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: This social scientist (pictured below) is known for ground-breaking work in the fields of sociology and social anthropology. In an essay, he coined a term that evolved over time and is now used all the time—especially by politicians and the media—during election season. Identify the term.
Two: This flag represents four linguistically related ‘nations’– which together form a larger ethnic group. Identify the recent shoutout this group received at a global awards ceremony.
Three: The statuette shown below is handed to winners of a national award—who also receive Rs 1.5 million (15 lakh) as reward. This award has four categories: land, water, air, and adventure. Name the pioneer this award is named after.
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the third edition of the splainer quiz:
One: This is a painting from 1898 that recreates a historic meeting that took place 400 years prior to the creation of the artwork. There are two parts to this question, each carries 5 points:
- Who is standing in front of the throne?
- What is the title of the ruler presiding over the throne?
Answer: Vasco da Gama and Zamorin of Calicut
Painted by the Portuguese artist Veloso Salgado in 1898, the painting ‘Vasco da Gama before the Zamorin of Calicut’ shows Vasco da Gama delivering the letter of King Manuel I of Portugal to the Zamorin of Calicut, India. Between the 14th and 16th centuries CE, Calicut experienced its 'Golden Age,' a prosperous period shaped by the Zamorins, a dynasty that governed for about 500 years. The Zamorins originated from Nediyirippu in Ernad, now part of Malappuram district in Kerala.
Two: Take a good look and identify the compatriot being honoured by the French football team on their birth anniversary.
Answer: Louis Braille
To celebrate Louis Braille's 200th birth anniversary, the French Football Federation paid tribute by inscribing players' names in Braille, a touching gesture. Braille, born in January 1809 and blinded at three, invented the raised-dot system enabling blind individuals to read.
Three: This production house (logo pictures below) has already released a sports documentary and a Tamil mass entertainer. Among its upcoming projects is a mythological-thriller set in the 21st century. Name the production house.
Answer: Dhoni Entertainment Private Limited (DEPL)
Founded in 2019, Dhoni Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a production house promoted by cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his wife Sakshi, believes that mass communication is a superpower and should be used responsibly. Their maiden production venture, Tamil film LGM - Let’s Get Married released in theatres in July 2023. They have also purchased the rights of best-selling English novel, ‘The Hidden Hindu’, a mythological sci-fi trilogy authored by Akshat Gupta.
And the winners are…
Here are the top five scorers for the third week of January. Congratulations!
