Thursday news quiz: AI mishaps, fan fury and a tiny baby hippo

This baby pygmy hippo is an absolute sausage – but what is his name? Photograph: Thilo Schmülgen/Reuters

Welcome to the final Thursday news quiz of the year – a small festive tradition involving the news, a handful of jokes, and the knowledge that somewhere there are 1,057 pedants limbering up to find something to nitpick. And it is a bumper 20-question edition. Thank you for quizzing throughout the year, for your comments, corrections and good-natured quibbles, and most of all for the kind messages literally hundreds of you sent the quizmaster during the Great Thursday Quiz Hiatus of 2025™, when he was off sick. It really meant a lot. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 228

1. 

   The Thursday quiz was shocked and saddened at the sudden death of the director Rob Reiner. What was the name of the album that Spinal Tap were attempting to promote during their ill-fated US tour in the original movie?

   1. Sniff the Glove

   2. Lick the Glove

   3. Worship the Glove

   4. Smell the Glove

   5. Love the Glove

   6. Glove the Glove

2. 

   The chief organiser of a notoriously gruelling university entrance exam in which country has resigned after people said it was too hard?

   1. Japan

   2. Vietnam

   3. South Korea

   4. Syldavia

3. 

   The radio station Southern Cross Austereo has been investigating this week whether its introduction of AI-assisted news bulletins led to what …

   1. The late Queen Elizabeth II being described on air as 'the lady with the big hat'

   2. The journalist who wrote a crime story being wrongly identified as a violent criminal suspect on the run

   3. An AI newsreader confidently announcing the death of the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese

   4. A weather update warning listeners to prepare for 'an imminent and emotionally challenging rain event'

4. 

   Also on the AI naughty step this week is McDonald's, which had to pull an AI-generated advert in which country after a backlash?

   1. Japan

   2. Tunisia

   3. Argentina

   4. The Netherlands

5. 

   Which band have finally given Fatboy Slim permission to use a sample of their song in a remix of The Rockafeller Skank 25 years after it was made?

   1. The Rolling Stones

   2. Led Zeppelin

   3. Black Sabbath

   4. Sparks

6. 

   Protesters briefly interrupted the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, during a Capitol Hill hearing last week, evoking which quote from which film?

   1. 'Here's Johnny!' from The Shining

   2. 'The power of Christ compels you!' from The Exorcist

   3. ‘You’re gonna need a bigger boat!’ from Jaws

   4. 'No luck catching them swans, then?' from Hot Fuzz

7. 

   The hero raccoon (not pictured, he's a good boy) that barged into a liquor store, smashed bottles of booze and passed out drunk in a bathroom has at least two other break-ins under his belt, a local government official has revealed. In which US state?

   1. Maryland

   2. Connecticut

   3. Delaware

   4. Virginia

8. 

   A DoorDasher in Indiana has been arrested under suspicion of adding what extra ingredient to deliveries?

   1. Antifreeze

   2. Pepper spray

   3. CBD oil

   4. Bleach

9. 

   Fans in India rioted after they felt shortchanged during a visit by which footballer?

   1. Cristiano Ronaldo

   2. Neymar

   3. David Beckham

   4. Lionel Messi

   5. Peter Crouch

10. 

    Here is Karl-Heinz, with his opening lines, which almost rhymes. This week the Thursday quiz imagines the German soccer ace would like to know which Shakespeare play begins 'Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene'?

    1. Romeo and Juliet

    2. The Two Gentlemen of Verona

    3. The Two Noble Kinsmen

    4. The Taming of the Very Naughty Miniature Dachshund

11. 

    Which London arts venue is to close its doors for a year for a multimillion-pound renovation?

    1. Camden Roundhouse

    2. The Barbican

    3. Tate Modern

    4. The Bell, Walthamstow

12. 

    Which game basically swept the board at the the Game Awards 2025 in Los Angeles with nine awards?

    1. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

    2. Ghost of Yōtei

    3. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

    4. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

    5. Horace Goes Skiing

13. 

    What extremely petty thing did Sunderland do at the Tyne–Wear derby at the weekend much to the amusement of the Thursday quiz?

    1. Displayed Newcastle United's name as 'Visitors' on the scoreboard

    2. Played Yakety Sax – famously the Benny Hill theme – on a loop in the concourse where the away fans were

    3. Listed Newcastle manager Eddie Howe's name as 'Eddie Why' in the match programme

    4. Switched off the hot water in the away dressing room

14. 

    It is time for on this day with Brian May! And his badger! 18 December is the anniversary of the first ever NFL playoff game. The Thursday quiz imagines Queen's legendary guitarist wants you to tell him – and his badger – which teams competed?

    1. New York Giants v Staten Island Stapletons

    2. Portsmouth Spartans v Chicago Bears

    3. Green Bay Packers v Brooklyn Dodgers

    4. Minnesota Macaques v Philadelphia Feral Hogs

15. 

    Which pop star has overtaken Abba, Coldplay, Michael Jackson, Elton John and Queen in the UK chart-topper list as a reissued version of her Christmas album becomes her 11th No 1?

    1. Kate Bush

    2. Kylie Minogue

    3. Mariah Carey

    4. Celine Dion

16. 

    One of these people did NOT make the BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist. Which one?

    1. Hannah Hampton

    2. Lando Norris

    3. Chloe Kelly

    4. Rory McIlroy

    5. Bobson Dugnutt

    6. Ellie Kildunne

    7. Luke Littler

17. 

    Talking of the BBC (not pictured), Donald Trump (not pictured) is attempting to sue the corporation for something like one zillion dollars in which US state (not pictured)?

    1. Florida

    2. Texas

    3. New York

    4. Narnia

18. 

    The Duisburg zoo three-week-old baby pygmy hippo that has gone viral on the internet is about the same size as a lettuce (not pictured). What is his name?

    1. Pupsnase

    2. Panya

    3. Putzig

    4. Derek

19. 

    This week's guest canine is Luna, who is suitably dressed for Christmas. She wants to know in which Winter Olympics discipline 41-year-old Lindsey Vonn has made an extraordinary ­comeback from retirement?

    1. Alpine skiing

    2. Ski jump

    3. Ice skating

    4. Ice dressage

20. 

    And the final Guardian Thursday news quiz question of 2025 – how highly would you rate this photograph of Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz?

    1. ⭐️

    2. ⭐️⭐️

    3. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

    4. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️😍🙌💕🥰⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Solutions

1:D - It eventually has to be shipped in an all-black cover after stores refuse to stock the sexist artwork, 2:C - Just over 3% of exam-takers scored top marks in the English test – the lowest since absolute grading was introduced for the subject in 2018, 3:B - The Adelaide Advertiser journalist Dylan Hogarth reported the alleged offender had been named in court, and somehow the station's news bulletins named him as the suspect instead, 4:D - 'This commercial single-handedly ruined my Christmas spirit,' said one person on social media, who definitely doesn't have too much time on their hands, 5:A - How did that Mighty Boosh Eels song go? 'Elements of the past and the future combining to make something not quite as good as either', 6:B - While Noem smiled silently in response to the demonstration, Capitol police quickly escorted the protester, who appeared to be dressed as a Catholic priest, out, 7:D - It happened in Ashland, and he is just trying to live his best life, 8:B - Yum. Legal note: Don't try this at home, kids, 9:D - Messi is in India as part of a tour during which he is scheduled to attend concerts, youth football clinics and a padel tournament. Nice work if you can get it, 10:A - A lot going on in Verona in Shakespeare's day, apparently, 11:B - The arts organisation’s Beech Street cinemas will remain open but its theatre, music venue, conservatory and visual arts galleries are to shutter, 12:C - Set in a dark fantasy Belle Époque setting, the game follows the volunteers of Expedition 33 as they set out to destroy the Paintress, it says on the press release. The Thursday quiz hasn't played it yet, 13:A - Go on the Mackems!, 14:B - The Spartans mutated into the Detroit Lions in a sort of MK Dons Franchise FC sort of way, 15:B - She is an absolute pop goddess and national treasure as far as the Thursday quiz is concerned, 16:E - Chloe! Chloe! Chloe!, 17:A - *Sigh*, 18:B - Awwwwwwwwww. The hippo. Not the host of The Liz Truss Show, 19:A - The American, who had not raced for five years until she returned to the ­circuit last year, destroyed the ­women’s downhill field in San Moritz to win by nearly a second, the oldest ever skier to win a World Cup race, 20:D - We wish you great holidays, a merry Christmas and a happy new year, from everybody who goes into making the Guardian Thursday news quiz – the quiz master, Willow, the editors, subeditors, production staff, picture desk, the mods, the whole caboodle. Thank you for all your comments and see you again in 2026!

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   We hope you had festive 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 Thank God It’s Not Christmas by Sparks instead?

Thank God It’s Not Christmas by Sparks