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 month of April.
One: These real-life heroes inspired two recent on-screen adaptations. Name them. FYI: their stories are unrelated. (5+5)
Two: What phrase marking an annual event connects the merch below? Also name the manufacturer. (5+5)
Three: Identify this sporting legend proudly applauding as his long-held record is finally broken. Also name the record. (5+5)
About last week’s quiz…
Here are the answers to the previous edition of the splainer quiz:
One: Name this annual honour that is guaranteed to make you laugh. Which veteran host is its latest recipient? (5+5)
Answer: Mark Twain Prize and Conan O’Brien
Conan O’Brien received the 26th Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center on March 23. The award honours comedians who, like Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), have made a lasting impact on American culture through humour. Some of the past winners include Whoopi Goldberg, George Carlin, and Eddie Murphy.
Known for his inventive style, O’Brien has won five Emmys and was president of The Harvard Lampoon. He’s written for Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, and continues to push comedic boundaries. You can watch his acceptance speech here.
Two: Join these lateral hints to work out an ‘in-news’ Latin American connection.
a) Not old
b) Special means of transport
Answer: Pope of the Catholic Church
Pope Francis (born in Buenos Aires, Argentina) passed away on April 21, at the age of 88, in his residence at the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. In the 2016 series ‘The Young Pope’, Jude Law portrayed Lenny Belardo (Pius XIII), the youngest and first US pope, known for his chain-smoking and controversial stance on Vatican reforms.
As for the second clue, Pope Francis used to wave to thousands of guests from his all-electric popemobile, a special vehicle used to transport the pope as he visits members of the public, featuring an elevated seat for better visibility.
Three: Wordplay at work—combine a type of dismissal with a defining physical feature to name this podcast.
Answer: Beard Before Wicket
What began as a simple text turned into a whole podcast within a week. ‘Beard Before Wicket’ is hosted by digital creator Nubaid Haroon, with cricket stars Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, blending insightful cricket discussion with personality and humour, delivered every Sunday. Nubaid, known for his work with Sky and BBC brings his expertise and flair to the mic in a show where cricket meets culture. The podcast has already featured in Spotify’s Top 50 and has caught the attention of major players like Ben Stokes, Virat Kohli, and Eoin Morgan.
And the super quizzer is…
Manish. Congratulations on winning the bumper quiz!
How we picked the winner: We continue our new system which involves a lucky draw among those with the most correct answers. You can see the lucky draw below:
Here is the leaderboard at the end of April. Congratulations to the lucky three for acing the splainer quiz! We will be emailing you soon with details of your prize—a quarterly splainer sub!
