Australian news quiz of the year 2017

Did you pay attention to the news (and non-news) this year?

1. Pubs in Darwin were hit by a counterfeiting scam involving fake $100 bills. What first aroused suspicions about the notes?

   1. Their 3D watermark was only 2D

   2. They had “not for circulation” written across them in large pink Chinese script

   3. The picture of Sir John Monash “looked more like Dennis Lillee”

   4. The word “Australia” was misspelled

2. A streaker carrying an Australian flag interrupted the broadcast of Eurovision. What country did he come from?

   1. Russia

   2. Slovenia

   3. Slovakia

   4. Ukraine

3. 

   In March pedestrian traffic signals using female figures were installed in Melbourne. Who said in response: “You know what is coming next, don't you?”

   1. One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts

   2. Radio presenter Steve Price

   3. Sky News commentator Ross Cameron

   4. Australian Christian Lobby head Lyle Shelton

4. Some potential record breakers made the news in 2017. Which one of these was from Australia?

   1. Omar, reportedly the world’s longest cat

   2. A 5.7-metre piano, believed to be the longest in the world

   3. The world’s smallest spacecraft, known as Sprites

   4. Simon, expected to become the world’s largest rabbit until his untimely death while in international transit

5. There were calls to rename Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena after she made comments attacking gay tennis players and opposing same-sex marriage. Which singer weighed in on the debate in November?

   1. Courtney Barnett

   2. Lorde

   3. Tina Arena

   4. Sarah Blasko

6. Whose daughter posted a message on social media supporting marriage equality, but also insisting “I love my idiot dad”?

   1. Glenn Davies, Anglican archbishop of Sydney

   2. Tony Abbott

   3. Tony Overheu, who shoved a lemon meringue pie into Alan Joyce’s face

   4. DJ Astro Labe

7. 

   Who was a surprise announcement as a new presenter of Channel Ten’s The Project?

   1. Peta Credlin

   2. Yassmin Abdel-Magied

   3. Lisa Wilkinson

   4. Jacqui Lambie

8. Audience member Patricia Fellows, 81, caused a stir on Q&A when she debated euthanasia laws with bioethics professor Margaret Somerville. Why?

   1. She denounced the pope and all his works

   2. She admitted importing Nembutal

   3. She was wearing a Zaky Mallah T-shirt

   4. She used the word “bullshit”

9. 

   It was a magnificent year for local and international folk art. Which of these contributions was defended by officials on the grounds that “all art is meant to be a talking point”?

   1. The bust of Cristiano Ronaldo unveiled in March at the international airport named after him in Madeira (above)

   2. The controversial portrait of Princess Diana created with flowers in Chesterfield, UK, “using the ancient Derbyshire art of well dressing” in November

   3. The ill-advised statue at an Adelaide Catholic school supposedly showing St Martin de Porres handing a loaf of bread to a small boy

   4. The bronze sort-of likeness of Diego Maradona unveiled in Kolkata in December

10. The Beerepoot family of Tasmania were in the news in March for refusing to pay their council rates. What reason did they give?

    1. They refused to bow down to a false god

    2. They were making a stand against same-sex marriage

    3. They were protesting against the AFL’s refusal to consider a Tasmanian team

    4. They believed the apocalypse was due before the end of the financial year

11. The wine brand Yellow Tail faced harsh criticism in February for its Super Bowl ad featuring a muscular, wine-drinking, “unusually sexual” kangaroo. Which real person starred in the ad?

    1. Miranda Kerr

    2. Ellie Gonsalves

    3. Sophie Monk

    4. Elle Macpherson

12. 

    When MasterChef judge George Calombaris was fined for assault, after a dispute with a fan at the A-League grand final, the magistrate mentioned how much he enjoyed a particular process on the cooking show. Which one?

    1. Whipping cream

    2. Caramelising onions

    3. Barbecuing prawns

    4. Tenderising steak

13. Participants in the women’s leadership forum run by the Albany Chamber of Commerce received an eyebrow-raising item in their conference gift bag. What was it?

    1. An apron

    2. A sewing kit

    3. A hijab

    4. A negligee

14. In January it was reported that a former mayor of Wellington, Celia Wade-Brown, had requested an unusual taxpayer-funded gift when she left the job. What was it?

    1. A commemorative park bench with a plaque

    2. A night out with the All Blacks

    3. A coffee-table book of rejected designs for the New Zealand flag

    4. A tattoo of a forest gecko

15. Which one of these slogans made it into the final list of 10 put to Canberra voters in January as suitable for their new numberplates?

    1. We heart Floriade

    2. Australia’s cool capital

    3. Canberra – woke af

    4. Parliament plus

16. Claims were made for a new submerged continent in our region. What name was given to it?

    1. Macronesia

    2. Pacifica

    3. Eastasia

    4. Zealandia

17. 

    Which contestant in the Bachelorette complained that Sophie Monk swore too much?

    1. Stu

    2. Ryan

    3. Apollo

    4. Jarrod

18. Which of this year's elusive animals was named after Winston Churchill?

    1. The cow that ran amok outside Western Australia state parliament in September

    2. The camel that fled the circus on to a Darwin golf course in July

    3. The orangutan that startled visitors by briefly popping out of its enclosure at Perth zoo in May

    4. The quokka that escaped Rottnest Island in a rubbish bin in January

19. In January, what did Shayne Barwick of Cloncurry do continuously for 73 hours in the mistaken belief he was breaking a world record?

    1. Play the pokies

    2. Play the banjo

    3. Play lawn bowls

    4. Play Pokémon Go

20. 

    The University of Melbourne student union council passed a motion condemning the Guardian's bird of the year poll. What was the students' objection?

    1. The poll objectified another species for the gratification of humans

    2. The poll was conducted using first-past-the-post rather than preferential voting

    3. The poll encouraged bullying and prejudice against the white ibis

    4. The selection of candidates favoured birds from the Sydney region

Solutions

1:B - Police said the elaborate plan of the couple allegedly passing the notes was to "collect change from the transaction before quickly leaving the scene”, 2:D - Serial pest Vitalii Sediuk was blamed for damaging the chances of Australia's Isaiah Firebrace, who came ninth, 3:A - Roberts posted a picture on Facebook of two of the figures holding hands. And so it came to pass, 4:A - Omar, a Maine Coon from Melbourne, measured 120cm, 5:C - Calling it Tina Arena Court seems like the obvious solution , 6:C - Overheu's wife also said his action was "not consistent with Christianity" , 7:C - No news yet on how all the presenters will fit around the table, 8:D - With some passion, 9:B - It definitely was a talking point, 10:A - Declining to comment, Fanny Beerepoot said: “This is a conversation between us and our heavenly father and the council", 11:B - A presenter in a yellow suit, on a beach, asks Gonsalves, who is wearing a bikini: "Wanna pet my roo?" You had to be there, 12:B - Reasons still unclear, 13:A - There was "nothing sexist" about aprons, organisers insisted, 14:D - The request was declined. She got the park bench instead, 15:B - Isn't it though?, 16:D - Modestly described by one geologist as “a big piece of ground”, 17:B - Classic Ryan, 18:A - The steer and its partner, Clementine, were attending an RUOK Day event, 19:C - Barwick said afterwards he “would not wish it on my worst enemy”, 20:B - The so-called motion affirmed "the right of all Australians to rank people, places and things, but not necessarily in that order, at any time, at any place, anywhere in this great southern land"

Scores

1. 16 and above.

   Excellent. Hope your workplace allows all that screen time

2. 11 and above.

   Solid. You're above average for useless knowledge

3. 6 and above.

   Fair effort. But you're still missing out on a world of nonsense

4. 0 and above.

   Poor. Try reading the bottom right corner of the website as well as the top left