Thursday news quiz: TikTok horrors, hat-trick heroes and a rescued baby otter

This sea otter is having some thoughts. But can you answer these questions? Photograph: Denise Taylor/Getty Images

Last week in the comments, someone dared raise the ancient philosophical conundrum: when we say “the first line of a play”, do we mean the first words spoken by a character, or do the stage directions count? The Thursday quiz condemns such quibbling, hair splitting and dramaturgical pedantry – unless of course it’s the quiz making a fuss. Still, the show must go on regardless, so limber up for another 15 questions of topical nonsense and dubious – though entirely correct – general knowledge. Let us know how you get on in the comments. Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 224

1. 

   Which Radio 2 DJ just ran 135 miles in five days carrying a Pudsey Bear backpack from Kielder Forest to Leeds to raise money for Children in Need?

   1. Sara Cox

   2. Rylan

   3. Mel Giedroyc

   4. Scott Mills

2. 

   Westminster Abbey (some window fragment pictured) refused admission to someone wearing a T-shirt that depicted what?

   1. A medieval bestiary lion looking a bit too demonic

   2. An 18th-century satirical cartoon of a bishop

   3. A 1908 illustration of Pan

   4. Chris Martin falling through a trapdoor

3. 

   The disgraced former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales (not pictured) had what flung at him – allegedly by his uncle – in Madrid?

   1. A milkshake

   2. A shoe

   3. Some eggs

   4. 30-50 feral hogs

4. 

   This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz. She was worried about a baby otter that was rescued off the coast of California, but thankfully it was reunited with its mummy. What was its name?

   1. Cucumber

   2. Courgette

   3. Crumpt

   4. Caterpillar

5. 

   Sky Sports has been forced to ditch its TikTok channel targeting girls and young women three days after its launch, over criticism that it was patronising and 'unbelievably sexist'. What was the ill-fated venture called?

   1. Fomo

   2. Halo

   3. Juno

   4. Derek

6. 

   A Texas state trooper caused a stir when he bumped into some players from South Carolina (not pictured) at some university match-up or other, the Thursday quiz wasn't paying attention. But its eye was caught by the name of the South Carolina university football team involved. What is it?

   1. Hornbashers

   2. Gamecocks

   3. Buckblasters

   4. Bullbangs

7. 

   Which country has sparked bafflement by attempting to set a 6km/h speed limit for cyclists, skaters and other pavements users?

   1. Slovenia

   2. Serbia

   3. Slovakia

   4. Syldavia

8. 

   This week's guest canine is Mia, whom the Thursday quiz met in Watford. She wants to know which player became a national hero by scoring five goals in two matches and propelling Ireland to what had seemed an unlikely looking playoff berth for the 2026 men's Fifa World Cup?

   1. Troy Parrott

   2. Atlas Jay

   3. Hector Sparrow

   4. Bobson Dugnutt

9. 

   Ocean boffins (the correct technical term) have identified the first ever live sighting of which species of whale (not pictured)?

   1. Majoram-jawed crested whale

   2. Ivy-finned nosedipper whale

   3. Ginkgo-toothed beaked whale

   4. Shoggothinko abyssal whale

10. 

    Authorities in Singapore have stuck someone in the slammer after they jumped a barrier and rushed to embrace which member of the cast (not pictured) of Wicked: For Good?

    1. Michelle Yeoh

    2. Marissa Bode

    3. Sharon D Clarke

    4. Ariana Grande

11. 

    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 song begins: 'Well, they blew up the Chicken Man in Philly last night.'

    1. Runnin’ Down a Dream by Tom Petty

    2. Atlantic City by Bruce Springsteen

    3. Lighten Up, Morrissey by Sparks

    4. Cortez the Killer by Neil Young

12. 

    It is Bo Derek's birthday today. Happy birthday, Bo! Which of these numbers is she most closely associated with?

    1. 10

    2. 19

    3. 27

    4. 1,057

13. 

    An Argentinian judge has been fired after causing a mistrial in a case related to Diego Maradona (pictured, cheating). Why?

    1. Because she was in an undisclosed relationship with the chief prosecutor

    2. Because she participated in a documentary about the case

    3. Because it emerged that her mother was one of Maradona’s cousins

    4. Because she was unmasked as Gary Barlow's massive son in disguise

14. 

    It's time for on this day with Brian May! And his badger! 20 November is the anniversary of the release of Microsoft Windows 1.0. The Thursday quiz imagines Queen's legendary guitarist wants you to tell him – and his badger – in which year was the release.

    1. 1979

    2. 1982

    3. 1985

    4. 1988

15. 

    Two long-lost organ pieces by which composer have been performed for the first time in 300 years?

    1. Henry Purcell

    2. George Frideric Handel

    3. Johann Sebastian Bach

    4. Some very naughty musical miniature dachshunds

Solutions

1:A - Cox, who presents Radio 2’s teatime show on weekdays, crossed the finish line for her great northern marathon challenge at about 3.30pm on Friday. Just get the train, surely?, 2:C - The Thursday quiz can actually see the sort of point here, it did look almost as demonic as a very naughty miniature dachshund, 3:C - 'He threw eggs at me because he’s a deranged person,' Rubiales said, although maybe he just deserved it? The Thursday quiz is unable to say, 4:D - The Thursday quiz has no idea either, 5:B - The youth-focused content – which was littered with pink hearts, referencing 'hot girl walks', matcha and Barbies – was greeted with instant derision, 6:B - Stop sniggering at the back of class, 7:C - Dan Kollar, the president of the Cyklokoalicia group that advocates walking and cycling, said: 'At such a low speed, it’s hard to maintain balance and even three- to four-year-old children on bikes routinely exceed it.', 8:A - The former Tottenham trainee, who plays in the Dutch Eredivisie for AZ Alkmaar, would almost certainly not have started Ireland’s double-header had Roma’s Evan Ferguson not injured an ankle, 9:C - They are among the deepest-diving mammals on Earth, and the species had previously been described based only on dead animals washing ashore , 10:D - Johnson Wen was convicted of being a public nuisance, 11:B - The Boss was referring to the murder of Angelo Bruno, the head of a Philadelphia crime family for two decades, 12:A - She appeared in the movie 10 in 1979, 13:B - The Thursday quiz still can't get its head around it. Or forgive the hand of God 'goal', 14:C - The Thursday quiz still prefers the ZX Spectrum, 15:C - Entitled Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179, the pieces were added to the official catalogue of Bach’s works on Monday and played in public for the first time in three centuries in Leipzig

Scores

1. 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 Mangetout by Wet Leg instead?

Mangetout by Wet Leg