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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Martin Belam

Kate’s choir, hidden portraits and J-Lo’s spouse – take the Thursday quiz

Jennifer Lopez at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV awards
Jennifer Lopez at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV awards. But who did she just marry? Photograph: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

It is time again to take three minutes out of your no doubt busy schedule to test your mettle against the Thursday quiz. Fifteen questions that are vaguely topical or on general knowledge, with some punchlines thrown in for good measure. All your regular favourites are here – Kate Bush, Ron from Sparks, and a hidden Doctor Who reference to spot for a bonus point if you can name it in the comments. There are no prizes. It is just for fun. Let us know how you get on.

The Thursday quiz, No 65

  1. Sevenoaks, Kent

    OFF YOU GO: The Wilder Blean project, near Canterbury, has released the first wild what (not pictured) to roam in Britain in thousands of years?

    1. Oryx

    2. Bear

    3. Bison

    4. 30-50 feral hogs

  2. France

    THERE IS NO PLANET B: What is the highest maximum legal temperature you can be made to still work in, in England and Wales?

    1. 36C (96.8F)

    2. 39C (102.2F)

    3. 42C (107.6F)

    4. There isn't one

  3. Jennifer Lopez

    CONGRATULATIONS J-LO: Jennifer Lopez got married in Las Vegas this week. To whom?

    1. Brad Pitt

    2. Ben Affleck

    3. Matt Damon

    4. Ron from Sparks

  4. England

    FAIR DINKUM: Rugby Australia have banned a man (not pictured) for life after he made his way to the roof of the SCG in Sydney during the third rugby union Test against England and appeared to do what?

    1. Make obscene gestures

    2. Insult the Queen

    3. Urinate

    4. Announce he was starting a European Super League™ before having to make an embarrassing climbdown

  5. Euro 2022

    EURO 2022: The women's Euro 2022 championship continues in England. One of the 16 teams (not pictured) was a late replacement after Russia were expelled. Which team?

    1. Northern Ireland

    2. Portugal

    3. Denmark

    4. Switzerland

  6. Art

    ART FOR ART'S SAKE: Painting restorers at the National Galleries of Scotland have used X-rays to discover what they think is an unknown self-portrait by who?

    1. Edvard Munch

    2. Edgar Degas

    3. Pablo Picasso

    4. Vincent van Gogh

  7. Ron Mael

    I'VE NEVER BEEN HIGH: That's a 2008 Sparks song where they ponder 'lurid acts that never came to be'. But that's not important right now. The infamous Operation Julie, a police drug bust in mid-Wales that broke up a global LSD supply ring in the 70s, is being turned into what?

    1. A play by Nina Raine for the Royal National Theatre

    2. A musical by the writer and director by Geinor Styles

    3. A Netflix prestige drama starring Gwyneth Paltrow

    4. An interactive hallucinogenic art installation in Aberystwyth

  8. Cat Stevens

    HAPPY BIRTHDAY: It is Steven Demetre Georgiou's birthday today. Happy birthday Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam! But which of these is one of his famous albums?

    1. Tea for the Tillerman

    2. Piper at the Gates of Dawn

    3. Tapestry

    4. The Unicorn and the Wasp

  9. Germany at the 1954 World Cup

    1966 AND ALL THAT: A series of questions that aren't about football leading up to the 2022 Fifa World Cup in human rights paradise Qatar. The 1954 Fifa World Cup was held in Switzerland. How many cantons are there in the Swiss system of government?

    1. 6

    2. 16

    3. 26

    4. 36

  10. Dictionary

    WEIRD WORDS: According to the Collins online English dictionary, what does repone mean?

    1. A privy at the back of a monastic dormitory

    2. An archaic or dialect word for bat

    3. The area or route livestock use or follow for grazing

    4. To restore someone to his or her former status

  11. Pyramids of Giza

    ON THIS DAY A VERY LONG TIME AGO: 21 July 356BC is sometimes given as the date of the destruction of one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (not pictured). It was located in Ephesus. What was it?

    1. Temple of Artemis

    2. Statue of Zeus

    3. Hanging Gardens

    4. A lighthouse

  12. Wallace and Gromit

    SWEET BABY CHEESES: Which of these options is NOT a variety of cheese produced in England?

    1. Suffolk Punch

    2. Berkswell

    3. Stinking Bishop

    4. Ticklemore

  13. Funny face

    CITIES IN DISGUISE: Which Scottish city is based on a stronghold that used to be known as Din Eidyn?

    1. Dumbarton

    2. Dumfries

    3. Dundee

    4. Edinburgh

  14. A painting

    MANET OR MONET: Who painted this?

    1. Édouard Manet

    2. Claude Monet

  15. Kate Bush

    THIS WOMAN'S WORK: Kate Bush made a rare public statement last week, saying a cover version by a choir of her hit Running Up That Hill that went viral was 'utterly, utterly wonderful'. Where were the choir singing it?

    1. Melbourne

    2. Sydney

    3. Brisbane

    4. Adelaide

Solutions

1:C - Early on Monday morning, three gentle giants wandered out to become the first wild bison to roam in Britain in thousands of years. It is hoped their natural behaviour will transform a dense commercial pine forest into a vibrant woodland and allow new plants, insects, lizards, birds and bats to thrive., 2:D - While there is a minimum working temperature (16C in an office), there is no maximum figure to use because some workplaces such as kitchens and foundries are hot all the time. Instead, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) tells employers they need to keep the environment at a 'reasonable' temperature for the 'thermal comfort' (whether someone feels too hot or too cold) of employees., 3:B - Collectively known as 'Bennifer' – I don't make the rules – they have both enthralled and bewildered fans for years with their on-again, off-again relationship., 4:C - Rugby Australia has condemned the 'deplorable' behaviour. The intruder, who made his way to the roof of the Bill O’Reilly stand during the second half of the series decider, was charged by police after the game in Sydney and on Monday was handed a lifetime ban., 5:B - Portugal took Russia's place in Group C, having been defeated by Russia in a qualifying playoff prior to Russia's exclusion. Famously in 1992 Denmark's men's team were a late replacement after the withdrawal of a Yugoslavia team, and then went on to cause a huge shock by winning the tournament. Portugal won't be doing the same – they've been knocked out already. Pictured are the reigning women's Euros champions from 2017, the Netherlands., 6:D - Conservators will begin the process of revealing the self-portrait, which is in an uncertain condition beneath layers of adhesive and cardboard, while preserving the original painting, Head of a Peasant Woman., 7:B - The musical tells the story of an inept police force trying to stop the idealist hippies from flooding the world with good vibes, man. And you can tell by the look on his face that Ron thinks you should have known that., 8:A - The 1970 album was his fourth, and it features arguably his best-known songs including Where Do the Children Play? and Wild World. It was a top 10 album in the US and a top 20 album in the UK., 9:C - The country is a federation of 26 cantons. Each canton used to be a fully sovereign state until the establishment of the Swiss federal state in 1848. The cantons retain their own constitutions, legislatures, governments and courts. That picture is the German team from the 1954 tournament, which at the time were designated West Germany., 10:D - It is used in Scots law, and comes from the Latin reponere, meaning 'to put back, replace'. Reremouse is an archaic word for bat, a reredorter is a monk's toilet, and a raik is an area livestock use for grazing., 11:A - Tradition has it that the fire that destroyed the second temple on the site was set by arsonist Herostratus on the day Alexander the Great was born. People were so angry with him that they passed a law that the name of Herostratus must never be mentioned again. Well that worked., 12:A - The Suffolk Punch is actually a lovely breed of English horse. Berkswell is a hard cheese from the West Midlands, Stinking Bishop is washed in pear cider to develop its distinctive coloured rind (and smell), and Ticklemore is a mild goat's cheese from Devon that also sounds like something you could say during sex, not that anyone asked., 13:D - It is Edinburgh. Did you know that Dunedin in New Zealand is nicknamed Edinburgh of the south and shares the names of many streets and districts with Scotland's capital?, 14:B - That is Massif de chrysanthemes, 1897, by the French artist Claude Monet., 15:C - 'I’ve been so busy that I’ve only just had the chance to watch you all singing Running Up That Hill. It’s utterly, utterly wonderful! I love it so much! Thank you everyone. You sing it really beautifully. I’m incredibly touched by your warmth and all your smiling faces. Thank you!' Kate said of the video, which showed Brisbane’s Pub Choir organised by Astrid Jorgensen belting out her international smash hit.

Scores

  1. 0 and above.

    We hope you had fun – let us know how you got on in the comments!

  • If you do 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 quiz master’s word is always final, and he is too hot to read his email anyway.

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