The BizTech, Math, Econ and Everything QuizMoments ’16, Lady Shri Ram College for Women Researched and Conducted by:Aastha Mathur and Balasubramanyam

Pattath

Finals

3 rounds

Dry round 15 questions Written round 5 questions Dry round 15 questions

Dry Round

15 questions

Infinite bounce +10

Pounce +10,-5

Clockwise

All the best

1 An exhibition match in the Brazil Open in Sao

Paulo between Roberto Carballes Baena of Spain and Gastao Elias of Portugal garnered a lot of attention due to the presence of a group of 4 who were employed to perform a task that in the Wimbledon would require an application and passing an exam. They were employed to excite the crowd and more importantly to raise awareness about the importance of adoption.

Who were this group of 4 and what did they do?

4 shelter dogs

They were retrieving tennis balls at the Brazil Open exhibition game

2 A 1939 research paper by scientist Franz Müller

presented a hypothesised cause and effect in a study confirmed in 1943. This led to discouragement of something in the workplace, cinema halls and schools. Prohibition never happened as it was too important a source of revenue. But the research prompted the ‘first’ of a universal convention that is now practised in multiple forms through multiple mediums. It also led to a coinage _______ _______ as a result of another finding. The rationale of this coinage was to dis-incentivise people drawing upon the collateral damage of their actions.

What was the first and who was behind it? What term was coined?

The first anti-smoking ad by Hitler’s Germany.The term ‘passive smoking’ was coined.

3 Steve Capps, who was also an amateur tailor,

sewed a black rectangular cloth for his co-workers and asked Susan Kare to paint it after which it became a symbol of their philosophy and across-the-street rivalry. When Susan was asked why she decided to recreate her artistry over 30 years later, she said that it was at the request of someone who mailed her saying, 'I didn't come to join the damn Navy.‘

What is she talking about, that is now on sale for between $1900-$2500?

The pirate flag outside the Apple HQ

4 NTC, a company based in the USA came under

fire for its supply of products to a Florida Establishment after a customer who was called ‘racist’ by the staff, for having asked for a different product, posted a picture on social media which has since grabbed multiple eyeballs.

Expand NTC/ What do they supply? Ironically, why was the customer called racist? Image follows

National Target CompanyThis image was used in the establishment and he asked for a white person’s poster

5 To combat a challenge rather endemic to

Bangladesh, a nonprofit organization called Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha came up with a brilliant but unconventional solution. They built over a 100 schools which are solar powered and equipped with a laptop computer, Internet access, and a small library. Being a hybrid, whenever disaster strikes and every other school is closed for business, these are still operational. 

How are they unconventional?

Bangladesh School Boats

6 In 2002, the Ignobel prize for economics was

presented to the executives, corporate directors, and auditors of Enron, Kmart, Maxwell Communications, McKessonHBOC, Merrill Lynch, Merck, Reliant Resources, Sunbeam, Tyco, Arthur Andersen et al. It was given for adapting the ‘mathematical concept of __________ _______ for use in the business world’. All companies were forced to restate their financial reports due to false or incorrect accounting.

FITB

Imaginary Numbers

7 At the conclusion of the 1981 Wimbledon

Championships, in which an American tennis star had defeated his long-time Swedish rival, TV commentator Bud Collins took note of the July 4th holiday and the American’s red-white-and-blue attire, and quipped: "Stick a feather in his cap and call him ‘_________'!“

Who is the American tennis star? FITB.

John McEnroe, McEnroe-ni

8 The 2010 Music Video Telephone by Lady Gaga was

littered with product placements, with companies like Miracle Whip, Polaroid, Virgin Mobile, Hewlett Packard etc. as well as one multinational brand. The scene involving a specific product of the brand in question were a nod to her mother, who used to do a similar practice at home for cosmetic convenience and lack of better alternatives. The scene attracted a lot of attention in the form of tutorial videos with captions like ‘Lady Gaga is making us turn into____ _____,’ a term which in any other context would warrant lawsuits and visits by the DEA.

Explain the scene/ FITB.

Coke heads

9 George Bernard Dantzig was an

American mathematical scientist who made important contributions to operations research, computer science, economics, and statistics whose story led to the conceptualization of Good Will Hunting. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck found a clever way to choose the right studio by adding an unusual sex scene between Will and Chuckie on page 60.

Why did they add that?

They wanted to see which producers read the whole script, only those people would read

the weird sex scene and have a problem with it.

10 Advertisers generally bank on the theory that a

person in a happier frame of mind is easier to persuade and they influence product launches and first impressions to give that effect. In the cases of 2 versions of a certain generic product, one resembles a happy person with his arms raised while the other capitalises on the positive feeling given by an increase in the number of active segments and pixels.

What generic product and how exactly are the two versions advertised?

Watches10:10, 12:08

11 An event that started in 1934 with Horton Smith’s

efforts being remembered continued seamlessly till 1943 when due to World War II, it was halted till 1945. Instead of being left unused, the 7000 yard venue was utilised to assist the war effort owing to its construction, design and natural endowment.

What event/venue? How was it utilised to aid the war efforts?

Augusta National Golf Club

Cattle and Chicken were raised there to assist the World War efforts

12 Ashwin Sanghi, who wrote his first book, the

Rozabal Line, under the pseudonym Shawn Haigins faced difficulty in getting his self-published book off the shelves in 2007. Speaking at a session during the Jaipur Literature Festival in 2015, he recounted an incident in a Delhi bookstore with specifically designated aisles which he happened to visit in 2007 after he published the book where he saw copies of his unsold books in a dusty corner. He claims to have taken the books, wiped the dust clean and done something that went on to the books being republished by Westland in 2008 and the next books he wrote going on to sell like hot cakes.

What does he claim to have done?

He took copies of The Rozabal Line and placed them on the bestsellers table

13 The new logo of this establishment unveiled in

2010 incorporates the colour palettes of the Docklands’ and the Archaeology department’s new logos, feeding into the layers of the main brand mark while signifying the different maps of the city whose name is also a part of the establishment.

What establishment? Image follows

The Map of London at different points of time

14 PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the

accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. Run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida.

PolitiFact staffers research statements and rate their accuracy on the Truth-O-Meter, from True to False. The most ridiculous falsehoods get the lowest rating, _____ __ ____.

FITB

Pants on Fire

15 While many blame the overworked labour, an

alternate hypothesis is gaining popularity as to why a certain ‘phenomenon’ occurs. This claims that it creates a need to be recognised and the person would keep coming back hoping this day would result in a correction. It also links this to free publicity for the company as many people share this affront on various social platforms. There have been claims that the company now hires based on an ability to creatively perform this task, as opposed to correctly.

What ‘phenomenon’?

Why Starbucks misspells your names

Written Round

5 questions

10 points per correct answer

+20 for all 5

70 points up for grabs

Theme: Banks

1 Born in Georgia in 1904, Charles ‘Pretty Boy’

Floyd was known for his constant run-ins with police and violent bank robberies. Floyd was arrested for a payroll robbery in the mid-1920s and went on to rob numerous banks after his release. During his crime spree, bank insurance rates in Oklahoma were reported to have doubled. Because of a certain action a few years before his death in 1934 and because of his inclination to share his loot with others in need, he was often viewed favorably by Oklahoma locals, who called him "the Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills.“

What arsonous act of vandalism, that favourably impacted several in particularly difficult times?

2 Credito Emiliano, or Credem, a bank in northern

Italy offers cheap loans to farmers in order to liberate them from a cash flow problem and to sustain local agriculture. The bank charges interest at about 3% and a fee for its air-conditioned, humidified vaults for a 2 year term. If the borrowers default on the loan, the bank waits for the 2 year period to end in order to regain the money via the sale of the securities.

What specific securities are we talking about?

3 The Teikoku Bank which opened in 1925 came to

prominence in the July issue of American Bankers 21 years later because of a congratulatory letter written by a branch manager to the Mosler Co. of Hamilton. Earlier, a U.S. Army lieutenant’s letter to the company led to the president E.H. Mosler releasing a series of advertisements using its contents as a selling point for the involved product. This also led to the company winning various contracts during the Cold War, involving the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights and the then top secret congressional bunker at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia.

Identify the product in question. What had happened regarding the Teikoku Bank?

4 James Richard Verone, who was charged with the

$1 robbery of a RBC Bank in North Carolina, who has never been in trouble with the law before, in 2011, walked into the bank and handed the bank teller a note that read: “This is a bank robbery. Please give me $1” before sitting down and waiting for the police to arrive. His reasoning, as he explained it later, was based on a 2010 overhaul of a government system’s policies and a last resort decision owing to his personal life.

Why did he hold up the bank?

5 Investors in America between 1987 to 2006 used

an indicator to determine interest rate fluctuations, drawing from ‘sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups located above the right cornea’.

How did they estimate interest rate fluctuations?

Exchange Sheets

Written Round

5 question

10 points per correct answer

+20 for all 5

70 points up for grabs

Theme: Banks

1 Born in Georgia in 1904, Charles ‘Pretty Boy’

Floyd was known for his constant run-ins with police and violent bank robberies. Floyd was arrested for a payroll robbery in the mid-1920s and went on to rob numerous banks after his release. During his crime spree, bank insurance rates in Oklahoma were reported to have doubled. Because of a certain action a few years before his death in 1934 and because of his inclination to share his loot with others in need, he was often viewed favorably by Oklahoma locals, who called him "the Robin Hood of the Cookson Hills.“

What arsonous act of vandalism, that favourably impacted several in particularly difficult times?

During the Great Depression, he burned people’s mortgage papers and liberated

them from debt

2 Credito Emiliano, or Credem, a bank in northern

Italy offers cheap loans to farmers in order to liberate them from a cash flow problem and to sustain local agriculture. The bank charges interest at about 3% and a fee for its air-conditioned, humidified vaults for a 2 year term. If the borrowers default on the loan, the bank waits for the 2 year period to end in order to regain the money via the sale of the securities.

What specific securities are we talking about?

Parmesan cheese

3 The Teikoku Bank which opened in 1925 came to

prominence in the July issue of American Bankers 21 years later because of a congratulatory letter written by a branch manager to the Mosler Co. of Hamilton. Earlier, a U.S. Army lieutenant’s letter to the company led to the president E.H. Mosler releasing a series of advertisements using its contents as a selling point for the involved product. This also led to the company winning various contracts during the Cold War, involving the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights and the then top secret congressional bunker at the Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia.

Identify the product in question. What had happened regarding the Teikoku Bank?

They used vaults from Mosler co., which survived the Hiroshima Atom Bombs

4 James Richard Verone, who was charged with the

$1 robbery of a RBC Bank in North Carolina, who has never been in trouble with the law before, in 2011, walked into the bank and handed the bank teller a note that read: “This is a bank robbery. Please give me $1” before sitting down and waiting for the police to arrive. His reasoning, as he explained it later, was based on a 2010 overhaul of a government system’s policies and a last resort decision owing to his personal life.

Why did he hold up the bank?

To get free Obamacare in prison

5 Investors in America between 1987 to 2006 used

an indicator to determine interest rate fluctuations, drawing from ‘sudden, repetitive, nonrhythmic motor movement or vocalization involving discrete muscle groups located above the right cornea’.

How did they estimate interest rate fluctuations?

Dry Round

15 questions

Infinite bounce +10

Pounce +10,-5

Anti-Clockwise

All the best

16 What is considered as the most expensive piece

of boxing memorabilia in the world as of early 2015, when it sold for $334,600 through Heritage Auctions is a set of objects that led the Supreme Court to unanimously vote to reverse his conviction post his incarceration due to his refusal to accept Vietnam War conscription.

What were these objects?

Muhammad Ali’s Islamic exemption letters

17 A gesture of admiration, gratitude and saying

goodbye to someone you love used by certain residents when they have to say thanks or just to show that the person is loved and respected by them and as a signal of rebellion against the Capitol, has become a rallying symbol among pro-democracy protesters in Thailand and Hong Kong.

What specific gesture?

Three finger saluteThe Hunger Games

18 Created by German Electronics Company AEG in

the 1930s, the Magnetophon magnetic tape recorder had a 6.5 mm tape that could record 20 minutes per reel of high-quality analog audio sound. 

In 1946, Bob Burns’ extremely racy and off-color but hilarious folksy farm stories were thrown into a show which could not be broadcast for any sensitive crowd and the reel had to be partially abandoned.

What was born, out of the salvaged reels?

Canned Laughter

19 In Laurierville, Quebec, a former furniture factory

has been converted into a state-of-the-art security site where farmers using hand trucks and forklifts unload 600-pound barrels which are then graded by inspectors in a laboratory. After that, an assembly line empties the barrels, pasteurizes the contents and repackages them into fresh white or light blue steel drums.

The world’s largest stock of what are they protecting? Image follows.

Maple syrup

20 Although written by a Danish children’s writer in the

1800s, China’s Communist Party taught it as an example of capitalism’s brutality and heartlessness. The lessons about the brutality and selfishness of capitalist society such that the protagonist’s very life depended exclusively on commercial enterprise, and that capitalist class divisions promoted exploitation of poor underage workers were tested in the final exam, not to mention similar undertones being taught in relation to another work, published first by Charles Perrault in 1697.

Name both works.

CinderellaThe Little Match Girl

21 Warby Parker, an e-commerce company, co-

founded by Neil Blumenthal and David Gilboa in 2010, prides itself in offering prescription products at inexpensive prices by eliminating the middlemen and selling directly to consumers online.  Their most famous product, they sell at $95 and for each unit sold, the company gives another to someone in need through partnerships with non-profits, an action explained by a 2012 press release regarding a 2013 collaboration, “<blanked out> the original do-gooder and from day one Warby Parker set out to be a company that could be profitable, do good in the world..”

What is their most famous product and which collaboration?

Warby Parker eyeglassesMan of Steel

22 Texas instruments made some significant

changes in one of their devices after their v2000 QWERTY model. This was leading to a problem wherein the product couldn’t be used by it’s consumers on several important occasions they were intended for.

What did they change. Why was there an issue with the original model?

Tests like the SAT, ACT etc didn’t allow computers in the exam hall and many people mistook the old model for a PDA or computer.

23 In December 2008, after a long slump, Eric Roth

had just hit it big again as the screenwriter of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. But on the same day(26th Dec) he learned of his Golden Globe nomination for the film, he came to know about his involuntary involvement in a shocking turn of events that had unraveled a couple of weeks before, which prompted him to exclaim "I'm the biggest sucker who ever walked the face of the Earth. The tragedy is the people who lost their life savings and their dreams.“. The incident led to him filing a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against his “trusted investment manager,” Stanley Chais.

What had unraveled?

Madoff Investment Scam

24 Even before making its way into the modern

world, this device was used in British prisons as a cruel and unusual form of punishment. In 1818 Englishman and engineer Sir William Cubitt proposed using the convicts’ muscle power to simultaneously ‘cure’ their idleness and produce useful work. Called the ‘Everlasting Staircase, prisoners were forced to climb the spokes of this machine for six straight hours or more to pump water, grind grain or just for the punishment.

What modern day device?

Treadmills

25 Early in the 20th century, a court in Paris decided that

a title was too close to its main competitor, Pierre Giffard's Le Vélo. Thus reference to 'Vélo' was dropped and another significant change was made because Giffard used green as the main colour. During a crisis meeting called to tackle competition, a 26-year-old sports writer called Géo Lefèvre suggested a PR exercise. This proved a success as ‘sales’ leapt from 25,000 to 65,000 after the exercise and moved into 6 figures by 1933.

What significant change was made? What was the PR exercise?

The Tour de France

L’Auto started using Yellow paper

26 6 years earlier, the arrival of a group of 300

volunteers clad in Red, hand picked by the Government surprised officials and viewers who had knowledge of the Government’s restrictive policies. The volunteers who included dancers, musicians and other artists were directed by a ‘conductor’. The volunteers when interviewed individually responded that they were happy to help out their Communist cousins.

Explain.

North Koreans are not allowed to travel. So the Government recruited 300 volunteers from China to go to the South Africa FIFA World Cup

2010 as plastic fans.

27 A sale held in 1917 in Muskogee, Okla as a part

of a fundraiser, 6 years after the organisation was born has now snowballed into a $700m empire. Tracing its growth, in 1922, a regional director composed a simple ‘formula’ and published it in the nation-wide newsletter The American Girl. By the 1980s, one of the largest commercial companies, whose mascot is an elf, made a decision to up their partnership with the organisation and became one of the only two authorised producers. Among organisation members, sales are incentivised and awards given include the X Count, Smart/Tough X, The X Connection and X Biz.

X and the organisation, which got international footage recently and raised $65243.

X- Cookies Girl Scouts

28 As the Economist explained in 2013, the main

reason for this is that they are wildly popular with the voters who foot the bill with public support for the decision with support ranging from 70% in Tokyo to 76% in Madrid to 83% in Istanbul. Popularity aside, other agendas like intentional displays of spending and organisational power, economic revitalisation and illegal money laundering also prompt this decision.

What specific decisions did the Economist try to provide rationale for?

Why countries, even poor, bid for the Olympics or World Sporting Events

29 Sex and the City won the Brand-Cameo Whore award

in 2008. Though it does actively advertise Manolo Blahnik and Amazon, it won the award mainly for advertising another brand in rather iconic scenes from both the TV show and the movies where Sarah Jessica Parker's character in her room would often be seen in her apartment, pining away about life stories. The company didn’t pay a penny for their product’s placement and often get free placement in several other movies shot in a post 1990 setting.

What product did this advertise?

Macbook

Many Thanks

A round of applause for the LSR Stats Department

30 In an internet joke, Frank Purdue, the CEO of

Purdue Farms arranges to visit someone in order to pitch an endorsement proposal worth $500 million in donation involving a minor change in one of his services for his organisation/institution. After refusing initially and Purdue upping the rate by 10 times the original, he obliges and informs the higher ups in the institution regarding good news of an arriving $5billion and bad news of the loss of the Wonderbread account.

Whom does Purdue meet?

The Pope