Thursday news quiz: A shooting pooch, avatar anger and a collective noun for ‘Derren Brown’

The scorpion of knowledge Illustration: Anaïs Mims/The Guardian

Amid a heatwave here in the UK, the scorpion of knowledge, drawn by Anaïs Mims, once again scuttles out to challenge you to the Thursday news quiz. Fifteen questions on topical news, popular culture and general knowledge, with the excitement that “Derren Brown” and “Simone Biles” are joining us today for new regular rounds. There are no prizes, of course, but there may yet be a sting in the tail. Have fun! Allons-y!

The Thursday news quiz, No 249

1. 

   A tourist’s request for a glass of tap water at a hotel restaurant has culminated in a top court ruling that being served water from the tap is not a consumer right. Where?

   1. France

   2. Spain

   3. Italy

   4. Syldavia

2. 

   Which TV personality has demanded an apology for comments made by Reform UK's Makerfield byelection candidate, Robert Kenyon (pictured)?

   1. Carol Vorderman

   2. Susie Dent

   3. Rachel Riley

   4. Mr Blobby

3. 

   Ferrari shares fell after it launched its first EV (not pictured), designed by whom?

   1. James Dyson

   2. Jony Ive

   3. Ian Callum

   4. Homer Simpson

4. 

   Fans of which band are unhappy that there is going to be a licensed AI avatar of the group's late singer (not pictured)?

   1. Queen

   2. Nirvana

   3. Black Sabbath

   4. John Smith and the Common Men

5. 

   Christie's is auctioning a frankly gorgeous-looking medieval manuscript telling the story of King Arthur (not pictured, that is that guy who keeps standing to be an MP while cosplaying) and the Round Table and Merlin and all that jazz. Who is believed to have written it?

   1. The Master of the Liège Apocalypse

   2. The Chronicler of the Mainz Pestilence

   3. The Notary of the Lille Catastrophe

   4. Sir Derek of the Feral Hog massacre

6. 

   Here's Melvyn Bragg, he loves a flag. Which of these countries has a flag which can be described as red in the upper half with a gold frigatebird flying over a gold rising sun, and blue in the lower half with three horizontal wavy white stripes?

   1. Bermuda

   2. Aruba

   3. Kiribati

   4. Tahiti

7. 

   Where is an attempt by the government to reduce grocery prices being thwarted after it turns out cash registers can't calculate a sales tax of 0%?

   1. South Korea

   2. Vietnam

   3. Japan

   4. Indonesia

8. 

   Send Derren Brown today's collective noun. Use your psychic powers to let him know what is the collective noun for ponies?

   1. Chain

   2. Clobber

   3. Phlanx

   4. String

9. 

   The week's guest canine is this random snoot that the quiz master met in the pub at some point but can't remember the details. You know who else probably can't remember the details? The dog that injured a woman after it managed to trigger a loaded shotgun being stored in a van near a convenience store. Where?

   1. Wimberley, Texas

   2. Scottsbluff, Nebraska

   3. Eventide, Florida

   4. Innsmouth, Massachusetts

10. 

    Comedian Laura Clery (not pictured) revealed that she nearly died after getting trapped under what?

    1. Her piano

    2. Her car

    3. Her fridge

    4. Her very naughty miniature dachshund

11. 

    On the tiles with Simone Biles. If you were playing Scrabble with one of the most decorated gymnasts in history, and she played DEREK, how much would she score (assuming you would let her play a proper noun and it didn't touch any special squares)?

    1. 8

    2. 10

    3. 12

    4. 14

12. 

    The Wuthering Heights director, Emerald Fennell (pictured), said it was 'unfortunate' that a scene showing Margot Robbie’s historically accurate what (not pictured) did not make the final cut?

    1. Extremely hairy armpits

    2. Lice-deterrent vinegar patches

    3. Georgian-era sanitary protection

    4. Kate Bush tattoo

13. 

    The Thursday quiz fondly remembers Keith Chegwin, so here is Cheggers plays population! According to the 2026 CIA World Factbook, which of these countries has the largest population?

    1. Nigeria

    2. Morocco

    3. Egypt

    4. Ethiopia

14. 

    On this day with Brian May! And his badger! 28 May is the anniversary of the Spanish Armada setting sail to completely fail to invade England. The Thursday quiz imagines Queen's legendary guitarist wants you to tell him – and his badger – in which year …

    1. 1388

    2. 1488

    3. 1588

    4. 1688

15. 

    And finally … unbelievably it is 10 years since a gorilla (pictured) was fatally shot after grabbing a three-year-old boy in his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, sparking mass internet grief. And memes. What was the gorilla's name?

    1. Koko

    2. Harambe

    3. Bokito

    4. Ronald

Solutions

1:C - The case dates back to 2019, when the woman spent a week at a five-star hotel that insisted on serving her €7 bottles of water rather than the stuff from the tap, 2:A - Media outlets have been very coy about what the comment was that he appears to have endorsed because it was so obscene, although a spokesperson for Reform UK said 'he was an ordinary man from an ordinary place' and that the comments, made on a public platform, were 'private' , 3:B - The Luce was developed in partnership with LoveFrom, the studio founded by Ive after his long career at Apple, 4:C - Ozzy Osbourne’s wife, Sharon, and their son Jack announced the family had partnered with tech companies to create an avatar of the absolute legend, 5:A - He or she was an anonymous but distinctive artist and illuminator named after the apocalyptic religious manuscript for which they are best known, 6:C - The yellow frigatebird symbolises command over the sea and the blue and white wavy bands represent the Pacific Ocean. We are a curious species, 7:C - The Japanese government has pledged to suspend an 8% sales tax on food, but systems at big retail chains apparently need a year's work to make them accept the idea, 8:D - It is indeed, according to Grammar Monster, a string of ponies. Odds Bodkins!, 9:B - Somehow, the dog had triggered the shotgun – which had a live round chambered – to fire, damaging the vehicle and striking a female passerby. The victim was taken to hospital but was not seriously injured, 10:C - It fell on her as she tried to intervene to stop her child clambering on it, 11:B - E and R get one point, a D is two, and K is five, 12:A - Fennell told an audience at Hay festival that when she watches Jane Austen adaptations she often wonders: 'Where are the razors that these women are using?', 13:A - Nigeria is Africa's most populous country by some way, with more than 236 million people living there, 14:C - A combination of bad weather and poor decisions made it a rather ill-advised affair all round, 15:B - RIP Harambe, you are wiv da angles now

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 It Comes Creeping by Deadletter instead?

It Comes Creeping by Deadletter