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Vol. XXX No. 6, July 1-15, 2020
Quizzin’ With Ramanan
Beginning with this issue, quizmaster V.V. Ramanan’s first 10 questions will be on current affairs, and the next 10 will be on a specific theme. The inaugural theme is Indian classical music.
1. Following the withdrawal of the USA, which private foundation is set to become the largest funder of the World Health Organisation (WHO)?
2. Name the spacecraft that was launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket recently in the first crewed orbital spaceflight by a private company.
3. After how many years has Liverpool won English football’s top-flight title?
4. Which news-making water body starts in Aksai Chin and flows into the Shyok river?
5. Which giant pharmaceutical and life-sciences company has said it will pay $10 billion to resolve thousands of lawsuits regarding claims that a Monsanto herbicide causes cancer?
6. Name the new feature in Twitter where tweets automatically disappear after 24 hours.
7. Name the chip, created by IIT-Bombay that can be mounted in smartphones and navigation devices to find places and routes within the country?
8. What is the value of the grand stimulus package announced by the PM under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan?
9. Name the legendary spinner, who passed away recently and who held the record for most wickets in Ranji Trophy (637) but never played for India.
10. According to official government figures released in mid-June, which State has provided the most number of employments under MGNREGA?
11. Which saint-composer is considered the ‘Pitamaha’ of Carnatic music?
12. Name the second male classical musician to receive the Bharat Ratna.
13. Apart from being figures in Indian myth, what are Agni, Rudra, Brahma, Vasu in Carnatic music?
14. Which instrument is the modern version of the ‘Shata-Tantri-Veena’ which had a hundred strings?
15. If the Mudra (signature) for Shyama Shastri was ‘Shyama Krishna’, what was it for MuthuswamiDikshithar?
16. Add two more names to Chinnaya and Sivanandam and what were the four collectively called?
17. A variation of the Jew’s Harp is played in kutcheris. What is its common Indian name?
18. In the decade 2010-19, six women have been conferred the Sangita Kalanidhi title by the Music Academy. Name them.
19. To which ‘Gharanas’ do Pt. Ravi Shankar and Bhimsen Joshi belong?
20. Carnatic music terms like SaraliVarisai, Mohanam, Tukkada and Sruthi Betham are placeholders in which award-winning Tamil film?
Answers to Quiz1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2. Crew Dragon Endeavour, 3. 30 years, 4. Galwan river, 5. Bayer AG, 6. Fleets, 7. Dhruva, 8. Rs. 20 lakh crore, 9. Rajinder Goel, 10. Uttar Pradesh.
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11. Purandaradasa, 12. Ustad Bismillah Khan, 13. They are among the 12 Chakras that split the Melakartharagas, 14. Santoor, 15. Guruguha, 16. Vadivelu and Ponnaya and they are referred to as ‘Thanjavur Quartet’, 17. Morsing, 18. Bombay Sisters (Saroja and Lalitha), Sudha Raghunathan, A. Kanyakumari, Aruna Sairam, and S. Sowmya, 19. Maihar and Kirana respectively, 20. K. Balachander’s ‘Apoorva Raagangal’.
