The tales of many cities

1    When Safia Akhtar, a writer of literary merit and the wife of Jan Nisar Akhtar, died in Lucknow her husband was in Bombay. On the grave of his beloved wife he composed the moving poem “Lucknow mere watan mere sabza zar watan.” What’s the name of the couple’s famous poet son?

(a) Akhtar Sheerani (b) Akhtarul Iman (c) Javed Akhtar

2    Lahore ka Geographia was one of the highly readable pieces in a slim collection of humourous articles. Can you recall the name of the writer?

(a) Patras Bokhari (b) Shohrat Bokhari (c) Shafiqur Rahman

3    During the Pakistan-India war of 1965, many national songs were written and recorded. Lahore was only a few miles away from the border where a battle was being fought. One of the songs to boost the morale of the citizens of Lahore was “Khitta-i-Lahore tere jannisaron ko salam”, sung soulfully by Mehdi Hasan. Identify the poet who wrote the poem.

(a) Jameeluddin Aali (b) Raees Amrohvi (c) Sehba Akhtar

4    Bombay Duck is not a bird but a thin fish. It’s also the title of Furrukh Dhondy’s novel and was the nickname of a former prime minister of India. What was his name?

(a) Morarji Desai (b) Lal Bahadur Shastri (c) Gulzarilal Nanda

5    The Woman of Rome is an absorbing novel by the Italian novelist, Alberto Moravia. A memorable film, based on the novel, was made in 1954. Name the Italian actress who played the title role in the movie.

(a) Sophia Loren (b) Claudia Cardinale (c) Gina Lollobrigida 6    When Ian Fleming wrote the James Bond series of novels he did not have the least idea that the movies would be big hits at the box-office. Who played James Bond in From Russia with Love?

(a) Roger Moore (b) David Niven (c) Sean Connery

7    One of the finest short stories by Saadat Hasan Manto was Toba Tek Singh. The piece of fiction made the name of the town popular. Where is Toba Tek Singh?

(a) Punjab (b) Balochistan (c) Khyber Pukhtunkhwa