Lifestyle

Carrie Fisher, ghostly jesters and a curious motoring fine – take the Thursday quiz


This time last week it was Thursday, and now here we all are again facing 15 questions on general knowledge and topical trivia plus a few jokes. All your favourites are here: a Doctor Who reference to spot, a Kate Bush answer to avoid, the beloved Pokémon round, Ron from Sparks, and some twisty little anagrams along the way. It is very silly, just for fun, and there are no prizes, but let us know how you got on in the comments.

The Thursday quiz, No 26

1.UK NEWS: It is that time of the year when the ONS releases its list of the most popular baby names, and then people try to draw social significance from them. What was the most popular name for a girl in England and Wales in 2020?

2.WORLD NEWS: The US artist Spencer Tunick has been getting masses of people to get their kit off again for one of his artworks. Where?

3.OH FINE THEN: This week a man was a baffled when he received a fine for driving in a bus lane in Bath, about 120 miles from his home. What caused it?

4.GREEK TRAGEDY: This statue of a world-famous singer has been unveiled in Athens to much disdain, and described by one observer as looking like “Gandhi in heels”. Which Greek musical artist is it meant to be?

5.MUSIC: While we’re on the subject of music, Chelsea Wolfe has just released a haunting cover version of the song Woodstock, made famous by Crosby Stills Nash & Young and Matthews Southern Comfort, among others. Who wrote it?

6.POETRY CORNER: “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose” is a famous line from the poem Sacred Emily by which poet?

7.GEOGRAPHY: Land’s End is the most southerly point of the county of Cornwall? True or false?

8.FLAGS: While we’re on the subject of Cornwall, this is the Cornish flag. What is it called?

9.WORRYING POKÉMON DESCRIPTIONS: Not every Pokémon is as cute as Pikachu. Which Pokémon has this worrying official description: “This Pokémon generates energy for laying strong curses by sticking pins into its own body. This Pokémon was originally a pitiful plush doll that was thrown away. A cursed energy permeated the stuffing of a discarded and forgotten plush doll, giving it new life.”

10.HOSPITALITY ON PARADE: That’s a 1975 song by Sparks about how one day they’ll have one extra coastline. But that’s not important right now. It is the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. It was named after a cape on the coastline of which country?

11.GCSE SCIENCE CORNER: A bit of biology this week. Where in a cell are the chromosomes?

12.KIDS TV THAT THEY SHOULD DEFINITELY REVIVE: Michael Staniforth brilliantly played which character in Rentaghost?

13.PER ASPERA AD ASTRA: Nasa this week launched a spacecraft on a 12-year quest to explore eight asteroids. It has been given a name that is a Beatles reference. What is the name?

14.ON THIS DAY: It would have been Carrie Fisher’s birthday today. To which long-running US cartoon series did she lend her voice as Angela? Plot twist – it’s anagram time …

15.AND FINALLY: Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko returned from the International Space Station this week after doing what for the very first time in space?

  • If you do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers, please feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com but remember, the quizmaster’s word is always final, and if you question it too much you might find yourself stuck in a certain Korean TV show.



READ SOURCE

Leave a Reply

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.