Wednesday Trivia: Jan 11, 2012

by charvaka Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:36 pm

I am posting this a few hours early this week. Happy guessing, no googling.

1. The Kuwaiti dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency unit. Its value is pegged to a basket of currencies, and a dinar is now worth approximately $3.60. Kuwait adopted this currency in 1961, when the country became independent. Prior to independence, what was the official currency of Kuwait?

2. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a pivotal event in that country’s history. The Normans came from the French region of Normandy across the Channel, and they spoke a language that was heavily influenced by French. But ethnically, they were not French. Normans then controlled Sicily and parts of southern Italy. What was the ethnicity of the Normans?

3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

4. In 1947, this region contemplated joining the Indian Union, but the idea was rejected in a popular vote. Before the East India Company built its empire, the kingdom was a vassal of imperial China. The last time imperial Chinese troops helped defend the region from a larger, more powerful rival was in 1791. A district of this kingdom was annexed by Britain to their Indian Empire and that district did become part of India in 1947. Like Gurdaspur in Punjab, this district plays a strategically vital role for India. Name this region and the district that the British annexed.

5. Henry Grey published this book in 1858. It is an extremely influential classic that is still used to teach the subject to students. It has been in continuous publication since 1858, with the 40th edition published in 2008 on the 150th anniversary of original publication. Steven Soderbergh made a movie with the title of this book. Name the book.

6. Mohandas Gandhi helped the British in South Africa by organizing his Indian followers into a medical relief force during the Boer war. Back in those days, Boer was the prevailing term for the Afrikaner people of Dutch ancestry. What does the word Boer mean?

7. The popular name of this city literally translates to “the white house.” The native name Anfa means hill. It was used as a port by Phoenicians and Romans. In later times, it was ruled by Arabs and the French. The city was a strategically important American base during World War II, and it gained international prominence when a movie set in the city became very popular and received three Academy awards. Name this city.

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

9. This book set during the French Revolution opens with a really long sentence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Name the book and its writer.

10. Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Nimzo-Indian are opening maneuvers in which game?

by chameli Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:40 pm

9 .....charles dickens in tale of two cities

by chameli Tue Jan 10, 2012 10:42 pm

7 casablanca in algiers

by Mosquito Tue Jan 10, 2012 11:12 pm

charvaka wrote:I am posting this a few hours early this week. Happy guessing, no googling.

1. The Kuwaiti dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency unit. Its value is pegged to a basket of currencies, and a dinar is now worth approximately $3.60. Kuwait adopted this currency in 1961, when the country became independent. Prior to independence, what was the official currency of Kuwait?

Rupee.

2. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a pivotal event in that country’s history. The Normans came from the French region of Normandy across the Channel, and they spoke a language that was heavily influenced by French. But ethnically, they were not French. Normans then controlled Sicily and parts of southern Italy. What was the ethnicity of the Normans?

They were vikings I think.

3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

Is it in Seoul?

4. In 1947, this region contemplated joining the Indian Union, but the idea was rejected in a popular vote. Before the East India Company built its empire, the kingdom was a vassal of imperial China. The last time imperial Chinese troops helped defend the region from a larger, more powerful rival was in 1791. A district of this kingdom was annexed by Britain to their Indian Empire and that district did become part of India in 1947. Like Gurdaspur in Punjab, this district plays a strategically vital role for India. Name this region and the district that the British annexed.

Ladhak?

5. Henry Grey published this book in 1858. It is an extremely influential classic that is still used to teach the subject to students. It has been in continuous publication since 1858, with the 40th edition published in 2008 on the 150th anniversary of original publication. Steven Soderbergh made a movie with the title of this book. Name the book.

Grey's Anatomy

7. The popular name of this city literally translates to “the white house.” The native name Anfa means hill. It was used as a port by Phoenicians and Romans. In later times, it was ruled by Arabs and the French. The city was a strategically important American base during World War II, and it gained international prominence when a movie set in the city became very popular and received three Academy awards. Name this city.

Casablanca

9. This book set during the French Revolution opens with a really long sentence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Name the book and its writer.

Tale of Two cities

10. Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Nimzo-Indian are opening maneuvers in which game?
Chess?

by Kris Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:16 am

charvaka wrote:I am posting this a few hours early this week. Happy guessing, no googling.

1. The Kuwaiti dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency unit. Its value is pegged to a basket of currencies, and a dinar is now worth approximately $3.60. Kuwait adopted this currency in 1961, when the country became independent. Prior to independence, what was the official currency of Kuwait?

>>>>Rupee

2. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a pivotal event in that country’s history. The Normans came from the French region of Normandy across the Channel, and they spoke a language that was heavily influenced by French. But ethnically, they were not French. Normans then controlled Sicily and parts of southern Italy. What was the ethnicity of the Normans?

>>>Norseman/vikings

3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

>>>Montreal?

6. Mohandas Gandhi helped the British in South Africa by organizing his Indian followers into a medical relief force during the Boer war. Back in those days, Boer was the prevailing term for the Afrikaner people of Dutch ancestry. What does the word Boer mean?

>>> Farmer?

7. The popular name of this city literally translates to “the white house.” The native name Anfa means hill. It was used as a port by Phoenicians and Romans. In later times, it was ruled by Arabs and the French. The city was a strategically important American base during World War II, and it gained international prominence when a movie set in the city became very popular and received three Academy awards. Name this city.

>>>casablanca

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

>>>> Height?

9. This book set during the French Revolution opens with a really long sentence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Name the book and its writer.

>>>tale of two cities

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:03 am

[quote="charvaka"]I am posting this a few hours early this week. Happy guessing, no googling.

1. The Kuwaiti dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency unit. Its value is pegged to a basket of currencies,

Pound Sterling

2. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066

Norwegians?

4. In 1947, this region contemplated joining the Indian Union, but the idea was rejected in a popular vote.

Darjeeling

7. The popular name of this city literally translates to “the white house.”

Casanova

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint.

the Max Width of a vessel

by Another Brick Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:16 am

charvaka wrote:
10. Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Nimzo-Indian are opening maneuvers in which game?

i don't know about others, but i think Sicilian is a method of defense in chess to protect your queen.

by Merlot Daruwala Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:28 am

2. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a pivotal event in that country’s history. The Normans came from the French region of Normandy across the Channel, and they spoke a language that was heavily influenced by French. But ethnically, they were not French. Normans then controlled Sicily and parts of southern Italy. What was the ethnicity of the Normans?

>>> Scandinavian?

4. In 1947, this region contemplated joining the Indian Union, but the idea was rejected in a popular vote. Before the East India Company built its empire, the kingdom was a vassal of imperial China. The last time imperial Chinese troops helped defend the region from a larger, more powerful rival was in 1791. A district of this kingdom was annexed by Britain to their Indian Empire and that district did become part of India in 1947. Like Gurdaspur in Punjab, this district plays a strategically vital role for India. Name this region and the district that the British annexed.

>>> Myanmar?

5. Henry Grey published this book in 1858. It is an extremely influential classic that is still used to teach the subject to students. It has been in continuous publication since 1858, with the 40th edition published in 2008 on the 150th anniversary of original publication. Steven Soderbergh made a movie with the title of this book. Name the book.

>>> Grey's anatomy

6. Mohandas Gandhi helped the British in South Africa by organizing his Indian followers into a medical relief force during the Boer war. Back in those days, Boer was the prevailing term for the Afrikaner people of Dutch ancestry. What does the word Boer mean?

>>> Landowner?

7. The popular name of this city literally translates to “the white house.” The native name Anfa means hill. It was used as a port by Phoenicians and Romans. In later times, it was ruled by Arabs and the French. The city was a strategically important American base during World War II, and it gained international prominence when a movie set in the city became very popular and received three Academy awards. Name this city.

>>> Casablanca

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

>>> The breadth of the Panama Canal / Suez Canal (the ship should be narrower than what the canal allows)

9. This book set during the French Revolution opens with a really long sentence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Name the book and its writer.

>>> Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickerns

10. Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Nimzo-Indian are opening maneuvers in which game?

>>> Chess

by Guest Wed Jan 11, 2012 3:54 am

charvaka wrote:4. In 1947, this region contemplated joining the Indian Union, but the idea was rejected in a popular vote. Before the East India Company built its empire, the kingdom was a vassal of imperial China. The last time imperial Chinese troops helped defend the region from a larger, more powerful rival was in 1791. A district of this kingdom was annexed by Britain to their Indian Empire and that district did become part of India in 1947. Like Gurdaspur in Punjab, this district plays a strategically vital role for India. Name this region and the district that the British annexed.

sikkim?

by Guest Wed Jan 11, 2012 4:15 am

oh there are 2 questions to Q. 4. answer to "district that the british annexed:" darjeeling (containing siliguri -- chicken's neck). i think sikkim is the right answer. it did not join by a popular vote but a few decades later, a referendum indicated that the people had changed their mind and sikkim joined india! a very peculiar case in history!

by Impedimenta Wed Jan 11, 2012 12:38 pm

1. rupee

9. tale of two cities, i love this book and remember several characters, madam defarge, sydney carter and charles darney. lucy as well. charles dickens

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:00 pm

chameli wrote:9 .....charles dickens in tale of two cities

Correct.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:01 pm

chameli wrote:7 casablanca in algiers

It is in Morocco, and Algiers is a city in Algeria, but I only asked for the name of the city, so you got it right.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:03 pm

PseudoIntellectual wrote:1. Rupee.

Correct, the Gulf Rupee, issued by the Reserve Bank of India. Before that, it was the Indian Rupee, issued by RBI.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:2. They were vikings I think.

Correct.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:3. Is it in Seoul?

No.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:4. Ladhak?

No.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:5. Grey's Anatomy

Correct.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:7. Casablanca

Correct.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:9. Tale of Two cities

Correct.

PseudoIntellectual wrote:10. Chess?

Correct.

by artood2 Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:03 pm

Impedimenta wrote:9. tale of two cities, i love this book and remember several characters, madam defarge, sydney carter and charles darney. lucy as well. charles dickens

Sydney Carter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Carter

Sydney Carton http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Carton

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:06 pm

Kris wrote:1. Rupee

Correct.

Kris wrote:2. Norseman/vikings

Correct.

Kris wrote:3. Montreal?

No.

Kris wrote:6. Farmer?

Correct. When the Dutch people first settled the southern tip of South Africa, their native neighbors were the Khoi-san peoples who were not agriculturists. So the white people were the farmers. Of course, in northern and eastern South Africa, there were Bantu societies that were based on agriculture.

Kris wrote:7. casablanca

Correct.

Kris wrote:8. Height?

No.

Kris wrote:9. tale of two cities

Correct.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:09 pm

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
1. Pound Sterling

No, it was the rupee.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
2. Norwegians?

Correct. (Norse people, who eventually founded the countries of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Iceland.)

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
4. Darjeeling

The district is Darjeeling.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
7. Casanova

No

.

Marathadi-Saamiyaar wrote:
8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint.

the Max Width of a vessel

Width is one of the aspects the constraint applies to; there is another physical characteristic as well. When talking about width, vessels need to be no wider than what?

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:10 pm

Another Brick wrote:
charvaka wrote:
10. Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Nimzo-Indian are opening maneuvers in which game?

i don't know about others, but i think Sicilian is a method of defense in chess to protect your queen.

Correct.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:12 pm

Merlot Daruwala wrote:2. Scandinavian?

Correct.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:4. Myanmar?

No.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:5. Grey's anatomy

Correct.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:6. Landowner?

Close, the answer is farmer.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:7. Casablanca

Correct.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:8. The breadth of the Panama Canal / Suez Canal (the ship should be narrower than what the canal allows)

Which one of the two? (The narrower one, of course; which one is narrower?) In addition to width of the vessel, there is another physical limitation posed by the same canal. What is it?

Merlot Daruwala wrote:9. Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickerns

Correct.

Merlot Daruwala wrote:10. Chess

Correct.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:17 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:oh there are 2 questions to Q. 4. answer to "district that the british annexed:" darjeeling (containing siliguri -- chicken's neck). i think sikkim is the right answer. it did not join by a popular vote but a few decades later, a referendum indicated that the people had changed their mind and sikkim joined india! a very peculiar case in history!

Perfect, now you have the full answer. BTW, the question was inspired by your response to my earlier question about Gurdaspur. If the British had NOT annexed Darjeeling, two things might have happened in 1947; one, Darjeeling with its Nepali population that preferred joining India might have tipped the balance and moved Sikkim over to India right then. Two, India would have lost access to the Northeast. The Northeast might have become independent, or more likely become part of East Pakistan because Assam (which encompassed much of the Northeast back then) already had a sizable Muslim minority.

BTW, a small part of the reason "the people changed their mind" by 1975 was that the people themselves had changed because of the continuation of Nepali immigration into Sikkim.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:17 pm

Impedimenta wrote:1. rupee

9. tale of two cities, i love this book and remember several characters, madam defarge, sydney carter and charles darney. lucy as well. charles dickens

You got both right.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 2:22 pm

3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

Hint: The name of the suburb is a syllabic abbreviation of the location of the suburb relative to the main city. (Read the original question for that relative location.) The suburb came to be when the native people were expelled from the main city and forced out into the townships that they government created for them outside the main city.

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

Hint: The constraint is posed by the capacity of a strategically important man-made shipping channel. Width is one of the two physical limitations. What is the other limitation, and what is the shipping channel?

by chameli Wed Jan 11, 2012 10:01 pm

thank you charvaka sir for taking the trouble to post the answers

i enjoyed participating

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:03 pm

chameli wrote:thank you charvaka sir for taking the trouble to post the answers

i enjoyed participating

Two questions remain unanswered... I have posted hints, see above.

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:05 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:oh there are 2 questions to Q. 4. answer to "district that the british annexed:" darjeeling (containing siliguri -- chicken's neck). i think sikkim is the right answer. it did not join by a popular vote but a few decades later, a referendum indicated that the people had changed their mind and sikkim joined india! a very peculiar case in history!

Perfect, now you have the full answer. BTW, the question was inspired by your response to my earlier question about Gurdaspur. If the British had NOT annexed Darjeeling, one of two things might have happened in 1947; one, Darjeeling with its Nepali population that preferred joining India might have tipped the balance and moved Sikkim over to India right then. Two, India would have lost access to the Northeast if Sikkim still voted to stay out of the Indian Union. In the second scenario, the Northeast might have become independent, or more likely become part of East Pakistan because Assam (which encompassed much of the Northeast back then) already had a sizable Muslim minority.

BTW, a small part of the reason "the people changed their mind" by 1975 was that the people themselves had changed because of the continuation of Nepali immigration into Sikkim.

* edited to clarify what I meant *

by Kris Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:26 pm

3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

>>>Soweto?

by charvaka Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:29 pm

Kris wrote:3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

>>>Soweto?

Correct! Soweto comes from South West Townships.

by Kris Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:31 pm

Wow, didn't know the origin of the name. Interesting.

by Kris Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:39 pm

Impedimenta wrote:1. rupee

9. tale of two cities, i love this book and remember several characters, madam defarge, sydney carter and charles darney. lucy as well. charles dickens

>>>Was it Sidney Carton? I vaguely remember Darnay. I used to love the way the book opened.

by charvaka Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:39 am

Just one question remains:

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

Hint 1: The constraint is posed by the capacity of a strategically important man-made shipping channel. Width is one of the two physical limitations. What is the other limitation, and what is the shipping channel?

Hint 2: The shipping channel runs through hilly terrain and uses a series of locks to raise ships from sea level progressively to a lake at a higher elevation, and then locks on the other side to progressively bring them down to sea level.

by charvaka Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:52 am

Just one question remains:

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

Hint 1: The constraint is posed by the capacity of a strategically important man-made shipping channel. Width is one of the two physical limitations. What is the other limitation, and what is the shipping channel?

Hint 2: The shipping channel runs through hilly terrain and uses a series of locks to raise ships from sea level progressively to a lake at a higher elevation, and then locks on the other side to progressively bring them down to sea level. Here is a picture of some of the locks:

Wednesday Trivia: Jan 11, 2012 Locks10

by Guest Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:52 am

charvaka wrote:Hint 1: The constraint is posed by the capacity of a strategically important man-made shipping channel. Width is one of the two physical limitations. What is the other limitation, and what is the shipping channel?

i think draft or the weight of the ship (because of limitations in the depth of the water in the canal).

by charvaka Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:58 am

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:
charvaka wrote:Hint 1: The constraint is posed by the capacity of a strategically important man-made shipping channel. Width is one of the two physical limitations. What is the other limitation, and what is the shipping channel?

i think draft or the weight of the ship (because of limitations in the depth of the water in the canal).

Correct. Want to guess which channel this is?

by Guest Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:10 am

sorry, i just googled. Smile

i would have guessed suez canal.

by Guest Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:51 am

charvaka wrote:
Huzefa Kapasi wrote:oh there are 2 questions to Q. 4. answer to "district that the british annexed:" darjeeling (containing siliguri -- chicken's neck). i think sikkim is the right answer. it did not join by a popular vote but a few decades later, a referendum indicated that the people had changed their mind and sikkim joined india! a very peculiar case in history!
Perfect, now you have the full answer. BTW, the question was inspired by your response to my earlier question about Gurdaspur. If the British had NOT annexed Darjeeling, one of two things might have happened in 1947; one, Darjeeling with its Nepali population that preferred joining India might have tipped the balance and moved Sikkim over to India right then. Two, India would have lost access to the Northeast if Sikkim still voted to stay out of the Indian Union. In the second scenario, the Northeast might have become independent, or more likely become part of East Pakistan because Assam (which encompassed much of the Northeast back then) already had a sizable Muslim minority.

BTW, a small part of the reason "the people changed their mind" by 1975 was that the people themselves had changed because of the continuation of Nepali immigration into Sikkim.

* edited to clarify what I meant *

i am very impressed by your knowledge (albiet of trivia Razz

). first gurudaspur and now sikkim. you have shown me two highly critical junctures in our history, that find little mention elsewhere, where fortune favoured us! the third is hyderabad. in the worst case scenario (which was very easily possible), we would have lost kashmir, the north east and the hyderabad province. india would have been a lopsided, doughnut shaped country! we would have lost parts of gujarat (junagadh) too.

by Guest Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:08 pm

sorry, not exactly donought shaped but with a large cavity where two ends struggle to meet. i think the next event where fortune favoured us was the bangladesh war for independence. we must thank pakistan for the division of east and west pakistan. they are our allies and enemies in this war on terracotta.

by charvaka Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:09 pm

Huzefa Kapasi wrote:sorry, i just googled. i would have guessed suez canal.

It is not the Suez so Panama it is. Merlot was right about the two channels whose capacity limits shipping. It is possible to build ships that can cross the Suez but not the Panama. However my understanding is that most ocean freighters and yachts are built to the Panamax limit. They are now building a bigger set of locks on that canal that will change the size limits allowing bigger ships to go direct from Asia to the eastern seaboard of the US... those ships today unload in California.

by Guest Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:36 pm

MD unkil is always eating too much beef to adequately concentrate on such "trivia" questions.

by charvaka Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:47 pm

Thanks to all the participants. Here are the answers.

1. The Kuwaiti dinar is the world’s highest-valued currency unit. Its value is pegged to a basket of currencies, and a dinar is now worth approximately $3.60. Kuwait adopted this currency in 1961, when the country became independent. Prior to independence, what was the official currency of Kuwait?

The Gulf Rupee, issued by the Reserve Bank of India. Prior to that, it was the Indian Rupee from the same issuer. The Gulf Rupee was the currency of today's UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar.

2. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 was a pivotal event in that country’s history. The Normans came from the French region of Normandy across the Channel, and they spoke a language that was heavily influenced by French. But ethnically, they were not French. Normans then controlled Sicily and parts of southern Italy. What was the ethnicity of the Normans?

Norse / Vikings, the ancestors of Scandinavians / the modern people of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland and Greenland.

3. This suburb of one of the world’s major cities is located to the southwest of the city proper. The suburb used to be a separate municipality, but it has since been integrated into the municipal structure of the main city. The suburb attracted international attention in 1976 when student protests were triggered by the government’s decision to replace English as the language of education in high schools. Police fired on a group of 10,000 high-school students, killing young boys and girls. With a population of 1.3 million, it now accounts for 40% of the residents of its metropolitan area. Name this famous suburb.

Soweto, from South West Townships, is a suburb of Johannesburg, and was home to Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu.

4. In 1947, this region contemplated joining the Indian Union, but the idea was rejected in a popular vote. Before the East India Company built its empire, the kingdom was a vassal of imperial China. The last time imperial Chinese troops helped defend the region from a larger, more powerful rival was in 1791. A district of this kingdom was annexed by Britain to their Indian Empire and that district did become part of India in 1947. Like Gurdaspur in Punjab, this district plays a strategically vital role for India. Name this region and the district that the British annexed.

Sikkim is the region, and Darjeeling is the district.

5. Henry Grey published this book in 1858. It is an extremely influential classic that is still used to teach the subject to students. It has been in continuous publication since 1858, with the 40th edition published in 2008 on the 150th anniversary of original publication. Steven Soderbergh made a movie with the title of this book. Name the book.

Grey's Anatomy.

6. Mohandas Gandhi helped the British in South Africa by organizing his Indian followers into a medical relief force during the Boer war. Back in those days, Boer was the prevailing term for the Afrikaner people of Dutch ancestry. What does the word Boer mean?

Farmer. The Dutch word for farming is quite close to the Hindi word for sowing.

7. The popular name of this city literally translates to “the white house.” The native name Anfa means hill. It was used as a port by Phoenicians and Romans. In later times, it was ruled by Arabs and the French. The city was a strategically important American base during World War II, and it gained international prominence when a movie set in the city became very popular and received three Academy awards. Name this city.

Casablanca in Morocco.

8. While there are no internationally-regulated rules limiting the size of oceangoing ships, an informal standard has emerged because of a specific constraint. The standard is followed by most makers of commercial and recreational oceangoing vessels, while military vessels may not adhere to it. What is this constraint on the size of oceangoing vessels? (I am not looking for a technical specification; a description of the constraint is enough.)

Width and draft not to exceed those supported by the locks of the Panama Canal. The standard is referred to as Panamax.

9. This book set during the French Revolution opens with a really long sentence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way - in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Name the book and its writer.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

10. Caro-Kann, Sicilian, Ruy Lopez and Nimzo-Indian are opening maneuvers in which game?

Chess.

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