A molecular biologist from Madurai, our quizmaster enjoys trivia and music, and is working on a rock ballad called ‘Coffee is a Drink, Kaapi is an Emotion’. @bertyashley
Quiz | Easy like Sunday morning: All about mnemonics
Getting the guitar to sound right can also come with some word play.
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1 / 10 |
September 21, 1411, is the birthdate of Richard of York, who was the Lord Protector of England. He died during the Battle of Wakefield in 1460 while fighting to claim the throne, and his family were executed. This event is immortalised in British geography textbooks as ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain’. What does this help geography students remember?
Answer : Colours of the rainbow (ROYGBIV or VIBGYOR)
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2 / 10 |
In 2006, the IAU changed the definition of a group of things, which led to students around the world having to re-adjust their ways to remember the new order. The most popular mnemonic now used is ‘My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos’. What does this help students remember?
3 / 10 |
Two of the most important reactions to understand and remember in chemistry are oxidation and reduction. Oxidation involves the loss of electrons, whereas during reduction, electrons are gained. By what mnemonic is this known that references an offshore fossil fuel industry?
4 / 10 |
The helix of a thread can twist in two possible directions, but by common convention, all of these items have a right-handed thread. A phrase that helps one remember an important act is ‘Righty-tighty Lefty-loosey.” What is this mnemonic for?
Answer : Tightening of screws and nuts
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5 / 10 |
Many words are spelt differently in British English and American English, and the former is sometimes much tougher to remember. To remember what word do students use the mnemonic ‘Dash In A Real Rush! Hurry, Or Else Accident!’?
6 / 10 |
In mathematics, the order of operations dictates which operations to perform first to evaluate a given mathematical expression. If the popular mnemonic for the same in commonwealth countries is BODMAS, what does it stand for?
Answer : Brackets, of (fraction), division/multiplication, addition/subtraction
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7 / 10 |
Certain ‘order of things’ have multiple mnemonics around the world. For this particular activity, the statement ‘Every Average Dude Gets Better Eventually’ is very fitting as it reflects the nature of what the dude/dudette is about to do. What popular hobby is this statement a reference to?
8 / 10 |
Visual mnemonics work by associating an image with the characters of the objects that have to be memorised. One of the most famous is the way to differentiate between two species of a certain animal. One evolved bigger ears to dissipate heat in the warm climate, and hence, fan out more. The other has an ear which is more triangular, like the shape of India. Which two animals are these?
Answer : African and Asian Elephants
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9 / 10 |
There are plenty of mnemonic techniques to remember this particular entity. The most popular being “Now I need a drink, alcoholic of course, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.” It can go all the way up to a 10,000-word novel, Not A Wake. What entity is this, which has competitions to remember the most?
Answer : The value of pi (3.14159265358979)
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10 / 10 |
What does the following important mnemonic help one recognise the signs of? FAST – Face (Has the victim’s face fallen on one side?), Arms (Can the victim raise both arms and keep them raised?), Speech (Is the victim’s speech slurred? Can they repeat a simple sentence?), Time (It is time to contact emergency services).
