Yaksha Prashna | General Quiz at RLAC | Amlan Sarkar | Full Set

Full set of a general quiz originally conducted on 9th April, 2025.

This was the closing quiz of the 2025 edition of Quru's Kshetra - the annual quiz fest of Ram Lal Anand College, Delhi.

Feedback welcome at [email protected]

2. This quiz was originally conducted on 9
th
April, 2025, at Ram Lal Anand College,
Delhi. Having knowledge of this context may be handy for a few questions.
The quiz has been slightly edited for refinement of language since its original run.
Feel free to share any feedback about this or other quizzes: [email protected]
BEFORE YOU BEGIN

3. 20 questions in the prelims, worth 26 points. Qs 1, and 16-20 are two pointers.
Questions 6-15 are star-marked questions and shall be used to resolve ties.
Top 8 teams will make to the finals, depending on scores and ties.
Please refrain from using unfair means.
PRELIMS

4. 1.
Shown here is concept
art by Mukesh Singh for
the Grant Morrison
graphic novel, 18 Days.
What is the title of the
work specifically a
reference to? Which
character, whose story is
retold in short form
within the larger work, is
depicted in this image?

5. 2.
This is the current iteration of a tool that
first emerged in the 19
th
century. It is used
to cut irregular curves and patterns from
wood.
Due to the nature of its work, it soon came
to be associated with a leisurely activity.
This activity began coming up a century
earlier, and originally was an exercise to
teach geography in a fun and interactive
way.
What tool is this?

6. 3.
Several different terms are used to refer to groups of this animal.
One of the more common ones – “glaring” – is a reminder of their fierce and hostile
expressions, and also hints at the perception that individuals of this species may not
always get along with each other.
Another favored term, has its roots in the words “clot” and “clutter”, and thematically fits
with the fact that a group of younger members of the species are also referred to by a
similar term.
To refer to groups of which animal are these terms used?

7. 4.
Multiple etymologies have been proposed for this expression throughout its existence.
Theories include it being derived from the title of a German rank for a high commander,
to the name of a port in Haiti, to similar-sounding affirmative phrases in the languages of
slave and indigenous populations.
Of all these proposed etymologies, the most widely accepted version today proposes that
it came from a purposeful misspelling of the phrase “all correct,” which first appeared in
the Boston Morning Post in 1839.
What expression are these the possible origins of?

8. 5.
Ostalgie is a portmanteau term used for a unique form of nostalgia that references the
home of the people who experience it.
It is often seen as reminiscing about the simplicity of life before a sudden influx of
Western capitalism changed it forever.
Those who feel it would have lived at least a part of their lives in the latter half of the 20
th

Century.
Which group of people report feeling this sense of ostalgie?

9. 6.
Jellyfish are known for having a ______ stage – characterised by having an umbrella-
shaped body with stinging tentacles – in their life cycles.
FITB to answer who this stage or subphylum is named after.

10. 7.
This is the logo of an app designed to help
people learn to sing by “mastering sur.”
Launched by an Indian company that is
the oldest in its segment, the app is
named complementarily to its parent
group. I.e., when mentioned together, the
names complete a cycle.
What is the app called?

11. 8.
What art form inspires the logo of the
Calicut-based I-League team Gokulam
Kerala FC?

12. 9.
The Giro d’Italiana and the Vuelta e Espana are two of the three most prestigious annual
events of a sport. They are both three week events, with daily stages, and are regulated
by a Switzerland-based body called UCI.
While the Giro d’Italiana is the first of the three events in a calendar year, the Vuelta e
Espana is the last.
Which event, that takes place in the middle of these two, completes the set?

13. 10.
While the artist today is most well known for a different category of paintings, he also
created several landscapes during his lifetime.
He would, for instance, paint multiple scenes at Austria’s Lake Attersee, where he spent
the summer every year.
Some of the landscapes would also include stylisations that are a common feature in his
other works.
Who is this painter? (images follow)

17. 11.
This is a still from an upcoming biopic
starring Prateek Gandhi and
Patralekha.
Initially scheduled for release on 11
th

April to coincide with the birth of
one of the protagonists, it has now
been delayed by two weeks
following objections towards the
film’s content raised by several
Brahmin bodies.
What is the film titled? OR Who are
the subjects of the film?

18. 12.
______ is a genre of electronic music that emerged in the 1990s. It has been described as a
genre that adheres to an "aesthetic of failure“.
The genre takes its name from the idea that sounds which are technically mistakes or
______es of musical production such as such as CD skipping, electric hum, digital or analog
distortion, circuit bent electronics, hardware noise, software bugs, crashes, have musical
merit.
Popularized by the likes of Aphex Twin and Tim Hecker, which genre is this?

19. 13.
Cheburashka was a character created for children’s literature, and later adapted into
animation, in the former Soviet Union.
Described by its creator as a “animal unknown to science”, the character became hugely
popular among Soviet children. This, combined with its general appearance, has given it
the often-used nickname of The Soviet ______ _____.
FITB.

20. 14.
According to a possibly apocryphal account given by the seventeenth-century
apothecary and alchemist Pierre Pomet, this element got its name from the story of a
German monk who fed it to his fellow brethren.
The monk had given some to a few pigs, who vomited at first but then grew healthy and
fat. Unfortunately, every monk who ingested it died. “This therefore was the reason of
this Mineral being call’d ________,” Pomet wrote, “as being against the Monks.”
What element apparently got its name in this fashion?

21. 15.
The music video of Ali Sethi’s Chan Kithan adapts a familiar story to the setting of
contemporary urban Pakistan, and depicts the class differences in society.
However, Ali departs from the conventional ending to the story in his take. For his
protagonist, the world of her dreams remains just that.
What story is the video inspired by?

22. 16.
The following slide depicts a 19
th
-Century hand-colored engraving that was possibly
created after the first series of excavations in a few key locations in West Asia.
It depicts two monuments central to the area’s ancient identity. The precise locations of
both structures remain undiscovered.
Which two monuments does the engraving depict? (image follows)

24. 17.
Lukla is a small town in a neighbouring country, primarily known for hosting the closest
airport to an important location. The airport is named after the first set of individuals
who managed to successfully reach this location.
Which location is Lukla the closest airport to? Who is it named after?

25. 18.
Ilya Stallone is a visual artist who draws instances and brands from modern life in
the style of Medieval European illustrations. The following slides presents some of
his art.
ID both the reimagined logos on the first slide.
Who, who faked their death earlier this year, is revealed to be threatening the
person in the comic on the second slide?

28. 19.
Pictured is the flag of Malaysia’s
Penang province, which gets its
name from the plant in the centre.
Some Indian places, including a city
that contains a state capital, also get
their names from the same plant.
Which plant? Which Indian city’s
name literally means a
marketplace of its products?

29. 20.
9
th
April marks the day of the fall of an Asian national capital at the hands of Western
Imperialism following a six-day battle. Consent for the offensive was generated through a
false claim of the country building Weapons of Mass Destruction. Which capital city fell
this way on 9
th
April?
In the course of their offences, the American forces seemed to deliberately target
members of the Press. A U.S. tank had fired onto the 15
th
Floor of a hotel, which had
become an unofficial camp for all the foreign journalists reporting on the issue.
Incidentally, the hotel was named after a country which has become the deadliest conflict
zone for journalists and media workers in the 21
st
Century. What was the hotel named?

30. PRELIMS ANSWERS

31. 1.
Shown here is concept
art by Mukesh Singh for
the Grant Morrison
graphic novel, 18 Days.
What is the title of the
work specifically a
reference to? Which
character, whose story is
retold in short form
within the larger work, is
depicted in this image?

32. The War of Kurukshetra; Ravan

33. 2.
This is the current iteration of a tool that
first emerged in the 19
th
century. It is used
to cut irregular curves and patterns from
wood.
Due to the nature of its work, it soon came
to be associated with a leisurely activity.
This activity began coming up a century
earlier, and originally was an exercise to
teach geography in a fun and interactive
way.
What tool is this?

34. Jigsaw

35. 3.
Several different terms are used to refer to groups of this animal.
One of the more common ones – “glaring” – is a reminder of their fierce and hostile
expressions, and also hints at the perception that individuals of this species may not
always get along with each other.
Another favored term, has its roots in the words “clot” and “clutter”, and thematically fits
with the fact that a group of younger members of the species are also referred to by a
similar term.
To refer to groups of which animal are these terms used?

36. Cats

37. 4.
Multiple etymologies have been proposed for this expression throughout its existence.
Theories include it being derived from the title of a German rank for a high commander,
to the name of a port in Haiti, to similar-sounding affirmative phrases in the languages of
slave and indigenous populations.
Of all these proposed etymologies, the most widely accepted version today proposes that
it came from a purposeful misspelling of the phrase “all correct,” which first appeared in
the Boston Morning Post in 1839.
What expression are these the possible origins of?

38. O.K. or Okay

39. 5.
Ostalgie is a portmanteau term used for a unique form of nostalgia that references the
home of the people who experience it.
It is often seen as reminiscing about the simplicity of life before a sudden influx of
Western capitalism changed it forever.
Those who feel it would have lived at least a part of their lives in the latter half of the 20
th

Century.
Which group of people report feeling this sense of ostalgie?

40. East Germans

41. 6.
Jellyfish are known for having a ______ stage – characterised by having an umbrella-
shaped body with stinging tentacles – in their life cycles.
FITB to answer who this stage or subphylum is named after.

42. Medusa

43. 7.
This is the logo of an app designed to help
people learn to sing by “mastering sur.”
Launched by an Indian company that is
the oldest in its segment, the app is
named complementarily to its parent
group. I.e., when mentioned together, the
names complete a cycle.
What is the app called?

44. Padhanisa (by Sa Re Ga Ma)

45. 8.
What art form inspires the logo of the
Calicut-based I-League team Gokulam
Kerala FC?

46. Theiyyam

47. 9.
The Giro d’Italiana and the Vuelta e Espana are two of the three most prestigious annual
events of a sport. They are both three week events, with daily stages, and are regulated
by a Switzerland-based body called UCI.
While the Giro d’Italiana is the first of the three events in a calendar year, the Vuelta e
Espana is the last.
Which event, that takes place in the middle of these two, completes the set?

48. Tour de France

49. 10.
While the artist today is most well known for a different category of paintings, he also
created several landscapes during his lifetime.
He would, for instance, paint multiple scenes at Austria’s Lake Attersee, where he spent
the summer every year.
Some of the landscapes would also include stylisations that are a common feature in his
other works.
Who is this painter? (images follow)

53. Gustav Klimt

54. 11.
This is a still from an upcoming biopic
starring Prateek Gandhi and
Patralekha.
Initially scheduled for release on 11
th

April to coincide with the birth of
one of the protagonists, it has now
been delayed by two weeks
following objections towards the
film’s content raised by several
Brahmin bodies.
What is the film titled? OR Who are
the subjects of the film?

55. Phule

56. 12.
______ is a genre of electronic music that emerged in the 1990s. It has been described as a
genre that adheres to an "aesthetic of failure“.
The genre takes its name from the idea that sounds which are technically mistakes or
______es of musical production such as such as CD skipping, electric hum, digital or analog
distortion, circuit bent electronics, hardware noise, software bugs, crashes, have musical
merit.
Popularized by the likes of Aphex Twin and Tim Hecker, which genre is this?

57. Glitch

58. 13.
Cheburashka was a character created for children’s literature, and later adapted into
animation, in the former Soviet Union.
Described by its creator as a “animal unknown to science”, the character became hugely
popular among Soviet children. This, combined with its general appearance, has given it
the often-used nickname of The Soviet ______ _____.
FITB.

59. Mickey Mouse

60. 14.
According to a possibly apocryphal account given by the seventeenth-century
apothecary and alchemist Pierre Pomet, this element got its name from the story of a
German monk who fed it to his fellow brethren.
The monk had given some to a few pigs, who vomited at first but then grew healthy and
fat. Unfortunately, every monk who ingested it died. “This therefore was the reason of
this Mineral being call’d ________,” Pomet wrote, “as being against the Monks.”
What element apparently got its name in this fashion?

61. Antimony

62. 15.
The music video of Ali Sethi’s Chan Kithan adapts a familiar story to the setting of
contemporary urban Pakistan, and depicts the class differences in society.
However, Ali departs from the conventional ending to the story in his take. For his
protagonist, the world of her dreams remains just that.
What story is the video inspired by?

63. Cinderella

64. 16.
The following slide depicts a 19
th
-Century hand-colored engraving that was possibly
created after the first series of excavations in a few key locations in West Asia.
It depicts two monuments central to the area’s ancient identity. The precise locations of
both structures remain undiscovered.
Which two monuments does the engraving depict? (image follows)

66. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon; Tower of Babel

67. 17.
Lukla is a small town in a neighbouring country, primarily known for hosting the closest
airport to an important location. The airport is named after the first set of individuals
who managed to successfully reach this location.
Which location is Lukla the closest airport to? Who is it named after?

68. Mt. Everest; Tenzing and Hillary

69. 18.
Ilya Stallone is a visual artist who draws instances and brands from modern life in
the style of Medieval European illustrations. The following slides presents some of
his art.
ID both the reimagined logos on the first slide.
Who, who faked their death earlier this year, is revealed to be threatening the
person in the comic on the second slide?

72. Harley Davidson, KFC; Duo Owl (of Duolingo)

73. 19.
Pictured is the flag of Malaysia’s
Penang province, which gets its
name from the plant in the centre.
Some Indian places, including a city
that contains a state capital, also get
their names from the same plant.
Which plant? Which Indian city’s
name literally means a
marketplace of its products?

74. Areca Nut; Guwahati

75. 20.
9
th
April marks the day of the fall of an Asian national capital at the hands of Western
Imperialism following a six-day battle. Consent for the offensive was generated through a
false claim of the country building Weapons of Mass Destruction. Which capital city fell
this way on 9
th
April?
In the course of their offences, the American forces seemed to deliberately target
members of the Press. A U.S. tank had fired onto the 15
th
Floor of a hotel, which had
become an unofficial camp for all the foreign journalists reporting on the issue.
Incidentally, the hotel was named after a country which has become the deadliest conflict
zone for journalists and media workers in the 21
st
Century. What was the hotel named?

76. Baghdad; Palestine Hotel

77. 27 Questions, worth 270 points, divided across three rounds.
Two dry rounds of 12 questions each.
One themed written round of three questions between the two dry rounds.
FINALS

78. 12 Questions on infinite bounce (+10/0) and pounce (+10/-5)
Questions go from team 1 to 8, in ascending order
If a question goes unanswered, the next question will go to the next team
Dry 1

79. 1.
One of the first political acts she undertook was to drop out of her school at the age of 12
to oppose the imposition of English. Later in life, she would go on to establish the Balika
Hindi Paathshaala in her hometown in Rajahmundry.
Part of a set of fifteen, and the only one among them to be a member of the panel of
chairmen, she was instrumental in the enactment of several social welfare provisions.
Who? What set of fifteen was she a part of?

80. Durgabai Gummididala (later Deshmukh);
Women in the Constituent Assembly

81. 2.
Cashing in on a widely viral phenomenon from last winter, luggage brand Away posted
the following photos on their Instagram in January 2025.
The caption presented a contrast between their choice of models and their offerings,
highlighting how their products’ authenticity was a winner even among the _________s.
FITB to answer who these models were. (images follow)

83. Winners of celebrity lookalike contests

84. 3.
This Italian company, which also sells in India, became a household name in their country
through mass-produced Pandoro, a Veronese sweet bread with a complicated recipe. At
home, it takes three days to make and is easy to mess up. The company perfected a recipe
for mass production, and this ended up being their signature product.
Which company, whose mass-produced version of another European dessert may have
been the first instance of trying it for a lot of Indians?

85. Bauli

86. 4.
When DOS-based personal computers were first introduced, hard disk technology was in
a rudimentary stage. One base unit was massive in terms of both cost and size.
Thus, IBM and Microsoft packaged their operating systems onto floppy disks, making
them the primary locations inside initial PCs. Those with a little more money had the
option to mount a second floppy on their systems.
With time, hard disks became more feasible for personal use. Hierarchically, they initially
came after floppy disks, but eventually became the primary storage option. However,
although floppy disks are now near-obsolete, a nomenclature in one particular set of PC
environments still hints at this earlier era of their primacy.
How? OR What is this an explanation for?

87. Why Disk Drives in Windows PCs start from C: [instead of A:]

88. 5.
The primary protagonist of this 16
th
-Century novel is called Tang Sanzang. “Sanzang” is
phonetically close to the name of a historical figure from almost a millennium earlier,
while “Tang” highlights his association with the rulers of that era. Which novel is this,
most famously known to the rest of the world due to a different character? Which
"great mysterious" figure is Tang Sanzang a fictional take on?
The literal meaning of Sanzang's name is a reference to the mission he is given early on in
the novel. This is also reflected allegorically in him being accompanied by three
characters in his quest. Thus, in several Western translations, he is referred to not by his
Chinese name, but by that of a canonical work. What name is he given in these Western
translations?

89. Journey to the West, Xuanzang; Tripitaka

90. 6.
Inside Madrid’s Las Ventas compound (the largest building of its kind in the country),
there is a memorial dedicated to someone whose path-breaking discovery improved the
lives of a particular set of Spanish men.
Inaugurated in 1964 by the then British Ambassador, it consists of a bronze bust of the
gentleman, with the writing on a plaque roughly translating to: “to Dr. _______ with the
gratitude of ___________s; their lives less in danger because of his discovery.”
Who is this memorial dedicated to? Whose lives in Spain did he affect with his
discovery? (images follow)

93. Alexander Fleming; Matadors

94. 7.
The national emblem of this country, in constant turmoil since the beginning of the
previous decade, is adapted from the heraldic eagle of _______. Seen on numerous other
national symbolisms in the Arab world, it stands for anti-imperial and anti-Zionist values.
Whose heraldry is it adapted from, that features on several other nations’
iconography?
On the upper portion of the chest shield, the emblem commemorates the country’s place
in history as one of the earliest hotspots for the consumption and cultivation of a now-
global product. A port in the country also lends its name to one of the many styles in
which the product is enjoyed. What global product is thus depicted?
(image follows)

96. Saladin; Coffee

97. 8.
____ _____ Irons is the real name of the sledgehammer-
wielding DC superhero Steel.
The character’s name and weapon of choice are both a
tribute to a legendary folk hero immortalised in a tale
about man’s race with machines.
Which legend is he named after?

98. John Henry

99. 9.
The London ______ ____ is a 2004 picture book written and drawn in the Gond style by Bhopal-
based Bhajju Shyam based on his maiden visit to the city.
The book is titled both as an homage and a mirror to a late 19
th
century work of fiction.
While Shyam writes as an Indian traversing in Britain, the earlier work was written by a
British person while living in India. What older work of fiction is Shyam referencing in the
title of his work? (image follows)
In the book, Shyam transforms mainstays of British life into motifs and elements more
familiar to Gond art and life. Thus, the double decker bus on Route no. 30 is reimagined as a
dog for being a loyal companion to Shyam’s travels in the city, and the tube is reimagined as
earthworm since it is regarded as the king of the underworld in Gond belief. In a similar
fashion, Shyam reimagines the pubs of London as a tree. What symbolism does Shyam use
for London pubs in his book?

101. Jungle Book; The Mahua Tree

102. 10.
Ibn Battouta in his accounts mentions this place as kalanpu.
Two possible etymologies have been suggested for it. It could have originated from from
____ amba thotha, or “the harbor with green mangoes”. Or it may have come from ____
thotha, or “the port near the river Kelani”.
In the early 1500s, a group of Christians made their way to the city, and expelled the
native Muslim population. They also decided to formally name the city after a European,
because it sounded phonetically similar to his name.
Which country had these Christians, led by a Lourenço de Almeida, come from? What
name did they give to the city?

103. Portugal; Colombo

104. 11.
The name of this transboundary water body in local languages translates to “Mother
River” or “Mother of Water River” in a generic sense. Loans from the word Khong, an
archaic term for river, are found in several Austroasiatic languages.
Hindu supremacists, however, believe that its name is simply another version of Ganga.
To support their claim, they point to other Hindu influences in the region, including the
official name of the King in one of the countries where the river flows.
Which river is this?

105. Mekong

106. 12.
This early 13
th
Century seminal text, was instrumental in influencing a shift from the local
system to what the author called Modus Indorum.
As this shift occurred, it opened up the possibility of doing complex operations in the
field, which was nearly impossible in the older methods. This laid the groundwork for
much of the modern form of the discipline taking shape.
Which resident of Pisa wrote this text? What shift was brought about by Modus
Indorum?

107. Fibonacci; Hindu-Arabic number system

108. 3 Questions connected by the theme – Questions
Write down your answers on a sheet, and exchange your sheet with a different
team at the end of the round
No negative marks in this round
Each question is worth 10 points
Written Round

109. 1.
____________________(4,4,2,2,5,3) is a .com domain name that's owned by Netflix.
The site doesn't do much except display clocks from four different cities of the world,
which update every second; and a “coming soon” announcement of an Original TV Series.
What is the domain name?

110. 2.
The only Indian entry in a 1977 set, it is based on Bhairavi, and asks a young lady where
she is headed alone.
Who is the person who is asking? Where did it feature as the only Indian entry?

111. 3.
One of the “original” answers to this question, which keeps being modified as per
different circumstances and scenarios, was, “three — one to hold the _____ ____ and two to
turn the ladder around.”
What is the question?

112. Answers

113. 1.
____________________(4,4,2,2,5,3) is a .com domain name that's owned by Netflix.
The site doesn't do much except display clocks from four different cities of the world,
which update every second; and a “coming soon” announcement of an Original TV Series.
What is the domain name?

114. What Time is it Right Now?

115. 2.
The only Indian entry in a 1977 set, it is set to Bhairavi, and asks a fair lady where
she is headed alone.
Who is the person who is asking? Where did it feature as the only Indian entry?

116. Kesarbai Kerkar; Golden Voyager Records

117. 3.
One of the “original” answers to this question, which keeps being modified as per
different circumstances and scenarios, was, “three — one to hold the _____ ____ and two to
turn the ladder around.”
What is the question?

118. How many <persons> does it take to change a light bulb?

119. 12 Questions on infinite bounce (+10/0) and pounce (+10/-5)
Questions go from team 8 to 1, in descending order
If a question goes unanswered, the next question will go to the next team
Dry 2

120. 1.
In 2024, for the first time in six years, India lost out on the top spot in this list to a
neighbour. While India recorded 84 instances of it, the neighbour edged out with 85
enforcements.
Incidentally, the most number of times this was enforced in India last year was not in the
north, but instead in an area that shares borders with this neighbor.
What list, maintained by a group called Access Now, did India rank 2
nd
on for the first
time in many years? In which region within India did this enforcement occur the most in
2024?

121. Internet Shutdowns, Manipur

122. 2.
On the following slide is the logo of a British company that primarily operates in the
theme park business. In their website, they claim that they are “creating magical and
memorable experiences.” Who is it named after? Since 2006, the group has owned and
operated which 135m tall structure near the Waterloo Tube station?
In 2019, the company was acquired by a consortium led by an investment firm which is
run by a family from Billund, Denmark. This led to them also being in charge of operating
which worldwide chain of parks?
(image follows)

124. Merlin, The London Eye; Legoland

125. 3.
There is no spectacular story behind why this range of products frequently follows this
style of naming.
The 1907 model, which began this association, was originally simply named “The 40/50
model” in its home market. It was only when it went to the US, that the press called it the
“Silver _____”, and the name stuck.
The company realised that such names greatly upped the mystique and other-worldly
factor of their offerings, which in turn were closely associated with a sense of opulence
and grandeur.
What naming convention, occasionally broken by entries such as “Dawn” and
“Cullinan”?

126. Why Rolls Royce cars have supernatural names

127. 4.
Autograph, released in 2010, and the debut movie by Srijit Mukherjee, is a film about film.
The story revolves around Arun Chatterjee, who sees himself as being synonymous with
his region’s film industry. The story begins with a first-time director approaching Arun to
make a modern retelling of a classic movie from the region. As the film progresses, the
audience is familiarised with the inner conflicts of the hero and the compromises he
made to reach the peak.
Which classic, where an Arun Chatterjee essayed the lead role, forms the backdrop of
Autograph?

128. Nayak

129. 5.
Karnak, in Luxor, was the seat of power for a significant period in Ancient Egypt,
including during the reign of Rameses II. The site today is the second-most visited
location in Egypt, behind only the Pyramids.
Karnak’s importance – and its association with Rameses II – made it a key location (albeit
in a significantly different geography) in a seminal work that began its original run almost
four decades ago.
In which work, that was updated twice in two different media towards the end of the
previous decade, did Karnak appear as a key location, and how?

130. Ozymandias’ (Adrian Veidt) lair in Watchmen

131. 6.
Prosa del observatorio (Eng: From the Observatory(s)) is a collection of photographs that
were taken by an Argentine-French author while on a foreign visit.
The photographs are accompanied by meditative musings of the writer – who blew up
around the world for his short stories – on issues ranging from life to the cosmos and the
universe, and eels.
Which celebrated author took these photographs? In which set of 18
th
Century
constructions were the photographs taken?
(images follow)

133. Julio Cortazar; Jantar Mantars (in Jaipur and Delhi)

134. 7.
Janos Orsos is a Hungarian educationist who runs a high school in his village to address
the systemic segregation and exclusion that his community faces in the country.
Orsos established the school in 2006 after reading accounts of the struggles of another
similarly segregated and excluded group in a different part of the world. During the 20
th

Century, guided by their enlightened leader, these people fought for their dignity and
rights, and also ensured that the same was recognised and upheld in their country’s law.
Inspired by this account, Orsos decided to name his school after this leader.
Who is Orsos’ school named after? Which community does Orsos belong to, which may
have had historical ties with the people he was inspired by?

135. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar; Roma(ni) community

136. 8.
This is a double-inclined lift that runs
parallel to a historical monument in a
coastal European city.
The monument serves as the entry point to
the city from the sea, and is best known to
the rest of the world due to an early 1900s
context that was recreated in the 1920s.
Which city would one find this lift in?
What monument does it run parallel to?

137. Odessa; Potemkin Stairs

138. 9.
This is the ____ ____ sightseeing tower inside
the Urumqi Grand Bazaar in China. It is
named after a UNESCO World Heritage Site
that spans multiple countries.
The Bazaar is the largest Islamic Bazaar by
scale in the world, and is a celebration of the
cultures of minority populations of China.
FITB to complete the name of the tower? In
which Chinese Autonomous Region is the
Bazaar located?

139. Silk Road; Xinjiang

140. 10.
In an act of solidarity, residents of this region decided to skip items coming from a certain
location during the previous month. These items that hold ritual significance were
instead sourced from other locations in the larger geographical area.
The residents of the region are able to relate to the subjects of their solidarity on a
spiritual level, arising from the shared trauma of living under occupation, heavy
militarisation, and constant dehumanisation.
Umar Mehraj, a shop owner who participated in this act, commented, “It is a small
gesture, but it is our way of standing with them. It may not seem like much, but every
small act of resistance matters.”
What is this act of resistance? It is an initiative by the residents of which region?

141. Boycotting Dates from Israel in Ramadan; Kashmir

142. 11.
This 18
th
Century composition, the fifth of
14 discovered canons by its composer,
features a glide-reflection symmetry: when
one shifts the notation along and then flip
it, it looks the same; and if they shift in the
same direction and flip again, they're back
to the start.
Due to these reasons, it has been compared
to a mathematical concept.
What has it been compared to? Who is the
composer, whose fondness for canons is
well-documented in one of his most
common portraits?

143. MöbiusStrip; J S Bach

144. 12.
This painting by Nandalal Bose depicts the final and
somewhat lonesome journey of a protagonist.
At the very end of the journey, the creature at the
bottom of the painting reveals himself to be the
hero’s father. This is the second major instance in
the story where the father tests his son.
What journey does the painting depict? What was
the other major father-son interaction, occurring
around halfway in the story?

145. Yudhishthir’s ascent to heaven; Yaksha-Prashna