The Madras Quiz 2009

THE MADRAS QUIZ 2009 – PRELIMS AUG 23, 2009 AT PS.HIGH SCHOOL, MYLAPORE QUIZMASTER: SYLVIAN PATRICK OF THE INDIAN QUIZZING LEAGUE 1. On what occasion was this special postal cover released on Aug 22, 2008? (pic of the postal cover) Ans: Madras Day 2, In Latin it means “Therefore” & in logic it would mean “the conclusion of a preceding argument”. Software engineers working on the IT Corridor were encountering this word everyday till July 31. What is the good word? Ans: Ergo 3. What does EID as in EID Parry stand for? Ans: East India Distilleries 4. Identify the logo. Ans: Chennai Metro Rail 5. The show began in June 2002 with the FIFA World Cup in mind and completed 373 episodes on July 18, 2009 by which it has entered the Limca Book of records as the longest running weekly quiz show on television in India. The show has on an average received calls from more than 30,000 viewers and also 3,000 e-mails per show. Which show? Ans: BSNL Sports Quiz by Dr.Sumanth C.Raman 6. It was not until 1974 that Chief Ministers unfurled the national flag on Independence Day. Till then, Governors hoisted it on Republic Day and Independence Day. Who was the first Chief Minister of Tamilnadu to hoist the national flag in 1974? Ans: M.Karunanidhi

7. The following is an excerpt from the editorial section of The Hindu dated September 12, 1921. “We regret to learn of the death of _______ at his residence last night. The deceased was an ardent nationalist, a great thinker, a stirring speaker and a powerful writer. He is the author of a number of Tamil works.” Identify him. Ans: Subramaniya Bharati

8. Who is the co-producer of the movie thiru thiru thuru thuru along with Real Image? Ans: Sathyam Cinemas 9. Which Mylapore based hospital is celebrating its centenary year in 2009? Ans: CSI Kalyani Hospital 10. For the first time ever a US Consulate's wall, anywhere in the world, has been allowed to display graffiti. This work, 115 feet long and 4 feet wide, was painted by 30 children sponsored by the Nalandaway foundation. Which artist coordinated the project? Ans: Thotta Tharani 11. Identify the entity with branches all over Chennai (Google map marked, with three in T.Nagar, a few more spread across Chennai). Ans: Hotel Saravana Bhavan 12. In 1696, there was a cut river that was formed between the Triplicane river and the Egmore river. This led to the formation of biggest lung space inside Chennai city and is used for trade fairs and exhibitions. Recently, TTDC has tied up with Rohini Hotels Pvt Ltd to make a part of this space as permanent arena for adventure sports. Which place? Ans: Island Grounds 13. Identify the male voice (song in Aayirathil Oruvan, latest movie) Ans: P.B.Srinivoss 14. He staged eight full length plays at one go in 18 hours and he changed his costumes 88 times over these 8 plays. This is acknowledged as an unsurpassed feat of a stage artist in the Limca Book of Records. And also he holds the record for “Most number of Books released in a Single Day”. Who is this stage artist in question? Ans: S.Ve.Shekhar 15. "Ra. Ki", "Tamil Theni", "Karnatakam“ were pseudonyms used by this person in Ananda Vikatan. This apparently led to the following comment by M.Krishnan ( the naturalist) “This man was so unsure of his worth that he wrote under twelve pen names, using one to write a book and another to review it.” Who was this writer? Ans: Kalki Krishnamurthy

16. In 1970, 5 shops dealing with a particular set of products opened in this particular area. During the President’s rule, PC Alexander slashed the sales tax of these products from 12% to 2% which enabled some heavyweights to set up shop here. Today, there are over 900 shops in this area and it is next only to Lamington Road (Mumbai) in terms of annual sales and distribution. Which area? Ans: Ritchie Street! 17. Whose logo? Their Motto is “To hell with you, to heaven with us”. Ans: Madras Bulls, the motorcycle club 18. Rajagopal Bhagavathar is from Kizhanoor near Chennai and was a popular Harikatha Kalakshepam expert. Who is his most famous grandson? Ans: A.R.Rahman (easily the best question of the prelims and one that went unanswered by all). 19. Identify the person in the photo frame (Sri Lankans were present in the visual, with Chandrika Kumaratunga as well). Ans: K.Padmanabha of Eelam Peoples' Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF). The first killing of Prabhakaran outside lanka which happened in Chennai on June19,1990 20. If Chennai Superkings play cricket, Chennai Veerans play Hockey, what do Chennai Cheetahs play? Ans: Rugby 21. She has been credited as being the motive force behind the legislation against animal abuse and the setting up of the Animal Welfare Board of India. When she became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1952, she reportedly said, "I should like to be the chosen representative of the tiger, the lion, the dog and the deer, the helpless and the voiceless". Who? Ans: Rukmini Devi Arundale 22. This is the logo of a famous association which organizes a event at the beginning of every year. What event? (Logo of Bapasi) Ans: The Chennai Book fair

23. During emergency this publication was stopped for two weeks. Censoring on it was so high that even advertisements in the magazine were screened by censors. After the emergency this magazine came out with a black front cover, one of the 2 times it has done so, the other occasion being during the Babri Masjid demolition. Which magazine? Ans: Thuglak 24. This is the statue of Manu Needhi Chozhan. Where would you find this statue in Chennai? Ans: The Madras High Court 25. In 1982, G.Natarajan who had tried and failed at his oil-press business thought of starting a retailing venture in Madras. Probably way ahead of its time and hence highly risky, the venture was started with money through sale of his wife's jewels, all 300 sovereigns of them. Initially started off as the industrial canteen at Manali, it later expanded to a house for making and selling the generic snacks. What venture? Ans: Grand Snacks and Sweets 26. This song from Naan Kadavul is a reproduction from a devotional album by Isaignani Ilaiyaraja. Which album? Ans: Rajavin Ramana Malai 27. Mahatma Gandhi realized that to unite the country, he needed to unite the Northern and Southern parts of the country and hence wanted them to speak the same language. To achieve this he started something in 1918 in Chennai. What did he start? Ans: Hindi Prachar Sabha 28. Which bus would you take to travel on this route? Marundheeswarar Temple (Thiruvanmiyur) VGP Golden Beach Mayajaal MGM Dizzee World Dakshina Chithra Muttukadu Boat House Nithyakalyanaperumal Temple (Thiruvidandhai) Crocodile Bank Sea Lion Show Tiger Cave Shore Temple Arjuna Penance and Five Rathas

Ans: The hop-on hop-off bus 29. Which corporate has agreed to sponsor the Chennai ATP Open (Tennis) tournament in 2010? Aircel 30. The lead female voice is slated to be Vijayalakshmi Agathiyan of Chennai 600028 fame, the villain will be Rahul Dev. Who provides the voice for the hero and what movie? Rajinikanth and Sultan the warrior!! No Madras quiz is complete without the Superstar!!