The Quiz

Monday August 19 2024

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 Monday. 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 499 in value—so it’s pretty darn good:)

Rule to note: We will pick winners each month using a lucky draw.

The answers: to the previous week’s quiz are at the bottom—as are the winners for the second week of August.

One: This nature park is the realisation of a businessman’s cherished vision. Take a closer look at the swirling patterns and name the visual masterpiece it was inspired by. Bonus points if you can name its location (5 + 5).

Two: Think laterally and connect the following elements to identify a suave gin & vodka connoisseur.

a) A British F1 team

b) Golden boy with his golden gun

c) Neil Armstrong’s timely companion in space

Three: Celebrating its diamond jubilee in 2024, this institution’s Indo-British architectural style merges local and colonial influences. Symbolic of order and unity, who is seated under the centrepiece of this building?

About last week’s quiz…

Here are the answers to the previous edition of the splainer quiz:

One: This stamp was issued to commemorate the centennial birth anniversary of a friend of the nation. Not alive to see the withering democratic spirit, identify him or his scion, who is currently making headlines.

Answer: Sheikh Mujibur Rahman or Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh and its first Prime Minister was affectionately known as Bangabandhu, 'Friend of Bengal.' India issued the above stamp in honour of Mujib Year, from 7 March 2020 to 26 March, 2021, which was later extended. After weeks of protests and political turmoil, his daughter Sheikh Hasina resigned as Prime Minister and fled Bangladesh. As unrest spread across the country, angry mobs climbed and pulled down Mujib's golden statue, reminiscent of the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Iraq.

Two: In this clip, the facade of a Spanish UNESCO World Heritage Site is illuminated with digital artwork. Which renowned modernist architect is this a tribute to?

Answer: Antoni Gaudí

Antoni Gaudí, a key figure in Catalan Modernism, blended Neo-Gothic, Oriental, and Art Nouveau influences into his intricate design. Casa Batlló became the first UNESCO World Heritage Site to be turned into a dynamic NFT, using real-time climate data from the city to animate its facade by Refik Anadol, a pioneer in the aesthetics of machine intelligence. Known locally as ‘House of Bones’ due to its skeletal and organic appearance, the building features animal-like shapes, vine-inspired curves, and glistening ceramic and glass details. Check out the full mapping video here.

Three: As we say farewell to the Paris 2024 Olympics, what one word connects the ‘Swedish Timothée Chalamet’ with the charming purple track?

Answer: Mondo

Sweden's Armand Duplantis set a new pole vault world record of 6.25 m while winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. He retained his Olympic pole vault title as he broke the world record for the ninth time. Popularly known as Mondo, the Italian word for world, it actually comes from his godfather, who called him ‘Mondo Man.’ The purple athletics track is made from recycled Mediterranean mollusk shells, reflecting the Games' dedication to sustainability. The Mondo Group has made every Olympic track since the 1976 Olympics. Based in Alba, Italy, the company is named after its founder, Edmondo Stroppiana. As we set our eyes on Los Angeles 2028, remember that we will always have Paris!