Test your grasp of current affairs and general knowledge with our quiz

Looking back on 2016

1 In his first cabinet reshuffle, Jeremy Corbyn appointed Emily Thornberry his shadow defence secretary. Who did she replace? 2 The drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was recaptured in January, after almost seven months on the run. Which Mexican cartel does he lead? 3 Wada made headlines this year, with a devastating report into corruption. What does the acronym stand for? 4 They were dubbed the Bad Grandpas on social media. What had they done? 5 “Yo, Chris. Come check me out,” tweeted Don Cheadle. “They got me parking cars on G level.” Who was he addressing, and to what event was he referring? 6 Alphabet is the parent company of which mega-corporation? 7 George Bingham finally assumed his father’s title this year, following a lengthy legal battle. What is it? 8 Who celebrated Gay Pride by tweeting: “I campaigned for Stronger In, but sometimes you are better off out!” 9 After a desperate few years, “M&S has finally produced a garment people want to talk about”, noted Catherine Bennett in The Observer, in April. What was the garment? 10 By mid-may, there was only one man still standing against Donald Trump in the Republican race. Who was it? 11 Palmerston started work at Whitehall this year, and was soon scrapping with Gladstone. What is Palmerston’s job title? 12 “Someone crept in/and lit a candle in our hearts/that someone happened/to be him.” Who is the subject of this poem, published in an anthology this year? 13 On which small island was Donald Trump’s mother born?

History and politics

1 Who was England’s first Tudor monarch? 2 In which US city did Rosa Parks (pictured) refuse to give up her seat on a bus? And in which city was Martin Luther King assassinated? 3 Following a hiking trip in 1941, the Swiss engineer George de Mestral was inspired to develop a new product by examining the burrs that had got stuck to his trousers. What was it? 4 Only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still stands. Which is it? 5 Which English king was known as the Hammer of the Scots? 6 Which battle, fought in 1876, is commonly known as Custer’s Last Stand? Name the Native American warrior who led his people to victory there. 7 The Somme offensive (pictured), launched 100 years ago this year, was designed to draw German troops away from which battle? 8 Which failed military invasion of Cuba took place on 17 April 1961? 9 a) Which British prime minister held office for the shortest time – 119 days, before succumbing to the after effects of a severe cold; and which served the longest continuous term, at 20 years? b) Which British PM was the last to have served entirely from the House of Lords? c) Which 20th century British PM is the only one to have competed in a sport at a national level? 10 Hailed as a national hero during the First World War, this French general was found guilty of treason at the end of the Second World War, and only narrowly avoided execution. Who was he? 11 In which country was the first football World Cup held, in 1930? 12 Who, in 1916, became the world’s first confirmed dollar billionaire?

Food and drink

1 In America, this pudding became so popular in the 18th century that Yale College reputedly served it every night, for more than 100 years. What was it? 2 What fruit would you find on a blackthorn tree? 3 Tri-tip, chuck and flat iron are all what? 4 a) For about 70 years from its launch in the 1920s, Blue Nun was a single wine. What sort of wine was it? b) Invented by a brewer in Somerset, Babycham hit the shelves in the 1950s. What is it? 5 With what ingredient did Jamie Oliver manage to outrage Spanish traditionalists this year? 6 Poke was one of the big food trends of 2016. What is poke? 7 Which country is the world’s largest producer of a) apples b) grapes c) tomatoes d) cucumbers e) onions? 8 On what sort of a plant do vanilla pods grow?

Literature and the arts

1 The following characters appear in which novels a) Paul Pennyfeather b) Joe Gargery c) Dick Diver d) Humbert Humbert e) Elinor Dashwood f) John Self g) Count Olaf? 2 In Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, what was the name of Captain Nemo’s submarine? 3 What was Mr Pickwick’s first name? 4 Which Renaissance artist was disfigured as a result of being hit in the face as a teenager by a fellow painter? 5 Which art movement means in the style of “wild beasts”? 6 Name the authors of the following 20th century novels: a) Dusty Answer b) Anglo Saxon Attitudes c) By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept d) Go Tell it On the Mountain e) The Ballad of the Sad Café

7 Baroque or rococo – which came first? 8 This 20th century artist was almost killed when he was shot in the stomach by a radical feminist. Who was he? 9 “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams,” is the last line of which poem? Name the poem that begins: “On either side the river lie/long fields of barley and of rye.” 10 Which fictional land was named after a label on the drawer of a filing cabinet in the author’s study? 11 With which characters/series are the following children’s writers most closely associated a) Elisabeth Beresford b) Clive King c) L.M. Montgomery d) Johanna Spyri e) Anna Sewell f) Cressida Cowell g) Francesca Simon? 12 The Bible, the Koran and Chairman Mao’s “Little Red Book” are cited as the biggest-selling books ever. But what is the

biggest-selling, single-volume novel? And which book, published in 1943, is said to be the biggest-selling children’s book ever?

At the movies

1 Name the film that won the Best Picture award at the 2016 Oscars. Which film won the Palme d’or at Cannes? 2 In which films would you find the following lines? a) They call it a Royale with cheese b) It was beauty killed the beast c) Sunnyside is a place of ruin and despair, ruled by an evil bear who smells of strawberries! d) You see us as you want to see us... But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain... and an athlete... and a basket case... a princess... and a criminal. 3 Why was the 1968 film Oliver! something of a family affair for Oliver Reed (Bill Sikes)? 4 In which 2013 Hollywood film is the phrase “old sport” used 55 times? 5 What car did Caractacus Potts drive? 6 “I have had a talent for irritating women since I wass 14,” was said by which screen goddess? 7 Which Hitchcock film features a murder in the UN building? And in which film are police searching for the Merry Widow Murderer? 8 In which 1987 film did Christian Bale make his big screen debut, aged 13? 9 “I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it any more,” was a line often quoted in relation to the US election result. What film does it come from?

Obituaries

1 Which British actor, who died in January, grew up on a council estate in west London, and worked as a graphic designer, before joining the RSC? 2 Edward Albee, who died in September, was best known for Who’s Afraid of

Virginia Woolf? What are its two main characters called? 3 “It is not enough to deface the Mona Lisa, because that does not kill the Mona Lisa. All art of the past must be destroyed.” Which controversial composer said this? 4 Which Tory grandee, beloved by Mrs Thatcher, fell victim to a “family values” scandal in 1983 – before making a brief comeback to Thatcher’s cabinet in 1987? 5 This former actress boasted of the “special access” she got from sleeping with the president. Who was she? 6 In prison, he was known as Narco Polo. He often called himself Donald Nice. What was his real name? 7 “I am America,” he said. “I am the part you won’t recognise. But get used to me.” Who was he he? 8 Elie W Wiesel, a survivor of Aus Auschwitz and Buche Buchenwald, was chief chiefly famous for his deva devastating memoir, publi published in English in 196 1960. What was its title title? 9 Actor K Kenny Baker’s life was transform transformed by one role – in which he was never se seen. What was it?

Music and musicians

1 Who is the woman walking arm in arm with Bob Dylan on the cover of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan?

2 “Me myself I got nothing to lose” is a line from which 1988 song, a hit for Jonas Blue this year? 3 Name the David Bowie songs that contain the following lyrics: a) It’s the terror of knowing/what this world is about/watching some good friends screaming/“let me out” b) But the film is a saddening bore/for she’s lived it ten times or more c) If you say run, I’ll run with you/if you say hide, we’ll hide d) We know Major Tom’s a junkie 4 a) Which pop star became the first to reach the top of the UK singles charts

posthumously, in 1959? b) Who had three posthumous number ones, between December 1980 and February 1981? For a bonus point, name them. 5 By what names are the following performers better known: a) Eleanora Fagan b) Stuart Leslie Goddard c) Stefani Germanotta? 6 Which 18th century composer fathered 20 children with his two wives? 7 The controversial Dance of the Seven Veils apears in which opera? 8 They called him Vaclav the Good, and he was assassinated by Boleslaw the Bad. At Christmas time, how is he better known?