prelude  In the 17th century, patterns in lace making changed in character, Renaissance symmetry giving way to rich Baroque designs. Important 17th-century lace types include gros point de Venise (Venetian large point), punto alla rosa (Venetian rose point) and point de France (French point). Lighter, airier Flemish laces rivalled Italian needlepoint laces in popularity in the 18th century, and France and Flanders became the chief centres of lace-making. Minor lace-making centres developed in England, in Germany, and in Ipswich, Massachusetts. By 1800, a sheer, open, lightly ornamented ground had become the predominant style. Social and economic changes in the 19th century lessened the general enthusiasm for lace, and it disappeared from men’s clothing. About the mid twentieth century, it came into fashion again in women’s clothing. By this time, machine-made bobbin mesh had almost completely replaced handmade lace mesh, and the Levers machine (invented in England around 1820 by John Levers), combining machine bobbin techniques with weaving techniques, was in use for manufacturing patterned laces. Being machine-made, laces for curtains and tablecloths became more affordable, but handmade lace held more prestige for garments. After about 1900 to 1910, machine-made lace became more widespread. Large quantities of lace were made in China for export to Europe and the United States. The success of machine manufacture, together with the social changes brought about by World War I, dealt a deathblow to the craft of lace-making everywhere. Lace-making by hand survives somewhat feebly in some of the old lace centres, and it is occasionally practised as an amateur craft. E-mail your questions with answers at: only4_pol@yahoo.co.uk or post at: THE COLOSSEUM, Mosaic, Friday Supplement, The Assam Tribune, Guwahati-781003 or SMS at: 9864102417. Send your name in each of your SMS.

side screen  1) Picture Clue: The lines at the gate means Work will set you free. This is the main entrance into what? (Himjyoti Talukdar, Sunlight Colony II, Ashram, New Delhi)

harmonisers  From Prosenjit ‘Piklu’ Dutta, Tezpur – 2) Which publication was started in 1954 in Britain to settle pub disputes? 3) Which comic character was created by two 17-year-old boys, Jerry Siegal and Joe Schuetry in June, 1938? 4) Where would you find four Alsatian dogs called Gavaskar, Mankad, Vengsarkar and Azharuddin? 5) Many English female novelists used male pseudonyms like George Eliot etc. What name did Jane Austen use when her first novel Sense and Sensibility was published?

unities  From Sonmani Das, Nalbari – 6) Which personality of the entertainment industry is associated with Golden Harvest Productions? 7) What new award category was added to the Academy Awards in 2001? 8) Which Disney movie was the first full-length animated feature to be nominated for the Oscars for best picture award?

do-re-me  9) Which of the Dilwara group of temples, built in 1231 AD, is dedicated to the 22nd Jain Tirthankara Neminath? (Pinky Dutta, Bongal Pukhuri, Jorhat) 10) This soft drink is famous all over the world. The secret formula of this product is known to only seven people. That’s why the code name of the product is 7x which is kept in the Bank of Georgia, USA. Name the product. (Chintu Mani Malakar, Bongshar, Kamrup) 11) Which drink is called “Mother’s Ruin”? (Manalee Paul, Cotton College) 12) What is the name of Gabbar Singh’s father in Sholay? (Ranjan Gogoi, Tepor Gaon, Dibrugarh) 13) What is an abnormal and persistent fear of cats known as? (Manas Pratim Sarma, Lacitpur, Nagaon) 14) What is of nickname of the former lead guitarist of the band Guns ‘n’ Roses? (Amlan Saikia, Don Bosco High School)

crescendo  15) A large police van is often called Black Maria. Why it is called so? (Amiya Kumar Baruah, Phulaguri)

answers  1) The entrances to Nazi Concentration Camps 2) The Guinness Book 3) Superman 4) The Moor’s Last Sigh by Salman Rushdie 5) No name was mentioned. The cover simply said: “By a Lady” 6) Jackie Chan 7) Best Animated Picture 8) Beauty and the Beast 9) Luna Vasahi 10) Coca-Cola 11) Gin 12) Hari Singh 13) Ailurphobia 14) Slash 15) The name is derived from Maria Lee, a Boston Negress. She was of such great size that when the police required help they sent for Black Maria.