Quiz #57

Which former French president was released from prison on November 10, three weeks into a five year sentence he received for accepting election funding from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, due to his filing of an appeal which will be heard in 2026?

Question 2

From which country does the Ritter Sport chocolate bar brand originate?

Question 3

In a famous scene in the 1984 action comedy film Beverly Hills Cop, freewheeling detective Axel Foley, played by Eddie Murphy, escapes Detective Rosewood and Sergeant Taggart’s stakeout by first having food delivered to their car and then, when they’re distracted, putting two of what type of fruit in the car’s exhaust, causing the vehicle to stall when they later try to follow him?

Question 4

Pinhole, pince-nez, rivet, and temples are all types of what item?

Question 5

What is the thickest bone in the human body?

Question 6

What is the name of the cross that appears on the flags of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland?

Question 7

The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, The Swan Theatre, and The Other Place are all theatres belonging to which theatre company specialising in the plays of William Shakespeare? And in which English town are the three theatres all located?

Question 8

The earliest known recipe for the English suet dish spotted dick dates from Alexis Soyer’s 1845 book Shilling Cookery for the People. In the original recipe, the word ‘spotted’ refers to it being dotted with what fruit – still generally used in the recipe today? And, although not mentioned in the recipe, from what word does the word ‘dick’ derive, it being the type of food spotted dick is?

Question 9

The disease known as Spanish flu, which killed an estimated 50 million people in 1918 and 1919, is so called not because it originated in Spain but because it was first widely reported by the media in that country. Although there are theories connected to disease outbreaks in China, Vietnam, and India, which three WW1 allies are currently generally considered to be the most likely starting points of the disease, in places named Haskell County, Aldershot, and Étaples?

Question 10

Make the longest word possible from the following letters: AEHNOOPSX

Round 1 points
(Maximum: 22)

Round 2

Question 1

In meteorology, a cold front is generally symbolised by blue triangles spread along a line. What symbol is used for a warm front?

Question 2

The shape-shifting spirit known as kitsune in Japan, kumiho in Korea, huli jing in China, and hồ ly tinh in Vietnam generally takes the form of a nine-tailed version of what animal?

Question 3

What type of increasingly prevalent medical condition is treated by a bariatrician?

Question 4

The coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 was marked by the creation of a new dish, poulet reine Elizabeth, which is now referred to as coronation chicken. What type of food was given a ‘coronation’ revamp by royal chef Mark Flanagan for the coronation of Charles III in 2023, having been chosen by the new king and his wife Camilla supposedly because it would be an easy centrepiece for street parties and could be eaten hot or cold?

Question 5

Scientists from which South American nation recovered a cannon, three coins, and a cup from the sunken Spanish San José galleon last week, the first items from what has been described as the ‘holy grail of shipwrecks’ due to the belief it sank in 1708 carrying gold, silver, emeralds and other precious items that would be worth $7bn-$18bn today?

Question 6

The creation of multi-eyed alien Dr Jumba Jookiba, Disney character Experiment 626 is better known by what name, having been one of the title characters of a 2002 animation and a 2025 live-action remake, as well as several spin-off straight-to-DVD films, TV animations, computer games, and Disney resort experiences?

Question 7

On November 15, seven months after their first bout, the sons of former world champion boxers Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn fought a rematch at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, with Benn’s son avenging his April defeat. What are the first names of the two younger boxers?

Question 8

Between December 1984 and October 1985, three different songs called The Power of Love had major success on the UK chart, with the first being the 1984 Christmas number one, the second reaching number two in June 1985 – and number one in the US – on the back of its appearance in the film Back to the Future, and the last spending five weeks at number one in October 1985 – with a cover version by Celine Dion five years later returning the song to the top five as well as topping the US chart. Who were the artists behind the three songs?

Question 9

UK flag carrier airline British Airways was formed in 1974 when state airline BOAC, as well as BOAC’s subsidiary British European Airways, was merged with Northeast Airlines and Cambrian Airways. For what did the initials BOAC stand?

Question 10

Stock characters of the genre, what were the four playable characters in the original version of the fantasy roleplay board game Hero Quest, released in 1989 by Games Workshop, in which characters had to defeat orcs, goblins, and skeletons as they navigated a dungeon?

Round 2 points
(Maximum: 19)

Total points
(Maximum: 41)

Round 3

Question 1

What root vegetable, with the scientific name Pastinaca sativa, was used as a sweetener in northern Europe before the arrival of cane sugar around the 11^th century?

Question 2

A WO-type Wolf-Rayet star in the Sagittarius constellation, WR 102 is generally believed to hold what distinction amongst known objects in the universe?

Question 3

Built in the 3rd century and spanning 11 hectares, Terme di Caracalla in Rome is now the ruin of what sort of building?

Question 4

What name is given to the geographic corridor stretching from Morocco to the edge of China that is famous for its production of carpets, most famously in the area around Iran?

Question 5

Which company on the US S&P trading index currently has the highest price-per-earnings ratio – that being its share price divided by its earnings per share – essentially meaning the company is valued higher than the amount of money it is actually making?

Question 6

On February 3, 2021, the Scottish Premiership match between Hamilton Academical and Ross County finished 2-1 to the visitors, Ross County, whose goals were scored by two players whose names, when combined, make up the name of which brand of Scottish whisky – albeit spelt differently?

Question 7

Only coming to public attention after internet users saw the items on the Oval Office desk, and described by a Swiss opposition party as ‘unacceptable’ and representing ‘corrupt logic’, what two high-priced objects were gifted ‘to the American people’ – albeit into the possession of, and engraved for, the US President Donald Trump – by a group of Swiss business executives in early November, just over a week before the US cut trade tariffs on Switzerland from 39 per cent to 15 per cent?

Question 8

Which three figures – a grandfather, father, and son – from the Bible’s Old Testament are known as ‘The Patriarchs’?

Question 9

In Ancient Greece and Rome, the four humours – or juices – described by Hippocrates were vital bodily fluids that formed the basis of the four temperaments, or personality types, with well-rounded individuals of good temperament requiring these fluids to be in balance. What were the four fluids that comprised the humours, two of which are different colours of the same fluid?

Question 10

Seven of which previously operated as part of the University of New Zealand before it was broken up in 1961, New Zealand’s eight official universities are based in which seven cities or towns?

Round 3 points
(Maximum: 22)

Total points
(Maximum: 63)

Round 4

Question 1

Still recording in 2022 when she was 89, and with an autobiography released in October, which British singer first came to prominence in 1942 when, aged 9, she started doing radio performances during WWII, earning her the nicknames ‘Singing Sweetheart’ and ‘Britain’s Shirley Temple’ and leading to tours with fellow child star Julie Andrews? As well as numerous entries on the UK chart, her career included two US number ones in the 1960s and chart entries throughout Europe sung in French, German, and Italian.

Question 2

What change was made to the usual pre-match routine prior to the England versus Wales football game on October 9, 2025, to help raise awareness of dementia?

Question 3

The Isthmus of Corinth land bridge connects mainland Greece with what peninsula, the most southern point of the Balkans?

Question 4

What is the name of the traditional and widely eaten Central American dish in which a wrapper of masa corn dough is stuffed with a filling of choice and then steamed inside a corn husk or banana leaf?

Question 5

With over a billion subscribers, and over 400m 5G WiFi users, what is the world’s largest telecommunications company?

Question 6

Due to it being a clonal colony, in which the forest of approximately 47000 ‘trees’ is actually all stems produced from one root system, Pando in the US state of Utah is widely considered to be the world’s heaviest organism. Seen throughout North America in such clonal colonies, commonly referred to as groves, what type of tree is Pando?

Question 7

Although the diary of William Bradford, the governor of the Plymouth Colony, notes the general autumnal harvest of 1621 included turkey, cod, bass, and corn, and food historians know the Wampanoag ate a variety of seafood as well as a corn porridge called nasaump and a stew called sobaheg, the only primary source mentioning food at the first American Thanksgiving is a letter by Edward Winslow which mentions people hunting what two types of animal for the meal?

Question 8

From the same family, who are the actress grandmother, mother, and granddaughter who are respectively best known for starring in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film The Birds, the 1988 film Working Girl, and the 2010s Fifty Shades film series?

Question 9

As well as rows and columns, the periodic table divides the chemical elements into groups named for which five letters of the alphabet?

Question 10

As of June 2025, when administrative areas were redrawn to reduce the number of provincial administrative units from 63 to 34, the country of Vietnam is comprised of 28 provinces and which 6 cities?

Round 4 points
(Maximum: 22)

Total points
(Maximum: 85)

Round 5

In Round 5, there is only one answer. The less clues you need to get it, the more points you receive. If you need only one clue, you receive 10 points; if you require two clues, you will receive 9 points, and so on.

However, you may only answer once. If you answer incorrectly, you receive zero points for the round.

What surname do the following people all share?

Clue 1

Clue 2

Clue 3

Clue 4

Clue 5

Clue 6

Clue 7

Clue 8

Clue 9

Clue 10

Round 5 points
(Maximum: 10)

Total points
(Maximum: 95)