Quiz #61 – AB51 Quiz

Welcome to the timed option for Quiz #61.

This is a timed challenge in which you are given 30 minutes to answer the 40 questions of Round 1 to Round 4.

The leaderboard can be slow to update. Apologies.

Enter your quiz team name

QUIZ START

Round 1

#1. The forecast high temperature for Christmas Day at the North Pole is -22°C. Is the high temperature for the South Pole for the same day higher or lower?

Higher

Lower

The South Pole is projected to have a high of around -25°C for Christmas Day. Although the southern hemisphere is in its summer, and coastal Antarctica is currently at around 0°C, the inland Antarctic plateau is a significantly colder climate than the Arctic, with its mid-winter temperatures dropping to an average of -60°C.

#2. What US fast food chain has become famously connected to Christmas celebrations in Japan?

Answer: KFC

KFC’s association with Christmas in Japan is reported to have started in the 1970s when an outlet in Nagoya took advantage of foreigners lamenting the lack of a turkey dinner in the country by releasing a Christmas ‘party barrel’. With US culture highly fashionable in Japan at the time, and Christmas not being a national holiday, young Japanese couples and groups jumped on the craze of celebrating Christmas Eve by going out for a KFC dinner after work, since which KFC has heavily marketed its connection to the holiday.

#3. On December 16 the Scottish Government passed a law that identified the theft of what animal as being distinct from general property theft, with it now carrying the possibility of an unlimited fine and five years in prison?

Answer: dog

The UK Government also recently passed a ‘pet abduction’ bill. 1808 dogs were stolen across the UK in 2024.

#4. The leaders of the UK, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Peru, Mozambique, and the newly elected President of Chile are amongst the world leaders who all studied what subject at university?

Answer: law

#5. The Druk Gyalpo is the head of state of the Kingdom of Bhutan. While the word ‘gyalpo’ means king, the word ‘druk’ refers to what mythical creature that features on the nation’s flag?

Answer: dragon

Connected to a storm that occurred during the establishment of the Ralong Monastery, the druk – or thunder dragon – is of major importance in Bhutan: the country is called Druk Yul, the national anthem is Druk tsendhen, and several political parties use Druk in their names.

#6. US industrialist Henry Ford once said that it is not the employer that pays workers’ wages, but who?

Answer: The customer

Ford said employers only ‘handle the money’.

#7. What two symbolic objects have traditionally been placed atop Christmas trees since the trees came to prominence outside Germany in the 19th century? (1 of 2))

#8. (2 of 2)

Answers: angel; star

#9. Scientific theories concerning to the origins of the so-called ‘Star of Bethlehem’ have been aired since at least the 13th century, with ideas including a comet, supernova, and that the star is simply mythology rather than scientific reality. One theory is that the story of a bright star was drawn from several planetary conjunctions that occurred in 7BC, 6BC, and 3BC in which Jupiter moved close to which three other planets? (1 of 3)

#10. (2 of 3)

#11. (3 of 3)

Answers: Mars; Saturn; Venus

In 7BC Jupiter and Saturn drew close on three different occasions, a triple conjunction that happens only every 220 years and which would match the idea of a ‘wandering star’. However, as with all the theories, heavy doubts linger, as people at the time were not novices in noticing and tracking stars.

#12. In the song Frosty the Snowman, written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson and first released by Gene Autry, what five items are described as either decorating or being held by Frosty? (1 of 5)

#13. (2 of 5)

#14. (3 of 5)

#15. (4 of 5)

#16. (5 of 5)

Answers: corncob pipe; button nose; coal eyes; old silk hat; broomstick

#17. What nine-letter word can be made from the following letters: ACEGHINRS?

#18. Freestyle, Zig, Ventilator, and Pump are all lines of shoes released by what sportswear company?

Answer: Reebok

#19. What nickname is shared by both the British royal family and the group of gangsters operating in London the 1950s and 1960s of which twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray were the most famous members?

Answer: The Firm

#20. What word completes this quote by Lady Smart amongst the final lines of Jonathan Swift’s 1738 work A Treatise on Polite Conversation: “Well, Miss, you’ll have a sad husband, you have such good luck at ___.”

Answer: cards

#21. Which 2025 hit musical animation feature film, which also led to a highly successful soundtrack album, follows Korean girl group Huntrix as they combine their pop careers with fighting demons, including demonic boy band Saja Boys?

Answer: KPop Demon Hunters

#22. Jade, Cloe, Yasmin, and Sasha were the original four dolls in which toy line from the early 2000s, designed by a former Barbie clothing designer who sold the idea to Barbie creator Mattel’s competitor MGA Entertainment?

Answer: Bratz

MGA was initially unenthusiastic about the Bratz dolls, but CEO Isaac Larian’s 11-year old daughter Jasmin said she liked them; five years later the dolls had generated revenue of $2b.

#23. Guinness World Records are currently assessing whether Laura Crane from Devon in England broke a world record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman when she took part in a Big Wave Challenge on December13 in which European country?

Answer: Portugal

The Nazaré Big Wave Challenge has seen multiple world records, with surfers riding waves over 20m in height.

#24. Which two former champions of the English Premier League, which replaced the old First Division in 1992, currently play outside England’s top flight? (1 of 2)

#25. (2 of 2)

Answers: Blackburn Rovers; Leicester City

#26. What four chemical elements are the most abundant in the ocean, being the only ones with an abundance above 1 per cent? (1 of 4)

#27. (2 of 4)

#28. (3 of 4)

#29. (4 of 4)

Answers: oxygen; hydrogen; chlorine; sodium

The composition is roughly 86% oxygen, 11% hydrogen, 2% chlorine, and 1% sodium. These four elements are the most abundant because water is H₂O, while the ocean’s salt is generally sodium chloride (NaCl), although some other salts and minerals are present.

#30. Although the game now includes a spiral slide and more intricate core section, what were the four different types of equipment piece that came in the original 1967 version of the game KerPlunk? (1 of 4)

#31. (2 of 4)

#32. (3 of 4)

#33. (4 of 4)

Answers: base; tube; straws; marbles

#34. China is believed to execute more prisoners than the rest of the world combined. What seven actions against the state or state security, listed in Articles 102 to 112 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, can result in the death penalty? (1 of 7)

#35. (2 of 7)

#36. (3 of 7)

#37. (4 of 7)

#38. (5 of 7)

#39. (6 of 7)

#40. (7 of 7)

Answers: treason; separatism; rebellion; defection; espionage; stealing state secrets; arming the enemy

As well as crimes against state security, the death penalty exists for several serious violent or destructive offences, while 13 of the 42 capital offences relate to behaviour by armed forces personnel. China has been phasing out much of its death penalty crimes, with many economic crimes such as tax fraud, smuggling cultural relics, and tomb robbing removed from the list of capital offences in 2011.

#41. Due to be scrapped in March 2026, what is the current maximum spend that can be made in the UK via a single contactless card payment?

Answer: £100

#42. The virus H5N1 is commonly known as Bird Flu, while H1N1 is known as Swine Flu. Although it would later prove common in the canine populations of the US, with what type of animal is the virus H3N8 associated?

Answer: equine

#43. What plant genus includes cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts?

Answer: Brassica

#44. In cinematography, what is the job title of the person who moves a wheeled trolley – either horizontally, or elevating its ‘boom’ vertically – on which a camera operator sits?

Answer: dolly grip

Dolly shots include tracking, 360 rotations around a subject, and the ‘double dolly’ in which the camera and subject are both on dollies moving through a set together.

#45. Which UK retailer, whose outlets are widely seen at airports and train stations, is trying to retrieve bonuses from two former directors after it paid them ₤7m in performance-related cash and stock options, only to find a ₤600m accounting error in its North America operations, where the company runs brands including InMotion, Marshall Rousso, Flight Stop, and Root & Branch, as well as geographically specific shops such as Welcome to Las Vegas gift shop?

Answer: WH Smith

#46. What type of ornamental typeface, generally used for section divides due to its pictorial nature, shares its name with a board game in which players must solve rebus puzzles in which pictures and letters give clues towards a well-known phrase?

Answer: Dingbats

#47. By what numbers, both between 1 and 9, does China refer to the batteries known in most other countries as AA and AAA respectively? (1 of 2)

#48. (2 of 2)

Answers: 5; 7

In China D batteries are known as #1 batteries, and C batteries as #2 batteries.

#49. Based on the presence of pheomelanin, eumelanin, or a mixture of the two, what are considered the three base colours of horses’ coats? (1 of 3)

#50. (2 of 3)

#51. (3 of 3)

Answers: chestnut (sorrel, red); black; bay

‘Greys’ are horses with a depigmentation pattern, with the greying to white (‘greying out’) occurring as they age. True white horses, which have pink skin but are not albino, are relatively rare.

#52. In singing, what are considered the four male voice types? (1 of 4)

#53. (2 of 4)

#54. (3 of 4)

#55. (4 of 4)

Answers: countertenor; tenor; baritone; bass

#56. When written in the Roman alphabet, what five letters of the Greek alphabet end in the letter i? (1 of 5)

#57. (2 of 5)

#58. (3 of 5)

#59. (4 of 5)

#60. (5 of 5)

Answers: xi; pi; chi; psi; phi

#61. What name is given to the type of financial institution that offers many of the same customer services as a bank but is structurally designed to be non-profit, owned not by shareholders but by members who must meet specific criteria – such as living within a certain geographic area or working for a particular organisation – and generally guides its investments on ethical or community needs rather than profit?

Answer: credit union (community bank)

#62. Opened in 2014, the aptly named 2800 Polar Way in Richland, in the US state of Washington, is the world’s largest example of what sort of building?

Answer: cold storage facility

#63. An analogy of hanging something soft between two stronger items, by what term is the television scheduling practice of placing a potentially little-watched show in between two hit shows, with the hope being that the audience doesn’t turn off the television as it awaits the next show it wants?

Answer: hammocking

#64. Situated in Asia, which capital city has the largest average temperature fluctuation in the world, with temperatures averaging -21°C in January and 19°C in July?

Answer: Ulaanbaatar

Generally said to be the coldest capital city in the world, leading to a coal- and traffic-based pollution problem, Mongolia’s Ulaanbaatar has a record low of -43.9°C, and its record high is 39°C. Mongolia is one of the areas of the world most significantly being hit by climate change, with temperatures having risen over 2°C in the past 70 years, while the number of dzuds (extreme winter storms, whether it be snow, rain, or extreme cold, that follow a drought) have increased, with one in 2010 killing approximately 8-10 million livestock animals (roughly 17-25 per cent of the country’s total) and another in 2023-2024 winter roughly 7 million animals. Early mapping suggested 22 per cent of the country’s territory has a ‘high risk’ of dzud in 2026.

#65. In botany, a pepo is a special name for a fruit or berry of plants in what family, with the fruit having a harder inseparable external rind and no segments within its internal flesh?

Answer: gourd

The cucurbit family includes melons, squashes, and cucumbers.

#66. In 2017, the Smithsonian museum acquired the earliest known photograph of a US President, albeit one taken in 1843, 14 years after he finished his time in office. Who was the President?

Answer: John Quincy Adams

There are no known photographs of the first five presidents. James Polk, who started his term as the 11^th president in 1845, is the first sitting president known to have his photograph taken when he had it done in 1849. However, it is believed William Henry Harrison, who died after only 31 days in office in 1841, had his picture taken at his inauguration; if found, that photograph would be earlier than those of both Adams and Polk.

#67. What word follows distal, intermediate, or proximal in the names of the three most exterior bones within a finger of the human hand – those being the three bones beyond the joint in the centre of the finger? And what word refers to the two types of bone between that joint and the wrist, with the first having the prefix ‘meta’ and the second being the eight small bones that form the base of the palm? (1 of 2))

#68. (2 of 2)

Answers: phalanges; carpal

#69. As of its latest awarding on December 18, which three professional golfers from the UK have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, with one in 1957 another in 1989, and the third in 2025? (1 of 3)

#70. (2 of 3)

#71. (3 of 3)

Answers: Dai Rees; Nick Faldo; Rory McIlroy

#72. Including the Adriatic, what four rivers have the highest discharge into the Mediterranean Sea? (1 of 4)

#73. (2 of 4)

#74. (3 of 4)

#75. (4 of 4)

Answers: Rhône, Po, Nile, Buna (Drin-Bojana)

#76. For Christmas 2025, famous London toy store Hamley’s has compiled a ‘Festive 15’ list of its top toys for the year. As well as its own lines in soft and wooden toys, plus a Hamley’s remote control car and a soft toy Peppa Pig by Character Group, what 10 toy or model companies are behind the toys on the list? The toys in question are a ‘smart’ football; a Star Wars lightsaber; a L.O.L. Surprise magic flyer; a Marvel Universe-tie in building set; a Sky Trails building set; a Toy Story tie-in robot; a character model of a character from the One Piece manga series; furry bouncy balls; dolls inspired by the Roblox computer game; and a VR headset that lets people send commands to its wearer. (1 of 10)

#77. (2 of 10)

#78. (3 of 10)

#79. (4 of 10)

#80. (5 of 10)

#81. (6 of 10)

#82. (7 of 10)

#83. (8 of 10)

#84. (9 of 10)

#85. (10 of 10)

Answers: Strikesphere (football)
Hasbro (Star Wars)
MGA Entertainment (L.O.L. Surprise)
Lego (Marvel set)
Playmobil (Sky Trails set)
Robosen (Toy Story robot)
Mighty Jaxx (One Piece model)
Ty (furry bouncy ball)
Jazwares (Roblox dolls)
Tomy (VR headset)

Finish

Results

Team	Score	%
Jammie Dodger	79 / 85	92.941176470588%
Play 'Doh!'	46 / 85	54.117647058824%
Paddy Cats	42 / 85	49.411764705882%
Punkin	17 / 85	20%
I know nothing	10 / 85	11.764705882353%