San Serriffe: April fool's quiz

Map of San Serriffe. Photograph: The Guardian for the Guardian

1. Each of the headlines in the special report included a reference to news printing and publishing. Which of the following was not a headline included in the supplement?

   1. Justified, left, right and centre (a description of the judicial system)

   2. The leader's rise to power (a profile of the head of state)

   3. Mitred rules (a piece by an Anglican bishop on the islands)

   4. Bold expansion in tourism (a travel guide)

2. The islands themselves were famously in the form of a semicolon. What were the names of the two main islands in the archipelago?

   1. Hédere and Fótere

   2. Cerniñ and Lediñ

   3. Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse

   4. Recto and Verso

3. Which of the following was not the name of a place on San Serriffe?

   1. Gill Sands

   2. Perpetua

   3. Bodoni

   4. Futura

4. Part of the success of the joke was that so many advertisers played along, including Kodak, Access and After Eights among many others. In Guinness’s spoof advert, what affected production in San Serriffe so that the drink had a black head and a white body?

   1. The unique climatic forces surrounding the islands

   2. The reaction of a strain of yeast endemic to San Serriffe

   3. The barley seeds being planted upside down

   4. The desalination process for the water

5. Significant people on the islands all had names related to typefaces. Which of these was not a San Serriffe personage?

   1. General Minion

   2. Lord Wrongfont

   3. Ralph Baskerville

   4. Dr Helvetica

6. The indigenous population were called Flongs, after a hot metal printing term. What is a flong?

   1. A line of lead produced by a linotype machine

   2. A large metal frame to hold the type in place

   3. A cardboard mould from which the metal printing plate was cast

   4. A wooden space filler

7. Which one of the following could be studied at A-Level on San Serriffe?

   1. Basket-weaving

   2. Pearl-diving

   3. Shell-collecting

   4. Palm tree farming

8. What was the national currency of San Serriffe?

   1. The Goudy

   2. The Palatino

   3. The Corona

   4. The Caslon

9. What was the name of the species of bird found on the islands?

   1. Hedlyns

   2. Bilyns

   3. Kolums

   4. Kwotes

10. From whom did the Guardian receive a letter in response to the piece, complaining of pro-government bias?

    1. The Campaign for People’s Liberation, San Serriffe

    2. The San Serriffe Liberation Front

    3. The San Serriffe People’s Front

    4. The People’s Front of San Serriffe

Solutions

1:A, 2:C, 3:D, 4:C, 5:D, 6:C, 7:B, 8:C, 9:D, 10:B

Scores

1. 7 and above.

   Not bad at all - no fooling you!

2. 6 and above.

   Not bad at all - no fooling you!

3. 8 and above.

   Excellent San Serriffe knowledge - General Pica would be proud!

4. 5 and above.

   Perhaps you would have tried to book a holiday on San Serriffe...

5. 4 and above.

   Perhaps you would have tried to book a holiday on San Serriffe...

6. 3 and above.

   Perhaps you would have tried to book a holiday on San Serriffe...

7. 2 and above.

   You can't tell your upper from your lower Caisse

8. 9 and above.

   Excellent San Serriffe knowledge - General Pica would be proud!

9. 10 and above.

   Excellent San Serriffe knowledge - General Pica would be proud!

10. 0 and above.

    You can't tell your upper from your lower Caisse

11. 1 and above.

    You can't tell your upper from your lower Caisse

Related: Peter Preston and the islands of San Serriffe – The Story podcast