10Q (May 8, 2024)

1. Van Bengalen is a surname that from the 17th century onwards popped up in records in Banda, Batavia, Cape Town and other places. What was the history of the bearers of that name?

2. The city [X] has been known by many names in the past -- Wiryeseong (during the Baekje era), Bukhansangun (during the Goguryeo era), Namcheon (during the Silla era), Hanyang (during the Northern and Southern States period), Namgyeong (during the Goryeo era), Hanseong (during the Joseon era), and Keijō or Gyeongseong (during Japanese rule). What is it called now?

3. Ever since they met as first-year graduate students at Princeton University in 1970, Steven Zucker and David A. Cox wanted to author a scientific paper together. They finally did so, in a 1979 article in 'Inventiones Mathematicae', titled "Intersection numbers of sections of elliptic surfaces". The algorithm described in that paper is known by their names. Why had they been keen to co-author a paper, even before they had any idea what they would be studying or working on?

4. Meaning lacking in adult sophistication or immature, this 6-letter word originally meant 'bald' in Old English. By the 17th century, it had come to mean 'without feathers' and was applied to young birds not yet ready for flight. The term then began to be used for those who hadn't yet spread their wings in a figurative sense. What's the word?

5. It is the most frequently translated literary product of India, and its stories are among the most widely known in the world. There is a version of it in nearly every major language of India, and in addition there are 200 versions in more than 50 languages around the world. The earliest known translation, into a non-Indian language, is in Middle Persian (Pahlavi, 550 CE) by Burzoe. One version reached Europe in the 11th century, and before 1600 it existed in Greek, Latin, Spanish, Italian, German, English, Old Slavonic, Czech, and perhaps other Slavonic languages. What work, attributed to a teacher and scholar named Vishnu Sharma born somewhere between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE?

6.  The picture below shows workers with the Compagnia Vecchi Sminatori or Company of Old Miners based in Mantua, one of Italy’s 30-odd private companies specialising in a certain activity. These firms together continue to recover some 60,000 items every year, even though it's been close to 80 years since those items stopped being deployed. What are they looking for?

7. Much more than demons or spirits, the race of Xs are described as intelligent, free-willed creatures who live close to nature and are endowed with magical powers. The race is filled with different types – shaitan, nasna, ghul, ifrit and marid. What are Xs?

8. Shown below are a couple of the large number of 'benchmarks' that you will find on the Las Vegas Strip. What purpose do they serve?

 

9. This multi-peaked mountain range near Barcelona takes its name [X] from its saw-toothed appearance. It is the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de [X], which hosts the Virgin of [X] idol. In 1493, Christopher Columbus named a Caribbean island after the deity. With a Lusophone spelling, it is also the surname of a Goan politician. What is [X]?

 

10. The current issue of 'Marg' magazine (cover below) features the ‘Risha’, which was accorded the geographical indication (GI) tag in March this year. The Risha is a part of the traditional attire of which Indian state?

 

 

Answers
1. People from Bengal enslaved by the Dutch East India Company and taken to work in their colonies or, in a few cases, back home in the Netherlands – the painting below shows the 10-year-old Filander van Bengalen serving at a party at his masters' home in Dokkum in Friesland

2. Seoul
3. In order to have the punny Cox-Zucker attribution in a serious scientific publication. The algorithm is now referred to as the Cox-Zucker machine, and no doubt elicits giggles whenever it comes up.
4. Callow
5. Panchatantra
6. Unexploded ordnance from World War 2
7. Jinn – marid are usually the ones we find imprisoned in bottles
8. To identify possible dangerous changes caused by the weight of the buildings surrounding them. Besides serving as absolute position markers, these benchmarks also help surveyors determine if the ground under the strip is stable with the weight of all the casinos surrounding it. Every decade or so, the points are measured to see if they have moved. If they have moved, this information is researched and the issue is corrected to ensure the safety of the guests and the buildings that line the strip.
9. Montserrat, meaning 'the serrated mountain'
10. Tripura