Quiz of the week, 3 – 9 October 2020

1. Cinema chain Cineworld announced it was closing its US and UK cinemas this week, resulting in the loss of 45,000 jobs. The closures followed the announcement of which new film?

a. No Time to Die,
b. Wonder Woman 1984,
c. Black Widow,
d. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

2. Why did US president Donald Trump pull out of a second televised debate?

a. The time didn’t suit him,
b. Because of his Covid-19 diagnosis,
c. He didn’t want to “waste his time”,
d. Because it was moved online

3. King Mohammed of Morocco bought himself a mansion in Paris near the Eiffel Tower for over €80m. What does he like to be called?

a. The King of the Desert,
b. The King of the Poor,
c. The King of Kings,
d. The King of the Rich

4. Venezuela is launching its biggest-denomination note in history, but owing to hyperinflation it will be worth less than 18p. What is Venezuela’s currency?

a. Peso,
b. Real ,
c. Bolivar,
d. Guarani

5. Which celebrity is not part the judging panel for Prince William’s £50m Earthshot Prize, for the best ideas to save the planet?

a. Cate Blanchett,
b. Sir David Attenborough,
c. Shakira,
d. David Beckham

6. Who tweeted: “This is someone running the country. How about you not have your movies, TV shows, Netflix etc during lockdown? All the music, paintings, art in the culture since time began. Moron.” in response to chancellor Rishi Sunak’s suggestion that people working in the arts should “adapt” their jobs, or consider changing the jobs they do, during the pandemic.

a. Former Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr,
b. Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher,
c. The Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess,
d. Elton John

7. The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations World Food Programme for its efforts to combat hunger. Who won the $1.1m prize last year?

A. Activist Malala Yousafzai,
B. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali,
c. Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege,
d. Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist Nadia Murad

8. What animal made an appearance during this week's televised vice-presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Mike Pence?

a. Pence’s dog,
b. Harris’s daughter’s hamster,
c. A rat,
d. A fly

9. Kyrgyzstan descended into chaos this week after parliamentary elections saw opposition protesters violently protest following allegations of vote buying. What is the country’s capital?

a. Dushanbe,
b. Tashkent,
c. Nur-Sultan,
d. Bishkek

10. Norway is withdrawing record amounts from its its $1.1trn sovereign wealth fund to plug budget deficits brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Which country out of the following does not have a sovereign wealth fund?

a. Botswana,
b. Azerbaijan,
c. Spain,
d. Peru

Answers

1. a. No Time to Die. The latest James Bond film has been postponed until Easter.

2. d. Because it was moved online. The debate was moved online on the grounds that Trump is still in quarantine after testing positive for Covid-19 last week. Trump, 74, said he felt “perfect” and didn’t think he was contagious “at all”, adding he didn’t want to waste time on a virtual debate.

3. b. The King of the Poor. Mohammed’s purchase of the 12-bedroom townhouse, complete with gardens, pool, spa and games room, prompted harsh criticism. Morocco ranks 121st in the UN’s human development index, and 10% of the population lives in absolute poverty.

4. c. Bolivar.

5. d. David Beckham. Dani Alves, 37, is the only footballer on the panel of 13.

6. a. Former Smith’s guitarist Johnny Marr.

7. B. Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed Ali.

8. d. A fly. A fly sat on Pence’s head for two minutes.

9. d. Bishkek. Dushanbe, Tashkent and Nur-Sultan are the capitals of neighbouring Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan respectively.

10. c. Spain.