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. |