A list of puzzling questions
Editor’s note: Every week, 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 January winners!
One: How would you connect Gabriela (on the left) from Canada with Matthew (on the right) from Australia—apart from the fact that the two athletes play the same sport. Hint: The connection recently made India proud.
Two: The farewell tour for the band of this singer-songwriter (photographed below) birthed a phenomenal event. Name this “extraordinarily impressive” annual gathering—which started in the early 1990s and made its debut in Asia last year?
Three: Think laterally and identify the neo-noir cinematic connection among the three images below: an Asian head of government; one of Hollywood’s most recognizable faces; and a late veteran journalist known for bringing flavours of India to TV.
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the third edition of the splainer quiz:
One: The face paintings photographed below involve a meticulous process. The base coat is white or yellow—and vibrant colours that symbolise different attributes are painted on top of them. For example, red denotes bravery while black signifies fierceness. Each painting also has its own distinctive style and symbolism. Identify the performing artform that is associated with these face paintings.
Answer: Theyyam
Theyyam is an ancient ritualistic performance art deeply ingrained in the cultural and religious heritage of northern Kerala, India. Each unique Theyyam performance represents a specific deity, ancestor, or mythological character, serving as a means to invoke their presence and blessings. Artists carefully craft intricate designs on performers' faces, turning them into divine beings, mythical figures, and ancestral spirits. These drawings visually tell the story being enacted, capturing the emotions and essence of the character in the performance.
Two: Established in 2011, Pundole's is a privately owned auction house in Mumbai. One of the team members, Mallika (in the pic below), specialises in Modern and Contemporary Indian Art. Late last year, she broke a 16-year streak and demonstrated her abilities on a completely different platform in Dubai. Name the event.
Answer: IPL Auctions 2024
Mallika Sagar became the first female auctioneer in India Premier League history, when she took charge of the auction on 19 December 2023. Previously, Mallika had been the auctioneer for the Pro-Kabaddi League, and the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL). Mallika commenced her career at Christie's—and was the first Indian auctioneer at the auction house.
Three: In terms of protocol, this is the highest honour that is accorded by our country. The process begins six months in advance and all political, military, and economic interests are taken into consideration while making this decision. The first recipient of this honour was the gentleman photographed below in 1950. Name the latest recipient.
Answer: France’s President Emmanuel Macron
Sukarno, the first President of Indonesia was the chief guest of the first ever Republic Day parade on January 26, 1950. French President Emmanuel Macron was the Chief Guest at the recent Republic Day Parade—marking the sixth and the highest occurrence for any country.
And the super quizzer for January is…
Here is the leaderboard at the end of January 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!
