Friday, December 30, 2016

So, You Think You're Clever - John Farndon

The books compiles some 60 interview questions from Oxford and Cambridge - which means you need to think a bit. Questions come from Biological Sciences, History. Physics Maths, Theology, Literature, Medicine etc.

A sample.
Why do human beings have two eyes? How would you poison someone without the police finding out? (Do it in small doses so he or she doesn't die is one answer) How do you organise a successful revolution? (I did a fairly good job on that.) What makes a strong woman? Would Mussolini have been interested in archaeology? (Apparently, yes) Will this bag be ever empty? (Difficult.) Was Shakespeare a rebel? (Absolutely) If there were three beautiful naked women standing in front of you, which one would you pick? And does this have any relevance to economics? (A matter of choice so yes) Why do you think Charlotte Bronte detested Jane Austen? How many molecules are there in a glass of water? Which was is the earth spinning?

The questions themselves are interesting but Farndon's responses are even more so. Overall you learn a bit, entertain yourselves a bit - like how many revolutions Federer and Nadal put on the tennis ball (F puts 2600 and N puts over 5000).

Nice book to read, bit by bit by bit. Thanks Satish.

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