QUIZZOLOGY~ The Bihu Quiz (Answers…)

QM~ ABHILASH PATOWARY…

Kripiya Dhyaan Dein…

• There are a total of 10 questions.• The quiz is basically a blend of Entertainment, history,

etymology, art, food, Assam and of course, Bihu in particular.

• Answers are to be sent either to abhilashrockz15@gmail.com or my Facebook Inbox in the form of a message. The deadline is upto the 15th of April,

2012.• Questions 1, 2, 5, 7 and 10 are starred which carry will be

used to resolve ties, i.e., they carry extra weightage.• Rest of the questions carry 10 points each.

• HAPPY QUIZZING!!

**Q1• Hailing from a city in Germany, he was a botanist and an

explorer. A species of palm native to Asia, especially

prevalent in the north-eastern regions of our country, along with a few of them in parts of

Nepal, is named after him. Some of their identifying

features include the distinctive splits in leaves, non-fibrous

trunks and seeds shaped like coffee-beans. Now, why am I rambling about all this in a

Bihu quiz?

Jaapi.

• The plant referred to in the question is Trachycarpus martianus (also known

as Martius' fan palm) named after the German botanist Carl Friedrich Philipp von

Martius (1794-1868), whose picture you see on the right of the question. Trachycarpus

martianus in Assamese, is the “Tokou Paat” which is used to make “Jaapis”.

**Q2• Born in the early 1950s, X was actually named after this character (the one on

the far right in the picture). But X’s name

underwent a slight change in its spelling over time as most of X’s friends

and relatives kept on mispronouncing it.

Eventually, the name stuck. Who am I talking

about?

Oprah Winfrey was named after the Biblical character from the

Book Of Ruth, “Orpah”. But her family and friends "didn't know

how to pronounce it", and called her "Oprah" instead.

Q3

• He is believed to be the first person to bestow

upon the title of ‘Bapoti Xahon’ to Bihu. Sources

say, that he was also the first to refer to

Bihu, as the National Festival of the state of

Assam. Who?

Rajanikanta Bordoloi.

Q4• This 1784 painting believed to serve as an

inspiration for something popular in ancient Rome. Later on, another evolved

version earned immense popularity in

the late 1920s and became a distinctive

symbol of a particular “group” in the

subsequent years. What got inspired from

this work of art?

• Oath of the Horatii (French: Le Serment des Horaces), is a work by French artist Jacques-Louis David painted in 1784. It inspired the

Roman salute, which in turn inspired the NAZI SALUTE.

**Q5

• Identify her and give me her claim

to fame.

Suprabha Devi. She was the first female director of an Assamese

movie. (Nayanmoni)

Q6

• Which popular phrase/term owes its

origins to this criminal, known for his

distinctive style of robberies?

Ezra Allen Miner, popularly known

as Bill Miner. He is credited to have

been the originator of the phrase, “Hand’s

Up!!”

**Q7• The person X, (in picture) was a famous writer and historian

among others. A British-based artist Y, created a painting, Z

which impressed X so much that he himself posed for Y in a similar

fashion and the result was another oil painting created sometime around the early 1870’s, which bore striking resemblance to the original painting, Z. Which was the

famous original portrait (Z)? (You may also give me X and Y for a

bonus of +10)

We all remember this, don’t we??!!

Arrangement in Grey and Black No.1, famous under its colloquial name Whistler's Mother (1871).

• X= Thomas Carlyle.• Y= James McNeill Whistler.• Z= Whistler’s Mother.

• After Thomas Carlyle viewed the painting, he agreed to sit for a similar composition, this one being titled Arrangement in Grey and

Black, No. 2.

Q8

• A popular treat is made from the root of this indigenous species native to Africa. What treat am I

talking about?

Marshmallows. (Althaea officinalis) A confection made from the root of Althaea

officinalis, since ancient Egyptian time evolved into today's marshmallow treat.

Q9

• The person in the above cemetery used “it” for the first time with reference to New Zealand. But, “it” can also be

applied to a place in India. What’s the “it” in question?

The phrase, “GOD’S OWN COUNTRY”. The earliest recorded use of the

phrase as applied to New Zealand was as the title of a poem about New

Zealand written by Thomas Bracken (The man in the picture). Today, it is often applied to Kerala. The Kerala

Government Tourism Department has even adopted the slogan God's Own

Country for its campaigns.

**Q10

• It’s name literally means “a place where the traders assemble for trading purpose”. This may be indicative of

the fact that this was the Bohag Bihu, originally celebrated by traders who assembled on the banks of

rivers for trade and payment of wages during the Ahom rule but over time, spread over a wider spectrum. This form of Bihu was very popular during the early years of Ahom rule and accounts reveal that an early Ahom king even went to places where this was prevalent to witness

and participate in the celebrations. Often regarded as one of the most oldest forms of Bihu, what is it called?

Fat Bihu. This is a very old form of Bihu, characterized by spontaneity, popular in the Lakhimpur area of Assam. According to legend, the

first Ahom king, Sukaphaa, travelled to the region to watch it

in the early 13th century.

Happy Bihu!!