Doffing its proverbial cap in your general direction, it is the Thursday quiz. Some general knowledge, some topical news, some spectacularly repetitive in-jokes all await you. It is just for fun. There are no prizes. But do let us know how you get on in the comments.

The Thursday quiz, No 57

1.FAIR DINKUM: Australia has a new prime minister. What is his name?

2.THEME FOR GREAT CITIES: Eight new cities have been declared in the UK in time for the Queen’s platinum jubilee. Which of these was NOT one of them?

3.A GOOD WALK SPOILED: Which US golfer (not pictured) won the 2022 US PGA Championship at the weekend?

4.FIBONACCI NUMBERS: First described in Indian mathematics, and forming a sequence where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones, F₁₄ is 377. But what is 377 in Roman numerals?

5.LIFE FINDS A WAY: Lyme Regis has unveiled a statue of which famous paleontologist (not pictured)?

6.FACES IN THE NEWS: Which European politician is this?

7.GIRL FROM GERMANY: That is a 1973 Sparks song where they praise the country’s ‘splendid castles and fine cuisine’. But that’s not important right now. Who ordered the construction of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which began in 1788?

8.MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU: Who is reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker (not pictured) after a gap of some 17 years in the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi?

9.GCSE SCIENCE CORNER: When an atom loses one or more electrons, what does it become?

10.WE’VE ALL DONE IT: The BBC had to apologise this week after some text a trainee was typing into a system appeared live on screen by mistake. What did the BBC News channel inform readers?

11.LITERATURE: Who wrote the post-apocalyptic novel the Death of Grass, which describes the unfolding catastrophe of a virus causing all grass including wheat and rice to die out? It was published in the US as No Blade of Grass

12.WHY THE LONG FACE?: When was Dressage first introduced as an Olympic sport?

13.HAPPY BIRTHDAY: It is Stevie Nicks’ birthday today. Happy birthday, Stevie! She was a vital part of the success of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. But what was the name of the first Fleetwood Mac album she appeared on?

14.ALLONS-Y: Wikivoyage lists 23 locations visited by fictional Phileas Fogg in Jules Verne’s Around the World in Eighty Days, none of them by hot air balloon. No 17 is Fort Kearny, Nebraska, US. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. But which US river does it sit next to?

15.MUSIC: Who had a massive international hit in the early 1980s with a song called the Safety Dance?

  • If you think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email [email protected]. But remember, the quizmaster’s word is always final, and he can dance if he wants to, he can leave your friends behind.


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