A list of puzzling questions
Editor’s note: Every Tuesday, we feature three questions from our quiz master Shantanu Sharma—who is a researcher-writer and has a side hustle as a professional quiz guru. He’d love to hear from you—so send your feedback/suggestions or just say ‘hi’ over at sharmashantanu312@gmail.com or @shantorasbox on Twitter.
How this works: Every correct answer is worth 10 points. If a question has multiple parts, each is worth 5 points. You have until Friday 12 pm to send in your answers to talktous@splainer.in or via DMs on Insta or Twitter. The correct answers will be published every Tuesday—as will the monthly leaderboard. The grand prize for the winner at the end of the month: a quarterly subscription for anyone of your choice—including the option of adding three months to your sub. That’s Rs 899 in value—so it’s pretty darn good:) Rule to note: this is all about who sends in the correct answers first.
The answers: to the previous week’s quiz are at the bottom—as are our December winners!
One: Something momentous happened at a party held 50 years ago. The hosts were two siblings (shown in pic below). The sister took care of the guest list, while the brother was in charge of the music. What was born in that party—growing from a New York borough fad to become a worldwide sensation?
Two: The woman in the photo below was tasked with a very important fashion project. As part of her homework, she studied the iconic styles of Sadhana, Sharmila Tagore, and even Jacqueline Kennedy. But a great part of her research focused on the Anglo-Indian community. Where would you have seen the fruits of the devoted labour recently?
Three: As we say goodbye to 2023, how would you connect the seemingly disparate images shown below? Hint: Each is #1 in its category.
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the third edition of the splainer quiz:
One: The inventor of this sport had a great passion for games and competitions. While target shooting with a popular toy, he had the bright idea to build an entirely new professional sport around it—with dedicated courses and tournaments. Name the sport—which uses the toy but has the basic structure of another popular professional sport. Hint: An element of the game is pictured below.
Answer: Disc Golf.
While working as a designer at the company Wham-O, “Steady” Ed Headrick patented the modern Frisbee design. In 1976, he founded the Disc Golf Association (DGA) with a mission to establish a global sport and encourage the creation of disc golf courses worldwide. He coined and trademarked the term ‘Disc Golf’. It is played like golf— instead of a ball and clubs, players use a flying disc.
Two: Connect the four elements shown below. They belong to a popular set of 26—that bring precision and clarity in long-distance communications.
Answer: NATO spelling alphabets or NATO codewords or ICAO phonetic/spelling alphabet. These are O for Oscar, I for India, X for X-Ray, and G for Golf.
Before audio communication became prevalent, reliance on written letters didn't pose an issue. However, with the rise of audio communication, clarity became crucial. The International Telecommunications Union crafted the initial phonetic alphabet in the 1920s, confirmed by NATO. In 1956, NATO allies united under a single phonetic alphabet, making minor adjustments to a previous version that was universally adopted.
Three: The screengrab below shows Frank Sinatra in the titular role of a detective in a film—based on a 1966 novel. The book’s sequel was also turned into a film in the late 1980s—establishing the lead actor as a legendary action hero. Name the sequel’s screen adaptation. Hint: It’s a fitting question to ask with the holiday season around the corner.
Answer: ‘Die Hard’ (1988)
‘Die Hard’ is based on Roderick Thorp’s 1979 novel ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’. Bruce Willis portrayed New York City detective John McClane transforming him from an unfamiliar face into a Hollywood icon. Set on Christmas eve, there is an ongoing debate on whether it can be considered a Christmas movie. Here’s a YouTube video that makes a case for it.
And the super quizzer for December is…
Here is the leaderboard at the end of December. Congratulations to the top 5 for acing the splainer quiz! We will be emailing you soon with details of your prize—a quarterly splainer sub!
