History and Myth...

Hi everyone. This is Anshuman from IIT Delhi. Srivatsan sent me an invi and I joined. To start with, here is the set of History and Myth questions made by me for the prelims stage of IIT's very own "Mastermind" (our version of the famous BBC one). It was hosted by Joy Bhattacharya this time round...

History & Myth

Prelims

1)What is travel writer Jonathan Raban describing in the lines that follow?

“It begins in the mountains of Turkey and ends in a brown bog at the neck of the Persian Gulf…it’s the town drain of Asia Minor and one of the two oldest superhighways of the world. According to the Bible, it marks the north-eastern border of the land God promised to Abraham. It is an Arab river with a Greek name, meaning ‘leisurely flowing’ or ‘gentle current’”

2)* These troops were proud of the fact that they were the best-fed troops in the empire, and were given salaries. X wore uniforms, were paid in cash as regular soldiers, and marched to distinctive music, the mehter, similar to a modern marching band. All of these features set X apart from most soldiers of the time. They referred to themselves as the ocak (hearth or fireplace); their symbol was a sacred cooking cauldron. Their ranks were organized on culinary terms; among the terms they used to represent their individual ranks were çorbaci (soupmaker), asçibasi (chief cook), gözlemici (pancake maker) and çörekci (cake maker). Who? (Hint: Age of Empires)

3)* The origins of this 900-mile-long overland route go back to 1821 when a desperate speculator named William Becknell set out with commodities to be sold at The City of Holy Faith of St. Francis. The route he discovered soon became a trade lifeline for southwestern North America, connecting Missouri with _______ ___, New Mexico. Identify this route that took its name from the city where it ended.

4) While the term Canaanites is sometimes used in reference to this ancient people, the more familiar term is derived from a Greek word meaning Red People. The Greek term owes its origins to the prized reddish-purple cloth exported by this civilization. They are said to have dominated the Mediterranean from the ninth to the sixth centuries BC, establishing colonies from Cyprus in the East to Spain and North Africa in the West. They are also considered the inventors of the alphabet used across the West today. Which civilization?

5) In 1992, nearly 35 years after his death, he was conferred the Bharat Ratna. And, for the first time, the Government sent the nation's highest civilian award by registered post, to his ailing octogenarian nephew in Calcutta. Which Indian leader?

6) In ancient Persia, it was taken from the heart of rock by a hunter's misdirected arrow. For the Dakota Indians, it was struck from the earth by the claws of a jaguar-god. For the Aztecs, it originated from the sun. In Polynesia, Maui is said to have brought it up from the bowels of the earth. According to some Australian tribes, it was discovered by women while the men were away hunting. They then hid it within their bodies when the men returned. According to the Greeks, it was brought down by somebody who chose not to ally with Olympus. What?

7) Callisto was a nymph of Artemis. As a follower, she took a vow to remain a virgin. However, Zeus took the form of Artemis and forced himself upon Callisto while she was separated from the other nymphs. Upon discovering her pregnant condition, Artemis was enraged and expelled Callisto from the group, and subsequently she gave birth to Arcas. Hera took the opportunity to avenge her wounded pride and transformed the nymph into a ____. Sixteen years later Callisto, still a ____, encountered her son Arcas hunting in the forest. Just before Arcas killed his own mother with his javelin, Zeus averted the tragedy by placing mother and son amongst the stars. What did this give rise to?

8) X first appears on the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys television series, as a seductive but treacherous warlord. Two more episodes chronicle her evolution from a villain to a friend and ally of Hercules. Interest in her was so strong that shortly afterwards she became the main character of the spin-off series ______________. Although her character is originally obsessed with defeating Hercules and obtaining his title as the greatest living warrior, she never defeats him. Hercules points her down the path of redemption when he beats her in combat and shows her that selfishness and greed are not the way to live. In her own series, X sets out to redeem her murderous past by fighting against tyranny and evil and protecting the innocent and weak.

9) X was first isolated by Joseph Priestley in 1774 and was termed by him as “alkaline air”. X got its name because the Romans found X chloride deposits from near the Temple of Y in ancient Libya. Y is an Egyptian fertility god depicted as a woolly Ram with curved horns.

10)* The nickname for X was popularised by Henry Longfellow's 1857 poem "Santa Filomena":

“The wounded from the battle-plain,
In dreary hospitals of pain,
The cheerless corridors,
The cold and stony floors.

Lo! in that house of misery
A ____ ____ ___ ____ I see
Pass through the glimmering gloom,
And flit from room to room.”

11) In 18th-century England, on the anniversary of the incident that made Y famous, it was traditional for children to go door-to-door with an effigy of Y asking for a small donation using the term "Penny for the ____". A common phrase is that Y was "the only man to ever enter parliament with honourable intentions".

12) X is the Indonesian and Malay word for 'sun' (literally "Eye of the Day"). When treated as a Hindi word, X means “mother-destroyer”. X was the stage name of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle, born on 7 August 1876 in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. In her early days, X performed as a circus horse rider, and went by the name Lady MacLeod. Struggling to earn a living, she also worked as an artist's model. In 1905, she began to win fame as a ___________. X posed as a princess from Java of priestly Indian birth, to add to her mystique. She brought a carefree provocative style to the stage in her act, which led to wide acclaim.

13) The Biblical legend of X has given us an English word that means "to repeat oneself incoherently, speak foolishly".

14) The reputation of X has fluctuated wildly. The Victorians were divided. The historian Stubbs thought him ‘a bad son, a bad husband, a selfish ruler, and a vicious man’. Though born in Oxford, he spoke no English. During his ten years' reign, he was in England for no more than six months, and was totally absent for the last five years, preferring to use his kingdom as a source of revenue to support his armies. However he was seen as a pious hero by his subjects. Which iconic historical figure?

15)*

Fahd bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, King of Saudi Arabia (1921 - August 1, 2005) was the king of Saudi Arabia, Prime Minister and Head of the House of Saud. Following his death, in line with the official state religion, Islam, Saudi Arabia did not declare a national mourning period. Also, all government offices and public buildings were open as usual. Not even the state flag was lowered. Why was the flag not lowered?

16)* This place was founded around AD 1100 as a seasonal camp by Tuareg nomads. After it was incorporated within the Mali Empire, in the late 13th century, the Mali sultan, Mansa Musam, built a tower for the Great Mosque (Djingereyber) and a royal residence, the Madugu. One of the world’s most famous cities (!!!), name it.

17) As Columbus's ships Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria sailed through the area in 1492, it is reported that his compass went haywire and that he and his crew saw weird lights in the sky. Which location am I talking about?

18) The Nobel Peace Prize for the year 1948 was not awarded to anyone. On November 18, 1948 a statement was made about the award not being given because “there was no suitable living candidate”. Why?

19) In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil is located at the center of the universe and joins the nine worlds of Norse cosmology. Yggdrasil forms a vertical axis, around which these worlds are situated, with Ásgard, realm of the gods, at the top and the underworld realm of Niflheim at the bottom. Midgard, the world of mortals, is located in the middle and surrounded by Jötunheim, land of giants, both of which are separated by the ocean. How is Yggdrasil more commonly referred to?

20) It is stated that in an earlier birth as Nalayani, she was married to Maudgalya, a sage afflicted with leprosy. She was so utterly devoted to her abusive husband that when a finger of his dropped into their meal, she took it out and calmly ate the rice without revulsion. Pleased by this, Maudgalya offered her a boon, and she asked him to make love to her in many lovely forms. As she was insatiable, Maudgalya got fed up, gave her a curse and became an ascetic. How do we know her better?