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Coined by Joseph Heller in his namesake 1961 novel, what is the term given to a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations? These paradoxes are essentially situations where in you can have something you need only if you don't need it.
Several cities in India have standing official links to local communities in other countries known as 'town twinning' or 'sister cities'. Which 'experimental' town in India counts Campinas, Brazil as its twin city? Founded in 1968, parts of it are distributed between a state and a union territory.
In 1996, Quentin Tarantino wrote the screenplay for which cult film by Roberto Rodriguez in which he also acted as one of a pair of criminal brothers, with other being portrayed by George Clooney? The movie has spawned two sequels as well, one subtitled "Texas Blood Money" and the other "The Hangman's Daughter".
This May 1985 paper in the journal Nature by Joe Farman et al. first reported this observation: “The spring values of total [redacted] in Antarctica have now fallen considerably. The circulation in the lower stratosphere is apparently unchanged, and possible chemical causes must be considered.” This alarming finding aided by NASA images of a deficiency (visual) prompted the adoption of the Montreal Protocol in 1987 to phase out what man-made class of chemicals?
A certain gene mutation can lead to nerve cells starting to break down in the pupal stage of Drosophila. Adult flies with this gene have a characteristic pattern of holes in their brains leading to their resemblance to what geographical indication product from Bern?
Which fairy tale character, as per the University of Twente research article, would have developed a medical condition known as traction alopecia? Even though it affects all ethnicities, it is most prevalent among women of African descent.
The song "The Mesopotamians" by They Might Be Giants (TMBG) imagines a band made of four Mesopotamian rulers. Which hero-king of Uruk is part of this band? His epic life sees him rejecting the advances of Inanna, and seeking immortality from Utnapishtim after his friend Enkidu's death.
Red or Purple rash on the face, typically seen in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, is named for its resemblance to the shape of a _________ (9). Which creature (9) is it named after?
This 89th floor observation deck offers a view of landmarks such as the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, the Nanshan Plaza, and Xiangshan or Elephant Mountain. Which skyscraper is it located in, which became the world's first to exceed a height of half a kilometre?
The second verse of The Beatles' 'Glass Onion' makes a reference to which 1967 track? Famous for being one of the first rock songs to use an orchestra, the song's nonsense phrases were invented after Lennon learnt that an old schoolteacher of his was making students study Beatles songs for meaning. The title is a reference to a Lewis Carroll poem, and Lennon was dismayed to belatedly learn who the villain of the poem really was.
These are the scores and indications for the criterion ___________ (11), that examines the baby's breathing. What criterion, lending to the backronym 'Apgar'? (11)
Score 0: absent
Score 1: weak, irregular, gasping
Score 2: strong, robust cry
In reviewing The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe, written in the voice of a dog gifted by Frank Sinatra to Monroe, Kakutani adopted the voice of the anthropomorphic dog from which animated sitcom? The dog identified with Maf's sanity and refusal "to demean himself by perpetuating the stereotype of "the good dog"" but hated his snootiness.
What 4-letter fossil word referring to one's friends and acquaintances is typically used in an idiom that refers to an individual's entire social circle - i.e., one's friends (blank) and family (kin)?
The German phonetic alphabet was modified by the Nazis in 1934, primarily to remove names of Jewish origin. This was finally amended only in 2022. The Nazis changed "J" for "Jacob" to another name deriving from Latin for "devoted to Jove", the Latin name for the god Jupiter. What did they change "J" to? This royal name paired nicely with the name for "C" in the alphabet.
What internet slang (4), often used in online gaming to indicate someone has been defeated or destroyed, was first picked up after it was posted as a comment on a 4chan forum? Not to be confused with "pwnd", the term has also been embraced by crypto bros to indicate an utterly ruined position.
In this song from the 2001 movie Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi, Anu Malik "expertly" replaces the distinctive sitar track in the song that served as his "inspiration" with a guitar. Identify the 1965 song that more famously served as the inspiration for a literary work from the 1980s.
Which 732 AD battle was this the in-game scenario for in AoE II: Definitive Edition?
- The player controls Charles "The Hammer" Martel, the leader of the Frankish and Aquitanian forces.
- The player must prevent the Arab and Berber forces from capturing the Town Centre.
Elsie Fisher plays Skye, a non-binary teenager in which romantic drama series? This literary adaptation follows Isabel/Belly's coming-of-age as she navigates her relationships with friends, family, and a pair of brothers competing for her love.
The four-field approach to Anthropology was developed by Franz Boas, also called 'the father of Anthropology'. This approach defines four sub-fields important to the scientific study of humanity. One of the sub-fields is Archaeology which in this context involves the study of human material culture. It is also jocularly referred to as ______ (6) - referring to the objects which need to be dug or displaced in order to get to the artefacts buried in the different layers of the ground. Fill in the blank.
The second step in the How to Become a Tyrant playbook is titled "Crush Your Rivals". Who was the featured tyrant in this episode? In the late 1960s, he forced his predecessor General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr to retire under threat of execution. Other moves of power included assasinations of political rivals, bribing of party members and mass imprisonment of dissidents. He was sentenced to death in 2006 for his role in the 1982 Dujail massacre.
Located 105m below the surface, Arsenalna is one of the deepest metro stations in the world. During recent times this station has also doubled as a bomb shelter. Which capital city is it located in?
What two word Latin phrase (3, 5) translates to "with praise" in English? It is used most commonly as an honour for degrees received by graduating students with higher honours being preceded by magna and summa.
Which zodiac constellation is illustrated here by Rey? The large portion to the right, representing a 'bow', is drawn and aimed by the individual towards Scorpio.
This shows the evolution of shirt sponsors over the years of which EPL football club? Their current sponsors are a British bank.
What scheduling system for lean manufacturing was devised by Taiichi Ohno, an industrial engineer at Toyota, to improve manufacturing efficiency? The system takes its name from the cards (visual) that track production within a factory.
Although this company has expanded to sell watches, eyewear, and handbags, it was founded as a denim brand by the Marciano Brothers, who sold light, form-fitting jeans. It got its name from a McDonald's ad which asked customers to predict what was in their new Big Mac. Which company is this?
In his book 'A History of the World in 12 Maps', Professor Jerry Brotton uses 12 maps to tell the history of the world. He begins with this map created by Agathodaemon in 150 CE based on Geography, the second treatise by which scholar regarded as the father of map-making?
Each of the 18 holes at the Augusta National Golf Club is named after the flora growing around it. The downhill par-3 Hole No. 6 at the Masters is named after a genus of coniferous trees that belongs to the cypress family. Identify this genus, whose bluish, pine-scented berries are essential for preparing a class of distilled spirits.
Which wind-based musical instrument, part of a standard Western orchestra, is held diagonally in front of the player but due to its large size requires a waist strap or seating to be played? A 2011 Kanye West album samples this, as he once famously tweeted, while it is part of almost all major orchestral arrangements.
In 2024, St+art India brought together the artists Miriam Baadjo and Gangu Bai for a mural based on their shared tradition of storytelling. While the former is a First Nations artist from Australia, the latter belongs to which indigenous group primarily inhabiting Western and Central India? Famed for their skill in archery, these Adivasis speak one of many lects in a language group that forms a link between the Gujarati languages and the Rajasthani–Marwari languages.
Identify this cinematographer, the first woman of colour to win Best Cinematography. Recognised for Sinners, she became the first female director of photography to shoot a feature film entirely on large-format IMAX film.
Which Lakota leader, armed with an Inyankapemni club, a Colt revolver and a Henry repeating rifle, led a group of his Oglala people against Pancho Villa and his Villistas in Deadliest Warrior? He famously bested Col. Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn.
Mole Day is celebrated from 6:02 AM to 6:02 PM on what date each year? It is based on what 6.022 is multiplied by to form Avogadro's number. The answer should be in the form "name of month + date".
Pictured here is the banner of which royal house that has been ruling its country since the founding of the Rattanakosin Era in 1782 to the present day? The emblem showcases a trident and a [blank], celestial weapons of two different Hindu gods, with the blanked out version inspiring the name of the house.
Which cricketer is seen in this "flying" photograph when he ran out the opposition batter, Inzamam Ul Haq, in a World Cup game in 1992? Widely considered as the greatest fielder in the sport's history, he has been a fielding coach for various IPL teams post-retirement.
After Dark (visual) and House Calls are two of the spin-offs of which reality show on CBS that features houseguests living together in a specially constructed house that is isolated from the outside world? It was adapted from a Dutch show of the same name.
This is a popular South African dish made with minced meat baked with an egg topping. One probable origin of the name of this dish is the Malay word 'Boemboe', which was taken to South Africa by the Cape Malay community. What is the dish called?
Which river forms the world's longest estuary at the Kara Sea between the Gyda and Yamal peninsulas? It flows for over 5,400 km from its source in the Altai Mountains, making it the world's 7th longest river system.
Which dish, named in a 1960 book, is seen here as a recreation on feastofstarlight.com, achieved with regular breakfast fare - and the right food colouring? What you see is what you get.
In the US, more than 500 tribes are recognized by the Federal Government as tribal _____s (6). These groups have the right to administer tribal lands, enforce tribal courts and grant citizenship to residents in their territory. Nearly half of these are in Alaska. What word, that may remind you of a famous lecture by Ernest Renan at the Sorbonne?
Eurovision Song Contest is a singing competition held annually since 1956 by the European Broadcasters' Union where countries within Europe compete against each other. The winner of the 1988 Eurovision contest was Switzerland when the French song "Ne partez pas sans moi" was performed by a singer from a different part of the world which has a sizeable French-speaking population. Who is this artist, who also happens to be the highest-selling French language musician in history?
While this entire film could be considered one long car chase sequence, its climactic car chase lasts just under 17 minutes. Which 2015 film, whose titular character is slowly driven insane by his inability to save the people in his life?
Which strait separates the islands of Singapore from the Malayan peninsula? With a maximum width of 1.6 km, it has a causeway and a link bridge that facilitates traffic in one of the busiest border crossings in the world.
Which game (5) by the NYT involves matching the titular decorative entities to form a chain of combos that keeps on continuing?
Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to be Seen is a book by Gregory Gbur whose subtitle is taken from a famous sketch in which TV show where a series of people hide in bushes, leaf piles, and a water barrel before being shot or blown up?
Indian involvement in the UN Peacekeeping missions started with which conflict in the early 1950s? The Custodian Forces of India set up camps (visual) for the protection and repatriation of prisoners of war as part of the Operation Big Switch.
Which first head of state of a East African country built a variant of socialism by adopting the traditional concept of Harambee to mobilise and bring his new nation together? The original concept of Harambee is believed to be derived from Swahili porters pulling together when lifting heavy loads.
The hotel above is where he made his name, before accusations of fraud caused him to leave. The hotel below would become his second iconic home. He introduced Edward VII to frog’s legs as a delicacy, treated George V to cream cheese, and delighted Kaiser Wilhelm II with salmon doused in champagne. When the Kaiser asked him what he wanted in return, the man said "Give us back Alsace-Lorraine". Name this ‘King of Chefs and Chef of Kings.’
Which celestial visitor does John Green rate 4.5 out of 5 stars in his book Anthropocene Reviewed, because he finds comfort in knowing that "it will return, whether we are here to see it or not"? Its namesake scientist used various different spellings during his lifetime, so the pronunciation could be like 'valley' or like 'daily'.
Clementine Kruczynski works in a bookstore in which 2004 film? In this still, Joel Barish recollects a meeting with her while she and the details around him disappear during a memory-altering procedure.
'Daughter of Destiny' is a 1988 memoir written by which female head of government, the first ever woman in such a role for any Muslim-majority nation? While she talks about her father's execution by the country's military chief in this book, it was criticised for whitewashing the atrocities committed by her father while in power.
A classic French side dish from a historic province in the southeast of the country, this casserole consists of thinly sliced potatoes baked slowly with cream, butter and garlic. Its name includes that of the region and the culinary term for a dish with a browned crust, derived from the French verb meaning “to scrape”. What dish is this?
The individual units in what object is divided into decades, with each decade representing a Hail Mary? This term is used not just for the object, but also the words it accompanies.
The Paracas Candelabra is a famous prehistoric geoglyph found on the northern face of the Paracas Peninsula at which bay in Peru? It is named after a city which prospered from the trade of an amber-coloured spirit made by distilling fermented grape juice.
What two word Latin phrase (3, 8) translates to "it does not follow" in English? This is most commonly used to describe a statement that does not logically follow the preceding statement and is often used for logical fallacies and humorous takes.
Indian ceramics giant Somany released the Colorato collection as a tribute to the country's architectural heritage. The shade Colorato Beige is based on the yellow basalt used in the construction of which arch-monument designed by Scottish architect George Wittet to overlook the Arabian Sea?
Which TV series, nominated for the 2022 Emmy Award for Outstanding Main Title Design, is based on a novel by Min Jin Lee and follows the life of a Korean family who migrate to Japan? The title sequence shows real family photos as a way to visually connect the generations as well as the key characters dancing in parlours with the titular objects around them.
Identify the driver blanked out of the table, Hamilton's teammate through the early stages of the Hybrid Era. The pair went from close friends to bitter enemies, culminating in a last-race showdown, where Lewis attempted to back up the field to let competitors overtake his teammate. This racer retired after claiming his only F1 crown.
Today, most of the world's tallest skyscrapers can be found in Asia. The fourteenth and twenty-fifth tallest buildings in the world are both located in the same Chinese city, whose heights were trimmed down due to air quality regulations. In which "in-the-news" city of this decade in the Hubei province are both these buildings located? One such is pictured.
This Eleanor Macnair recreation is from a series of photographs titled Signs That Say What You Want Them To Say And Not Signs That Say What Someone Else Wants You To Say by which Turner Prize winner?
Which company saw their mascot shave his facial hair for the first time during Movember to encourage diners to grow one along with him? The 30-day challenge saw him don several styles including the "Whopper Stash".
This hybrid dessert invented by Big Vinny's Bakery in New York is made from a leavened mixture of flour and water that is deep-fried and filled with sweetened ricotta, the filling used in a tube-shaped Italian dessert. What is this creation called? You may also identify the two individual components.
This disease was initially called Barbados Distemper because of the number of deaths in Barbados plantations with similar symptoms. What is the modern name for this mosquito transmitted viral disease that was introduced from Africa to the Americans through slave ships? Many Carribbean and African nations still require us to be vaccinated against this to travel.
This Louis Vuitton trunk built for Ernest Hemingway included racks to store books and its centre was fitted to reveal a 1926 Underwood Standard Portable, an object integral for his work while travelling. What is this case customised to hold?