Potpourri of 2011

Nalaka Gunawardene and Vindana Ariyawansa

[Quiz tag…………….]

Nalaka Gunawardene

Nalaka Gunawardene has been associated with general knowledge or ‘quiz’ competitions for over 30 years. He was an ‘quiz kid’ in his time who later became a quiz compiler and quizmaster hosting long-running quizzes on radio and television in both Sinhala and English.

Nalaka continued his ‘quizzing career’ after leaving school – as a quiz contestant, quiz compiler and quiz master. In 1989, he became Sri Lanka National Quiz Champion, and represented the country at SAARC Youth Quiz held in Pakistan in March 1990. While pursuing his professional interests as a science writer and development communicator, Nalaka has continued quizzing as a serious hobby for 20 years in which time he has compiled and hosted quizzes on radio, television and for live audiences.

Vindana Ariyawansa

Vindana Ariyawansa started quizzing as a school boy aged 13. Vindana was a member of University of Kentucky, United States quiz team for three years during his higher studies. In 2008, he published a Quiz Book in English containing 1,000 questions and answers on general knowledge.

Welcome to the Wiz Quiz! This is a weekly feature where we will present 15 questions based on current affairs, culture, science, sports and other areas of human endeavour. This is our small attempt to nurture the growing interest in general knowledge or ‘quizzing’ in Sri Lanka.

We don’t want to ask questions that elicit esoteric answers that nobody knows. Instead of such trivial pursuits, we want to keep this quiz focused on interesting insights and factoids related to our island and the wider world outside.

1. This is the 11th year of the Third Millennium and the 21st Century, both of which started on 1 January 2001. How is 2011 written in the Roman numeral system?

2. This year 2011 has been designated as the International Year of Forests (IYF) by the United Nations “to raise awareness and strengthen the sustainable forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations”. What is the theme or slogan of the IYF?

3. This year has also been designated by another UN agency as the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) to “commemorate the achievements of chemistry, and its contributions to humankind”. Events for the year are being coordinated by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and which UN agency?

4. This month marks the birth centenary of Ananda Samarakoon, musician, lyricist and painter who composed Sri Lanka’s national anthem. Ananda was a name he adopted later in life after returning from his studies at Shanti Niketan in India. What names were given to him upon birth on January 13, 1911?

5. Ananda Samarakoon originally wrote and composed ‘Namo Namo Matha’ in 1940 when he was serving as music teacher at a leading school in the Southern Province. He did so to instil patriotism among his students and to show that Sinhala music had its own distinctive melodies. What was the school that first sang the song that became independent Sri Lanka’s national anthem in 1952?

6. Mahagama Sekera (1929 – 1976) was a man of many talents – teacher, lyricist, playwright, novelist, artist and film maker. Sekera passed away on January 14, 1976 aged 46. He wrote a semi-autobiographical novel that he later made into a feature film of the same name. What is the name of this movie, which starred Joe Abeywickrama in the leading role?

7. The Chinese New Year is observed as a main holiday period in China as well as many countries in Southeast Asia with significant Chinese populations. According to their system, this year’s Chinese New Year begins on February 3. Chinese years are named after 12 animals. Which animal will mark the next Chinese year?

8. Ricky Ponting became the only Australian cricket captain since the 19th Century to lose the Ashes series three times (2005, 2009, 2010), the most by any Australian captain since Billy Murdoch. Which player replaced Ricky Ponting as the Australian captain in 2011?

9. Every third Monday in January is observed as a national holiday in United States of America marking the birthday (January 15) of an American clergyman, activist and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement who won the Nobel Prize in 1964 at the age of 35. Who was this well known advocate of racial equality and non-violence?

10. Rugby World Cup has been held every four years since 1987 with South Africa (1995 and 2007) and Australia (1991 and 1999) winning it two times each. England and New Zealand also won the tournament in 2003 and 1987 respectively. Where will 2011 Rugby World Cup be held from September 9 to October 23?

11. When PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) and GDP are considered, United States, China, Japan and India make the countries with world’s largest economies respectively. What is the only European nation to be included in the world’s top five largest economies?

12. Mandarin is the world’s most spoken language, with over 1 billion speakers. English and Hindi are in second and third places with 508 million and 497 million speakers respectively. With 392 speakers, what is the world’s fourth most widely spoken language?

13. Which country became the 17th member of the Eurozone on January 1, 2011 and the first ex-Soviet state to adopt the EU single currency?

14. Five countries from four continents began two-year terms as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council from January 1, 2011. Four of them are Colombia, Germany, Portugal and South Africa. What is the fifth and only Asian country in this group?

15. In 1971, Titus Thotawatte, a veteran editor and director, made the first Sinhala feature film that did not include a single female character in the lead or supporting cast. What was the name of this movie, which was based on a true story about a notorious bank robbery?

The answers will be published next week.