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 fourth week of September.
One: This versatile dancer's on-screen antics—as a character with an insatiable appetite—scared the wits out of the audience. Name either: the character he portrayed, OR the record-breaking film.
Two: Jam with the lateral hints to work out the talk of the town.
a) SpongeBob’s friend
b) Old school catalogue with distinctive colour
c) AI-generated album art
Three: The two players in the middle are now filling the shoes of the blanked-out legend on the left. Which big dawg/stepper are they replacing?
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the previous edition of the splainer quiz:
One: Which ongoing challenge brings together some of the sharpest minds to vie for the honour of winning these trophies?
Answer: Chess Olympiad
A record 193 teams in the Open section and 181 in the Women's competition are competing at the 45th edition of the Chess Olympiad in Budapest from September 10-23. The winning team in the Open section takes home the Hamilton-Russell Cup, named after its donor, a British attorney, while the Vera Menchik Cup is named after the first Women's World Chess Champion. FYI: Team India won their first ever gold in both Open and Women's categories at the FIDE Chess Olympiad tournament in Budapest on September 23. Indian Express has more on their terrific performance.
Two: Think laterally to figure out this person who belongs to a finite set of three people to hold a particular position.
a) “Too sexy for you to get a hold of her”
b) Yes, comrades!
Answer: Sushma Swaraj
The two images were lateral hints to Sheila Dixit (Katarina Kaif referencing ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’) and Atishi—who has now become the interim CM. She is the third woman Chief Minister of the Union Territory after Sushma Swaraj and Sheila Dixit.
As for the third hint, Atishi, dropped her "Marlena" surname, given to her by her Leftist parents after combining the surnames of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.
Three: Take a close look at this building and figure out its name. Hint: Dedicated to a nation’s cultural heritage, it is located in an Asian capital city.
Answer: Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum
Known as the Azerbaijan State Museum of Carpet and Folk Applied Arts from 1967 to 1993, the museum has undergone several name changes, now known as the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum since 2019. In 2010, UNESCO recognized Azerbaijani carpets as a “Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage,” and in 2014, the museum moved to its present new building resembling a rolled carpet, designed by Austrian architect Franz Janz, in the seaside park. The museum's three floors trace the evolution of Azerbaijani carpet weaving, showcasing early techniques, regional styles, traditional motifs, and contemporary designs.
And the winners are…
Here are the top five scorers for the fourth week of September. Congratulations!
