Round 1
Question 1
In June, 29-year old tech programme manager Jhané Gibson was named the 2026 winner of what long-running BBC cooking competition, having served the judges a final three-course meal of red snapper, piri piri poussin, and ginger rum cake?
*Throughout the competition Jhané used a variety of inspirations in her food, including her family’s Caribbean heritage, her love of Thai cuisine, and food she tried on holidays in Portugal. Going into the competition, Jhané said her ambition was to one day ‘run a local pub that serves incredible food’.
1 point
Question 2
Which is hotter: the air around a bolt of lightning due to resistance, or the surface of the sun?
*Lightning itself doesn’t have heat – it is electricity moving – but the heat caused by air resistance can be hotter than 30000 kelvin (29700°C), compared to the 5800 kelvin (5500°C) measurement for the surface of the sun. However, the core of the sun is estimated to be 15000000 kelvin (15000000°C).
1 point
Question 3
A company named Greenwater Services was in the news in June 2026 for failing to fix what problem in Washington D.C. – the company’s name proving ironic due to the nature of the issue?
*A no-contest contract was given to Greenwater due to its undertaking of previous building project work for US President Donald Trump, although critics note the company is owned by an investment trust run by J.J. Cafaro, who has donated to Trump campaigns. Greenwater’s contract to fix the algae filtration system was for $1.7m, part of approximately $14m spent on the reflecting pool, yet the algae remains. Workers have since poured hydrogen peroxide directly into the water, which is suspected as a possible cause for the death of a duckling found in the pool.
1 point
Question 4
Which Australian singer was nicknamed ‘the singing budgie’ during her initial transition from soap opera actress to singer, but has since become known as ‘the princess of pop’ and performed the legends slot at the Glastonbury music festival?
*Of the criticism she received in her early career, Minogue said: “I understand, like ‘singing budgie’, yeah, I hadn’t earned my stripes. I didn’t know what I was doing, I wasn’t very good, but give her a chance! That was the thing that really got me.”
1 point
Question 5
One of the best-selling girl groups in history, which initialism-named band was comprised of Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas?
*TLC topped the US charts with the songs Creep, Waterfalls, No Scrubs, and Unpretty, and their album CrazySexyCool has sold an approximate 30m records worldwide. Despite the success, a famously bad record contract – the company added numerous items to the promotion and distribution expenses and paid the trio a reported 56 cents per album, to be split three ways – left the three members broke in 1995, despite Watkins estimating the company made $75m from CrazySexyCool. Lopes died in a car accident in 2002, and Watkins and Thomas continue to perform today.
1 point
Question 6
After UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on June 22, polling company YouGov asked UK voters who would be a better Prime Minister between potential successor Andy Burnham and the leaders of the country’s other main political parties. Which party was the only one for which its own voters thought Burnham would be a better Prime Minister than their own leader?
*Voters of all parties thought Burnham would be better than Lib Dem leader Ed Davey, with 35 per cent of Lib Dem voters choosing Burnham compared to 25 per cent choosing Davey. The same poll also found that when directly comparing Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform leader Nigel Farage, Badenoch had gone from 2 points behind Farage in August (23% vs 25%) to over twice as much in front (38% to 17%).
1 point
Question 7
The 1805 Battle of Trafalgar saw the navy of Great Britain take on the navies of which two of its European rivals?
*The battle saw British Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson killed in action but also pull off a famous military manoeuvre: with less ships than the allied forces, he split his own fleet into two columns and, with Vice Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, sailed his fleet directly at his enemy, isolating a portion of the allies which was then picked off, thus swinging the numerical advantage.
Spain
2 points
Question 8
Mel Brooks turned 100 years old on June 28. What three films directed by Brooks are included on the US Library of Congress National Film Registry, which lists films that are deemed part of American heritage, of cultural, historical and aesthetic significance, and worthy of preservation?
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
3 points
Question 9
Paris’s La Reserve hotel serves breakfast in its La Pagode restaurant, which is overseen by three Michelin-starred chef Jérôme Banctel. According to its menu, what four Kellogg’s breakfast cereals are available at La Pagode, each at €12 a serving?
*The restaurant’s continental breakfast includes bread, one pastry, fruit salad, yoghurt, eggs, plus fruit juice and a hot beverage, for €65.
All Bran
Special K
Rice Krispies
4 points
Question 10
Make the longest word possible from the following letters: DEGIINOST
Up to 9 points
(*length of word equates to points awarded)
Round 1 points
(Maximum: 24)
Round 2
Question 1
The title of the US medical drama House was a play on the name of what literary character, the stories of which inspired House series creator David Shore?
*Like the Holmes character, Gregory House solves complex cases, shows a disdain for seemingly dull crimes, has a drug habit, plays a musical instrument, and has a sidekick with the initials JW (John Watson and James Wilson). The show also makes references to the Holmes stories by having his first ever patient being a woman called Rebecca Adler, and having House shot by a character credited as Jack Moriarty, alluding to ‘the woman’ Irene Adler and Professor Moriarty in the Holmes stories.
1 point
Question 2
Which company has had its new wearable product dubbed ‘pervert glasses’ due to numerous content creators filming strangers without their consent, and a newspaper exposé that revealed that footage was being outsourced for review to a company in Kenya, where reviewers said they were seeing footage of users in private or sexual situations?
1 point
Question 3
Meaning ‘grace’ or ‘mercy’ when translated into English, what Italian fashion magazine was first published in 1938?
1 point
Question 4
Popular throughout Latin America, the dish carne asada is grilled what?
1 point
Question 5
Chemically speaking, the visible cloud that can be seen when water boils is not steam – which is an invisible gas – but rather what?
*If looking at a boiling kettle, steam is the invisible gas that occurs closest to the spout. That gas then cools into droplets in the air.
1 point
Question 6
In 2017, an 18-second video uploaded to YouTube by wildlife photographer Mohammed Almuntasir inadvertently proved that the sand cat, Felis margarita, is resident in which North African country?
1 point
Question 7
Which two unfancied teams at the 2026 football world cup have the nicknames ‘The Leopards’ and ‘The White Wolves’ – with their match on June 27 ending with a 3-1 win to The Leopards?
*The Leopards will next play the Three Lions, England, while Uzbekistan go home.
Uzbekistan
2 points
Question 8
Which three states in the US form the ‘tri-state area’?
New Jersey
Connecticut
3 points
Question 9
Although there are dozens of sector specific indices, such as the FTSEurofirst 80 and FTSE ESG Global Select Dividend 40, what four numbers appear in the names of the main Financial Times Stock Exchange, or FTSE, indices listed on the London Stock Exchange?
*The FTSE 100 tracks the hundred largest companies listed in London; the FTSE 250 tracks the 101st to 350th largest; and the FTSE 350 shows both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 stocks. The Alternative Investment Market (AIM) lists smaller companies, and has both a FTSE AIM UK 50 and a FTSE AIM 100. The original FTSE 30, launched in 1935, became largely obsolete when sugar company Tate & Lyle was left as the only original company still independently existing (and this month was itself taken over), but was relaunched in 2025 as a barometer index, with select companies chosen to show the general health of the UK’s stock market.
100
250
350
4 points
Question 10
Now more famously associated with a song from the musical The Sound of Music, what were the original six two-letter syllables of the solfège mnemonic created by 11th-century Italian music theorist Guido of Arezzo to help people remember musical scales?
*Guido of Arezzo created his solfège by transposing the words of an Italian hymn onto a musical scale, with the hymn’s lyrics being: Ut queant laxīs / resonāre fibrīs / Mīra gestōrum / famulī tuōrum / Solve pollūtī / labiī reātum / Sancte Iohannēs. Ut was eventually turned into ‘do’, and ‘ti’ later added.
Re
Mi
Fa
So
La
6 points
Round 2 points
(Maximum: 21)
Total points
(Maximum: 45)
Round 3
Question 1
During its construction, the Los Angeles skyscraper Fox Plaza – now renamed 2121 Avenue of the Stars – was used as the filming location for what 1988 action film, leading to it becoming a tourist attraction for fans of the movie?
*The building doubled as the Nakatomi Tower in Die Hard, although Alan Rickman’s famous fall in the film was shot by dropping him from a model onto an airbag. The crew eportedly captured genuine surprise on Rickman’s face by dropping him earlier than the ‘3 count’ they had told him was going to happen.
1 point
Question 2
Which satirical UK political candidate ran in the recent Makerfield by-election with a 20-point manifesto that included promises to ‘cut your taxes and raise everyone else’s’, conscription for anyone who uses a speakerphone on public transport, abolishing auto-renewal for online subscriptions, and renaming HS2 to FFS1 before rerouting it through rail executives’ houses?
*Previously known as Lord Buckethead, Binface did also include some serious points in his manifesto: he said mayors should complete their term before running for parliament, which was a reference to Andy Burnham, the Manchester mayor who won the by-election so he can run for Prime Minister, not completing his mayoral term; that he would end the subsidised food and drink MPs enjoy at parliament, which has been widely labelled as parliamentarians giving themselves a reward nobody else in the country receives; and extending free parking at the local shopping complex to three hours.
1 point
Question 3
The Kunhar, Neelum, and Poonch flow into the Jhelum, which flows into the Chenab, which flows into which major river of the Indian subcontinent?
1 point
Question 4
Possibly the oldest still-intact building in London, what colour is the tower at the Tower of London, built in the late 11th century and now a UNESCO heritage site and site of the Royal Armouries Collection?
1 point
Question 5
The radioactive decay that occurs when an atomic nucleus loses an electron or positron is named for which letter of the Greek alphabet?
*The particles that are lost in this process are called beta particles. Alpha decay is the loss of two protons and two neutrons – a helium nucleus – while gamma decay is when gamma radiation is emitted, lowering the atom’s energy, often after alpha or beta decay causes the atom to become unstable.
1 point
Question 6
By what name was food industry company Mondelez known prior to its restructuring and rebranding in 2012?
*Kraft split into two companies: one named Mondelez, and the other Kraft Foods Group, which is now known as Kraft Heinz.
1 point
Question 7
The so-called ‘Battle of the Boogie’ in 1978 saw two versions of the song Blame it on the Boogie simultaneously in the UK chart. Who were the artists who released the songs, one being a famous family band, and the other the original writer whose name coincidentally is the same as one of the members of that group?
*Blame it on the Boogie was written by members of the less-famous Jackson family: Mick and his brother David wrote the song, along with Elmar Krohn. Despite Mick Jackson planning to release the song, it was reportedly picked up by The Jackson’s management team at a music trade fair. Mick’s song reached number 15 in the chart, while The Jacksons got to number 8.
Mick Jackson (Michael Jackson)
2 points
Question 8
Which three news organisations won multiple Pulitzer Prizes in 2026?
*Generally 23 Pulitzer Prizes are awarded each year, plus a Special Citation award for an individual or organisation showing continued influential work, with most prizes being in journalism plus a selection for books, drama, and music. The New York Times’s three awards for 2026 were an investigation into family enrichment within The Trump Administration; Russian-American writer M. Gessen’s opinion essays on authoritarian regimes; and Palestinian photographer Saher Alghorra winning the Breaking News Photography prize for pictures of starvation in Gaza. Alghorra’s win received backlash from some commentators as one front page image did not note that a shown emaciated child had a pre-existing condition, while more extreme views said he was ‘an extension of Hamas’ and propaganda – claims the Times has rejected.
The Washington Post (2)
Reuters (2)
3 points
Question 9
What are considered the big four ‘houses’ producing the spirit cognac?
Hennessey
Rémy Martin
Courvoisier
4 points
Question 10
Each a different colour, and also referred to by the letters P, O, A, D, and AP, what are the five different categories of word or phrase that a player might be asked to draw in the board game Pictionary?
Object
Action
Difficult
All player
5 points
Round 3 points
(Maximum: 20)
Total points
(Maximum: 65)
Round 4
Question 1
The medical condition meralgia paresthetica is caused by a compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve, and results in numbness, pins and needles, or burning in which part of the body?
*Meralgia paresthetica is categorised as a benign condition, but sufferers describe it as annoying through to highly painful, with pain recurring for months or years and patients experiencing difficulties in getting a diagnosis due to it being a neuropathic (nerve) condition. Causes range from damage to the nerve, to pressure put on it by being diabetic or even mildly overweight, to external pressures such as tight clothing or belts, or repeat wearing of tool belts. The condition is also connected to a level of alopecia in the affected thigh, plus an unusual sensation of the skin tingling to a light touch but feeling numb to deep, cold, or hot contact.
1 point
Question 2
Originally appearing in Chrétien de Troyes’s 12th-century writings on the knight Perceval, possibly based on older Celtic tales, what is the name of the injured character to whom Perceval fails to ask ‘the healing question’, thereby extending the knight’s quest until he returns years later enlightened with the correct question?
1 point
Question 3
What is the name of the cockerel mascot that appears on packaging for Kellogg’s Cornflakes, his name a play on one of the cereal’s main ingredients?
1 point
Question 4
Derived from the French for ‘between servings’, what is the name of a dish served between courses – although its meaning has altered in the past century to now refer to layered desserts?
1 point
Question 5
What everyday item is known in Chinese as 水龙头 (shuǐlóngtóu), or ‘water dragon head’?
1 point
Question 6
Although there are only four swimming strokes raced at the Olympics, several other strokes exist. Named for a 19th-century English swimmer, what is the stroke that involves using the arms in a way similar to the front crawl, but doing side scissor kicks with the legs?
*Other strokes include the elementary backstroke, which is most often used for gently propelling one’s self along on the back, and the combat side stroke taught to Navy Seals.
1 point
Question 7
After the demise of The American Society of Marine Engineers in the 1940s, what are the two remaining ‘The American Society of…’ organisations using the acronym ASME?
The American Society of Magazine Editors
2 points
Question 8
In a 2020 research paper, astrophysicist Franco Vazza of the University of Bologna and neurosurgeon Alberto Feletti of the University of Verona conducted a comparison study between the human brain and the universe’s cosmic web, finding several similarities that suggested a universal pattern in how complex networks grow. What did the researchers present as the universe’s equivalents of the brain’s 69 billion neurons (the cosmic web has 100 billion of this equivalent); the brain’s 77 per cent water composition (the cosmic web is composed of 72 per cent of this equivalent); and the space between objects in the cerebellum neuronal network (a similar space ratio exists between this within the universe, albeit multiplied by 27 orders of magnitude)?
*The study also highlighted similar numbers of connections between nodes (the brain has between 4.6 and 5.4 connections per neuron, compared to the cosmic web’s 3.8 to 4.1 connections per galaxy); memory (the brain has a memory equivalent of roughly 2.5 petabytes, compared to the known information about the universe needing 4.3 petabytes); and both requiring roughly 25 per cent of their mass and energy to move information. Unlike the philosophical theory of cosmopsychism, which claims that the universe has consciousness, this research suggests that complex networks follow similar patterns as they develop, regardless of size.
Dark energy
Space between matter
3 points
Question 9
In August 1964, a 16-year old named Luci was filmed energetically dancing the latest dance craze at a Presidential candidate’s political fundraiser. Which incumbent US President’s daughter was Luci, what was the dance craze – which conveniently for headline writers rhymed with her first name – and with which Hollywood icon did she dance?
*Luci Johnson became known as ‘Luci Watusi’ after showing off her dance moves at a Young Citizens for Johnson barbecue. Three months later her father won a decisive election victory over Barry Goldwater, taking 486 of the 532 electoral college votes.
The Watusi
Steve McQueen
3 points
Question 10
Of the 193 sovereign nations recognised by the United Nations, which 11 have the word ‘land’ in their full English-language name? Of the 11, seven are in Europe – one of which is generally known by a shorter version of its name – three are in Oceania, and one is in Asia.
*Swaziland changed its name to Eswatini in 2018. The Cook Islands are in an unusual situation of not being independently recognised by the UN, but instead exists as a ‘non-member state’.
Iceland
Ireland
Netherlands
Poland
Switzerland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Marshall Islands
New Zealand
Soloman Islands
Thailand
11 points
Round 4 points
(Maximum: 25)
Total points
(Maximum: 90)
Round 5
In Round 5, there is only one answer. The fewer 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.
The following all relate to, or are named for, what chemical element?
Clue 1
Nickname of mixed martial artist Mike Perry
10 points
Clue 2
1979 album by English musician Mike Oldfield
9 points
Clue 3
Town in Alaska named for its abundance of a particular metal
8 points
Clue 4
Metal that is one of the three main elements in a vehicle catalytic converter, alongside rhodium and palladium
7 points
Clue 5
A 2008 Pokémon computer game released on the Nintendo DS system
6 points
Clue 6
The element with the atomic number 78 in the periodic table
5 points
Clue 7
Disc awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America for a music release that achieves one million sales
4 points
Clue 8
Invitation only credit card launched by American Express in 1984
3 points
Clue 9
A particular hue of blonde hair, also used as the title of a 1931 Frank Capra film
2 points
Clue 10
The traditional gift for a 70th wedding anniversary
1 point