[14]

Sanjiv Mehta, owner of a luxury lifestyle brand unveiled a basketball sized coin to commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II. Made up of 8 pounds of gold, 6,426 diamonds, the ‘coin’ is valued at $23 million.
Mehta acquired this ‘brand’ in 2005, though the company itself originated in 1600 in Britain. What did he acquire?
Sanjiv Mehta

Show Answer
East India Company
Mehta acquired the rights to the name and the coat of arms in 2005. The company now sells luxury products including jewelry, homeware and commemorative coins that “capture moments in history for contemporary enthusiasts and future generations to treasure,”

[13]

What is common between the following wars? (non-exhaustive list)

    • Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta between 431–404 BC
    • Punic Wars between Rome & Carthage around 240BC
    • First Balkan War (1912–13) between Turkey on one side & Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro on the other side
    • Irish War of Independence from 1919 to 1921 between Ireland & the UK
    • First Kashmir War of 1947–1948 between India & Pakistan
    • Six-Day War of 1967 between Israel & Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia (plus Lebanon)

Show Answer
These are some of the few wars in history recorded between democracies.

[12]

X is the biggest player in the eyewear industry. The company owns bands such as Ray-Ban, Oakley, Sunglass Hut and many others. In addition, it designs & manufactures the entire range for brands like Chanel, Prada, Giorgio Armani, Burberry, Versace, Dolce and Gabbana, Michael Kors, Coach, Miu Miu and Tory Burch.
In 2018, it merged with Essilor and the combined entity now holds 30% of the global market.
Name the company.

Show Answer
Luxottica. Not surprisingly, it has been accused of price gouging.

[11]

The world history has been divided into different eons & eras. The last three eras defined are:
era
However unofficially, there is movement to classify the current age that we’re living in, under a new name. What is it & why?

Show Answer
The Anthropocene
This is due to the great change brought about by humans. The Trinity test in July 1945 has been proposed as the start of the Anthropocene.

[10]

The following animals have been named after this celebrity.
1993 – a spider from California
2003 – an ant from South America
August 2023 – a snake from Peru
The actor called the latest naming an honour, but joked that people ought to stop naming terrifying creatures after him.
Name the actor.
#NationalWildlifeDay

Show Answer
Harrison Ford

[9]

X are found only in China but are popular across the world due to their appearance. Recognizing this, China started giving them as gifts to nations, which with it had friendly ties. However, in 1984 this stance was changed and China started leasing them out, rather than straight up gifting. The rentals started with $50,000 per month, but were then changed to US$1 million per year.
Getting the opportunity to rent one is considered an honour and signifies the diplomatic relationship with China.
What am I talking about?

Show Answer
Pandas.
The country leases pandas to other nations, known as Panda Diplomacy.
Read more

[8]

The following is a snap from the Wikipedia page of which aptly named song?
1

Show Answer
Stayin' Alive by Bee Gees.
The song has around 103 beats per minute, and 100–120 chest compressions per minute are recommended by the British Heart Foundation and endorsed by the Resuscitation Council (UK). A study on medical professionals found that the quality of CPR is better when thinking of the song "Stayin' Alive".

[7]

According to some sources, this practice started as a cash theft prevention tactic around the time cash registers were being introduced in the US. The idea was that the practice forced the cashier to register every sale, by opening the cash deposit in the register.
While the practice still continues in today’s digital age, though the reason is quite different. What am I talking about?

Show Answer
Psychological pricing, i.e., pricing ending in 99 or 49.
The cashier had to open the drawer of the register to give back the exact change, hence registering every sale.

[6]

Not content with anything satisfactory available in the market, Dan Pashman developed ‘Cascatelli’ (Italian for little waterfalls) after almost 3 years of research. He based his design off 3 major parameters and credits his success to the strips in his invention which run 90-degrees to each other.
The product is now commercially available in the market, competing with other incumbents. What is it that he developed?

Show Answer
Cascatelli - a new shape of pasta
The three parameters for judging were:
1. Forkability - how easy it is to get a pasta shape on your fork and keep it there
2. Sauceability - how well a sauce sticks to it
3. Toothsinkability - how satisfying it is to bite into
Cascatelli Duo 3

[4]

In 2005, British Petroleum hired the public relations professionals Ogilvy & Mather to run a campaign to divert the onus of climate change from the oil giant, to individuals. The result was a term which was promoted and then publicized by BP, essentially saying that the lifestyle of individuals – working, eating, traveling, etc – is the leading cause of global warming.
What term did they coin?

Show Answer
Carbon Footprint

[3]

When Vin & Spirit wanted to launch a new premium product for the US market, they departed from the traditional approach of having a tall bottle with a large crimson label, an abundance of crests, and Russian-sounding names.
Instead, their final design was inspired by a bottle found in a medical shop.
What is the product that the company launched?

Show Answer
Absolut Vodka
absolut

[1]

According to the myth, when X became tired it migrated from Arabia to Heliopolis, Egypt, the “City of the Sun.” There, it gathered cinnamon twigs and resin to build a nest of spices atop the Temple of the Sun. Then it used to perform its signature move and then go back to Arabia.
This story was then picked up 2500 years later by Greek historian Herodotus and is now famous world over.
What is X?

Show Answer
Phoenix
The signature move being ignited by the sun and being reborn.