The Thursday quiz likes to believe there is a certain type of news story that regular readers will spot on the Guardian website, and immediately think “that is a shoo-in for the Thursday quiz” and commit every last detail to memory. This week’s quiz features quite a few stories like that, as well as the debut of a brand new exciting regular celebrity general knowledge round. As ever, there are no prizes, but we love to hear how you got on in the comments. Allons-y!
The Thursday news quiz, No 217
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The acting world is in a tizz after what the Thursday quiz is sure is a publicity stunt, with a computer-generated "AI-actor" (presumably not generated by the computer pictured) apparently in high demand. What is the name of the actor?
Rosie Hartwell
Poppy Merevale
Emma Grayling
Tilly Norwood
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The Thursday quiz isn't entirely sure what a tree has to do in order to win the annual tree of the year competition organised by the Woodland Trust in the UK, but which tree (not pictured) did it this year?
The Argyle Street ash in Glasgow
The Aubery Way willow in Gloucester
The Arkley Crescent beech in Gosport
The Alander Mews oak in Gateshead
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There is going to be a new Simpsons movie in 2027. When did the first one come out?
1987
1997
2007
2017
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Nicole Kidman is back being single after filing for divorce from which musician?
Kenny Chesney
Tim McGraw
Keith Urban
Ron from Sparks
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Space boffins (the correct technical term) have got very excited after appearing to have detected an array of carbon-based substances being spewed from which of Saturn's multitude of moons?
Enceladus
Iapetus
Tethys
Clom
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Nine in 10 counterfeit toys seized at the UK border this year were …
Peppa Pig figures
Pokémon plushies
Bluey merchandise
Labubu dolls
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High on the Thursday quiz list of things not to do is to ski down Sagarmāthā – also known as Mount Everest – without the use of additional oxygen. But someone just did it, the crazy fool. Which nationality was he?
German
Polish
Swiss
Syldavian
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Moldova's Action and Solidarity party (PAS) won the election there at the weekend. The party was founded by the country's incumbent president. Who?
Lilia Pogolșa
Maia Sandu
Georgeta Mincu
Bobson Dugnutt
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Also going to the polls in the last few days was Switzerland, with a referendum on introducing electronic identity cards (not quite pictured). How did the vote go?
They voted yes to adopt electronic identity cards
They voted no and against electronic identity cards
They voted to just switch off their television sets and go and do something less boring instead
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A rare orange lobster (not pictured, that is a regular one) was released back into the wild this week after being spotted by an enthusiast at a local grocery store in New York. What was the little cutie nicknamed?
Jean-Clawed Van Damme
Clawdia Schiffer
Leonardo DiClawprio
Derek
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This is Willow, the official chonk of the Guardian Thursday quiz. She wants to know which species won New Zealand's bird of the year for 2025, presumably so she can then bark at it like she does any pigeon she spots on the balcony. The winner was …
Kakaruia black robin
Kōkako songbird
Kārearea falcon
The Dugga Doo
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A brand new regular round! It is time to introduce "least or most with Liberace's ghost". We know, exciting, huh? This week the Thursday quiz imagines the ghost of Liberace would like to know which of these artists has won the most Grammys?
Bruce Springsteen
Stevie Wonder
Kate Bush
Beyoncé
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Not only did Europe's Ryder Cup team ruin a good walk at the weekend, they also got heckled all the while doing it by an obnoxious home crowd in the US. What was the final score in the 2025 Ryder Cup
USA 9, Europe 19
USA 11, Europe 17
USA 13, Europe 15
USA 30-50, Europe 1,057
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Who has been announced as the half-time turn at next year's Super Bowl?
Bad Bunny
Post Malone
Dua Lipa
Gary Barlow's massive son
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And finally, this week's guest canine is Deck, seen here enjoying his summer on the other side of the Atlantic from the Thursday quiz. He wants you to tell him the name of the bear that won Katmai national park and preserve's Fat Bear week competition. It was …
22 Chuck
32 Chunk
42 Chonk
52 Chubb
Solutions
1:D - It all seems a bit of a rum do if you ask the Thursday quiz, 2:A - It is the only tree in the street, was planted in Victorian times, and stands 23 metres (75ft) tall, so the quiz guesses it is pretty special after all, 3:C - None of us remember it, do we?, 4:C - The 58-year-old Oscar-winning actor petitioned on Tuesday to end her marriage to the 57-year-old Grammy winning country singer in a Nashville court, 5:A - The sixth largest of Saturn’s 274 confirmed moons in its orbit, Enceladus has become one of the leading contenders in the search for bodies that could harbour extraterrestrial life, 6:D - Border officials intercepted almost 259,000 counterfeit toys worth more than £3.5m so far this year, including 236,000 fake versions of the rotten little things, 7:B - The ascent was Andrzej Bargiel’s third attempt at climbing Everest, and the first skied descent without additional oxygen, 8:B - In 2019 she was prime minister for 159 days, or approximately the length of three-and-a-smidgeon Liz Truss premierships, 9:A - It was tight, though, with 50.4% of voters in favour and 49.6% against. So that is sure to go swimmingly, as it always does after a close referendum, 10:A - Apparently only one in 30 million of the critters is that colour, 11:C - It is New Zealand’s fastest bird, capable of flying 124mph (200km/h), and it is the second time it has topped the annual poll, 12:D - Beyoncé has picked up a staggering 35 of the things, 13:C - The Thursday quiz resisted the temptation to ask how many times a visibly annoyed Rory McIlroy dropped the f-bomb in public over the weekend, because it can't count that high, 14:A - The 31-year-old artist, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, has won three Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys and recently starred in Caught Stealing, 15:B - The Thursday quiz isn't convinced that is a real bear name, to be honest
Scores
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0 and above.
We hope you had fun – let us know how you got on in the comments!
If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working and are absolutely 100% positive you aren’t attempting to factcheck a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. Why not watch The Happy Dictator by Gorillaz ft Sparks instead?
