Trivia

1. To raise money for charities, who handwrote an 800-word prequel to her bestselling book series? 1 point

2. According to its former minister of tourism, which country is known abroad for its three ‘Rs’: reggae, romance and running? 1 point

3. Main-sequence stars fuse hydrogen into helium in their cores. What’s the closest one to Earth? 1 point

4. Razzie awards are meant to go to bad movies, but who got nominated for directing the now widely respected film Scarface?

2 points

5. Mauritius is the only African country where the most commonly practised religion is what? 1 point

6. Structures in Tokyo; Las Vegas; Shenzhen; and Paris, Texas all look like what French monument?

1 point

7. Which country’s late monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, received recognition for his rainmaking technology? 2 points

8. Which is the largest capital city in the world (by population)? 1 point

9. At what age did Jacinda Ardern become New Zealand’s prime minister? a) 32. b) 37. c) 39. 1 point

10. Queen Mary Tudor of England is better known to history by what name? 2 points

11. The ‘Eddie Murphy Rule’ banned certain kinds of insider trading in commodities markets. It was inspired by his role in what film? 2 points

12. What two Renaissance artists were commissioned to paint rivalling frescoes at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence?

2 points

13. Malaysia is a leading producer of tin. True or false?

1 point

14. The first time someone bought real-world goods with bitcoins, 10,000 of them (worth about US$90 million at current prices) were exchanged for what? 2 points