The Karnataka Biotechnology department pavilion at the Bangalore Bio 2002, the annual biotechnology exhibition, is buzzing with a lot of activity. It is not the information or attractive incentives for investment that is wooing a large number of visitors, but the bio-quiz that is conducted at the stall.

On the very first day, over 800 people tested their knowledge on bio-technology (BT) and 125 of them, who were able to score perfect 100, walked away with prizes. Winners were presented with a book, 'Biotechnology Unzipped: Promises and realities,' by Eric S Grace.

According to officials, the scale of the quiz was not on par with the rural IT quiz, but it was conducted in a small way to popularise the bio-tech sector. The quiz format was made by Giri Balasubramaniam, popularly known as "Pick Brain," who also conducted the rural IT quiz as part of the Bangalore IT.Com over the last two years.

Participants are allowed to choose from categories such as people in BT, companies in BT, products in IT, biofuels, health care, sponsors of Bangalore Bio and mixed bag. Each participant has to answer six questions correctly in two rounds on the chosen topic to win the prize.

The officials said that answers to the 150-160 basic questions could be found in the exhibition.

"If people go around the exhibition carefully, they will be able to answer all the questions," they added.

The response for the quiz during the last two days was great, officials say. Owing to heavy turnout on Tuesday, the quiz had to be conducted every hour, they added.

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