How well do you know Eurovision? Take our all-singing, all-dancing quiz

Ukraine’s Verka Serduchka performs at the 2007 contest in Helsinki. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

On Saturday evening, 25 countries will compete for the right to be crowned the winner of the Eurovision song contest. Before then, you can test your Eurovision knowledge with our quiz. Will you be in tune with the history of the event, or will you end up off-key with the dreaded nul points? Let us know how you get on in the comments.

The 2022 Guardian Eurovision quiz spectacular

1. 

   We will start with some easy ones. What is the maximum score that a song can be given by a single jury?

   1. Dix points

   2. Douze points

   3. Quatorze points

   4. Quinze points

2. 

   Italy is hosting the contest this year – in which city?

   1. Milan

   2. Rome

   3. Naples

   4. Turin

3. 

   What was the name of the Italian band (pictured) who won the 2021 contest?

   1. Hooverphonic

   2. Måneskin

   3. Blind Channel

   4. Go_A

4. 

   In which city did they win?

   1. Amsterdam

   2. Rotterdam

   3. Utrecht

   4. The Hague

5. 

   James Newman represented the UK last year. How many points did he score?

   1. Nul points

   2. Sept points

   3. Douze points

   4. Vingt-et-un points

6. 

   It isn't this superfan, but who is representing the UK this year?

   1. Andy Abraham

   2. Michael Rice

   3. Engelbert Humperdinck

   4. Sam Ryder

7. The "big five" qualify automatically for the final because they deliver large TV audiences and a big chunk of cash to the Eurovision coffers. Which countries are they?

   1. Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and the UK

   2. Italy, France, Germany, Poland and the UK

   3. Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the UK

   4. Italy, France, Germany, Sweden and the UK

8. 

   Finland's entry this year comes from a cult goth-rock band whose song In the Shadows was an international hit in 2003. Who are they?

   1. Phillip Boa and the Voodooclub

   2. Clan of Xymox

   3. The Rasmus

   4. Einstürzende Neubauten

9. Which of these countries has never won the Eurovision song contest?

   1. Turkey

   2. Portugal

   3. Latvia

   4. Poland

10. 

    In 1982, the UK tried to emulate the success of Bucks Fizz (pictured on either side of Terry Wogan) the previous year with the song One Step Further by a singing duo (centre, in white). What were they called?

    1. Monro

    2. Fonda

    3. Bardo

    4. Kinda

11. 

    Fans are used to voting for their favourite Eurovision entry by phone, SMS or app. But in which year was televoting first used for the final?

    1. 1977

    2. 1987

    3. 1997

    4. 2007

12. The UK scored nul points for the first time in 2003, but with which act and song?

    1. Scooch with Flying the Flag (for You)

    2. Daz Sampson with Teenage Life

    3. James Fox with Hold on to Our Love

    4. Jemini with Cry Baby

13. Which city has hosted the Eurovision song contest the most times?

    1. Dublin

    2. London

    3. Luxembourg

    4. Stockholm

14. 

    Ukraine's entry, by Kalush Orchestra, is sure to get an emotional reception. But when did Ukraine first participate?

    1. 1991

    2. 1997

    3. 2003

    4. 2007

15. 

    What will happen for the first time at this year's Eurovision?

    1. It will be broadcast in the US

    2. It will be broadcast in 4K UHD

    3. It will be hosted by Italy

    4. San Marino will compete

16. 

    In which year did Terry Wogan commentate for the BBC on his last Eurovision?

    1. 2004

    2. 2008

    3. 2011

    4. 2015

17. 

    Since Eurovision began, how many countries have competed?

    1. 32

    2. 42

    3. 52

    4. 62

18. One country has competed in the contest only once. Which one?

    1. Morocco

    2. Lebanon

    3. Tunisia

    4. Libya

19. 

    Ireland's Johnny Logan has been involved with three winning Eurovision songs as a performer or a writer. But to which of these Irish winning entries did he not contribute?

    1. In Your Eyes

    2. Hold Me Now

    3. Why Me?

    4. What's Another Year

20. 

    What was special about the presentation of Azerbaijan's 2017 entry, sung by Dihaj (pictured)?

    1. It featured someone doing live sand sculptures

    2. It featured a piano that burst into flames

    3. It featured a man standing on a ladder wearing a horse's head

    4. It featured a singing turkey puppet

21. 

    Which Cliff Richard song came second in 1968?

    1. Power to All Our Friends

    2. Congratulations

    3. The Day I Met Marie

    4. Summer Holiday

22. 

    True or false: the Soviet Union competed for the first time in 1987, as part of glasnost, Mikhail Gorbachev's openness policy?

    1. True

    2. False

23. 

    What is the time limit for a Eurovision entry?

    1. Two minutes 45 seconds

    2. Three minutes

    3. Three minutes 15 seconds

    4. Three minutes 30 seconds

24. 

    When Eurovision started, all the entries had to be accompanied by a live orchestra. When was this rule dropped?

    1. 1984

    2. 1989

    3. 1994

    4. 1999

25. 

    In 1969, because no one had considered what might happen if the scores were tied, there were four winners. Among them was Lulu. What was her song?

    1. Boom Bang-a-Bang

    2. Ding-a-dong

    3. La, la, la

    4. Jaja Ding Dong

26. 

    And finally: among this year's entries, what do Norway's Subwoolfer say you need to give to the wolf to stop it eating their grandma?

    1. An apple

    2. A bone

    3. A banana

    4. A peach

Solutions

1:B - Douze points – that is 12 in English – has been the gold standard since it was introduced in the 1975 contest, 2:D - The Piedmontese capital will be hosting this year's contest, 3:B - Their track Zitti e Buoni proved victorious, 4:B - It was Rotterdam, not Liverpool or Rome (or Amsterdam, Utrecht or The Hague). It had been due to host in 2020, but that show was cancelled due to Covid, 5:A - It was another dreaded nul points for the UK, which is pretty incredible when you consider that means he managed to score zero points with the professional juries and zero points with the European public, 6:D - It is Sam Ryder. Andy Abraham did it in 2008, Michael Rice appeared in 2019 and Engelbert Humperdinck did the honours in 2012, 7:C - These and the hosts are the only countries guaranteed a spot in the final each year. Turkey cited this rule as a reason it stopped competing, 8:C - The Rasmus have sold something like 5m albums worldwide. Their entry is called Jezebel, 9:D - The other three have won it once each: Portugal in 2017, Turkey in 2003 and Latvia in 2002, 10:C - Sally Ann Triplett had represented the UK in 1980 as part of the six-piece act Prima Donna. She also regularly appeared on the BBC kids' television programme Crackerjack!. Stephen Fischer, her partner at the time, was the other half of Bardo, 11:C - Austria, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK successfully trialled televoting in 1997, when the contest was hosted in Dublin, 12:D - It was the first time that the UK had come last – and what a spectacular way to do it. Poor old Jemini: they were dropped by their label, their LP was never released and they split up, 13:A - Dublin has hosted it an incredible six times. London and Luxembourg – yes, Luxembourg – have hosted it four times, while Stockholm has had the honour on three occasions (as has Copenhagen). London could have hosted it more often, but the UK has also used Brighton, Birmingham, Harrogate and Edinburgh over the years, 14:C - Ukraine became independent in 1991, but did not take part in Eurovision until the following decade. It won the contest at its second attempt, in 2004, and again in 2016, 15:B - Naples hosted in 1965 and Rome hosted in 1991. San Marino made its debut in 2008 and qualified for the final for the first time in 2014. The show was first broadcast in the US in 2016. But it has never been seen in all its sequinned glory in 4K UHD, 16:B - His swan song took place in Belgrade in 2008. It has become tradition in the UK to raise a glass to Sir Terry before the ninth song. This is because he advised his successor, Graham Norton, not to have a drink before that point – a restriction that does not apply to people liveblogging the event for the Guardian, 17:C - The breakup of the Soviet Union greatly increased the number, with the splits of Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia also meaning there are some places that have competed as two or three distinct nations, 18:A - Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia and Libya are all eligible, as they have broadcasters who are members of the European Broadcasting Union, but of the four only Morocco has taken part – in 1980, 19:A - Niamh Kavanagh won Eurovision for Ireland in 1993 with a song written by Johnny Walsh, 20:C - Ireland sent Dustin the Turkey as their entry in 2008, while Ukraine's 2018 entry featured pyrotechnics centred around a piano. Ukraine's 2011 entry was accompanied by a live sand-sculpture artist. Dihaj had a bloke on a ladder wearing a horse's head. Who knows why, 21:B - He came third with Power to All Our Friends in 1973. Some people believe that Richard was robbed of victory in 1968 by a conspiracy led by Francisco Franco to fix the competition for Spain, which won the contest for the first time, 22:B - The Soviet Union used to compete in the Intervision song contest, which was known as the eastern bloc Eurovision. It was never a member of the European Broadcasting Union. The first Russian network to join the EBU did so in 1993, 23:B - Songs are not allowed to be longer than three minutes, which is perhaps a mercy, considering the gradual expansion of the number of songs in the final, 24:D - As well as allowing artists to use backing tracks, it saved a lot of money on hosting the contest, although Johnny Logan criticised the move, saying it had turned the show into karaoke, 25:A - Due to language rules that meant songs had to be written in a country's main language, Eurovision went through a phase of songs with nonsensical onomatopoeic choruses that everyone on the continent could sing along to. Boom Bang-a-Bang was one of those, 26:C - Do wolves even eat bananas?

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   We hope you had fun and that you enjoy this year's Eurovision. Don't forget to join us for our live blog coverage

• If you 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 final – and you don’t want him to turn up at your house with his Now That’s What I Call Eurovision album collection