MACE Science and Technology Quiz

MACE Science and Technology Quiz(For S3 students)

This quiz was conducted at the Mar Athanasious College of Engineering, Kothamangalam on September 30th, 2006 in which our team consisting of Raveendra Pai G n yours truly came 3rd after beating out the bio-med team from our college consisting of Akshay VS and Hisham in a tie-breaker. We went thinking that there was some technology involved in the quiz but it turned out to be a real shocker of a quiz containing wonderful helpings of Biology and Chemistry.

Here’s some of the questions I remember from both prelims and the main rounds.

I PRELIMS (Contained 30 qs to answer in 15 mts)
1. Name the architect of the Cochin Port?
Ans: Robert Bristow
2. What is the name of the yellow pigment found in leaves of plants?
Ans: Xanthophyll
3. Name the substance used as coolants in refrigerators.
Ans: Freon 112
4. How do we better know the common vegetable: “Brassica oleracea”?
Ans: Cabbage
5. What is the name of the enzyme present in tea?
Ans: Theine
6. Name the Engineering and Technology award presented by CSIR annually.
Ans: Shanthiswaroop Award
7. What is the life span of RBC in the human body?
Ans: 120 days
8. What is the Boiling Point of water in oF?
Ans: 212oF
9. If it is 7:30am at a place X that is 5o west of GMT, what is the time at a place that is 20o east of GMT?
Ans: 5:50am
10. Which ancient sage in India propounded the theory of Atom?
Ans: Sage Kandan(Kanadan)
11. What was the name of the first indigenously built pilot-less aircraft of the Indian Air Force?
Ans: Lakshya
12. What are the constituents of Stainless Steel?
Ans: Iron + Carbon + Nickel + Chromium
13. What is the % composition of the constituents of Solder?
Ans: Tin (60%) and Lead (40%)
14. Who was the inventor of the Optic Fibre Cables?
Ans: Some Indian born American…didn’t get his name
15. Who invented the IC?
Ans: Jack Kilby
16. Name the spacecraft that took Sqd. Leader Rakesh Sharma to space?
Ans: Soyuz T-11
17. What is the ability of metals to lose their shape but not rupture under the influence of extreme battering force?
Ans: Malleability
18. What was the name of the first railway engine designed by George Stephenson?
Ans: “Rocket”
19. What was the name of the first cloned monkey?
Ans: “Tetra”
20. At what temperature do the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales show the same reading?
Ans: -40oC = -40oF


II Main Round (lasted 3½ hours!!)

Part 1: A totally descriptive round about things that take place around you. Our incorrect are added later

1. Why is a chicken’s egg ellipsoidal?
Ans: This is because
(a) The shape enables the presence of minimal air gaps inside thus retaining temperature inside
(b) When an ellipsoidal solid is rotated it rotates in a perfect circle without any rolling and the yolk comes in the center of rotation thus the centrifugal forces acting on the yolk is minimum
Our Ans: It fits easily in the underside of a chicken!

2. Why is it that we run anti-clockwise in an athletic track?
Ans: Our heart is placed slightly on the left side of the body and the main blood vessel taking blood out of the heart (aorta) is towards the right and so running anti-clockwise will enable the centrifugal force to help push the blood along the aorta thus being beneficial to the heart.
Our Ans: It helps the heart because the magnetic lines of force aid in the beating of the heart.

3. What is the specialty of a Peepul Tree that makes it an ideal tree to be found in temples and other holy places?
Ans: Peepul Tree is the only tree that can release oxygen even at night. During day this is done by the normal photosynthesis and at nighttime it is done by an acid-catalysed metabolisis.
Our Ans: It is the plant that gives out the maximum oxygen

4. Why is it that before a space launch, there takes place a countdown despite the fact that all systems are computer controlled and the launch can take place at any time?
Ans: All calculations of satellite positions and orbit times are done with respect to a fixed time on earth. Thus only if the launch takes place at that particular time will al co-ordinates and positions of the satellite and launch vehicle be accurate.
Our Ans: As the time ticks down, voltage steps down sequentially and becomes zero at t=0 thus enabling an infinitely high launching trigger parameter (which we defined as Vout/Vin) that enables efficient pay-load distribution and launch execution!

5. Why is it that in power stations, power is generated in multiples of 11 (Eg: 11kV, 22 kV, 66 kV etc)?
Ans: All in multiples of the form factor (= 1.1) i.e. Vrms/Vavg

6. How did “Chikungunya” get its name?
Ans: Chikungunya is a disease that originated in Tanzania where a tree by a similar name (Chikund I think) grows in a bent fashion. This tree has undulated branches that seem like swollen joints and the people affected by the disease bend in that manner.
Our Ans: The skin of a person affected by Chikungunya looks like a Chikan design of a master weaver (gunya)!

7. What is “Green India 2047”?
Ans: It is a project of the Tata Industries that helps make a total analysis of India’s Natural resources and ability to attain energy self-sufficiency by the time of 100 years after Independence

8. What is the difference between Grade 43 and Grade 53 cement and why is it named so?
Ans: Grade 43 and Grade 53 cement shows the compressive strength the cement concrete will have after 28 days of setting. This means Grade 43 will have a strength of 43 N/mm2 and Grade 53 will have a strength of 53 N/mm2 in 28 days after setting.

9. Why is it that a hard-boiled egg looks faintly green in colour?
Ans: Due to Ferrous Sulphide formed by the decomposition of H2S, which then reacts, with Iron present in the yolk to form faintly green Sulphide
Our Ans: Due to formation of ferrous sulphate

10. Why do waterfalls look white in colour?
Ans: When water falls down a great height, each droplet gets separated and they act as miniature prisms that reflect/refract all the light present. The interference caused by all these mini prisms results in formation of white colour.

11. Why is it easier to breathe after a thunderstorm?
Ans: A thunderstorm converts ozone into oxygen and so the air gets more quantities of oxygen to breathe.
Our Ans: (a) The high amounts of static electricity results in congregation of dust particles making them heavier and hence the air becomes dust-free. (b) Lightning uses up the nitrogen present in the air and hence percentage of oxygen increases giving us a feeling of having more oxygen.

12. The ISBN bar codes contain a set of 13 digits grouped as following: 1-6-5-1 digits. What does each group of digits mean?
Ans: The first group of 1 digit: Type of the item (like edible/book etc)
Second group of 6 digits: Manufacturer’s code
Third group of 5 digits: The sub-category of the item (like apples)
Fourth group of 1 digit: Test bit to see if the previous ones are right

13. Why is it that there are no colours called metallic black and metallic white i.e. Why is it impossible to have metallic colours in black and white alone?
Ans: Metallic paints have aluminium as the metal added. For white paints the pigment is Titanium Oxide that is whiter than aluminium compound added and so aluminium added loses its luster. In black paints, the aluminium reduces the shine and makes it dull.
Our Ans: Because such metallic paints cant be formed because no such metal can give luster to these colours.

14. Why is it that the temperature 0K is called “absolute zero”?
Ans: At this temperature all molecular vibrations cease.

Part 2: Totally direct biology and chemistry (YUCK!!!). There were quite a lot of questions and I’m writing only the ones I remember

1. Name the virus that causes Bird Flu?
Ans: H5N1

2. Which bacteria are responsible for spreading Anthrax?
Ans: Bacillus Anthracis

3. Name the virus causing Chicken Pox?
Ans: Varicella Zostra Virus

4. What is the Snellen’s Chart used to measure?
Ans: Eyesight of a person.

5. Which chemical compound is the major constituent of “Sindoor” or “Kumkum”?
Ans: Mercuric Sulphide

6. What is the chemical name of Talc used in talcum powders?
Ans: Magnesium Silicate

7. Which substance is used to make the tip of matchsticks?
Ans: Antimony Sulphide

8. Deficiency of which substance in the brain causes Parkinson’s disease?
Ans: Dopamine

9. The sap of which tree is used to make chewing gum?
Ans: Sapodilla trees