A list of puzzling questions: The music edition
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 first week of February.
One: The two gentlemen below share the second spot in the number of awards to their name. Name the person at the coveted top position, winning for the fourth time this year.
Two: Piece together these lateral clues to work out the connection (the list has 5 more entries in this category).
a) a poker variant
b) I like my coffee concentrated and served in shots
c) Since these avian creatures are flocking together, they are…
Three: Who put up this cautionary note outside the door as some of the biggest names gathered under one roof four decades ago?
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the previous edition of the splainer quiz:
One: Which champion athlete is posing here with their dedicated supporters? Also, take a good look and name the fan group. (5+5)
Answer: Jannik Sinner and Carota Boys or Carrot Boys
Jannik Sinner proved why he’s the world’s top men's tennis player by winning his second consecutive Australian Open title. This was Sinner’s third Grand Slam title. The Carota Boys, a group of six friends from northern Italy, are hard to miss at Sinner’s matches. Dressed in bright orange carrot costumes, they cheer loudly for Sinner, who hails from the same region. The name was inspired by a moment when Sinner ate a carrot during a match in Vienna, though some fans also link the carrots to Sinner’s orange hair.
Two: Work out a proud annual connection.
a) the late-great actor
b) lawyer & social activist
c) Substitute one vowel for another and name the mythological character who turned traitor against his demon-king brother
Answer: Padma Awards
The three images are of actor Sridevi; public interest lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan, and Vibhishana (replacing the second ‘u’ with ‘i’), the disloyal defector to his elder brother Ravana. The Padma Awards, established in 1954, are among India's highest civilian honors, announced annually on Republic Day. The awards are given in three categories: Padma Vibhushan: For exceptional and distinguished service; Padma Bhushan: For distinguished service of a higher order; and Padma Shri: For distinguished service. Read more about the 2025 winners here.
Three: Which 20th-century modernist novel in English is humorously summarized by the Booker Prize winner?
Answer: ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce
The widely celebrated author Salman Rushdie admitted that reading ‘Ulysses’ in university almost discouraged him from becoming a writer. He was so awed by James Joyce’s masterpiece that he wondered: “What else is left to do?”
Written in Trieste, Zurich, and Paris, ‘Ulysses’ unfolds over a single day in Dublin in 1904, set against a backdrop of historical turmoil. The literary masterpiece celebrated its centenary in 2022. The clip in question is taken from a 2014 conversation in Copenhagen. Watch the full video here.
And the winners are…
Here are the top five scorers for the first week of February. Congratulations!
