Sailen Baishya
India, recently, flagged off the first consignment of red rice to the US. It was flagged off on March 4 from Assam, giving a major boost to India’s rice export potential. Red rice is rich in iron and the variety is grown in the Brahmaputra Valley of Assam, without using any form of chemical fertilisers. The exported rice variety is known as Bao-dhaan, which is also an integral part of Assamese food. Red rice is being sourced from India by the leading rice exporter – LT Foods. As the export of red rice increases, it will further facilitate enhancing the incomes of the farming families of the Brahmaputra flood plains. The flagging-off ceremony of the export consignments of red rice was performed by the Chairman of the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority – APEDA at Haryana.
In today’s Master’s Choice section, do try out a set of questions on Indian elections and political parties. Meanwhile, keep writing to us with quiz reports, questions (with answers and full postal address) and interesting bits of information to: Quiz Zone, Horizon, C/o The Assam Tribune, Maniram Dewan Road, Guwahati. SMS or WhatsApp me at: 98640-26322 and e-mail at: [email protected] or [email protected] To read Quiz Zone online, you can log on to http://epaper.assamtribune.com.
MASTER’S CHOICE
1. To account for the large number of illiterate voters, what interesting experiment, which continues till date, was started in the elections after the Government of India Act?
2. The branch of political science which deals with the study and scientific analysis of elections is known as what?
3. After the general elections of 1996, 13 parties came together and formed the government in India with HD Devegowda and IK Gujral as the Prime Ministers in succession. What was the name of the coalition of these 13 parties?
4. The Noksen assembly constituency in Nagaland is a seat reserved for scheduled tribes. In the by polls held in September 2013 for the seat, the ECI introduced something revolutionary. What?
5. K Padmarajan, a homeopathic doctor, entered the Limca Book of Records in 2004, 2014 and 2015 for some ‘feat’. What record does he hold?
6. Sukumar Sen, the first Chief Election Commissioner of India, has also served as the first CEC of which other country?
7. Name the only President of India to has served as the Lok Sabha Speaker.
8. Sikkim, Nagaland, and Mizoram – these states have one thing in common when it comes to elections. What?
9. October 2, 1959 holds significance in the electoral history of India. What historical event happened which was accorded constitutional status later on?
10. Shabnam Mausi was an MLA from the Sohagpur constituency in Shahdol-Annupur district in MP from 1998-2003. A movie by the same name was released in 2005 on her life. What was special about her being an MLA?
READERS’ CHOICE
11. Who was the president of the Indian National Congress during the vital negotiations with both the Cripps Mission and the Cabinet Mission? (Bidyut Das, Guwahati)
12. Which state government has ordered the removal of all roadside religious structures, recently? (Rupak Kalita, Nalbari)
13. How many years would you have been married if you were celebrating your sapphire anniversary? (Bidisha Borah, Nagaon)
14. Which Soviet leader succeeded Joseph Stalin? (Navya Nilay Deka, Guwahati)
15. Which telescope is being manufactured in collaboration among NASA, ESA and CSA as a successor of the Hubble Telescope? (Tapan Singha, Lumding)
16. Who is the head of the committee formed to commemorate 75 years of India’s independence? (Parineeta Hazarika, Tezpur)
17. ‘Meluha’ is considered to be another name of which important site of the Indus Valley Civilisation? (Subrata Dutta, Tangla)
18. Who is the patron of the Commonwealth Games Federation? (Deepak Das, Baihata Chariali)
Picture Clue:
19. He was the inventor of the audio cassette, who died at the age of 94 recently. Identity him. (Jyotishman Bhagawati, Barpeta Road)
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
20. X played ten first class cricket matches for the Marylebone Cricket Club between 1899 and 1907. His highest score was 43 made against the London County Cricket Club in 1902. He also played football as a goalkeeper for an amateur football team named the Portsmouth Association Football Club under the pseudonym AC Smith. X is also a doctor who is remembered for his accomplishments in an entirely different field. Identity X? (Adish Agarwalla, Moranhat, Sivasagar.)
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ANSWERS
1. Political symbols for each party, 2. Psephology, 3. United Front, 4. VVPAT (Voter verifiable paper audit trail), 5. Most unsuccessful candidate, who lost more than 100 elections that he has contested, 6. Sudan, 7. Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy, 8. They have only one Lok Sabha seat, 9. Panchayat polls, 10. She was the first transgender MLA of India, 11. Abul Kalam Azad, 12. Uttar Pradesh, 13. 45 years, 14. Nikita Krushchev, 15. The James Webb Space Telescope, 16. Prime Minister, 17. Harappa, 18. Queen Elizabeth II, 19. Lou Ottens, 20. Arthur Conan Doyle.
