.S.H

5. Based on a novel by Chuck Palahniuk, this 1999 movie revolves around an
anonymous narrator, who works as an accident investigator for an automobile
firm. The narrator later meets Tyler Durden at a bar and discusses with him
about materialism and the modern male. Name this cult movie.
FIGHT CLUB

6. This 1969 road movie is about two youngsters Wyatt and Billy who go on a
road trip to “look for America but couldn’t find it anyway”. Directed by
Dennis Hopper who played one of the lead roles in the movie, its considered
a cult movie of it’s genre.
EASY RIDER

7. Travis Bickle an alienated, sexually frustrated young man of 26 from the
Midwest, has recently been discharged from the Marines. He suffers from
insomnia and consequently takes a job as a X in New York City, and
volunteers to work the overnight shift "anytime, anywhere". Bickle spends
his spare time watching pornography in seedy theaters. X gives the name of
the movie.
TAXI DRIVER

8. This 1990 sci fi movie is based on a short story by Philip k Dick “We Can
Remember It for You Wholesale”. It’s the story of Douglas Quaid a
construction worker who purchases a virtual vacation to Mars. Name the
movie.
TOTAL RECALL

9. This 1995 cult sci fi movie was directed by former Monty Python member
Terry Gilliam and based on French short movie La Jetee. The movie takes it’s
title from the name of a bio terrorism group called “The Army of the
----------“. Name the movie.
TWELVE MONKEYS

10. Two ghosts Adam Maitland and his wife Barbara seek the help of a bio
exorcist named X to remove the Deetz family-city yuppies who occupy their
old home. X was directed by one of the masters of the cult movie Tim Burton.
Name the movie.
BEETLEJUICE

BiblioMania II
In line with my passion for reading, i am comming up with my second Quiz on
books, Bibliomania-II. Hope all you people enjoy it out here. Awaiting
replies and feedback.

1. Written in the late 1940’s and published for the first time in 1952 by an
independent publisher called Grove Press, this play was originally written
in French as En attendant____. The entire play revolves around two tramps
Vladimir and Estragon. Name the play.
WAITING FOR GODOT

2. “Robbie”, “Runaround”, ”Reason”, ”Catch that Rabbit”, ”Liar” are some of
the stories in this collection of 9 sci fi stories by Isaac Asimov.
Originally titled as Mind and Iron, the title was later changed to that of
short story by Eando Binder by the publisher. Name the book.
I,ROBOT

3. This 1950 sci fi book by Ray Bradbury was titled as The Silver Locusts in
UK.. Bradbury has credited Winesberg,Ohio and The Grapes of Wrath as
influences for the structure of the book. The book starts with Rocket
Summer(January1999) and ends with The Million Year Picnic(October 2026).
Name this book.
THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES

4. This novel centers around 3 main characters Dagny Tagart, a rail road
executive who has to struggle with the frustrations of the world around her,
Hank Rearden, a steel tycoon and Francisco D’Anconia, a prodigy and a heir
to a fortune in copper industry. The basic theme of the novel is that
independent, rational thought is the machine driving the world.
ATLAS SHRUGGED

5. In August 1941, Graham Greene met a double agent called Garcia in Lisbon
during his tenure with M16.Garcia fed the Nazis with false information,
pretending to control a ring of agents all over England. Garcia was the
inspiration for the character of James Wormwold a vacuum cleaner salesman
who works as a British double agent. Name the novel in which Wormwold
appears.
OUR MAN IN HAVANA

6. This 1961 novel by V.S.Naipaul was his first work to get critical
acclaim worldwide. It’s the story of Mohun _______, a Trinidadian of Indian
origin, a failure in life, who marries into the family of Tulsi. Which book?
A HOUSE FOR MOHUN BISWAS

7. This all time great novel is set in the fictional Colombian town of
Macondo, and revolves around it’s founder Jose Arcadio Buendia, a strong
willed leader who becomes interested in mysteries of universe. Name the
book.
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE

8. Kurt Vonnengut’s 1969 best seller novel Slaughter House 5 revolves around
an American POW captured by the Nazis. The book starts off with this
infamous incident during WW2 which forms the backdrop. Name this incident.
BOMBING OF DRESDEN

9.
"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He has trampled out the vintage where the ______ are stored,
He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible, swift sword,
His Truth is marching on!"
Just fill in the blank to get the name of the book, which was also
made into a succesful movie.
GRAPES OF WRATH

10. This 1979 novel by Robin Cook is his only book which doesn’t deal with
a medical topic and centers around an archaeological search. Also made into
a 1980 movie.
SPHINX

Jai Jawan Quiz
When you go home, tell them of us and say: for your tomorrow, we gave our
today"
Yes this Quiz is dedicated to the Indian military an institution which every
Indian can be justifiably proud of. An institution which really makes me and
i hope every Indian on Quiznet, proud to be born as an Indian. Rated as one
of the best armies in the world, every time they have come forward and laid
their lives so that we can sleep peacefully. As my bro in law himself serves
in the Army, i hava first hand experience of the tough lives they lead, and
i salute those men in uniform who rise to the occasion without fail. Be it a
natural calamity, a war, an emergency operation these people are always in
the forefront. And this is my humble tribute to these people. Jai Jawan.

1. Following the 1962 Indo China War, this regiment was raised on June
1,1963 with 8 companies drawn from 7th and 14th battalions of J&K militia.
Also known as Snow Warriors, this was one of the first regiment to take part
in Kargil and Major Sonam Wangchuk of this regiment received a MVC for his
role. Name the regiment.
LADAKH SCOUTS

2. Created on Aug 19,1978, this military service has the Sanskrit motto
“Vaayam Rakshaamah” meaning “We Protect” on it’s coat of arms. Which one?
INDIAN COAST GUARD

3. During the 1971 Indo Pakistan war, which military operation carried out
by Indian Navy was codenamed as Operation Trident?
BOMBING OF KARACHI HARBOR

4. Originally called USS Diablo, this Pakistani submarine was sunk off the
coast of Vishakapatnam on Dec 3,1971 by the destroyer INS Rajput and was a
major loss for Pakistan. Name this.
PNS GHAZI

5. In 1961 the Param Vir Chakra was awarded posthumously to Capt Gurbachan
Singh Salaria of 1st Gorkha Rifles. This was the first time the award went
to a person who was involved in a military operation outside India. In which
country was the operation held?
CONGO

6. This has often been called as the Indian Alamo. During the 1962 Indo
China war, Company C,13 Kumaon Regiment fought a last stand under the
command of Major Shaitan Singh. Out of 118 men, 109 men died, 5 were
captured and only 4 survived. Name this place which has gone down as one of
the 10 most heroic stands in history.
LA REANG

7. This Indian military regiment is the only one to produce 3 Army Chiefs-
Gen S.M.Sriganesh, Gen K.S.Thimayya and Gen T.N.Raina. Its motto is
“Parakramo Vijayate” meaning Valor alone Triumphs and their war cry is
Kalika Mata ki Jai. Name the regiment noted for it’s fighting prowess.
KUMAON REGIMENT

8. This division was founded by a British army officer Charles Wingate and
their official name was the 77th Indian infantry brigade. They played a
major role in the jungle battles of S.E.Asia during WW2 and were nicknamed
after a mythical Burmese beast. Name the division.
CHINDITS

9. In 1973 he became independent India’s first and only officer in active
service to be appointed as Field Marshal, the highest honor, by Indira
Gandhi in recognition of his leadership during the 1971 Indo Pak war. Name
him.
SAM MANECKSHAW

10. This Multi Barrel Rocket System developed by DRDO for the Indian army
was developed in 1983. Named after Lord Shiva’s mythical bow, what is it.
PINAKA

A straight Lift
There was this Quiz on Quiznet by a bloke called Saxena claiming that this would be his first Quiz on Quiznet and the topic would be the Indo Pak War of 1971. Me being a war afficionado, i promptly opened up the Quiz, and as i walked through the Quiz, i was just dumbstruck. What this guy has done is simply copy paste the entire set of 30 questions which Siddartha Basu had asked for Mastermind India 2000 on same topic. It was a straight lift, what we call in our language "makki-ki-makki" copy. I am pasting the quiz out here. I sent a mail to Quiznet but due to some technical problem it has bounced back. Anyway i am putting up this Quiz out here for u guys to See it.
1. In which Pakistani city was the hijacked Indian Airlines plane blown up on 30 January, 1971?

2. After Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s arrest in March 1971, who took over as the acting President of the provisional Bangladesh Government?

3. What name was given to the seat of the provisional government of Bangladesh formed in exile on 17 April, 1971?

4. Who served as the Prime Minister of the provisional Bangladesh Government?

5. Which former officer of the Royal Indian Army Service was appointed the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladeshi armed forces in April 1971?

6. Over which border town in 24 Paragnas district of Bengal did 3 Gnat pilots shoot down 3 Sabre aircrafts of the Pakistan Air force on 22 November?

7. Which division of the Indian Army was holding Longewala when it was attacked on 4 December?

8. Which commander of the 300 Sea Hawk squadron of the aircraft carrier Vikrant was awarded the Maha Vira Chakra?

9. Which town on the banks of the Munawar Wali Tawi, ceded to Pakistan at the Shimla Agreement, was later renamed after the Pakistani officer who captured it?

10. On which town famous for its saris, were Indian paratroopers first dropped on 11 December?

11. On 4 December, which 2500 ton Pakistani destroyer, along with its compatriot ‘Shah Jahan’, was sunk by the Indian navy?

12. After which part of a bird’s anatomy was the strategic salient in Jammu, between the Chenab and the Chander Bagher, named?

13. Which 16000 strong wing of the Mukti Bahin blew up all bridges between Tangail and Dhaka and was named after its leader?

14. Which Pakistani Captain’s defense of Kamalapur in the Meghalaya sector earned a special mention by Field Marshall S H F J Manekshaw?

15. Which important Bangladesh city was the first to be helicopter borne Indian troops?

16. On 3 December, which Indian naval ship, commanded by Lt. Commander Inder Singh, sank the PNS Ghazi off the coast of Vishankaptnam?

17. Which fighter-bomber aircraft of the IAF, based in Jaislamer, decimated Pakistani tanks troops on 4 December, in the battle of Longewala?

18. At what point did Indians first breach the Padma River?

19. Name the East Pakistan Governor who on 14 December, took asylum with the International Red Cross in Dhaka?

20. The Navy Day commemorates the Indian Navy’s first attack on which Pakistani city on 4 December?

21. The American naval task force TG-74 to the Bay of Bengal was spearheaded by which aircraft carrier?

22. Which future Bangladesh ambassador to India represented the Mukti Bahini at the surrender ceremony in Dhaka?

23. Who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously for his inspired leadership during the battle for Basantar?

24. Which ‘Jawan’ of the 14 Guards posthumously earned a Param Vir Chakra for his role in the battle of Gangasagar?

All the 24 Questions have been just copy pasted without even a change in the word. When i was looking through first few questions,i assumed that there could be something common, but all 24 questions and i knew I was looking at a con job of the first order.

Current Mood: angry

IT Pioneers Quiz
This is one more IT quiz, but this time its about those pioneers who created
most of the early ground work and who made some of the most path breaking
discoveries. The motivation for this quiz was due to the fact that most of
the rooms in the GE John F Welch Tech Center division where I work are
named after these people. So hope you guys find it interesting enough. And
this quiz is my very humble tribute to em, and also my way pf saying thanks
to em, as i earn my bread as an IT professional today.

1. Born on March 9,1900 he obtained his PHd in Physics from Harvard in 1939.
He invented an electro mechanical computing device to solve differential
equations. It was originally called as Automatic Sequence Controlled
Calculator(ASCC) and later renamed as Harvard Mark 1. He later improvised on
the Harvard Mark series of computers. In 1947 he remarked “Only 6 electronic
digital computers would be needed to satisfy the computing needs of entire
US”.
HOWARD AIKEN

2. Born Janos Lajos Margittai in Budapest to a Jewish family, he was
nicknamed as “Jancsi”. After doing his Phd in Maths from Budapest at the age
of 23, in 1930 was invited to Princeton where he worked as a Professor at
the Institute for Advanced Study till his death. One of the initators of
Game Theory he along with Oskar Morgenstern published Theory of Games and
Economic Behavior. Along with Hans Bethe and Victor Weisskopf he was in the
Theory division of the Manhattan project. The architecture used in non
parallel processing computers is named after him and he also founded the
field of cellular automata.
JOHN VON NEUMANN

3. Born in England he was a pilot in the RAF during WW2. In 1948 he started
his career with IBM as a mathematical programmer. He later left for Canada
as a protest against the Mc Carthy witch hunts and on his return to US in
the 60’s he began work at IBM’s research center in San Jose. During this
period he worked on the paper “A Relational model of Data for large shared
data banks” published in 1970. He also coined the term OLAP and wrote the 12
laws of online analytical processing.
E.F.CODD

4. Born in Buffalo, US to German parents he did his Phd from Columbia in
1890. He developed Jacquard’s punched card idea to represent census data and
then to read and collate data using automatic machine. In 1889 he filed
Patent 395,782 for this invention. In 1896 he started Tabulating Machine
Company and invented first automatic card feed mechanism which laid the
foundation for the modern IT industry. In 1924 his firm became part of IBM.
HERMAN HOLLERITH

5. Along with Denis Ritchie he co authored the book on C. He worked on the
design of AWK and AMPL languages. In fact the K in AWK stands for his name.
He also did pioneering research work on Unix environment.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

6. He invented the Ethernet in 1973 when he was working with Xerox PARC. In
1979 he founded 3 Com, a computer networking firm. After he quite 3Com he
worked as a columnist for Info World. Name this Harvard alumni who gave his
name to a law which says “The utility of a network equals approximately the
square of number of users of the system”.
VINCENT CERF

7. He was inspired by his father and Tom Swift. At the age of 11 he built
his own HAM radio set. While working at HP he met Steve Jobs and in 1975 he
dropped out from UCAL, Berkeley and made his own computer. Along with Jobs
he created the Apple 1 in 1975 and on April 1,1976 he founded Apple along
with Steve Jobs. He made it to Fortune 500 at a very young age of 27.
STEVE WOZNIAK

8. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana he did his Masters from UCAL, Berkeley. In
1969 he was one of the principal creators of Unix along with Ritchie. He
also wrote the Unix ed editor and the MULTICS programming language.
KEN THOMPSON

And the Oscar Never Goes To
Hollywood often markets the Oscars as a touchstone for excellence. Not exactly true, as down the years there have been many choices that have been down right stupid. And Hollywood often goes for marketing hype, see the way Titanic and LOTR have swept the Oscars. Ridley Scott gets an Oscar for Gladiator, which is certainly not his best, while his classic Blade Runner, doesn’t even get a second look. Well could go on and on. This quiz is for movies and performances that lost out on deserving Oscars. So just check out
these unlucky ones, who didn’t get to hear “And the Oscar goes to”.
Unfortunately due to lack of time and the slow system in this cyber café,I am forced to restrict this to just 5 questions. But I still welcome ur comments and feedback. And I assure u of more on this topic.

1. One of the Academy’s biggest goof up was in 1941 when Citizen Kane was not even nominated for an Oscar, and got just one award for Best Editing. And this when this movie was acclaimed as a landmark movie in American movie history. The only movie that could have ousted it that year was The Maltese Falcon. But both lost out to this John Ford movie about life in a Welsh mining town. While the movie was good in it’s own way, it was in no way a
match to these two classics. Name the movie.
HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY

2. This all time great classic was based on the 1954 French mystery novel D’Entre Les Morts by Pierre Bolieau and Thomas Narjecac. The tagline for this movie read “He thought his love was dead,until he found her in another woman”. Regarded as one of X’s all time great masterpieces, the Academy obviously didn’t think so as it was not even nominated and the Award that year ultimately went to Gigi, a typical Hollywood candy floss musical. Most
of X’s other great movies also were never nominated and X not getting an Oscar sounds more like Ripley’s Believe it or Not. Who is X and the movie in question?
ALFRED HITCHCOK, VERTIGO

3. “These walls are kind of funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them. That's institutionalized. They send you here for life, that's exactly what they take. The part that counts, anyways”
In 1994 this movie was nominated for 7 awards including Best Movie and Best Actor, but again the feel good Americana of Forrest Gump ensured that this movie would go empty handed. The movie is narrated by a character Red, played by one of the most underrated actors but brilliant actor.. –Name the actor and the movie.
MORGAN FREEMAN, SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION

4. “Who is Keyser Soze? He is supposed to be Turkish. Some say his father was German. Nobody believed he was real. Nobody ever saw him or knew anybody that ever worked directly for him, but to hear Kobayashi tell it, anybody could have worked for Soze. You never knew. That was his power. The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.”
Micheal Mc Manus, Dean Keaton, Fred Fenster,Todd Hockney, Verbal Kint, Dave Cujan and Kobayashi are ……………., in this wonderful thriller of the 1995, which didn’t even get nominated by the Academy. Yes it was also the year when Braveheart won over other contenders like Apollo 13 and Il Postino.
Name this movie.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS

5. “Come to X! The sun shines bright, the beaches are wide and inviting, and the orange groves stretch as far as the eye can see. There are jobs aplenty, and land is cheap. Every working man can have his own house, and inside every house, a happy, all-American family. You can have all this, and who knows... you could even be discovered, become a movie star... or at least see one. Life is good in X... it's paradise on Earth." Ha ha ha ha. That's
what they tell you, anyway.”
Thus begins the opening voiceover of this 1997 thriller which is again acclaimed as one of the best film noir thrillers. Unfortunately, like other deserving movies it was washed away by the Titanic wave that year. And none of the 3 actors in this movie were even nominated for an Oscar.What is X, which makes up part of the movie title?
LA, LA CONFIDENTIAL

The English Songs Quiz
This quiz is about some great English songs which i love listening again and
again, and most of these songs have attained a cult status of their own. So
to all those who love their rock, pop, country, soul this quiz is for u all.
Enjoy and have a rocking time.

1. One of my all time favorite songs is “Hotel California” by the Eagles.
The opening beats are just too good. Down the line many interpretations have
been given to this song, including charges of Satanism. But many interpret
it as a statement against the excesses of the American materialism and more
so on drugs. In the opening lines we have this statement “Warm smell of
colitas rising up in the air”. Colitas is a spanish word meaning “Little
Buds” referring to the tiny buds found on this plant. Name this plant whose
name is often taken in a different context.
MARIJUANA

2. After separating from his first wife Frances Tomelty, X wrote this song.
X was a member of band Y, which also had Andy Summers and Stuart Copeland.
But X’s insistence on singing the song alone led to the break up of the
band. The song was the biggest hit of the year, and though many consider it
as a love song, X insisted that the song in reality was about an obsessive
stalker. Name X,Y and the song.
STING,POLICE,EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

3. The theme song for Rocky III, this was the band’s biggest hit song and
the #1 song of 1982. The song is actually a call to the protagonist to get
back the edge and his hunger for being the champion. And it is considered as
one of the best motivational songs in many boxing sessions. Name this song.
EYE OF THE TIGER

4. This singer was on a visit to Washington DC when he saw people sleeping
on the streets in the bitter cold and snow. That proved to be an inspiration
for this song, which by the way also featured in a Philips ad in 1991. Name
the singer and the song.
PHIL COLLINS,ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE

5. One of the best songs of all time and rated as one of the greatest
British rock songs, it was considered as a commentary on the quality of
school education then prevalent. And it was also performed by this band on
July 21,1990, to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall. This song was one of
two ideas proposed by Roger Waters to the band, the other one was The Pros
and Cons of Hitchiking, which later became a solo song. Name this song.
WE DONT NEED NO EDUCATION

6. Lovely solo written by Eric Clapton himself, in dedication of his 4 year
old son Conor., who fell to death from the window of his 53rd floor
apartment. This song won the Grammy for Record of the Year,Song of the Year
and Best Male Pop vocal. Name the song,
TEARS OF HEAVEN

7. This song was originally titled as “Vietnam” and it got it’s name from
the original title of the 1987 movie Light of Day directed by Paul Schrader.
Though promoted as a patriotic song, in reality it was meant to protest
against the way the Vietnam veterans were treated in US after they arrived
back from the war. Name this song.
BORN IN THE USA

8. At 8 minutes, 59 secs, this song is one of the longest Top 10 hits and
also contains the longest guitar solo played in a hit song. One of the lead
member’s girlfriend, Stephanie Seymour, an actress herself, featured in the
MTV video version of this song. Name this song.
NOVEMBER RAIN

9. This band was at a casino in Montreux, Switzerland to record their album
Machine head. Some one fired a flare gun and the entire casino was on
fire.The band later relocated to another studio, but this incident formed
the basis for the band’s all time hit song. Name this song.
SMOKE ON THE WATER

10. And ending with a sitter. Elton John performed “Candle in the Wind” at
the time of Diana’s death. But to whom was this song originally dedicated
to?
MARILYN MONROE

The Sci Fi Quiz
This Quiz is again dedicated to one of my favorite topics Sci fi movies or
Science Fiction movies more specifically. Sci fi itself is a very generic
term and could cover a vast area. So I am restricting this Quiz to well
known and not so well known Sci fi movies. I find it surprising that to
date not a single sci fi movie won the Best Picture Award, considering that
some of them had real great stories and scripts. Well not many questions
regarding the Star Wars and Matrix series but they are a whole category by
themselves. And I assure fans of special quizzes dedicated to Star Wars and
Matrix series.

1) “Agatha”, “Dashiell” and “Arthur” apart from being names of famous
detective writers, are also the nicknames of characters in a sci fi movie.
Which all time great sci fi movie I am referring to and who are these
characters?( 2 Points)
MINORITY REPORT, THE 3 COGS WHO CAN SEE THE FUTURE

2) Spielberg’s 1977 sci fi classic “Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind” dealt
with aliens visiting the earth and the UFO phenomenon. The climax of the
movie is shot around a famous natural landmark of the US. Which landmark is
this?
DEVILS MOUNTAIN

3) “I was a kid in high school when X’ s script was circulating in
Hollywood”-Y. “Z would not have been possible without copies of my script
being available in US”-X. Identify X,Y and Z.
X-SATYAJIT RAY,Y-STEVEN SPIELBERG,Z-ET

4) Based on Michael Crichton’s 1987 novel, this 1998 movie starring Dustin
Hoffman, Samuel Jackson and wonder of wonders a fully clothed Sharon Stone
in a totally different role, was about the discovery of a spaceship on the
ocean floor and the mysterious vibrations emitted by it. Name the movie.
SPHERE

5) In which sci fi movie would you find “Dutch”, “Dillon”, “Hawkins”,”Blain”
and “Mac”. One of my favorite ones, thanks to it’s energetic pace and of
course one of the best background scores.
PREDATOR

6) Pretty good but somewhat underrated sci fi movie directed by Robert
Zemeckis starring Jodie Foster as a scientist searching for SETI ,it is
based on a novel of the same name by Carl Sagan.
CONTACT

7) Another good sci film of the 80’s directed by Ron Howard, the plot
revolves around a group of elderly citizens in an old age home, who are
rejuvenated by alien presence in their swimming pool. Name this movie.
COCOON

8) Ridley Scott’s Alien featured around an alien attacking members of a
space ship. The name of the spaceship “Nostromo” is derived from the name of
a character in a novel of the same name by a very famous author. Name the
author.
JOSEPH CONRAD

9) This word refers to the 30 denarius received by Judas for betraying Jesus
Christ and is the name of one of the characters in the Matrix. The character
in the movie is a traitor and in fact his full name rhymes with a name of
Satan. Agent Smith refers to him as” Mr Reagan”. Who is this character?
LUCIFEROUS

10) Morpheus the character played by Laurence Fishburne in The Matrix is
the Greek God of ………..
SLEEP

11) Sitter. What is the sub title given to the first of the Star Wars
movies released in 1977? This was done by George Lucas after the release of
“The Empire Strikes Back”.
A NEW HOPE

12) One of the best sci fi movies, though the Academy in it usual fashion
refused to even consider it. The name of this movie is taken from a novel by
Alan Nourse and refers to a smuggler of black market surgical implements.
Name the movie.
BLADE RUNNER

13) This 1995 sci fi movie stars Rusell Crowe as SID 6.7 a particularly
vicious virtual villain character created by LETAC to train cops. He escapes
from the virtual facility and has to be tracked down by the cop played by
Denzel Washington. Name this movie.
VIRTUOSITY

14) Ok just connect the following “Dawn of Man”, “TMA-1”, “Jupiter Mission
18 months later” and “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite”.
DIFFERENT PARTS OF 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY

Cybermania Quiz
This quiz is dedicated to what i do for a living, and gives me my daily
bread. Yes its the IT field, and being an IT professional myself this topic
is dear to me. And considering that a sizeable amount of quizzers are geeks,
this should appeal to all and even for non geeks i hope this is interesting
enough, as i have not made it too technical.

1. This word means “Our Sea” as how the Romans used to refer to the
Mediterranean affectionately. It is currently the name of the world’s 4th
most powerful super computer and Europe’s most powerful super computer. It
runs on Linux and features Blade Center JS20 blade servers and is currently
located in Barcelona. Name this computer which was unveiled on April
12,2005.
MARE NOSTRUM
2. Born to a British civil servant in the Indian town of Chatrapur in 1911,
he showed inclination towards math and science at an early age. He made an
impact with his paper “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the
Entscheidungsproblem” in 1936.During WWII he played a major part in breaking
the Enigma code. After the War, he worked on one of the earliest computers-
Manchester Mark 1 at University of Manchester. He proposed a test for
computing the Artificial Intelligence of a computer. He finally comitted
suicide in 1954 and his later part of his career was crippled by the fact
that he was a gay. Name this brilliant computer scientist.
ALAN TURING
3. Connect “Nashville”, “Cairo” and “Neptune” with respect to Windows OS.
TEST VERSIONS OF WINDOWS
4. What was founded by Mitch Kapor, John Gilmore, John Barlow and had its
genesis in a raid on Steve Jackson Games by US Government. This organization
was also mentioned in Dan Brown’s “Digital Fortress”.
EFF
5. In 1990 the US Government launched a nation wide crackdown on …………..,
which was dubbed as Operation Sundevil.
HACKING
6. Identify this telecom company, founded as Brown Telephone Company by
Cleyson Brown in 1899, Abilene, Kansas. It changed it’s name to United
Telecom in 1972. After its tie up with Southern Pacific Communications
Company, it choose it’s current brand name in 1986. It was merged with US
Telecom and in 1991 the company changed its official name too. Name this
telecom giant.
SPRINT
8. In the Dilbert comic strip, when Dogbert was asked to design a new
company logo, he takes a piece of paper that his coffee cup was sitting on,
and calls it the Brown Ring of Quality. Which telecom companies logo is
being parodied here?
LUCENT
9. Connect AT&T’s Globe logo with Star Wars series.
DEATH STAR IS PATTERENED ON AT&T'S LOGO
10. Complete the list Scott MC Nealy, Bill Joy, Andy Becholsteim ,……………
VINOD KHOSLA-FOUNDERS OF SUN

Bibliomania Quiz
) Complete this quote "Shoot all the bluejays you want , if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin ------------"
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
2) Connect the books "Death in the Afternoon" by Ernest Hemmingway and "Or I'll dress You In Mourning" by Domnique Lapierre and Larry Collins.
BOTH DEAL WITH BULL FIGHTING
3) "They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was poor as we are and would understand". This above quote is taken from the Hemmingway classic The Old Man and the Sea.Which real life sportsperson is being referred to in this quote?
JOE DI MAGGIO
4) One of my favorite books as a child, it deals with the adventures of David Balfour and highlander Alan Breck in the Scottish moors. Which one?
KIDNAPPED
5) A piece of trivia, the restaurant atop the Eiffel Tower is named after a very famous French novelist, who is as much a part of France as Napoleon. Seems like a pretty Derek O Brien type of question, but this novelist was considered one of the original sci fi writers along with H.G.Wells.
JULES VERNE
6) This fictional place is divided into 4 color coded countries- purple in north,red in south,yellow in the east and blue in the west. Its capital is Emerald City. Which place.
OZ
7) W.Somerset Maugham's novel The Moon and The Six Pence deals with the story of Charles Strickland,an artist who dissatisfied with the Western Civilization leaves for Tahiti and spends his last days there. On which artist's real life story is this based?
PAUL GAUGUIN
8) This bestseller book has the narrator using the concept of Chautaquas or short stories to convey his thoughts as he undertakes a cross country journey in US on his bike. The book uses a character Phaedrus as the central character of those stories. Which book?
ZEN AND ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE
9) After Exodus, Leon Uris next novel was about the uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto against the Nazis in 1943. The novel took it's title from the address of the command post of Jewish resistance in the city. Name this novel.
MILA 18
10) Apart from being famous as a novelist, Leon Uris was also a Hollywood screenplay writer. He wrote the screenplay for movie version of Topaz, but his first original screenplay was for an all time classic Western starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas. Which movie?
GUNFIGHT AT OK CORRAL

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