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The 2022 Booker Prize-winning novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida is an 'afterlife noir' about a war photographer who, after his death, tries to solve the mystery of his death in a 'celestial visa office' and unveils photos with deep implications for war-torn Sri Lanka. Who is the author?
Which fictional character and sidekick's real name is Tapesh Ranjan Mitter, and is the paternal cousin of his more famous companion? Like other sidekicks to detectives, he acts as the chief chronicler of their cases, although unlike them he is usually presented as being quite astute and usually passes any tests set by his companion.
What slang term (4) is used for the fourth community card placed on the felt by the dealer in Texas hold 'em? Also known as "Fourth Street", it is the final bend in the hand before the last card is dealt.
The music video of a viral 2022 Coke Studio single features Bharatnatyam exponent Sheema Kermani dancing in a saree. During the early part of her career, she always wore a saree to protest the martial law implemented by General Zia-ul-Haq. Which single?
Henri Dunant was inspired to form the International Committee of the Red Cross after he witnessed the suffering of wounded soldiers following which 1859 battle that was fought between the Franco-Sardinian Alliance and the Austrian Army? The decisive engagement played a crucial part in the process of Italian Unification.
Which marginal sea of the Mediterranean Sea is located between the Greek peninsula on the west and Asia Minor on the east? It takes its name from a namesake group of islands, which in turn is named after a Greek king who drowned himself after he thought his son had died.
Identify this film referenced by DeMarisco where he puts the crown of Lady Liberty in the foreground while establishing the field of play as an aerial shot. In the film, this shot occurs at the end when the protagonists discover the remnants of the statue and realise that they have been on Earth all along.
Which university was founded in 1290 by Denis I, the eldest son of Afonso III, with the name "Estudo Geral" but moved to its current city, the sixth most populous in its country, only in 1537? In 2013, several of its historical buildings were inscribed as a UNESCO WHS, making it the 15th such site in the country.
Kayani Bakery in Pune has become synonymous with the cookie pictured here, made with a touch of lemon zest added to the cookie batter. The cookie is named for the county town in Shropshire, England, where it was invented in the 17th century. Which cookie?
Identify the setting for this 2007 fashion show by Fendi which led to titan Bernard Arnault trumpeting it (inaccurately) as “the first fashion show visible from the moon”?
Identify this type of Korean dumplings that consist of a savoury filling wrapped in thin wrappers and either steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. You may also identify the type of dumplings found in Turkey, Central Asia, and South Caucasus, whose name is cognate with the Korean form.
Marc Jacobs began his eponymous fashion label while also serving as creative director for which fashion house, a position he took up in 1997? The house's name features in the name of the largest luxury conglomerate in the world.
The Block is a clutch play by which player late in the fourth quarter with the game tied at 89-89 to deny Andre Iguodala? It ended a 50+ year championship drought that the city had in any major sport since 1964. During this drought, the city's teams experienced disappointing moments such as The Drive (a 98 yards offensive push in 1986), The Fumble (a critical mistake in 1987), and The Shot (a buzzer beater by Michael Jordan in 1989).
William Eggington's new book, The Rigor of Angels, is a joint biography of three people who called attention to the problems and paradoxes that emerge when we try to extend our ordinary way of seeing the world beyond the human scale. A phrase that Eggington repeatedly uses in the book to describe this illusory vantage is "God of Very Large Things". As acknowledged by Eggington in his book, which Booker Prize winner was his inspiration in creating this phrase?
Amandari, perched on edge of the Ayung River Gorge in Kedewatan, includes many villas modelled after the traditional homes found in the "Island of the Gods". It is located near which town that serves as the island's cultural capital?
Washoe was a female chimpanzee known for mastering 350 signs of the American Sign Language. Washoe displayed a profiency in inventing new words, for example describing a duck in a pond by making the signs for 'water' and 'bird'. Washoe also displayed self-awareness by passing what test that uses a common household object? Other animals that have passed this test include dolphins, orcas and the Eurasian Magpies.
Which writer did Lipa talk to as part of her Monthly Read for October 2024? He provided pointers on how to read his first full-length novel, which is known for its cacophony of monologuing ghosts who play an integral role in its plot, which is set in the afterlife. He also shared a "Reading List" for Service 95, a list of books that influenced this experimental novel.
In 1951, which first head of state of a relatively new nation was assassinated at the Company Gardens during a political rally? One of the nation's founding fathers, a fact that is reflected in the titles bestowed upon him, he was also the nation's first finance minister, defence minister, and minister for frontier regions affairs.
Which Dutch mathematician, physicist, astronomer and inventor is credited with the invention of the first pendulum clock, which greatly increased the accuracy of time measurement for his work in astronomy? A contemporary of Newton, he is widely considered one of the greatest scientists of all time.
In the 1970s tennis players began opting for short dresses and skirts that enabled movement. Which player famously wore a dress with a scalloped hem that included embroidered floral details, a design emulated by Ash Barty at the 2021 Wimbledon? This legend won Wimbledon in 1971 and 1980.
Which game show was rebooted as a version for adults, 15 years after the original Nickelodeon series stopped airing? Elements of the show are said to have inspired a popular mobile game (visual).
In 1784, George III introduced which tax to help pay for the war in America? Unfortunately, the richer people got to escape the tax, since they lived in stone homes. The lesser well-off sections of society, looking to build new homes, were saddled with this tax, and ultimately the burden became too much to bear, leading to its being repealed in 1805.
This 2015 British drama film stars Anthony Hopkins as an aging Shakespearean actor called simply "Sir" and Ian McKellen in the titular role, who is charged with keeping Sir's life together during a production of the play King Lear. The movie is itself adapted from a play, and many scenes show Hopkins hurriedly availing the services of McKellen as he prepares to get back on stage.
The ninth in the series of ten was a command from God to Moses to hold his hand to the sky and cause an artificial night to descend upon a certain land for 3 days, thus depriving its people of daylight so as to secure emancipation for his people, the Israelites. What was this series of ten, from the Book of Exodus?
Arguably the most lauded actor associated with the Harry Potter films, who played the role of a Hogwarts professor in all but one of the films? Her film and stage career spans 7 decades, during which she has received two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 1990 for contributions to the Arts.
Which 3-letter word, meaning ‘the people of’, is a suffix in the name of the following places?A Berkshire university town, whose Earl was an Indian Viceroy in the 1920s.
A terminal station of the Central Line on the London tube.
A Surrey town where HG Wells’ ‘The War of the Worlds’ was set
Between May 3–4, 1972, who lay in state in the US Capitol Rotunda? He was the first civil servant accorded this honour, for his pioneering efforts with a national organisation. He shared his surname with a President who had been given the same honour some years previous.
Identify this cotton fabric commonly used by the British in Colonial India to dress formally in the hot weather. It gets its name from the Persian words for "milk" and "sugar" because of its puckered appearance and is often woven in narrow white and blue stripes.
What word is a quirky unit of measurement in particle physics, equal to 10^−28 metres square? It is used for describing scatter reactions, and gets its name because at the nuclear level, it is as big as a [BLANK], which you associate with farmer property.
What conspiracy theory alleges that governments are engaged in a secret program to add toxic contaminants to the atmosphere from aircraft in a way that forms visible plumes in the sky? Various motivations for the spraying are speculated, including sterilization and mind control. The term is a one-word portmanteau.
In 1884, Teddy Roosevelt wrote “The light has gone out of my life” in his journal following the death of his wife, and mother, on the same day. 64 years later, which world leader paraphrased these words to mourn the loss of the father of his nation?
This is the finely detailed black away jersey of Manchester United from 2020. Classic Football Shirts fancied it to be inspired from the first in a band's two-album discography. It's also fitting that the band hails from Salford and that the artist of the cover designed a Manchester United kit in 2022. Name the influential 1979 post-punk album.
Several countries have a 'Zero Mile Marker' or 'Kilometre Zero' - a specific point from where the country's distances are measured. Which present-day country's Zero Mile Marker lies at the centre of the Menelik II Square in the capital city? The statue at the centre is of the namesake emperor, depicted in victory at the Battle of Adwa, which thwarted European colonisation of his people, during the Scramble for Africa.
An 1899 work depicting Frances Folsom Cleveland by which Swedish painter inspired this portrait of Chastain? This artist was famously commissioned to paint three American presidents: William H. Taft, Theodore Roosevelt, and Grover Cleveland.
Portrayed by Bill Skarsgård in John Wick 4, the _______ (7) is a special position under the High Table, granted to an individual who has the right to bend the rules to capture an assassin gone rogue. What position? This French term deriving from "frontier" is used for a nobleman ranking above a count and below a duke.
What award does Robert Stinsonheimer win for his invention of the Stinson's Hangover Fixer Elixir? It is a play on an annual award ceremony given for various fields of science.
A [redacted] Gnat is an Allomancer who can burn an alloy of a particular element that is combined with 4% copper. Identify the alloy's portmanteau name. You can form the name by combining a part of a word meaning "strength" or "resilience" and the lightweight element, used extensively in aviation. Multiple variants accepted.
Which country was literally named "Lion Mountains" by a Portuguese explorer sailing the West African coast, probably because its mountains looked like lion's teeth or like sleeping lions?
This 2022 winner of the GLAAD Media Award for comedy series is a revival of a 90s comedy show that was largely aimed at children, and follows a group of students from both "overprivileged" and working-class families attending the same school. Which show is this? Its name comes from an expression in boxing and other sports, where one side is rescued from a loss by the ringing that signals the end of play.
During the month of Ramadan, muslims get up at dawn for their last meal before they start their fasting the following day. Many Muslims may stay awake the whole night and go to bed after the morning meal. What is this meal called in Urdu/ Arabic, meaning early dawn in Arabic?
Which 2009 fictionalised memoir is the third in JM Coetzee’s ‘Scenes from Provincial Life’ autobiographical series? It uses the narrative voices of 5 people who knew him. It shares its title with a George Gershwin aria.
Identify this type of sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula that is made in many national and regional varieties across Latin cultures. It gets its characteristic colour from dried, smoked, red peppers.
Firedrake, Maia, and Slatebeard are dragons that appear in the Dragon Rider series by which German author? The story follows Firedrake, who embarks on a quest with a brownie named Sorrel and a human boy named Ben to find the "Rim of Heaven" a mythical, safe haven in the Himalayas.
In 2024 The Rock adopted a new moniker - The [BLANK] [BLANK] (5, 4), referencing his ultimate authority, with the last word lying with him. Doubly apt, since he’s now actually on the board of TKO Group Holdings, the WWE’s parent company, so many people answer to him. Which moniker?
The 2022 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics was awarded to Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig for their research into banks and financial crises. Bernanke’s research was primarily about which 20th century period of economic downturn? This helped him in managing the aftermath of the 2008 economic collapse as chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.
What "non-name" is given to phenomena such as incomplete dominance, mosaicism, and multiple alleles, which deviate from a set of three laws about? The original laws resulted from multiple years of careful experiments, published in 1865-66 as Versuche über Pflanzen-Hybriden.
Which monument casts such a shadow? The final piece of its central tower was laid in place in February 2026.
DOOM (1993) is well-known for being playable on the screen of nearly any modern device. What device is DOOM being played on here? Featuring usable numpad controls, the device (a frequent victim of RAS syndrome) is also called a "hole in the wall" in British English.
Exclusive to the Paralympics, the aim of which sport is to throw/bowl game balls so that they land as close as possible to the "jack", a special target ball? It is open to athletes with severe neurological conditions using a wheelchair, and derives its name from the Latin word for "boss".
Which 1966/67 novel features Behemoth, a roguish cigar-smoking, gun-toting cat with a penchant for vodka, chess, pickled mushrooms and endless quipping? The jester in a fiendish entourage, he is also the least-respected member as a titular character takes to slapping him without fear of retribution.
Famous for its deep-sea trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which sea gives its name to a battle that occurred near the Mariana Islands in June 1944? Called “the greatest carrier battle of the war”, this battle, along with the Battle of Leyte Gulf, marked the end of Japanese aircraft carrier operations.
Not all secret menu options at Starbucks have been fortunate to gain 'official' status but they're well-known to most baristas. Ordering a Caramel Frappuccino and adding two pumps of hazelnut and caramel syrups with some mocha chips and a drizzling of caramel sauce gives you what variation, named after a brand of biscuit-layered chocolate bar? Although the bar is not used in the drink, the caramel presence is what inspires the name.
Which monarch does Tom Hollander portray here in The King's Man? He plays a triple role in the film, a joke about European inbreeding. This particular role features the character having to change his German sounding last name as a result of World War 1.
Which Southeast Asian dish originated from Chinese immigrants who consider it taboo to throw away food? One of the five national dishes of a country, it uses leftover rice from the night before and includes bits of chicken, beef, prawn, or dried fish and topped traditionally with a fried egg.
What organic compound forms the basis of most common nail polish removers? Its scientific name is dimethyl ketone, making it the smallest ketone. It is a colourless, highly volatile, and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour.
The Rugby World Cup is underway in France this month with 20 teams vying for the trophy. The Argentine Mens Rugby team is known by what collective nickname? The nickname is shared with a brand of sportswear, and comes from the Spanish word for a feline that inhabits every country in the Americas, north and south.
Which Trojan priestess is portrayed by Billie Piper in Kaos? Her words are never taken seriously by anyone and in the show, she utters truths that are technically spoilers, but as always, no one listens to her.
The insignia of the Indian Navy anti-submarine warfare corvette INS _________ (9) depicts a cowrie shell, which can be found in abundance in the vicinity of the town it is named after. Which town (9), capital of a Union Territory?
EP3 of Bambai Meri Jaan sees Qadri 'dropped' to his knees under financial stress and his iron clad integrity is put under question by a gangster. What is the episode's title? (4,4,5) This English phrase of Biblical origin is applied in any context where a person has lost their honour or credibility because of a mistake.
Identify this quartic plane curve (10) that is used as the symbol for infinity and describes geometric shapes named for the mathematicians Booth, Bernoulli, and Gerono.
As part of the Treaty of Versailles, a slice of what had been formerly German East Africa came under Belgian control. It was administered under a vice governor-general as an integral part of the Belgian Congo, but with a separate budget. What was the name of this territory that split into 2 separate independent countries in 1962? Alternately give us the name of the 2 countries.
Which NBC crime thriller (2013 - present) centres around one of FBI's Most Wanted Fugitives Raymond "Red" Reddington who surrenders himself in exchange for immunity? The show gets its title from a 'dark' catalogue he carries in his head that consists of the names of some dangerous fugitives.
This exercise is a variation of the seated dumbbell shoulder press that was developed to improve posterior deltoid recruitment since the original version primarily hit the anterior deltoids with some lateral deltoid recruitment. What is this eponymous press exercise called, named after a multiple time Mr. Olympia winner who developed it? [No, the GIF ain't him!]
The Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame honours "those engineers from, or closely associated with, Scotland who have achieved, or deserve to achieve, greatness". Which member of the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame was a Scottish-born inventor, scientist and engineer and actually held citizenships from Britain, Canada and the USA? He also co-founded AT&T in 1885.