Zephyr Quiz League

Round 1

Player 1 Question 1:

The FIFA Puskas award is given out to the male or female footballer judged to have scored the "most beautiful goal of the calendar year". The inaugural winner in 2009 received it for his long ranger vs. Porto which earned his club a semifinal berth in the UEFA Champions League. Who? Full name needed.

Answer: Cristiano Ronaldo (Prompt: Ronaldo)

Player 1 Question 2:

Who became the president elect of an Asian country, after winning the presidential elections held on May 9, 2022, defeating Leni Robredo, the nearest challenger, who represented the 1Sambayan coalition?

Answer: Ferdinand Marcos Jr., or Bongbong Marcos (Accept: Marcos)

Player 2 Question 1:

The Justice Friends are a group of superheroes who exist in the Dexter's Laboratory universe. _____ _____ (5,5) is a character from Justice Friends, a parody of Marvel's Black Panther. What is the name of this superhero? He shares his name with a Booker Prize-winning novel.

Answer: White Tiger

Player 2 Question 2:

Which culture hero and trickster in Polynesian mythology does Dwayne Johnson play in Moana? Among other things, he is credited with the creation of the Hawaiian islands.

Answer: Maui

Player 3 Question 1:

The British Museum and BBC's radio series A History of the World in 100 Objects includes several coins and currencies used in ancient times. This gold coin of Croesus was produced in Lydia, over 2500 years ago. Lydia was renowned for its wealth, with most of its gold coming from the electrum in the river Pactolus. Who was supposedly responsible for all the gold washing down this river?

Answer: Midas

Player 3 Question 2:

In 1801, Italian inventor Pellegrino Turri designed one of the first typing machines to aid his blind friend Countess Carolina Fivizzano in writing letters. What did he also end up inventing (two-word term) as a means to deliver ink to his machine? Its usage declined with the advent of computers, but the term still survives in the world of e-mail communication.

Answer: Carbon Paper or Carbon Copy (Accept: CC); Ralph Wedgewood received the first patent for carbon paper in 1806. Some typewritten letters by Countess Carolina to Turri still survive (visual)

Player 4 Question 1:

Just 70 days into the 1985 season, she had lost as many matches as she had during the entire 1984 campaign. During a tournament, she kept asking the other players if the lights were dim. This led which tennis player to don glasses for the best part of her career?

Answer: Martina Navratilova

Player 4 Question 2:

Which shooter, with a biblical name, combines the following varieties of whiskey - Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, Johnnie Walker, and Jameson - used in equal-parts and served in a shot glass?

Answer: Four Horsemen

Round 2

Player 1 Question 1:

In 1993, which musician made her on-screen debut alongside Tupac Shakur in Poetic Justice, the second film by John Singleton after the success of Boyz n the Hood? A year later she won her first Grammy in the R&B genre for the song That's the Way Love Goes from her self-titled fifth album.

Answer: Janet Jackson;

Player 1 Question 2:

Known to the French as Le Papillon Belle-Dame, it is the most widespread of all butterfly species. Each year, it spreads northwards from the desert fringes of North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, recolonising mainland Europe and reaching Britain and Ireland. Name this butterfly species.

Answer: Painted Lady

Player 2 Question 1:

100 Iconic Bollywood Costumes is a 2019 book that chronicles the stories behind the fashion in Hindi films. Which 1966 film, starring Vyjayanthimala as a dancer in the court of Ajatashatru in the 5th century BC, saw her in this dress by Bhanu Athaiya? The designer incorporated motifs from the Ajanta Caves into the look of this garment.

Answer: Amrapali

Player 2 Question 2:

In 2018, Danish Siddiqui captured the impact and activities of which named service in India that was launched in 1991 for inaccessible rural areas where medical services are not available? In this picture, patients at Jalore, Rajasthan wait for their dental checkup.

Answer: Lifeline Express (Accept: Jeevan Rekha Express)

Player 3 Question 1:

Which Colombian picked up the 2014 FIFA Puskas award for his goal vs. Uruguay in the second round of the FIFA World Cup? He chested the ball down with his back to goal, turned and volleyed an unstoppable effort from 25 metres into the top, left-hand corner of the net.

Answer: James Rodriguez

Player 3 Question 2:

Named due to its resemblance to an ancient Greek architectural feature which resembled a small foot, what form of raised platform referred to a low platform used by public speakers and orchestral conductors in the 18th c.? It was first used in the form we know it most popularly today during the 1930 British Empire Games.

Answer: Podium (small foot = podion)

Player 4 Question 1:

Which 1971 film, starring Zeenat Aman as a hippie, featured this dress designed by the actress herself? The film was set in the background of the rising influence of a religious organisation from India.

Answer: Hare Rama Hare Krishna (Prompt: If they switch order)

Player 4 Question 2:

The gold coin of Abd al-Malik from 696 CE represents a defining point in Islamic history: when images of leaders on coins were replaced by text from the Qu'ran. Which caliphate based out of Damascus did Abd al-Malik belong to? It was the second caliphate established after the death of Muhammad.

Answer: Ummayad (Came after the Rashidun and before the Abbasid Caliphates)

Round 3

Player 1 Question 1:

Aromatherapy is a holistic treatment that uses essential oils extracted from plants to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit. The oil extracted from the leaves of which plant with the scientific name Mentha x piperita is used as a remedy for pain from headaches and migraine attacks? Its leaves are used to brew herbal tea and to flavour ice cream and candy.

Answer: Peppermint (Prompt: Mint)

Player 1 Question 2:

In creating the dragon character Sisu, the creators of Raya and the Last Dragon drew inspiration from dragon mythology specific to Southeast Asia. Which group of divine or semi-divine beings who are half-human and half-serpent served as the primary inspiration?

Answer: Naga (Accept: Nagi; Nagin)

Player 2 Question 1:

Following their heroics in the Ashes in late August 2019, Ben Stokes tweeted "@Specsavers do yourself a favour and give him free glasses for life." Specsavers replied with a confirmation, and so which England spinner now has a lifetime supply of free spectacles, sponsored by them?

Answer: Jack Leach

Player 2 Question 2:

In 2002, which musician won 3 Grammys (Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance) for her debut single that was part of the album Songs in A Minor? Her movie debut (visual) came 4 years later as part of an ensemble cast in the 2006 film Smokin' Aces.

Answer: Alicia Keys (Accept Alicia Augello Cook); The title of the album refers both to the fact that she was a minor (14-17 years old) when she wrote the songs, as well as hinting at the fact that she is accomplished, classically trained pianist - although only two of the songs are actually in the key of A minor.

Player 3 Question 1:

Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, co-authors of the popular Freakonomics book series, write in detail about a nonprofit organisation that focuses on cutting operational costs by upskilling local doctors to perform a surgery for correcting certain deformities. Identify the organisation or the 2009 Oscar-winning documentary film, related to the work it does, that it sponsored.

Answer: Smile Train or Smile Pinki; The organisation focuses on bringing back the smile to young children's faces by correcting cleft lips and palates.

Player 3 Question 2:

The Big Book associated with which worldwide group mentions "the Hideous Four Horsemen – Terror, Bewilderment, Frustration, Despair" as things commonly encountered by individuals undertaking a sobering journey or experience?

Answer: Alcoholics Anonymous (Accept: AA)

Player 4 Question 1:

The first demo of this now universal feature was at the First National Conference on Television for the Hearing Impaired in 1971. What is the alliterative two-word term for this feature that HTML5 defines as a “transcription or translation of the dialogue, sound effects, relevant musical cues, and other relevant audio information when sound is unavailable or not clearly audible”?

Answer: Closed Captions (Do not accept: subtitles); Subtitles assume the viewer hears the audio and as a result do not contain the background sounds or notifications for speaker changes. The term “closed” indicates that the captions are not visible until activated by the viewer.

Player 4 Question 2:

_________ (9) is a character from The Justice Friends, a guitar-wielding parody of Marvel's Thor. What is the name of this superhero? The blank is a pun on a rock star's name and incorporates the name of a majestic hall for slain warriors in Norse mythology.

Answer: Valhallen (Prompt: Van Halen, Valhalla; Grudingly accept: Valhallan)

Round 4

Player 1 Question 1:

Used mainly for Christian churches, what form of a raised platform from which a speaker addresses an audience or delivers an oration, originates from Late Latin for "a scaffold for preachers"?

Answer: Pulpit (From pulpitum)

Player 1 Question 2:

The gold coin of Kumaragupta I was minted during his reign between 415–455 CE to commemorate the completion of which Vedic ritual that proved his imperial sovereignty? The ritual was also performed by Kumaragupta I's grandfather Samudragupta.

Answer: Aswamedha Sacrifice or Yagna (Accept: Horse Sacrifice)

Player 2 Question 1:

Guinness Book of World Records lists North America’s Dusky ______ (6), as having the shortest migration. During winters, they inhabit mountainous pine forests, then in spring they descend a mere 300 m to deciduous woodlands. What group of birds are they? The word is also used to refer to a trivial complaint or grumble.

Answer: Grouse

Player 2 Question 2:

What term is used to describe the rule of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. from 1965 until he was deposed in 1986, characterised by widespread personal appropriation of public wealth? It is derived from the Greek words for “thief” and “rule”.

Answer: Kleptocracy

Player 3 Question 1:

Each chapter in Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy consoles the reader by extensively interpreting a particular philosopher's work. The chapter Consolation for a Broken Heart is written through the lens of which German philosopher known for his 1818 work The World as Will and Representation? He was among the first Western philosophers to share and affirm significant tenets of Indian philosophy.

Answer: Arthur Schopenhauer

Player 3 Question 2:

In 2017, Danish Siddiqui documented the activities carried out by Devendran P. at the solar observatory in which hill station in South India perched at the crown of the forested Palani Hills? It was established on the recommendation of N. R. Pogson and Lord Kelvin following a famine to better understand monsoon patterns by studying the sun.

Answer: Kodaikanal

Player 4 Question 1:

In 2002, which musician got her debut starring role as FBI agent Foxxy Cleopatra in the third movie of a franchise? In the movie, she aids the protagonist hunt down Johann van der Smut (visual) who gets his more popular alias after losing his genitalia in a smelting accident. The debut came two years after her first Grammy win for Best R&B Song for Bills, Bills, Bills.

Answer: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter; Accept Knowles OR Knowles-Carter

Player 4 Question 2:

Analysing the dip in US crime rate in the 90s compared to the earlier decade, Dubner & Levitt suggest that it is closely correlated with another statistic as can be evidenced in the difference between states with low & high rates for a particular procedure. They hence present the argument that one of the primary causes for the drop in crime were the actions of which young woman from Dallas (blanked out in red in visual)?

Answer: Roe; Accept Norma McCorvey; "Roe and Behold" is the title of the graph. Dubner and Levitt claim that Roe vs Wade that legalised abortion in 1973 led to a drop in crime rates eventually.

Round 5

Player 1 Question 1:

The chapter Consolation for Frustration in The Consolations of Philosophy is through the lens of which Roman stoic philosopher and statesman who was forced to take his own life for alleged complicity in the Pisonian conspiracy to assassinate Nero? This incident was the subject of a painting by Jacques-Louis David.

Answer: Seneca the Younger (Accept: Seneca)

Player 1 Question 2:

The “____ (4) Cut Effect” is a term that epitomises the concept of Universal Design. It states that when one designs for disabilities, they make things better for everyone in the process. Fill in the blank (4) to form the alliterative name (in American English) of a feature found on roads that helps not just the physically disadvantaged but everyone.

Answer: Curb Cut (Accept: Kerb Cut, which is apparently how the Australians spell it); The first city to have widespread curb cuts was Berkeley following a call to action by disabled student activist Ed Roberts and his wheelchair-bound group who called themselves the Rolling Quads.

Player 2 Question 1:

The oil extracted from the inner bark (and ocassionally leaves) of which tree native to Sri Lanka, Malabar Coast and Myanmar is used in aromatherapy to reduce the feelings of depression, faintness, and exhaustion? Its bark is used as a spice for a number of savoury and sweet dishes across the globe.

Answer: Cinnamon

Player 2 Question 2:

This coin issued by Lysimachus uses Alexander's portrait to emphasise his position as Alexander's successor. Alexander is depicted sporting the ram's horns of a syncretic hybrid god that was widely worshipped during that period. If one half of this god's name was Zeus, which pre-eminent god of ancient Egypt (4 or 5 letters) was the other?

Answer: Ammon or Amun (Accept grudingly: Amun-Ra; Prompt: Ra); The syncretic deity was called Zeus-Ammon and was believed to be the father of Alexander

Player 3 Question 1:

The idea for Pixar's Luca was inspired by local folklore and legends. Which legendary tale that supposedly occured in the 2nd century CE and first recorded in the 11th century CE is one of the inspirations? This legend is also reflected on the emblem of Genoa, which has claimed arrears from England for one particular aspect of its emblem.

Answer: St. George and the Dragon (Accept: St. George Slaying the Dragon and other equivalent variants)

Player 3 Question 2:

________ (8) is a character from The Justice Friends, a ghostly musical parody of Marvel's Vision. What is the name of this superhero? You can arrive at the name by adding the letter 'h' to the name of a company known for its colour matching services.

Answer: Phantone (Prompt: Pantone)

Player 4 Question 1:

Which Argentine playing for Tottenham Hotspur won the 2021 edition of the FIFA Puskas award? He was honored for his stunning rabona goal vs. Arsenal in the north London derby.

Answer: Erik Lamela

Player 4 Question 2:

What kind of raised platform is placed at the front of a room for speakers or honoured guests? It derives from the Latin for "disk-shaped object". It can also refer to the smaller platform that supports a throne.

Answer: Dais, from the Latin word discus

Round 6

Player 1 Question 1:

Dubbed as the "Hottest Burger on the Planet", Chunky's 4 Horsemen burger owes its name to its four fiery ingredients. If three of them are fresh jalapenos, serrano peppers, and habanero hot sauce, which haunting ingredient cultivated in South Asia is the fourth?

Answer: Bhut Jolokia (Accept: Ghost Pepper); The Bhut in Bhut Jolokia refers to Bhutan and not a ghost.

Player 1 Question 2:

Following vision issues, current world no. 29 Martin Gould took to spectacles, and his performance has improved since. Later, he tried a large pair (visual) inspired by another snooker legend. Which compatriot inspired him? He was the winner of one of the greatest World Snooker Championship finals against Steve Davis in 1985.

Answer: Dennis Taylor

Player 2 Question 1:

The chapter titled Consolation for Difficulties in The Consolations of Philosophy is through the lens of which philosopher who wrote works such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil? He is depicted here in a painting by Edvard Munch.

Answer: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

Player 2 Question 2:

The chapter on Information Asymmetry in Freakonomics deals with which organisation and the role of a mole who brought down its member base by revealing its secrets to the public, thereby making it a subject of ridicule? Later, when the authors realised that the mole's role in it was exaggerated, they published a retraction that was aptly titled Hoodwinked - referring not just to them being misled but also to the organisation.

Answer: KKK or Ku Klux Klan

Player 3 Question 1:

Holding the record for the longest migration for a bat, the Nathusius's ___________ (11) travels from Latvia to North-Eastern Spain for wintering. What genus name fills in the blank, which derives its name from the Italian for "bat"?

Answer: Pipistrelle (Accept: Pipistrellus) (Italian word for bat = pipistrello)

Player 3 Question 2:

Bongbong Marcos's recent win was fuelled by a decades-long misinformation campaign to revamp the family brand. The campaign portrayed his father's dictatorship as a ______ ___(6,3) of peace and prosperity, compared to the violent image Philippines has today. Fill in the blank with a term (6,3) used to describe a period in history where a high degree of achievement is reached in a particular field, especially in art or literature.

Answer: Golden Age (Accept: Gilded Age)

Player 4 Question 1:

Pixar's Onward takes place in a world inhabited by mythic creatures. What legendary Persian creature, with the head of a human, the body of a lion and a tail of a scorpion, served as the inspiration for restaurant manager Corey?

Answer: Manticore

Player 4 Question 2:

The oil extracted from the flower spikes (and occasionally leaves) of which plant genus of the Lamiaceae family is used to manage stress and combat insomnia? Southern France, especially Provence, is famous for its sprawling fields of these plants.

Answer: Lavender (Accept: Lavandula)

Round 7

Player 1 Question 1:

Which 1989 film, starring Sridevi as the titular character, featured this white Bharatnatyam-inspired costume in a classical dance scene? Interestingly, the dress was copied by many stores at a Delhi thoroughfare with the same name.

Answer: Chandni

Player 1 Question 2:

In 2014, Danish Siddiqui visited a central Indian city for a photoseries on the lives of certain people there. The poignant series was subtitled "30 years on". This photograph was shot in the now-abandoned pesticide plant of which company?

Answer: Union Carbide (Grudingly accept: Dow Chemical Company) It was abandoned following the Bhopal Gas Tragedy.

Player 2 Question 1:

The Four Horsemen restaurant in Brooklyn, NYC, specialises in serving natural wines. It is probably named due to the influence of the natural wine producer group called the “__________ (10) Gang of Four”, comprising Marcel Lapierre, Jean Foillard, Jean-Paul Thévenet, and Guy Breton. Which variety of widely consumed red wine (10) does the Gang of Four produce?

Answer: Beaujolais

Player 2 Question 2:

Which Swede won the 2013 FIFA Puskas award for his "propeller kick" goal in a friendly vs. England? He ended up scoring all of his team's goals in a 4-2 win.

Answer: Zlatan Ibrahimović (Accept: Zlatan)

Player 3 Question 1:

At 82kg, he was around 9kg heavier than his nearest competitors at the 1988 Olympics. Moreover, his nearsightedness forced him to wear glasses under the goggles, which frequently fogged up and impaired his vision. Who is this, who forced an eponymous rule by the International Olympic Committee?

Answer: Eddie the Eagle (Accept: Michael David Edwards) The rule requires aspiring Olympians to place in the top-30 % or top-50 competitors overall of an international event, whichever is fewer.

Player 3 Question 2:

In 1997, which musician won her first Grammy for Best R&B Performance (with her band the Fugees) for the hip-hop cover of the song Killing Me Softly? She had her first starring role in Hollywood 4 years earlier as a rebellious school teenager when Mary Clarence got back in the habit.

Answer: Lauryn Noelle Hill; The movie is Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.

Player 4 Question 1:

While it does not migrate as heavily as its antipodally-named cousin, which bird inhabits southern South America, the Falkland Islands, Australia, and New Zealand? Breeding populations in the southern part of this species's range are migratory during winters.

Answer: Antarctic Tern; The Arctic Tern has the longest known migration pattern.

Player 4 Question 2:

The chapter Consolation for Inadequacy in The Consolations of Philosophy is written through the lens of which philosopher who popularised the essay as a literary genre through his magnum opus Essais? One of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance, his surname is a French corruption of the Latin word for a kind of geographic entity that is also represented in his coat of arms.

Answer: Michel Montaigne (Prompt: Mountain)

Round 8

Player 1 Question 1:

____ _____ (4, 5) is a character from The Justice Friends that casts incantations and hexes, and a parody of Marvel's Scarlett Witch. What is the name of this superhero? Her name indicates she would probably not do well at an annual competition organised by the E. W. Scripps Company.

Answer: Miss Spell

Player 1 Question 2:

Dubner & Levitt analysed discrimination in a public setting using data from which TV game show where players are eliminated through a voting system - concluding that Latinos & the elderly are discriminated against in the show. The show has/had licensed variants in 50+ countries, although none of the variants end with the trademark wink. English name needed.

Answer: The Weakest Link

Player 2 Question 1:

After seeing his young daughter struggle at a soda fountain parlour in San Francisco, what innovation did Joseph Friedman come up with by wrapping dental floss around an object to crimp it? Although now universally used by all, it was first used by immobile patients in hospitals in the mid-1940s.

Answer: Flexible/Bendy Straw (Prompt: Straw)

Player 2 Question 2:

After their success at the Battle of Actium in 31BC, the Romans began the practice of attaching the ramming end of captured ships to the front of a stone platform in the Forum, for speakers to address the people. What word for a raised platform, literally meaning "beak", originated from here?

Answer: Rostrum (Accept: Rostra) In birds it can be used to refer to their beaks, in crustaceans the forward extension in front of the eyes, and in insects piercing mouthparts.

Player 3 Question 1:

The oil extracted from the leaves of which plant genus native to Australia is used to allievate conditions of nasal congestion and asthma? Although its leaves can be toxic in large quantities, several marsupial herbivores, notably koalas, are relatively tolerant of it.

Answer: Eucalyptus

Player 3 Question 2:

Which 1980 film, themed around reincarnation, witnessed Simi Garewal in this black chiffon dress with a belt? Styled by a bunch of celebrated designers, the dress was sourced from Parmeshwar Godrej's Dancing Silks, one of the first Indian stores dedicated to western outfits.

Answer: Karz

Player 4 Question 1:

In 2014, Danish Siddiqui visited Mumbai to photograph workers involved in a certain process that was centred around which entity that had then-recently been moved from Cuffe Parade to Darukhana? The entity, which was sold to IB Commercials Pvt. Ltd, was valued at approximately 60 crores.

Answer: INS Vikrant or Vikrant (Prompt: Ship or Navy etc.)

Player 4 Question 2:

What two-word term was coined in the 1970s to describe Imelda Marcos’s penchant for commissioning grandiose structures, often built in Brutalist style? The term is a play on a famous Freudian psychoanalytic theory.

Answer: Edifice Complex, a play on Oedipus Complex

Spare

Spare Question 1:

During his junior year, he suffered a scratched left cornea in January 1968, when he was struck by another player in a rebound battle, and missed the next two games. His cornea would again be scratched during his pro career, which subsequently caused him to wear goggles for eye protection. Who is this all-time great basketballer?

Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar;

Spare Question 2:

In the 2008 NFL season, the front four defensive line of Minnesota Vikings — Ray Edwards, Pat Williams, Kevin Williams and Jared Allen — were given what name, a play on the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, for their stellar display that season?

Answer: Four Norsemen of the Apocalypse