Columbia Business School | End of Summer term quiz - July 2024

General quiz conducted at Columbia Business School in July 2024
QMs - Ruth Gorven & Utkarsh Bajpai

1. End of summer quiz

2. House keeping
●Teams of 4-6
●Sometimes the titles of the slides could be hints. Sometimes they could be
distractions.
●A funny team name might not get you extra points but wins you respects from
the quizmasters
●5 rounds
○3 of 10 questions each
○2 topical rounds
●If you say “aaah, I knew this” after each answer, we’ll know
that the question was right in the Goldilocks zone of
difficulty. So do shout

3. Music, Entertainment, Lit, Arts (MELA)

4. Q1) Warm up
This is Mirka, Roger Federer's wife in a tense and animated mood during the epic 2019 Wimbledon final.
What did her expressions on the sidelines on that day - as well as her life story - inspire this year?

5. Blank slide

6. Zendaya in Challengers
Points for Zendaya, not just Challengers

7. Q2) Sherlock
X is a series of 24 comic albums by the Belgian cartoonist Georges
Remi, who wrote under the pseudonym Herge. It’s one of the most
popular European comics of the 20th century and follows the
protagonist X and their pet through dangerous cases while doing their
job as an investigative journalist.

X is also the inspiration for Belgium’s Euro 2024 kit.

ID X.

8. Blank slide

9. Tintin

10. Q3)
What is this punnily named dog called / who is she dressed as?

11. Blank slide

12. Florence Pug / Princess Irulan / Princess in Dune 2

13. Q4)
X is an oft repeated symbol in multiple contexts. Few below :
1) In modern hip hop, X is an allusion used to impart the threat "kingly" rappers face of
being deposed as the best of the best. It is referenced in the lyrics of the song "Zealots" by
The Fugees in 1996. It also appears in the music of Kanye West, both in the music video
for his single "Power" in 2010, where there is an X above West's head as he stands amidst
rows of Ionic columns, and in later cover art for the song
2) President John F. Kennedy compared the omnipresent threat of nuclear annihilation to
an X hanging over the people of the world. Soviet First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev
wanted the Tsar Bomba to "hang like the X over the imperialists' heads".

14. Q4)
Most tellingly, one of the earliest VR headsets were also called X, because of how they
looked

15. Blank slide

16. Sword of Damocles

17. What movie, a crossover of two successful movie franchises,
is this the looney tunes version of?
Q5) X vs. Y

18. Blank slide

19. Alien vs. Predator

20. Q6) Elixir matured in Oak
Curt Mast was an enthusiastic hunter and the inverter of this famous digestif made with 56 herbs and
spices and containing 35% alcohol by volume. The label of this fine spirit contains the following verse
from the poem Weidmannsheil by the famous hunter & ornithologist Oskar Von Riesenthal.
"Das ist des Jägers Ehrenschild,
Daß er beschützt und hegt sein Wild,
Waidmännisch jagt, wie sich’s gehört,
Den Schöpfer im Geschöpfe ehrt!"
A loose translation of this is :
"This is the hunter‘s badge of honour,
May he protect and cherish his game,
Hunt sportsmanlike, as is proper,
Honouring the creature‘s creator therein"
ID the digestif / spirit, whose name was also the title for high-ranking officials in charge of matters related to
hunting and gamekeeping for many centuries.

21. Blank slide

22. Jagermeister

23. Q7) A long walk to freedom
Batik is a technique of using wax and dye to decorate
cloth. To make a batik, selected areas of the design are
blocked out by applying hot wax over them, a dye is
applied on top and the parts covered in wax resist the
dye and remain the original colour. This tradition is
maintained even today in many SEA and South Asian
countries. Batik shirts are a common feature
However Batik landed in international fashion fame and
critique due to a statesman - the first president of his
country - who very frequently wore trademark Batik
shirts in public appearances. Id the statesman.

24. Blank slide

25. Nelson Mandela

26. Q8)
In 1969, a Volkswagen Beetle was wrongly parked on X. 4 young men with flowy
hair walked right on the crossing next to it, got their photo clicked, and this wrongly
parked Beetle got condemned to the annals of history to never be noticed until 50
years later.
However, 50 years later Volkswagen used this poor parking to great effect and
riffed on it to create an iconic limited edition poster with the Beetle parked correctly
thanks to its Park Assist Technology.
What iconic photo was riffed on?

27. Blank slide

28. Abbey Road’s album art

29. In what is perhaps the most ubiquitous literary reference of all time, X takes it
name from Y’s most famous novel Z.
Oddly enough, X was not the first choice and was used after one of the company’s
co founders rejected the name “Pequod” and “Cargo House”.
In continuation with the theme, X’s logo also features the two tailed siren. This was
a metaphor for the allure of the company’s core product, which draws sailors to it
just as the product draws customers.
+10 points for X; +5 for Y / Z
Q9)

30. Blank slide

31. Starbucks, Herman Melville, Moby Dick

32. Q10) Id X (painter) and the technique (Y)
Among the many theories analysing the American artist X’s revolutionary style of
painting called Y, the below 3 stand out :
1) In 1999, Richard Taylor and his research team published the results of their
scientific analysis showing X’s poured patterns to be fractal. Labelled as “Fractal
Expressionism,” X distilled the essence of natural scenery in a technique mastered
over 10 years
2) X was anyway a raging alcoholic with an ocular nerve disorder. Some believe
that his technique was fuelled by the disorder and his lack of discipline / technique
in life, although he always painted sober
3) It is also believed that X was actually a representational painter and not an
abstract expressionist. The representations however persisted momentarily in the
air and what came to the canvas was an abstraction

33. Blank slide

34. Jackson Pollock, Drip paintings

35. Guess the song

36. Format:
We will play you three songs. There is a common theme connecting these three
songs. You will get a point per song corrent (half points if you only get the song or
the artist), and a point if you can guess the common theme

37. Q1) Connect these three songs

38. A1
1.My heart will go on, Celine Dion
2.Skyfall, Adele
3.I just called to say I love you, Stevie Wonder

Category: Oscar winners

39. Q2. Connect these songs

40. Q2.
Sunday Morning - Maroon 5
Last Friday Night - Katy Perry
Blinding Lights - the Weeknd

Category: Songs for the Weekend

41. Q3. Connect these songs

42. A3.
Californication - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
So What - P!nk
Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day

Category: Colours!

43. World History

44. Q1) Which of the following is not true?
1.There are 55 member states in the African Union
2.There are 55 countries in Africa
3.Somaliland is not a country
4.Africa is not a country

46. 2. There are 55 countries in Africa.
There are actually only 54 countries in Africa, the AU includes the Western Sahara
as a member state, even though it is not recognized as a country.
A1: Which of the following is not true?

47. 1.Isabel Perón
2.Sirimavo Bandaranaike
3.Indira Gandhi
4.Vigdis Finnbogadottir

Q2. Who was the world’s first female prime minister?

49. A2. Who was the world’s first female prime minister?

2. Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the
prime minister of Ceylon (later Sri
Lanka) in 1960, six years before Indira
Gandhi’s election.

50. Q3) Alibaba group founder Jack Ma started his career as a
1.Local tour guide
2.KFC worker
3.English teacher
4.Waiter in a four star hotel

52. 3. English teacher
Jack Ma’s job application to his local KFC was rejected, and his cousin was hired
over him for the waiter position at a four star restaurant
A3. Alibaba group founder Jack Ma started his career as a

53. Q4. In December on 1932, Australia declared war on what
bird?

55. A4. In December on 1932, Australia declared war on what
bird?

In 1932, the Australian government declared the
Emu War, a campaign to address the issue of
the large birds damaging local crops. The Royal
Australian Artillery was assigned to cull over 20
000 birds over the space of three months.

56. a.Zimbabwe
b.Zambia
c.Namibia
d.Madagascar
Q5. What country in Africa was the last one to gain
independence?

58. Q5. What country in Africa was the last one to gain
independence?

While Zimbabwe was the last country to gain independence from its European
colonizers, the last colony to gain independence in Africa was Namibia, when it
gained its independence from South Africa in 1990

59. Q6. Roughly what percentage of US presidents have died
while in office?
a)5%
b)7%
c)12%
d)17%

61. e) 20%.
Harrison, Taylor, Harding, and Rooseveld died of natural causes, and Lincoln,
Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were assassinated. Given the candidates for the
upcoming election, this number may increase in the next 5 years…
Q6. Roughly what percentage of US presidents have died
while in office?

62. Q7. What country, which is now in the top 20 most
populous countries in the world, gained its independence
from the United States on the 4th of July?

64. Q7. What country, which is now in the top 20 most
populous countries in the world, gained its independence
from the United States on the 4th of July?

On the 4th of July 1946, President Truman issued
Proclamation 2695, officially recognizing the
independence of the Philippines. Of course, it
should be noted that the US retained many military
bases in the country, and the Proclamation
conveniently allowed US citizens and corporations
to be granted equal access to Filipino minerals,
forests, and natural resources

65. a)British Empire and Zanzibar
b)Israel and Egypt
c)India and Pakistan
d)Serbia and Bulgaria
Q8. The shortest war in history lasted 45 minutes. Which
two countries were involved?

67. A8. The shortest war in history lasted 45 minutes. Which
two countries were involved?

a)The British Empire and Zanzibar. The brief
war was triggered by the suspicious death
of the pro-British sultan of Zanzibar at the
time, and was ended when the British
invaded the palace. 501 people were either
injured or killed.

68. Q9. Which world leader began his career doing a satirical
performance where he played the role of president?

70. Volodymyr Zelensky was the star of a
political satire called Servant of the
People, where he played the role of
the president. The last episode of the
show aired 3 days before he won 30%
of the popular vote in the first round of
elections that would eventually make
him president of Ukraine
A9. Which world leader began his career doing a satirical
performance where he played the role of president?

71. Q10. Which country has sufficient bunker space to house
all of its residents in the case of a nuclear war?
a.South Korea
b.Switzerland
c.Singapore
d.Sweden

73. A10. Which country has enough bunker space to house
107% of its population in the case of a nuclear war?

B. Switzerland’s bunker system can house 9.3 million people, about 0.6 million
more than its current population. To do this, it has constructed and maintained
360,000 bunkers across the country. Unfortunately, these aren’t equally
distributed, and cities like Geneva may only be able to house 75% of their
population.

74. Topical round | Spices

75. Q1)
The origin for the name of this spice is largely unknown. However, there have been a
few finding tracing this word to al-zarafan in Arabic and similar sounding old French
and Latin words.
It contains a carotenoid pigment, crocin, which imparts a rich golden-yellow hue to
dishes and textiles. As of 2018, Iran produced some 88% of the world total for X. At
US$5,000 per kg or higher, X has long been the world's costliest spice by weight.
ID X.

76. Blank slide

77. Saffron

78. Q2)
The name of this spice is said to have been originated from a term in the ancient
Semitic Language (most likely Akkadian) meaning oil with liquid fat.
X is one of the oldest oilseed crops known, domesticated well over 3,000 years
ago. It also lends its name to an educational program for kids.
World production in 2018 was 6 million tonnes with Sudan, Myanmar, and India as
the largest producers.
ID X.

79. Blank slide

80. Sesame

81. Q3) Horcrux
Multiple origins for the name of this herb have been put forth. One of them being
from a similar sounding Latin word which is often confused for the name of a
magical creature since the herb acted as an antidote for its venom.
Another origin comes from the Greek term _____ phuton owing to its use in the
production of royal perfumes.
What is this aromatic entity in question, which is an herb commonly used in both
Italian and Southeast Asian cooking?

82. Blank slide

83. Basil

84. Q4) Warm up
This spice is obtained from the outer dry husk of another commonly available
spice. It’s said to originate from the French word ______, by just dropping the final
letter.
Another origin is said to arise from a Latin word describing it as a spicy red bark
owing to it’s appearance.
Incidentally, the name is also the same a weapon with a heavy head on a solid
shaft used to bludgeon opponents.
ID the spice.

85. Blank slide

86. Mace

87. X is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several tree species and used mainly
as an aromatic condiment and flavouring additive in a wide variety of cuisines,
sweet and savoury dishes, breakfast cereals, snack foods, bagels, teas, hot
chocolate and traditional foods.
Early Modern English used the names canel and canella, similar to the current
names of the spice X in several other European languages, which are derived
from the Latin word cannella, a diminutive of canna, "tube", from the way the
bark curls up as it dries.
In 2021, world production of X was 226,753 tonnes, led by China with 43% of the
total.
Q5)

88. Blank slide

89. Cinnamon

90. NYC and the world (geography)

91. Q1. Which country finished constructing a dam in the Nile
in 2020, prompting heightened regional tensions over
water supplies?
*Picture representative only, this is not the dam in question

93. A1. Ethiopia finished building the the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in 2020,
with Egypt calling the action a “pertinent threat to international peace and security”
in an appeal to the UN to intervene
A1. Which country finished constructing a dam in the Nile
in 2020, prompting heightened regional tensions over
water supplies?

94. Q2) Which country was not part of the historic country of
Gran Colombia?
1.Ecuador
2.Venezuela
3.Panama
4.Costa Rica

96. 4. Costa Rica
Gran Colombia included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Panama, and
Venezuela, along with parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and claimed the
Essequibo region.
Q2.

97. Q3. In which capital city would you be if you were
spending Euros (the official currency)?
1.Willemstad
2.Cayenne
3.Warsaw
4.Zurich

99. 2. Cayenne
Cayenne is the capital of the French Guiana, which is a French protectorate and
uses Euros as their official currency. Willemstad, Curacao uses the old dutch
currency of the Antillean guilder, Warsaw, Poland uses the polish zloty, and Zurich,
Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc
Q3. In which capital city would you be if you were
spending Euros (the official currency)?

100. Q6) NYC warm up
France gifted X to the United States in 1886 for its centennial celebration. X was
shipped as 350 pieces in 214 crates and took 4 months to assemble at its current
home.
Id X

102. Statue of liberty

103. Q7)
X was originally called Longacre Square until the office of the company Y moved
there in 1906. Post 1906, X started to be recognised by a part of Y’s name and it
continues to this day.

Id X and Y

104. Blank slide

105. Times Square

106. Q8)
X was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2002 to
spur the economic and cultural revitalization of Lower Manhattan following the
September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. The inaugural X
launched after 120 days of planning with the help of more than 1,300 volunteers
and attended by more than 150,000 people.
At the end of 2003, De Niro purchased the theater at 54 Varick Street which had
housed the recently closed Screening Room, an art house that had shown
independent films nightly and it became one of the venues of X.
ID X.

107. Blank slide

108. Tribeca Film Festival

109. A gang of men labored as long as daylight allowed, digging a three-foot-deep trench from
the East River all the way across Manhattan Island to the Hudson River. The trench
followed a rough path that ran along the north edge of the village. It was March 1653, and
Governor Stuyvesant had been sent orders to fortify New Amsterdam. English warships
were gathering in Boston Harbor, readying to sail south and take the Dutch colony. Then
the men formed a palisade by standing big logs into it. Each log was 18 inches around
and 12 feet long. Then they pounded dirt and stones back into the trench around the base
of each log to make the palisade strong.
What is the path that they dug known as today?


Q9)

110. Blank slide

111. Wall street

112. That’s all folks

113. Q10) Name the five countries which end in the letter L

114. Blank slide

115. Q10) Name the five countries which end in the letter L
Brazil, Portugal, Senegal, Israel, and Nepal

116. Qx. What was Lin Manuel Miranda’s broadway debut?

a.West side story
b.United states of banana
c.In the heights
d.Hamilton

117. Qx. What was Lin Manuel Miranda’s broadway debut?

C. In the heights

118. Q5. Which author wrote the acclaimed “One Hundred
Years of Solitude”
A) Carlos Fuentes
B) Gabriel García Márquez
C) Isabel Allende
D) Paulo Coelho

119. Q5. Which author wrote the acclaimed “One Hundred
Years of Solitude”

B) Gabriel García Márquez

120. Q4) Look at the floor, does it need cleaning?
I wrote “X” at my mother’s house in Warrington…I was thinking about the Chinese I Ching, ‘The
Book of Changes”.... The Eastern Concept is that whatever happens is meant to be, and that there
is no such thing as coincidence - every little item that is doing down has a purpose.
“X” was a simple study based on that theory. I decided to write a song based on opening any book
- as it would be relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opening it, saw
“______ _____”, then laid the book down again and started the song.

ID X.

121. Blank slide

122. While my guitar gently weeps