An ancient sword, a parting of ways and the hand of God – take the Thursday quiz

Penny Mordaunt’s famous sword moment – but where was an incredibly rare bronze age sword found last week? Photograph: Yui Mok/AP

Last week the New York Times ended up in a social media spat with Victoria Coren Mitchell, who noted the similarities between the BBC quizshow Only Connect’s connecting wall round and the NYT’s new “Connections” app. It is surely only a matter of time before that august paper is pilfering Thursday quiz rounds such as “For the longest times with Darren Grimes” and “Maths with Goths”. While the Thursday quiz legal team are limbering up to take them on, here is this week’s baffling assortment of general knowledge, topical news and downright silly questions for your enjoyment. The quizmaster is away this week but let us know how you get on in the comments.

The Thursday quiz, No 113

1. 

   A LOT OF WIND: Unbelievably we have to open the Thursday quiz again with rule-breaking from former UK prime minister Boris Johnson. What are the chances? The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments says Johnson broke the rules by taking up a new paid role with which media outlet?

   1. Sunday Times

   2. Daily Express

   3. Daily Mail

   4. Fortean Times

2. 

   REBELLIOUS JUKEBOX: Talking of media mishaps, which audio platform has ended – by mutual agreement – its podcasting deal with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex?

   1. Audible

   2. Spotify

   3. Apple

   4. K-Tel

3. 

   EXTRICATE: Which member of Take That was dropped from Nottingham Pride and had to issue an apology after it emerged he had been "liking social media posts that are derogatory towards the LGBTQIA+ community"?

   1. Mark Owen

   2. Gary Barlow

   3. Howard Donald

4. 

   FUTURES AND PASTS: A 3,000 year old bronze sword which is so well-preserved that it “almost still shines” (not pictured), has been unearthed where?

   1. Bavaria, Germany

   2. Loire, France

   3. Istria, Croatia

   4. Carinthia, Austria

5. 

   DOG IS LIFE: This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz. She would enjoy chewing on a Rubik's cube for sure. 21-year-old Max Park has set a new world record for solving the 3x3x3 Rubik's cube. How long did it take?

   1. 3.13 seconds

   2. 5.13 seconds

   3. 7.13 seconds

   4. 44 days

6. 

   WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023: Non-football questions about the teams that will feature in the Fifa Women's World Cup this summer. Who is prime minister of Denmark (pictured)?

   1. Sophie Løhde

   2. Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen

   3. Anne Beathe Tvinnereim

   4. Mette Frederiksen

7. 

   WOMEN'S WORLD CUP 2023: Sweden will be in the Fifa Women's World Cup this year. But whose concert in Stockholm is being partially blamed for a rise in inflation there?

   1. P!nk

   2. Taylor Swift

   3. Beyoncé

   4. Kate Bush

8. 

   NID YW CYMRU AR WERTH: Who is taking over as leader of Plaid Cymru in Wales?

   1. Ianto Jones

   2. Llyr Gruffydd

   3. Dai Lloyd

   4. Rhun ap Iorwerth

9. 

   SCOTTISH THINGS: Experts say that there are early signs of a revival for the capercaillie in Scotland. But what is it?

   1. A traditional form of dress that originated in Orkney

   2. A large type of grouse that lives wild in the Highlands

   3. A small stringed musical instrument with Gaelic heritage

   4. An alcoholic drink that pairs whisky with heather extracts

10. 

    THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE: Element number 9 is Fluorine. Which of these statement is true about fluorine?

    1. Steel wool bursts into flames when exposed to fluorine

    2. Steel wool discolours to red when exposed to fluorine

    3. Steel wool becomes brittle when exposed to fluorine

    4. Steel wool becomes stronger when exposed to fluorine

11. 

    THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BULLIES, WITH DOMINIC RAAB: This week the former deputy PM would like to know the name of the actor who played Regina George, leader of The Plastics in 2004 movie Mean Girls?

    1. Lindsay Lohan

    2. Michelle Trachtenberg

    3. Rachel McAdams

    4. Gavin Williams

12. 

    KICKER CONSPIRACY: It is the anniversary of either one of the most disgraceful bits of cheating ever seen at a World Cup, or one of the funniest goals of all time, depending on how English you are. Maradona scored the Hand of God goal for Argentina against England on this day in 1986. But at which stage of the Fifa World Cup was it?

    1. Round of 16

    2. Quarter-final

    3. Semi-final

    4. Final

13. 

    TELEPHONE THING: Leyton Orient are still the champions of League Two in the English Football League, and the quiz master is still literally in this photo. Leyton Orient earned 91 points during the season, but 91 is the international dialling code for which country?

    1. Switzerland

    2. New Zealand

    3. Vietnam

    4. India

14. 

    CLEAR OFF!: A Fox News producer reportedly resigned after what message was flashed across the screen as a "chryon" – the technical term for the headlines you see on the bottom of news channels?

    1. "Biden surprises crowd by staying on his feet throughout walkabout"

    2. "Orange-faced has-been unable to explain why secret docs are in the john"

    3. "Wannabe dictator speaks at the White House after having his political rival arrested"

    4. "Manchester United are rubbish"

15. 

    THE WAR AGAINST INTELLIGENCE: The UK's shortest-serving prime minister, Liz Truss, described jokes about her not lasting longer than a lettuce (not pictured) as what in an interview this week?

    1. Snobbish

    2. Puerile

    3. Underhand

    4. Really, really funny, and she added that she hopes the Guardian Thursday quiz never ever stops reminding people about it

Solutions

1:C - Boris Johnson committed a “clear breach” of rules on former ministers taking up new jobs by telling an appointments body he was becoming a Daily Mail columnist only half an hour before the public announcement, the watchdog said. A spokesperson said: “The ministerial code states that ministers must ensure that no new appointments are announced, or taken up, before the committee has been able to provide its advice". The Fortean Times wouldn't have him as a writer. Sometimes some of the stuff in it turns out to be true., 2:B - The couple have produced just one series under their Archewell Audio podcast imprint since inking the agreement in 2020 for a reported US$20m (£15.6m). That show, the duchess’s Archetypes, has topped podcast charts in a number of markets, but the two sides said in a joint statement that the deal is coming to an end., 3:C - 55-year-old Donald was dropped from playing at Groovebox’s Nottingham Pride festival event in July and said he was “deeply sorry” after making a “huge error”. You suspect they won't want him back for good., 4:A - The Bavarian state office for the preservation of historical monuments (BLfD) said the sword, which is believed to date back to the end of the 14th century BC — the middle of the bronze age — was found during excavations last week in Nördlingen, between Nuremberg and Stuttgart., 5:A - The 21-year-old smashed the previous benchmark of 3.47 seconds set by China’s Yusheng Du in 2018 to enter the Guinness Book of World Records at the Pride in Long Beach 2023 event in California. Try and find the video, it is absolutely astonishing., 6:D - She has served as prime minister of Denmark since June 2019, and as leader of the Social Democrats since June 2015. The second woman to hold either office, she is also the youngest prime minister in Danish history., 7:C - A decrease in electricity and food prices contributed to the lower inflation rate in May, said Statistics Sweden, while at the same time, costs of certain goods and services rose. “For instance hotel and restaurant visits, recreational services, and clothing,” the agency said. According to Michael Grahn, chief economist for Sweden at Danske Bank, a visit by Beyoncé to Stockholm could explain why the rate was higher than expected. “Beyoncé’s start of her world tour in Sweden seems to have coloured May inflation, how much is uncertain,” Grahn said in a post to social media., 8:D - Ap Iorwerth, who represents Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in the Senedd and is a former journalist, was a deputy leader until Adam Price stepped down as head of the party last month., 9:B - Kenny Kortland, an experienced wildlife ecologist for Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), said that observations of the birds' mating rituals had shown an increase in capercaillie numbers, the first time in recent years., 10:A - The Royal society of chemistry profile of flourine states that the element is "a very pale yellow-green, dangerously reactive gas. It is the most reactive of all the elements and quickly attacks all metals. Steel wool bursts into flames when exposed to fluorine.", 11:C - McAdams was the nemesis of Lindsay Lohan's Cady Heron., 12:B - It was the quarter-final in Mexico City. Argentina would go on to beat Belgium in the semi-final, West Germany in the final, and lift the trophy for the second time. England went home to be bitter about it for years. How flair is punished., 13:D - The codes are actually grouped geographically, with zone 9 covering mostly countries in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of southern Asia., 14:C - Fox News addressed the banner debacle in a statement saying “the chyron was taken down immediately and was addressed”. It was the BBC that had a banner proclaiming "Manchester United are rubbish" in May last year when a training exercise accidentally went live on screen. , 15:B - Interviewed at the News Xchange event by the RTÉ journalist David McCullagh, Truss was reminded of the Daily Star’s decision to livestream the decline of a lettuce in a blond wig as her 44 days in office reached their humiliating conclusion. Asked by McCullagh if she could see the funny side of the Star’s decision, Truss replied: “I don’t think it’s funny, I just think it’s puerile". Au contraire, Liz Truss, au contraire.

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   We hope you had more fun than Liz Truss did being PM – 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, feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com, but remember the quiz master’s word is final and to do your fandango.