India

Q 1. In the largest deal in the Indian hotels sector, Canadian firm Brookfield has bought four hotels and a land parcel from Leela for Rs 3950 crore. What Leela property is not included in the deal ?

Ans. Mumbai

Q 2. Who has Anil Ambani thanked for helping him out with the cash approx Rs 470 crore reqd to Be paid to Ericsson before March 19 or face jail as per a Supreme Court order ?

Ans. Mukesh and Nita Ambani

Q 3. I was born in Odisha. Studied pol. sc. at Utkal Univ. After working in various IT cos I became CEO, Global R &D at Wipro. I co-founded Mindtree. I have written books incl Go Kiss the World. I joined Odisha Govt. I have now left it to save Mindtree from a takeover. Who am I ?

Ans. Subroto Bagchi

Q 4.  In mutual funds in India, which schemes have the lowest expense ratios ?

A. Direct   B. ETFs    C. Regular

Ans. B. ETFs usually below 0.5 %

Q5. Manohar Parrikar , the Goa Chief Minister passed away yesterday. RIP. He was the first IITian to become a CM. Where and what course did he do ?

Ans. IIT Bombay, Metallurgy

Q6. I was born in Kolkata. Grew up in Delhi. I studied History and later Law. I am married to a Punjabi yet love my Posto and do gymming to Rabindra Sangeet. After building India’s leading low cost carrier, I will now be building a global hotel brand. Who am I ?

Ans. Aditya Ghosh, who was earlier CEO of IndiGo and now of Oyo

Q7. Name this New York based Private Equity fund that was a very early investor in Flipkart. It has also invested in Ola, Delhivery, Grocers, ShopClues and Quikr.

Ans. Tiger Global Fund ..now in the news because of the exit of Lee Fixel

Q8. Mahindra has supplied Marksman vehicles to CISF. What is special about these vehicles ?

Ans. 1st armoured capsule, bulletproof vehicle

Q9. What chemical ingredient that was once considered a USP in Pepsodent toothpaste, is now being removed from all toothpastes and soaps as per US FDA guidelines ?

Ans. Triclosan

Q 10. Which Indian company joins the ranks of Arcelor Mittal, Volkswagen , Etihad who have raised money through a Schuldschein , an alternative way of raising money ?

Ans. Reliance Industries Limited

Q 11. ‘Airlines with buyers’ remorse may use Boeing 737 MAX ban to revise orders’.says a Reuters headline . What is buyers’ remorse in consumer behaviour ?

Ans. A regret experienced by buyers once they give a buying commitment to seller. It stems from a feeling that they must have missed out the best deal.

Q 12. There is a hostile takeover battle on in Mindtree between the promoters and L & T over the 20 % stake of V G Siddhartha who has decided to sell it. By announcing a buyback offer , the promoters want to defend using a ‘poison pill’. What is poison pill and explain wrt Mindtree ?

Ans. Poison Pill Strategy is to deter potential acquirers, by raising the cost of acquisition, from acquisition. In case of Mindtree, the Co. is planning a buyback so that any potential acquiring Co. like L&T will have to raise the price to acquire V. G. Siddhartha’s shares.

Q 13. Fabelle has launched a limited edition chocolates ‘Thandai Milk Chocolate Ganache with Almonds’ on the occasion of Holi. Which co is behind Fabelle chocolates ?

Ans. ITC Limited

Q 14. Which P2P lending start up has started a branch in Madhubani Bihar ? They lend 25,000 to 30,000 Rs for 6-12 months at interest rates of approx 24% p.a as against moneylenders who charge 4% p.m or 48 % p.a

Ans. Paisadukan.com

Q 15. There are 3 Indians for the first time in Unilever Leadership Executive team. Out of the following who is NOT currently in the Unilever Leadership Executive Team ?

A. Sanjiv Mehta B. Nitin Paranjpe C. Leena Nair D. Harish Munwani 

Ans. Harish Munwani

Q 16. The public sector e-auction company MSTC Ltd currently having an IPO started life differently. Expand MSTC.

Ans. Metal Scrap Trading Corporation Limited

Q 17. After the Italian Domino’s Pizza, American Dunkin Donuts, under what name has Jubilant Foodworks entered the Chinese restaurant segment ?

Ans. Hong’s Kitchen

Q 18. Identify this PSU. It was the second most profitable PSU in 2004-05. Since 2009-10 , it has been making losses and its accumulated losses have reached Rs 57,000 crores.

Ans. BSNL – Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited

Global

Q 19. Identify this YouTube star who will be hosting a late night show on NBC

Ans. Lilly Singh also known as Superwoman

Q 20. Who owns the data, insights and consulting firm Kantar ?

Ans. WPP

Q 21. What is the chip in the newly launched iPad Air and iPad Mini tablets by Apple ?

Ans. A12 Bionic

Q 22. What service is being launched here ?

Ans. Google STADIA.. A cloud gaming service, can be played on a regular desktop, laptop, phone or tablet at high graphic settings. You only need speed internet and a web browser.

Q 23. In which country , perceiving the need for family , Rent-a-family service has sprung up where actors who play mother, father, wife, daughter, son etc are available for a fee ?

Ans. Japan

Q 24. The Malaysian Govt set up the second automobile company and named it literally “Second Automobile Manufacturer Private Limited” in Malay language . Under what brandname do they market their cars ?

Ans. Perodua marketed by  Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sendirian Berhad (Second Automobile Manufacturer Private Limited)

• Compiled by G.Mohan Follow on Twitter Indiabusinessquiz@go_mohan

India

Q 1. By what name has Google launched a speech recognition app that helps primary school children in India to learn reading in English and Hindi ?

Ans. Bolo

Q 2. Which brand’s recent TV commercial featuring children playing Holi has become controversial ?

Ans. Surf Excel

Q 3. What policy change has SBI announced that will immediately affect/benefit the savings bank a/c holders when RBI changes the rate ?

Ans. SBI has linked the Savings Bank a/c to Repo rate , announced by RBI periodically. Whenever there is a change in repo rate , the same will be transmitted to Savings Bank interest rate

Q4. The regulator of Housing Finance Cos in India has proposed higher levels of Capital Adequacy Ratio for the HFCs in India. Who is the regulator for HFCs in India ?

Ans. National Housing Bank

Q5. “The Fabric of Our lives. The Story of ______” by Radhika Singh is a book chronicling which Indian retail brand/chain ? Fill in the blank

Ans. FabIndia

Q6. Who is the main sponsor of the reality show on MTV – Get a Job Season 5 that gives internships to college students ?

Ans. LinkedIn

Q7. Which old popular children’s magazine’s owners were Geodesic who had acquired the magazine in 2007 but are now under investigation by Enforcement Directorate incl Swiss bank deals ?

Ans. Chandamama

Q8. As per a recent Nielsen report, what %  of FMCG sales is contributed by supermarkets and organised retail in India ?

Ans. about 10 %

Global

Q 9. After the Ethiopian Airlines crash which model of airplane is being seen as unsafe and many airlines particularly Chinese ones are suspending operations of those planes ?

Ans. Boeing 737 Max

Q 10. Which iconic American company eponymous with its founder started life as a dry goods store in San Francisco in 1853 ? The company is launching its second IPO now after taking the company private in 1985.

Ans. Levi Strauss and Co.

Q 11. What did Hans Liebherr invent in 1949 that became a huge success leading to the group becoming a success in heavy engineering and later home appliances ?

Ans. Mobile Tower Crane

Q 12. Kylie Jenner has been named the youngest self made billionaire ever by Forbes at the age of 21. Which business has made Kylie wealthy ?

Ans. Cosmetics

Q 13. What women friendly policy change has been made by Virgin Atlantic for its female flight attendants ?

Ans. It is no longer mandatory for female flight attendants to wear skirts or make-up

Q 14. Volvo known for its safety focus has decided to design cars with an upper speed limit from 2020. What is the proposed speed limit ?

Ans. 110 mph or 180 kmph

Q 15. The US President Trump has asked their govt to withdraw concessions to India as a developing country under GSP. Expand GSP

Ans. Generalized System of Preferences

• Compiled by G.Mohan Twitter @go_mohan

India Business Quiz is proud to present a Business Quiz compiled by Guest Quiz Master Tathagata Chatterjee*

Q 1. Starting June 1, 2019, in what way will Silicon Valley billionaire, philanthropist and author Michael Moritz and his wife Harriet Heyman contribute to the cause of popularising fiction in English language?

Ans. Their charitable foundation Crankstart, will fund the Booker Prize award for five years.  It will not give its name to the award, which will revert to its old name of the Booker prize from 1 June, when the Man Group’s sponsorship ends

Q 2. In what way has Stacy Cunningham’s recent appointment as President of an institution broken the glass ceiling in its 226 years of history?

Ans.  Stacy Cunningham is the first woman to be appointed as the President of the New York Stock Exchange.(NYSE

Q 3. In 1755, this person was denounced as a magician and sentenced to five years in prison in Venice. In October 1756, he achieved a spectacular escape and made his way to Paris, where he introduced the concept of lottery in 1757 in France and made a financial reputation and a name for himself among the aristocracy. Name this person.

Ans. : Giacomo Casanova.

Q 4. During the Napoleonic Wars, the French Army faced a massive problem. In order to address that, an advertisement in Le Monde newspaper was put up that offered a hefty cash award of 12000 francs to anyone who could potentially solve the problem. As a response, this process was invented in 1809 and success results published in 1810. What process and who invented it?

Ans: Canned food; Invented by Nicolas Appert.

Q 5. Which 1965 Best Actress Oscar winner was born in at Singlijan Tea Estate, Chabua, Assam, British India where her father ran a tea plantation for several years?

Ans.  Julie Christie

Q 6. In 1951, Ferruccio Lamborghini introduced the “L 33”. In n 1952, the new models DL 15, DL 20, DL 25 and DL 30 were presented, followed the next year by the DL 40 and DL 50. At the beginning of the 21st century, the R6, R7 and R8 ranges entered production. What kind of vehicles are these?

Ans.  Tractors. Lamborghini started out as a tractor manufacturer before venturing into luxury vehicles and supercars.

Q7. Which singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman owns a vinery along with her father Silvio ‘Tony’ Ciccone named Ciccone Vineyard and Winery located at Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan? Her other business enterprises include Boy Toy, Inc, Webo Girl Publishing, Inc and Hard Candy Fitness among others.

Ans. Madonna. Her real name is Madonna Louise Ciccone

Q 8. In July 1995, who was appointed as the designer of Givenchy thus becoming the first British designer to head a French haute couture house ?

Ans. John Galliano

Q 9. In late 1970’s, Indian textile manufactures set up synthetic fibre plants that significantly reduced the price of synthetic fibre. As a result what item of clothing became immensely popular among a section of the working population from that time till late 1980’s because it was made up of fabric that was fairly cheap, easy to maintain and long-lasting although unsuited to the Indian climate?

Ans. Safari Suit

Q 10.  Owned by a company called ByteDance, it was originally launched in China as Douyin ( a word that literally translates to ‘vibrating sound”) in September 2016. By what name do the rest of the world know it as, that has since then witnessed more than 500 million downloads and courted recent controversies across the globe ?

Ans.  TikTok

– Compiled by Tathagata Chatterjee. Tathagata Chatterjee is currently a Gurgaon-based Strategic Planning professional, hopelessly in love with popular culture and purveyor of all things trivial. His long history of quizzing battle stripes include winning the All India Brand Equity Quiz 2009 to the DI Neil O’Brien Open Quiz 2018 for the Errol Cowper Trophy. He can be reached on twitter @TathagataChatt2; Views expressed are personal.

India

Q 1. The fictional village Malgudi made famous by R K Narayan will now be seen in reality. Which railway station is being renamed by Railways as Malgudi ?

Ans. Arasalu Railway Station in Shivamogga district

Q 2. What rifles will be made at the Indo-Russian Rifles factory at Amethi being dedicated to the nation ?

Ans. Latest Kalashnikov rifles AK-203

Q 3. Identify this manufacturing Guru. He mentored many Indian cos in auto sector like Tatas, Bajaj and TVS. He passed away. RIP

Ans. Prof Lord Kumar Bhattacharya

Q 4. Who is the newly appointed Non-Executive Chairman of Bank of Baroda ?

Ans. Hasmukh Adhia

Q 5. Which train service started as a bi-weekly between New Delhi and Howrah on March 1, 1969 i.e 50 years ago ?

Ans. Rajdhani express

Q 6. With which Indian group is the world’s largest convenience retail chain, 7 – Eleven , signed a master franchise agreement to launch their  stores in India ?

Ans. Future Group

Q 7. Which fruit juice brand has entered the health drink segment with Honeyvita ?

Ans. Rasna

Q8. Raghuram Rajan’s new book is called ‘The Third Pillar’. What is the third pillar as per this book ?

Ans. Community

Q9. Avanse is the education loans subsidiary of which company ?

Ans. DHFL

Global

Q 10. What was invented by pharmacist Stewart Adams while working for Boots in UK ? He wanted a medicine that would cure his own vodka induced hangover. He passed away recently. RIP.

Ans. Ibuprofen

Q 11. Amazon has announced an online Karaoke competition with a prize money. Which platform will conduct this ?

Ans. Twitch Sings will host Karoake competition

Q 12. With which tech firm would you associate India born tech billionaire Jay Chaudhri ?

 

Ans. ZScaler Inc

Q 13. Sonia Syngal is currently the CEO of a division of GAP Inc. Her division is  going to be spun off as a separate publicly traded company. It may find a place in Fortune 500 because of its 8 Bn $ revenue. Name the division/brand .

Ans. Old Navy

Q 14. Which British airline announced ceasing of operations due to financial difficulties ?

Ans. Flybmi

• Compiled by G.Mohan Twitter @go_mohan

Reader’s Questions

Q 1. The HR 90 is a car launched by Volvo in Brussels 2018 Auto Show for promoting the features of S90 another car. What is unique about H R 90 ? .. .This question framed by M L Adithya Sudarshan , Coimbatore.

Ans. The Volvo Car uses AI to recruit staff by conducting interviews

Q 2. What do you call a Business Model where there is a Free Tier of services available to all users , but there are several Tiers of service offerings , Tier- 1 to n , priced differently. This question framed by Suman Kujur 

Ans. Freemium Business Model

 

India

Q 1. What amount has RBI declared as dividend in its board meeting  recently, that will be given to its owner Govt of India  ?

Ans. Rs 28,000 crore

Q 2. In the recently revised rules for taxation on angel investors , what is the new age of a company from.launch to be called a startup ?

Ans. 10 years from the earlier 7 years

Q 3. In 1936, 10 companies of one industry belonging to Tatas, Khataus, Killick Nixon and FE Dinshaw groups came together to form one company. How do we know that company today ?

Ans. ACC Limited ( it became Associated Cement Companies and later shortened to ACC Ltd)

Q 4. Which elevators major has launched ‘Vaastu’ compliant elevators to woo the customers in India who believe in this ancient philosophy ?

Ans. Kone

Q 5. Which hotel chain has entered the homestays segment with AMA Trails and Stays starting with Coorg ?

Ans. Taj Group

Q 6. Patanjali has launched its apparel line Patanjali Paridhan with a TV and digital commercial . The tagline is Tann Man Dhan _____ What is the last word in the tagline/jingle ?

Ans. Indiapan

Q 7. India is the tenth fastest growing market for ad spends in the world expected to grow at 14 % in 2019 as per a Group M report. Which medium is expected to grow the fastest ?

Ans. Digital

Q 8. As per a Fast Company list which startup has been ranked No 1 as the most innovative from India ?

Ans. JioSaavn

Q9. If D Mart is promoted by Damani ( R K), V in V Mart stands for Value Retail, what does J in J Mart stand for ?

Ans. Jaipuria the family name of the founder Ravi Jaipuria

Q 10. Which industrialist’s autobiography is tentatively titled ‘The Incomplete Man ‘ and has been restrained from publishing by the Bombay High Court ?

Ans. Vijaypat Singhania ( former Raymond Chairman)

Q 11. What connects the Indian startups Oyo, Delhivery, Firstcry etc to the Saudi Arabian Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ?

Ans. Prince Mohammed Bin Salman oversees the soevereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia called Public Investment Fund ( PIF) which has invested in Softbank’s Vision Fund that has stakes in many Indian startups including Oyo, Delhivery, Firstcry

Global

Q 12. Name this e-learning Guru in this picture with PM Modi ?

Ans, Sebastian Thrun of Udacity

Q 13. P&G’s Tide Pods is a blockbuster product. But they are creating a serious problem due to which they are kept locked in supermarkets and homes. What is the problem ?

Ans. Tide Pods have an attractive shape and colour that make them look like candies and young children eat them. The detergent inside is dangerous

Q 14. What industry connects the US manufacturers Lockheed Martin,.Raytheon Co, Northrop Grumman Corporation and General Dynamics Corp ?

Ans. All are large defence and armaments suppliers/ contractors

Q 15. Founded in 2013 by Russian brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, this app allows even upto 200,000 members in its channel. Because of its many features superior to other messaging apps, it is very popular. So popular that Iran and Russia wanted to ban it. Name it

Ans. Telegram

Q 16. This Chinese powerhouse has invested in over 700 startups. Out of which 123 are unicorns and 63 have gone for IPOs. The value of its holding in companies where it owns > 5 % is now worth over 500 Bn $. Name it.

Ans. Tencent

Q 17. Which fast fashion footwear retailer has announced that it will close all its 2100 odd stores in US and Puerto Rico ? 

Ans. Payless Shoesource

Q 18. What item made traditionally in India by hand is being made in an industrial scale by Leaf Republic as a clean tech product and marketed in the West ?

Ans. Disposable plates and tableware

• Compiled by G.Mohan Twitter @go_mohan

India

Q 1. Axis Bank is a private bank. Yet there is a disinvestment through an Offer for Sale of Axis Bank shares whose proceeds will come to the Govt of India. How did govt come to own shares in Axis Bank ?

Ans. Axis Bank was promoted by Unit Trust of India. When US-64 was dissolved, a Strategic Undertaking of UTI (SUUTI) was created which held shares of many companies including Axis Bank, L & T, ITC etc. Through OFS, govt is disinvesting a portion of their holding

Q 2. ITC has renamed its garment brand Wills Lifestyle . What is its new name and what other major change the company is bringing about in their apparels ?

Ans. WLS is the new name. It will only use natural ingredients for all items like buttons, thread etc

Q 3. The line ‘ Apna Time Aayega’ has been used in the ad copy of many adverts. This line is from which movie ?

Ans. Gully Boy

Q 4. For which brand has AR Rahman composed and sung in the TV Commercial called ‘Fearless songs’. He also appears in the TVC.

Ans. Horlicks

Q 5. Which Chinese auto major X is entering India via a British Brand Y and launching an SUV model named HECTOR. Identify X and Y ?

Ans. X – SAIC  Y – MG Motors

Q 6. Which model is Honda withdrawing from Indian market after selling them for 7 years ?

Ans. Brio

Q 7. Which Indian airline is cutting down approx 30 flights in the last few days due to shortage of captains and pilots ?

Ans. IndiGo

Q8. With which celebrity would you associate the brands Daawat, Ariel, Dettol, Tata Sampann and Wonderchef ?

Ans. Celebrity Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

Q9. Who has been named as the new Air India Chairman ?

Ans. Ashwani Lohani, former Railway Board Chairman.

Q 10. In legal circles, a __________ is a payment made to a victim as compensation for injured feelings or emotional pain and suffering (such as the trauma following the wrongful death of a relative). This term is used for the money given to families of victims of terror attacks such as the one in Pulwama . Fill in the blank ?

Ans. Solatium

Q 11. As a retaliatory measure to the terror attack, what trade measure has been announced by Indian govt against Pakistan after withdrawing the MFN status ?

Ans. Customs duty of 200 % on Pakistani goods

Q 12. Shiksha Finance a South India based start up provides education loans to students . It has a loan book of over Rs 100 crore . Which students are their main target segment ?

Ans. Parents of school children from KG to class 12

Q 13. In the reopened Bombay House in Mumbai, Tata Group has created a place where hundreds of artifacts from various group companies have been showcased for public. What is it called ?

Ans. Tata Experience Centre ( TXC)

Global

Q 14. What is the popular name for the injectible Botulinum Toxin Type A and what is its main application ?

Ans. Botox, removing wrinkles

Q 15. Which US bank major has started issuing cryptocurrency becoming the first to do so ? It will use it for its wholesale payments business internally. What is the coin called, derived from the name of the bank ?

Ans. JP Morgan, JPM Coins

Q 16. In US, there are increasing instances of theft of catalytic converters from high end cars , because they can fetch as much as 450$ as scrap. What precious metal is used in the catalytic converters ?

Ans. Palladium

Q 17. With which international food and dairy major has Starbucks tied up to market their coffee and tea products through the grocery stores in many markets outside US ?

Ans. Nestle

Q 18. In the luxury car segment in the US, which which was the largest selling carin 2018 ?

Ans. Tesla Model 3

Q 19. The 4 engineers, Richard Schwartz, Dr Bradford Parkinson, Professor James Spilker and Hugo Fruehauf , shown here are the recipients of this year’s Queen Elizabeth Prize for engineering. Which system that we are using almost everyday did they develop ?

Ans. Global Positioning System ) GPS)

Q 20. After developing computers that beat humans in chess and quiz game Jeopardy , IBM built an AI machine ‘Miss Debater’ to compete with humans in debating . In the debating contest Miss Debater was pitted against a world champion Debater. The human won. Name this Indian American ?

Ans. Harish Natarajan

Q 21. In which country there was/is a practice of women giving chocolates to men in the workplace on Valentine’s day ? This is being resisted by women and some companies are also banning it

Ans. Japan..even South Korea has a similar tradition

Q 22. Which social networking company has just launched a Live video feature in its network ? Currently, this is by invitation in US only

Ans. LinkedIn

Q 23. Products made from.which natural ingredient, long known in India via Ayurveda , is being promoted by plastic surgeon of Hollywood celebrities Dr Raj Kanodia.and is being endorsed by Kim Kardashian West , Britney Spears etc ?

Ans. Amla or Indian Gooseberry

• Compiled by G.Mohan Twitter @go_mohan