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.
One: Think laterally and connect the three elements below. What do they have in common?
- A shrub that causes an itchy rash on contact
- A popular character from ‘The Wizard of Oz’
- A cute mascot of a computer operating system
Two: A certain team recently achieved a remarkable feat—the first in nearly two decades. It drew a record number of viewers—though the reason for all that attention was not playing on the field. Name the sporting achievement.
Three: Connect the three novels in the collage below—‘Girti Divaren’ by Upendranath Ashk, ‘Gujrat Pakistan Se Gujrat Hindustan’ by Krishna, and ‘Pachpan Khambhe Lal Deewaren’ by Usha Priyamvada. Hint: Their connection won a major literary prize a couple of years back.
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the third edition of the splainer quiz:
One: The graphic designer in the photograph below created the now iconic brand imagery for a city. It was part of an advertising campaign launched in the mid-1970s to combat the negative perception of the city—which was associated with crime and bankruptcy. Today, there is some version of the same in almost every megacity and town across the world.
Answer: I LOVE NY or I ♥ NY
Originating in the mid-70s, the symbol emerged from an advertising initiative commissioned by New York State. The campaign aimed not only to boost tourism but also to uplift the morale of New York residents during a challenging period in the state's history. The version that we are familiar with was the brainchild of renowned designer Milton Glaser who came up with in “about ten seconds.” Graham Clifford created the latest version of Glaser's logo, now presented as "We ♥ NYC” for a campaign supported by Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams.
Two: Which expression of affection connects an Austrian painter whose most popular work depicts two lovers in embrace and is housed in a Vienna museum; a confectionary giant; and the rock band shown below in their digital avatars?
Answer: Kiss—The Kiss, Hershey’s Kisses, and KISS.
The top image is of painter Gustav Klimt. ‘The Kiss’ (1907-1908) stands out as his most renowned and widely reproduced work, a vivid celebration of sexual love and one of the key paintings of Klimt's "Golden Phase." Introduced in 1907, the little chocolate drops, Hershey’s Kisses with their trademarked plumes are a Valentine’s holiday mainstay. Last December, the iconic rock band Kiss concluded their farewell tour with a final live performance. Moving forward, the band revealed that they will perform as digital avatars.
Three: Carefully watch the video clip below—taken from a 2016 Hindi film. Identify the monument of love in the backdrop—built in memory of a spouse—in the 17th century. No, it isn’t that one.
Answer: Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, Aurangabad
The Bibi-Ka-Maqbara stands as a splendid mausoleum dedicated to Rabia-ul-Daurani, also known as Dilras Banu Begum, the spouse of the Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb (1658-1707 A.D.). Constructed between 1651 and 1661 A.D., this exquisite monument is believed to have been built by Prince Azam Shah in loving memory of his mother. It is often referred to as the ‘Taj of Deccan.’ The clip is from the 2016 film ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’, with the fictional sequence depicting the time Sakshi Dhoni was studying at the Institute of Hotel Management Aurangabad.
And the winners are…
Here are the top five scorers for the third week of February. Congratulations!
