Tuesday Trivia: July 23, 2013

The usual rule: no googling please!

1. This early composer of Carnatic classical music is credited with establishing the krithi form of composition that was later perfected by Thyagaraja. He composed his best works during a 12-year imprisonment: about 300 songs and a book of more than 100 poems in classical meter. Name him. 

2. Then US Senator Bob Dole said this as three US presidents stood next to each other at a White House event: "There they are. See no evil, hear no evil, and...evil." Name the three presidents.

3. The name of this public plaza means “gate of heavenly peace.” It is named after a nearby structure built in 1420 as the entrance to an imperial capital city. Name the plaza and the city it is located in.

4. The phrase “In God We Trust” is printed on American banknotes. In which decade did this phrase first appear on American banknotes? (a) 1790s (b) 1830s (c) 1860s (c) 1900s (d) 1950s

5. His parents gave him the first name Hiram. But when he went to college at West Point, a clerk used his middle name as his first name. Friends called him Sam. During peacetime, he failed at several enterprises, including bill collecting and farming potatoes. He had a reputation for excessive drinking. He went on to become a two-term president of the United States. Name him. 

6. Arlington National Cemetery was established during the US Civil War. The person responsible for finding a site for the new cemetery chose the grounds of Arlington House, which was the pre-war residence of a Confederate soldier; he chose to bury the Union dead on his lawn as revenge for fighting the Union. Name the Confederate soldier who used to live at Arlington House before the Civil War began.  

7. The British Parliament passed the Permanent Settlement Act in 1793. The act had a profound influence on modern Indian history, by replacing a system introduced by Sher Shah Suri and followed by the Mughals. The act resulted in a system that is still followed almost as-is in Pakistan, and has only been partially corrected in most of India. What is this system?

8. This city is located at the confluence of the Mississippi with its tributary the Yazoo. This small city played a key role in the US Civil War, as an impregnable Confederate bastion located atop a high bluff overlooking the river. During much of the war, this city was the only link between the two halves of the Confederacy – Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri on the west, and the rest to the east. The city finally fell to Union forces on July 4, 1863 – coincidentally the same day the Battle of Gettysburg ended in a Union victory. The city therefore did not celebrate Independence Day for the next 80 years. Name the city. 

9. The terms moron, idiot, and imbecile are used as insults today. But in the early 20th century, psychologists had precise definitions for each term, indicating different ranges of intelligence. The three ranges are: 0-25, 26-50, and 51-70. Match these ranges with the three terms. 

10. This condition was first described in 1862 by a British physician, who called it “Mongoloid Idiocy.” It occurs among all races, and is rare. The disease was known as Mongolism well into the 1960s, when it was renamed after the British doctor. Name this disease.

1. Margadarshi Sesha Iyengar
6. Robert E. Lee
7. Land reforms, Zamindari system
8. Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Idéfix wrote:The usual rule: no googling please!

1. This early composer of Carnatic classical music is credited with establishing the krithi form of composition that was later perfected by Thyagaraja. He composed his best works during a 12-year imprisonment: about 300 songs and a book of more than 100 poems in classical meter. Name him. 

i didn't know about the imprisonment, but i think this is none other than bhadrachala ramadas.

Idéfix wrote:

3. The name of this public plaza means “gate of heavenly peace.” It is named after a nearby structure built in 1420 as the entrance to an imperial capital city. Name the plaza and the city it is located in.

buland darwaza in fatehpur sikhri.

Idéfix wrote:

10. This condition was first described in 1862 by a British physician, who called it “Mongoloid Idiocy.” It occurs among all races, and is rare. The disease was known as Mongolism well into the 1960s, when it was renamed after the British doctor. Name this disease.

downs syndrome?

Clarification on question 9: the three ranges are for IQ. One of the terms was used for people with IQ between 0 and 25, another for people with IQ between 26 and 50, and the third for those with IQ between 51 and 70.

indophile wrote:1. Margadarshi Sesha Iyengar

No.

indophile wrote:6. Robert E. Lee

Correct.

indophile wrote:7. Land reforms, Zamindari system

Correct. The English saw it as reform, although it wreaked havoc on the Indian masses. The new system made zamindars much more powerful than they were under the old system, and brought to India the European / British form of feudalism with all-powerful landlords and tenant farmers.

indophile wrote:8. Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Correct.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:The usual rule: no googling please!

1. This early composer of Carnatic classical music is credited with establishing the krithi form of composition that was later perfected by Thyagaraja. He composed his best works during a 12-year imprisonment: about 300 songs and a book of more than 100 poems in classical meter. Name him. 

i didn't know about the imprisonment, but i think this is none other than bhadrachala ramadas.

Correct. His given name was Kancherla Gopanna. He was imprisoned in Golconda because he siphoned off government revenues to build a temple in Bhadrachalam. He was released when the sultan dreamed about Rama and Lakshmana returning the money to him on Gopanna's behalf.

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

3. The name of this public plaza means “gate of heavenly peace.” It is named after a nearby structure built in 1420 as the entrance to an imperial capital city. Name the plaza and the city it is located in.

buland darwaza in fatehpur sikhri.

Good guess, but no. Buland Darwaza means "strong gate."

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

10. This condition was first described in 1862 by a British physician, who called it “Mongoloid Idiocy.” It occurs among all races, and is rare. The disease was known as Mongolism well into the 1960s, when it was renamed after the British doctor. Name this disease.

downs syndrome?

Correct. The physician was John Langdon Down.

Idéfix wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:The usual rule: no googling please!

1. This early composer of Carnatic classical music is credited with establishing the krithi form of composition that was later perfected by Thyagaraja. He composed his best works during a 12-year imprisonment: about 300 songs and a book of more than 100 poems in classical meter. Name him. 

i didn't know about the imprisonment, but i think this is none other than bhadrachala ramadas.

Correct. His given name was Kancherla Gopanna. He was imprisoned in Golconda because he siphoned off government revenues to build a temple in Bhadrachalam. He was released when the sultan dreamed about Rama and Lakshmana returning the money to him on Gopanna's behalf.

can you say synthesis! who was this sultan?

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:The usual rule: no googling please!

1. This early composer of Carnatic classical music is credited with establishing the krithi form of composition that was later perfected by Thyagaraja. He composed his best works during a 12-year imprisonment: about 300 songs and a book of more than 100 poems in classical meter. Name him. 

i didn't know about the imprisonment, but i think this is none other than bhadrachala ramadas.

Correct. His given name was Kancherla Gopanna. He was imprisoned in Golconda because he siphoned off government revenues to build a temple in Bhadrachalam. He was released when the sultan dreamed about Rama and Lakshmana returning the money to him on Gopanna's behalf.

can you say synthesis! who was this sultan?

Indeed! The sultan was Abul Hassan Tanashah. He also started the tradition of the Hyderabad ruler sending pearls to be used as talambrAlu* in the annual wedding ceremony performed for Rama and Sita at Bhadrachalam on Sriramanavami. The government of Andhra Pradesh keeps up that tradition now. The same sultan also gave the village of Kuchipudi as an agraharam to the practitioners of the dance form we now know by that name.

* talambrAlu are rice grains that the bride and groom pour on each other's heads as part of the wedding ceremony.

Idéfix wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

3. The name of this public plaza means “gate of heavenly peace.” It is named after a nearby structure built in 1420 as the entrance to an imperial capital city. Name the plaza and the city it is located in.

buland darwaza in fatehpur sikhri.

Good guess, but no. Buland Darwaza means "strong gate."

The tanks rolled over protesters there. Beijing. Tiananmen.

7. It was recent. So 1950s.

2. Carter, Bush Sr. and Clinton?

5. Civil war general Grant? Can't be Eisenhower (Ike)

Idéfix wrote:
Indeed! The sultan was Abul Hassan Tanashah. He also started the tradition of the Hyderabad ruler sending pearls to be used as talambrAlu* in the annual wedding ceremony performed for Rama and Sita at Bhadrachalam on Sriramanavami. The government of Andhra Pradesh keeps up that tradition now. The same sultan also gave the village of Kuchipudi as an agraharam to the practitioners of the dance form we now know by that name.

* talambrAlu are rice grains that the bride and groom pour on each other's heads as part of the wedding ceremony.

tala = head; praalu = rice. tala-praalu with the sandhi operation becomes talambraalu.
"Tanashah" literally means dictator.

Hellsangel wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:

Idéfix wrote:

3. The name of this public plaza means “gate of heavenly peace.” It is named after a nearby structure built in 1420 as the entrance to an imperial capital city. Name the plaza and the city it is located in.

buland darwaza in fatehpur sikhri.

Good guess, but no. Buland Darwaza means "strong gate."

The tanks rolled over protesters there. Beijing. Tiananmen.

Correct.

Hellsangel wrote:7. It was recent. So 1950s.

Correct, 1957.

Hellsangel wrote:2. Carter, Bush Sr.  and Clinton?

Carter is correct ("see no evil"). The other two are wrong.

Hellsangel wrote:5. Civil war general Grant? Can't be Eisenhower (Ike)

Correct. His given name was Hiram Ulysses Grant. A clerical error made that Ulysses S. Grant.

Here is an update.

2. Then US Senator Bob Dole said this as three US presidents stood next to each other at a White House event: "There they are. See no evil, hear no evil, and...evil." Name the three presidents.

Hint: The first one is Jimmy Carter. The other two held the office before Carter.

9. The terms moron, idiot, and imbecile are used as insults today. But in the early 20th century, psychologists had precise definitions for each term, corresponding to different IQ ranges. The three ranges are: 0-25, 26-50, and 51-70. Match these ranges with the three terms. 

Hint: I ordered the three terms and three ranges in the question so that no term matches its range. That is, "moron" does NOT correspond to the IQ range 0-25, idiot does NOT correspond to the range 26-50, and imbecile does NOT correspond to the range 51-70.

1. This early composer of Carnatic classical music is credited with establishing the krithi form of composition that was later perfected by Thyagaraja. He composed his best works during a 12-year imprisonment: about 300 songs and a book of more than 100 poems in classical meter. Name him.

>>Shyama Shastri? 

2. Then US Senator Bob Dole said this as three US presidents stood next to each other at a White House event: "There they are. See no evil, hear no evil, and...evil." Name the three presidents.

>>>Reagan, Bush Sr., Carter

3. The name of this public plaza means “gate of heavenly peace.” It is named after a nearby structure built in 1420 as the entrance to an imperial capital city. Name the plaza and the city it is located in.

>>>Tianenmen Square

4. The phrase “In God We Trust” is printed on American banknotes. In which decade did this phrase first appear on American banknotes? (a) 1790s (b) 1830s (c) 1860s (c) 1900s (d) 1950s

>>>1950's

5. His parents gave him the first name Hiram. But when he went to college at West Point, a clerk used his middle name as his first name. Friends called him Sam. During peacetime, he failed at several enterprises, including bill collecting and farming potatoes. He had a reputation for excessive drinking. He went on to become a two-term president of the United States. Name him.

>>>Dwight Eisenhower 

6. Arlington National Cemetery was established during the US Civil War. The person responsible for finding a site for the new cemetery chose the grounds of Arlington House, which was the pre-war residence of a Confederate soldier; he chose to bury the Union dead on his lawn as revenge for fighting the Union. Name the Confederate soldier who used to live at Arlington House before the Civil War began.  

>>>Jefferson Davis?



8. This city is located at the confluence of the Mississippi with its tributary the Yazoo. This small city played a key role in the US Civil War, as an impregnable Confederate bastion located atop a high bluff overlooking the river. During much of the war, this city was the only link between the two halves of the Confederacy – Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri on the west, and the rest to the east. The city finally fell to Union forces on July 4, 1863 – coincidentally the same day the Battle of Gettysburg ended in a Union victory. The city therefore did not celebrate Independence Day for the next 80 years. Name the city.

>>>Appomatox? 

9. The terms moron, idiot, and imbecile are used as insults today. But in the early 20th century, psychologists had precise definitions for each term, indicating different ranges of intelligence. The three ranges are: 0-25, 26-50, and 51-70. Match these ranges with the three terms. 

0-25 Imbecile; 26-50 Idiot, 51-70 Moron

10. This condition was first described in 1862 by a British physician, who called it “Mongoloid Idiocy.” It occurs among all races, and is rare. The disease was known as Mongolism well into the 1960s, when it was renamed after the British doctor. Name this disease.

>>>Down's Syndrome

Kris wrote:
1. Shyama Shastri? 

No, it is Bhadrachala Ramadasu, born Kancherla Gopanna.

Kris wrote:2. Reagan, Bush Sr., Carter

No, the first one is Carter. The other two served before him.

Kris wrote:3. Tianenmen Square

Correct.

Kris wrote:4. 1950's

Correct, 1957.

Kris wrote:5. Dwight Eisenhower 

No, it is Ulysses S. Grant.

Kris wrote:6. Jefferson Davis?

No, it is Robert E. Lee.

Kris wrote:8. Appomatox? 

No, it is Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Kris wrote:9. 0-25  Imbecile; 26-50 Idiot, 51-70 Moron

Moron is correct. The other two are wrong, but that gives away the answer. The correct answer is: 0-25 Idiot, 26-50 Imbecile, 51-70 Moron.

Kris wrote:10. Down's Syndrome

Correct.

Can you post an update?

Just one question remains...

2. Then US Senator Bob Dole said this as three US presidents stood next to each other at a White House event: "There they are. See no evil, hear no evil, and...evil." Name the three presidents.

Hint 1: The first one is Jimmy Carter. The other two held the office before Carter.
Hint 2: It should be easy to guess who "evil" is. "Hear no evil" served during the time between "evil" and Carter.

Carter, Ford, Nixon?

indophile wrote:Carter, Ford, Nixon?

Correct. All questions are answered now.