2011 WQC: The Mount Everest of Quizzing

              My performance at the recent 2011 World Quizzing Championship held at Murphy's Bar in Makati was a total improvement compare to the previous year. I was still able to summon prior knowledge I thought I already forgotten. Difficult questions that require global awareness is still beyond my radar, but I’m thoroughly surprise other contestants still can answer those correctly. It just shows that I still have to continue pushing beyond my current trivia quotient.

              I am proud to say that I am included in the top 40% of all who joined in the world quiz and rank # 9 in the Philippine leg. However, my total score against the overall winner of the competition in the world is like the distance between Hollywood and Amazon River. There are just so many things that I don’t know, that those contestants who scored higher than me knows.

              It’s like climbing the Mount Everest for the first time in history only to find out that some couple had just married there. You feel happy for the couple’s marriage but genuinely not for their conquest.

             Anyway, congratulations to Pat Gibson of England for topping this year’s World Quiz (score: 189), and to Leonardo Gapol (score: 112) for topping the Philippine leg.

           …and for those guys who wanted to be there but were not able to do so, and for you all who dig good trivia questions like no one else, here are few of the  questions from WQC 2011 for you to match wit with.



Entertainment
*The title songs for all three CSI series are remixes of songs performed by which English rock band? The songs are: “Who Are You” (CSI: Crime Scene Investigations), “Won’t Get Fooled Again” (CSI: Miami), and “Baba O’Riley” (CSI: NY)

Culture
*Which French monumental sculptor, born in Paris in 1875, is especially known for his statue ‘Christ the Redeemer’, one of the iconic landmarks of Rio de Janeiro?

Lifestyle
*Christian Dior once described this couturier as “the master of us all.” Which Spanish-Basque designer (1875-1972) established a namesake fashion-house in 1914 that is now perhaps best known for luxury handbags?

Science
*The 15 elements of the lanthanide group plus scandium and yttrium are collectively known by what name?

History
*What name, widely held to be of Turkish origin, was given to the rank of nobility just below the ruling princes in the Russian (and Romanian and Bulgarian) aristocracies from the 10th to 17th century?

Media
*An edited version of which 2002 Gurinder Chadha film, starring Keira Knightley and Paminder Nagra, was, on 26 December 2010, the first Western-made film ever to be shown on North Korean television?

Sports & Games
*Which Italian, formerly playing for Benetton Treviso, became in 2006 the first ever European to be the first draft pick in the NBA, when he was selected by the Toronto Raptors?

World
*As of 2011, which country has largest Jewish population in the Middle East, other than Israel?

Alphaquiz # 8

Alphaquiz # 8

1. In philosophy the belief that human society is improving or can be improved thru conscious human effort is called what?

2. Who is the infamous living prisoner in Attica Correctional Facility in New York?

3. What is the largest island in a freshwater lake in the world located in Canada?

4. What game show title is taken from the musical High Society and sung by Cole Porter?

5. Which Chinese actor portrayed the philosopher Confucius in the movie with the same title in 2010?

6. What geometrical shape can be very close describe the shape of our planet Earth?

7. Michael Peter Balzary is the real name of which famous rock band guitarist?

8. Which Will Smith film is based on the novel written by Chris Gardner?

9. Reality TV star and socialite Kim Kardashian is engaged to which NBA player?

10. Named after its designers the high-speed Russian aircaft MiG stands for what?

11. What style of 18th-century painting and decorations is associated with King Louis XV of France and the painter Francois Boucher?

12. According to legend what is the name of the shepherd who found the infants Romulus and Remus- the twin of founded Rome?

13. Which literary English adventurer was popularized by the novel King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard?

14. What famous sport was invented by James Gibb in 1901?

15. Sicko a 2007 documentary focussing on the American health care system is directed by who?

16. Literally means "things beyond the dowry", what word originally means an item given to a wife by her new husband during their wedding day?

17. What famous diet plan was designed by cardiologist Arthur Agatston?

18. New Horizons a NASA robotic spacecraft mission is currently en route to which member of the solar system?

19. Calico Jack - real name John Rackham was an English pirate most remembered for the design of which famous flag?

20. What medical or cosmetic surgery was invented by Dr. Giorgio Fischer in 1974?



ANSWERS

1. Meliorism
2. Mark David Chapman
3. Manitoulin Island
4. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?
5. Chow Yun Fat
6. Oblate Spheroid
7. Flea
8. The Pursuit of Happiness
9. Kim Humpries
10. Mikoyan and Gurevich
11. Rococo
12. Faustulus
13. Alan Quartermain
14. Table Tennis
15. Michael Moore
16. paraphernalia
17. South Beach Diet
18. Pluto
19. Jolly Roger
20. Liposuction

Alpha Picture Quiz # 1

1. Hint: Logo of widely-used technology.

2. Hint: Identify the car brand and it's record

3. Hint: On 2005 ranked 3rd by FORBES as most powerful women in the world

4. Hint: Identify the flower in Hong Kong flag

5. Hint: Contemporary best-selling author 

6. Hint: Competes with Wii and Playstation Move

7. Hint: Rewind and Fast-Forward sign

8. Hint: UNESCO heritage in Guatemala

9. Hint: "The Oracle of Omaha"

10. Hint: One of the oldest board games for two players

ANSWERS

1. Bluetooth
2. Tata Nano, cheapest car in the world today
3. Yuliya Tymoshenko
4. Bauhinia Blakeana
5. Sthepenie Meyer
6. Xbox Kinect
7. Guillemets
8. Tikal National Park
9. Warren Buffett
10. Backgammon

Alphaquiz # 7 ANSWERS

Alphaquiz # 7

ANSWERS

1. Telmex
2. Macedonia
3. Kandor
4. Foul LIne
5. Let The Bullets Fly
6. Macarel Scud
7. Brig Gen. Ramona Go
8. Renegade
9. Blackberry
10. Stephen Sommers
11. Snell's Law
12. Adan Ronquillo
13. Deutoronomy
14. Carmen Soo
15. Rosendo Sanchez
16. Goombas
17. Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
18. Battle of Stirling Bridge
19. Luther Simijian
20. Ferrari

Alphaquiz # 7

Alphaquiz # 7

1. Carlos Slim Helu currently the richest man in the world according to FORBES is the CEO of which company?

2. In 2005 Which country became first in the world to have a country-wide Wi-Fi network coverage?

3. What was the name of the capital city of the fictional planet Krypton in the DC universe?

4. In bowling, what is the term for the line at which you must stop and throw your ball to make your shot?

5. Directed by Jiang Wen, what is the highest grossing domestic film in China?

6. What is the English word for the extremely common fish in Philippine called 'galunggong'?

7. Who is the first female ranking general of the Philippine Army?

8. What is the Secret Service code name of US President Barack Obama?

9. PlayBook is the name of the tablet computer of which tech company?

10. Who directed The Mummy, and The Mummy Returns movies?

11. What scientific law explains why your finger appears bent when placed in a glass of water?

12. What is the first ever movie produced by Star Cinema in 1993?

13. Which Old Testament book takes its name from Hebrew for "spoken words"?

14. Which Malaysian actress co-starred with Jericho Rosales in a 2008 prime time TV series Kahit Isang Saglit?

15. The Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire and currently the WBC and WBO Bantamweight World Champion had only one lost. Name the American boxer who defeated him.

16. What is the name of the iconic mushroom enemies in Super Mario video game?

17. Which Arab leader own the satellite television news network Al-Jazeera?

18. What battle for Scottish independence is depicted in Mel Gibson film Braveheart?

19. Which Armenian-American national famous for his invention of Automated Teller Machine or ATM?

20. Italy's top ace pilot Francesco Barraca's stallion emblem became the logo of which company?


*ANSWERS*

Alphaquiz # 6

Alphaquiz # 6

1. Who was the principal author of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations and won the 1968 Nobel Prize for Peace?

2. Who coined the word "quiz"?

3. Dubbed as the "Oscars of Porn" what is the award giving body for the industry of commercial pornography?

4. Around which autonomous country can you find the Lincoln Sea and McKinley Sea?

5. Satoshi Tajiri is the creator of which famous anime?

6. Who was credited for the inventon of the touch-screen technology?

7. Which heavyweight boxing champion ran as a Mayoral candidate in Ukraine in 2005?

8. What species of fish is commonly known in spa as "doctor fish"?

9. Which East German President ordered the construction of Berlin Wall in 1961?

10. In food, what Chinese dish is supposed to be cut in exactly 108 pieces and serve in 3 separate courses?

11. Who was the frontman of the now defunct Pinoy alternative band Sugarfree?

12. Which cookbook author and television host owned the Au Bon Vivant, reputedly the first restaurant in Manila to offer authentic French cuisine?

13. Which American actor co-starred with Iza Calzado in Yam Laranas' film The Echo?

14. The National Basketball Association (NBA) logo was modelled after which real life player?

15. Which Hollywood actor was the ex-husband of Canadian singer and songwriter Alanis Morrisette?

16. What Philippine island is also known as "The Rock"?

17. Who benefitted the first all-Filipio team of doctors succesful liver transplant in the Philippines?

18. What is the name of the paper clip cartoon Office Assistant of Microsoft?

19. Who is cradited as the inventor of flashlight and lated founded Eveready company?

20. Who sculpted the original Oscar statuette designed by Cedric Gibbons?



ANSWERS

ANSWERS

1. Rene Cassin
2. James Daly
3. AVN Awards
4. Greenland
5. Pokemon
6. Dr. Samuel Hurst
7. Vitali Klitschko
8. Kangal Fish
9. Walter Ulbricht
10. Beijing Duck
11. Ebe Dancel
12. Nora Daza
13. Jesse Bradford
14. Jerry West
15. Ryan Reynolds
16. Corregidor
17. Catherine Erica Buenaventura
18. Clippy
19. Conrad Hubert
20. George Stanley

Alphaquiz # 5

Alphaquiz # 5

1. Which Soviet Marshall repulsed the Nazi invasion of the USSR (1941-44) and later personally oversaw the final assault on Berlin?

2. What is the title of J.K. Rowling's children story book intended as a supplement to the Harry Potter series in 2008?

3. Who was the Filipino martial artist student of Bruce Lee and instructor of Chuck Norris among others?

4. Emperador was the best selling brandy in the world in which year?

5. Who is the first Filipino-American head coach in the NBA presently coaching the Miami Heat?

6. What is the name of the first ever cloned horse?

7. In mathematics, who originated the symbols > and < for “greater than” and “less than”?

8. Who portrayed Mozart in the 1984 Milos Forman's winning film Amadeus?

9. Designed by Peter Scot co-founder of the World Wild Fund of the Earth, what is the name of the panda logo of WWF?

10. In food technology, what does N.A.P.A. mean?

11. Which French artist painted the Luncheon of the Boating Party, and Girl With a Watering Can?

12. In tennis, who was the first player to wear tennis shorts during a game?

13. Who founded the FHM magazine?

14. Pete's Super Submarines was the original name of which international food chain company?

15. Name the Mongol chief  who confer the title of Dalai Lama to Sonam Gyatso leader of the Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) sect,in 1578.

16. Who was the first National Artist for Literature of the Philippines awarded in 1973?

17. What is the name of the tallest statue in the world depicting Vairocana Buddha located in Henan, China?

18. What legendary reptile, said to have been hatched by a serpent from a rooster's egg, whose look or breath was supposed to kill anyone?

19. To which of the Olympian gods was the Parthenon dedicated?

20. Dilma Rousseff was the first woman elected President of which country?



ANSWERS

1. Georgy Zhukov
2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard
3. Dan Inosanto
4. 2006
5. Erik Spoelstra
6. Promethea
7. Thomas Harriot
8. Tom Hulce
9. Chi Chi
10. No Artificial Preservatives Added
11. Pierre-Auguste Renoir
12. Bunny Austin
13. Chris Astridge
14. Subway
15. Altan Khan
16. Jose Garcia Villa
17. Spring Temple Buddha
18. Basilisk
19. Athena
20. Brazil