Quiz #61
Quizmas time
Hello to all. It’s time for another quiz, and this time with a few - but not too many - Christmas questions thrown in. Warning: the final question in Round 4 relates to toymakers and is dreadful, because who knows from where half our stuff comes. It is worth 11 points, but nobody should be expected to get more than three.
Before getting on to the more pleasant questions, here is the link to the version on the website that has the answers:
Also, for those who like to type answers and test themselves against the world, the first four rounds have been put into a quiz embedded onto the website. A leaderboard complements the quiz, albeit it can take some time to update.
And that is enough of that. On to the quiz, as always starting with some simpler questions in Round 1.
Round 1
Question 1
The forecast high temperature for Christmas Day at the North Pole is -22°C. Is the high temperature for the South Pole for the same day higher or lower?
Answer:
1 point
Question 2
What US fast food chain has become famously connected to Christmas celebrations in Japan?
Answer:
1 point
Question 3
On December 16 the Scottish Government passed a law that identified the theft of what animal as being distinct from general property theft, with it now carrying the possibility of an unlimited fine and five years in prison?
Answer:
1 point
Question 4
The leaders of the UK, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Peru, Mozambique, and the newly elected President of Chile are amongst the world leaders who all studied what subject at university?
Answer:
1 point
Question 5
The Druk Gyalpo is the head of state of the Kingdom of Bhutan. While the word ‘gyalpo’ means king, the word ‘druk’ refers to what mythical creature that features on the nation’s flag?
Answer:
1 point
Question 6
US industrialist Henry Ford once said that it is not the employer that pays workers’ wages, but who?
Answer:
1 point
Question 7
What two symbolic objects have traditionally been placed atop Christmas trees since the trees came to prominence outside Germany in the 19th century?
Answer:
2 points
Question 8
Scientific theories concerning to the origins of the so-called ‘Star of Bethlehem’ have been aired since at least the 13th century, with ideas including a comet, supernova, and that the star is simply mythology rather than scientific reality. One theory is that the story of a bright star was drawn from several planetary conjunctions that occurred in 7BC, 6BC, and 3BC in which Jupiter moved close to which three other planets?
Answer:
3 points
Question 9
In the song Frosty the Snowman, written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson and first released by Gene Autry, what five items are described as either decorating or being held by Frosty?
Answer:
5 points
Question 10
Make the longest word possible from the following letters: ACEGHINRS
Answer:
Up to 9 points
(*length of word equates to points awarded)
Round 1 points
(Maximum: 25)
Round 2
Question 1
Freestyle, Zig, Ventilator, and Pump are all lines of shoes released by what sportswear company?
Answer:
1 point
Question 2
What nickname is shared by both the British royal family and the group of gangsters operating in London the 1950s and 1960s of which twin brothers Ronnie and Reggie Kray were the most famous members?
Answer:
1 point
Question 3
What word completes this quote by Lady Smart amongst the final lines of Jonathan Swift’s 1738 work A Treatise on Polite Conversation: “Well, Miss, you’ll have a sad husband, you have such good luck at ___.”
Answer:
1 point
Question 4
Which 2025 hit musical animation feature film, which also led to a highly successful soundtrack album, follows Korean girl group Huntrix as they combine their pop careers with fighting demons, including demonic boy band Saja Boys?
Answer:
1 point
Question 5
Jade, Cloe, Yasmin, and Sasha were the original four dolls in which toy line from the early 2000s, designed by a former Barbie clothing designer who sold the idea to Barbie creator Mattel’s competitor MGA Entertainment?
Answer:
1 point
Question 6
Guinness World Records are currently assessing whether Laura Crane from Devon in England broke a world record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman when she took part in a Big Wave Challenge on December13 in which European country?
Answer:
1 point
Question 7
Which two former champions of the English Premier League, which replaced the old First Division in 1992, currently play outside England’s top flight?
Answer:
2 points
Question 8
What four chemical elements are the most abundant in the ocean, being the only ones with an abundance above 1 per cent?
Answer:
4 point
Question 9
Although the game now includes a spiral slide and more intricate core section, what were the four different types of equipment piece that came in the original 1967 version of the game KerPlunk?
Answer:
4 points
Question 10
China is believed to execute more prisoners than the rest of the world combined. What seven actions against the state or state security, listed in Articles 102 to 112 of the Criminal Law of the People’s Republic of China, can result in the death penalty?
Answer:
7 points
Round 2 points
(Maximum: 23)
Total points
(Maximum: 48)
Round 3
Question 1
Due to be scrapped in March 2026, what is the current maximum spend that can be made in the UK via a single contactless card payment?
Answer:
1 point
Question 2
The virus H5N1 is commonly known as Bird Flu, while H1N1 is known as Swine Flu. Although it would later prove common in the canine populations of the US, with what type of animal is the virus H3N8 associated?
Answer:
1 point
Question 3
What plant genus includes cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts?
Answer:
1 point
Question 4
In cinematography, what is the job title of the person who moves a wheeled trolley - either horizontally, or elevating its ‘boom’ vertically - on which a camera operator sits?
Answer:
1 point
Question 5
Which UK retailer, whose outlets are widely seen at airports and train stations, is trying to retrieve bonuses from two former directors after it paid them ₤7m in performance-related cash and stock options, only to find a ₤600m accounting error in its North America operations, where the company runs brands including InMotion, Marshall Rousso, Flight Stop, and Root & Branch, as well as geographically specific shops such as Welcome to Las Vegas gift shop?
Answer:
1 point
Question 6
What type of ornamental typeface, generally used for section divides due to its pictorial nature, shares its name with a board game in which players must solve rebus puzzles in which pictures and letters give clues towards a well-known phrase?
Answer:
1 point
Question 7
By what numbers, both between 1 and 9, does China refer to the batteries known in most other countries as AA and AAA respectively?
Answer:
2 points
Question 8
Based on the presence of pheomelanin, eumelanin, or a mixture of the two, what are considered the three base colours of horses’ coats?
Answer:
3 points
Question 9
In singing, what are considered the four male voice types?
Answer:
4 points
Question 10
When written in the Roman alphabet, what five letters of the Greek alphabet end in the letter i?
Answer:
5 points
Round 3 points
(Maximum: 20)
Total points
(Maximum: 68)
Round 4
Question 1
What name is given to the type of financial institution that offers many of the same customer services as a bank but is structurally designed to be non-profit, owned not by shareholders but by members who must meet specific criteria - such as living within a certain geographic area or working for a particular organisation - and generally guides its investments on ethical or community needs rather than profit?
Answer:
1 point
Question 2
Opened in 2014, the aptly named 2800 Polar Way in Richland, in the US state of Washington, is the world’s largest example of what sort of building?
Answer:
1 point
Question 3
An analogy of hanging something soft between two stronger items, by what term is the television scheduling practice of placing a potentially little-watched show in between two hit shows, with the hope being that the audience doesn’t turn off the television as it awaits the next show it wants?
Answer:
1 point
Question 4
Situated in Asia, which capital city has the largest average temperature fluctuation in the world, with temperatures averaging -21°C in January and 19°C in July?
Answer:
1 point
Question 5
In botany, a pepo is a special name for a fruit or berry of plants in what family, with the fruit having a harder inseparable external rind and no segments within its internal flesh?
Answer:
1 point
Question 6
In 2017, the Smithsonian museum acquired the earliest known photograph of a US President, albeit one taken in 1843, 14 years after he finished his time in office. Who was the President?
Answer:
1 point
Question 7
What word follows distal, intermediate, or proximal in the names of the three most exterior bones within a finger of the human hand - those being the three bones beyond the joint in the centre of the finger? And what word refers to the two types of bone between that joint and the wrist, with the first having the prefix ‘meta’ and the second being the eight small bones that form the base of the palm?
Answer:
2 points
Question 8
As of its latest awarding on December 18, which three professional golfers from the UK have won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, with one in 1957 another in 1989, and the third in 2025?
Answer:
3 points
Question 9
Including the Adriatic, what four rivers have the highest discharge into the Mediterranean Sea?
Answer:
4 points
Question 10
For Christmas 2025, famous London toy store Hamley’s has compiled a ‘Festive 15’ list of its top toys for the year. As well as its own lines in soft and wooden toys, plus a Hamley’s remote control car, what 11 toy or model companies are behind the toys on the list? The toys in question are a soft toy Peppa Pig character’; a ‘smart’ football; a Star Wars lightsaber; a L.O.L. Surprise magic flyer; a Marvel Universe-tie in building set; a Sky Trails building set; a Toy Story tie-in robot; a character model of a character from the One Piece manga series; furry bouncy balls; dolls inspired by the Roblox computer game; and a VR headset that lets people send commands to its wearer.
Answer:
11 points
Round 4 points
(Maximum: 26)
Total points
(Maximum: 94)
Round 5
In Round 5, there is only one answer. The less clues you need to get it, the more points you receive. If you need only one clue, you receive 10 points; if you require two clues, you will receive 9 points, and so on.
However, you may only answer once. If you answer incorrectly, you receive zero points for the round.
The following is the cast of what Christmas-themed film?
Clue 1 (10 points)
Robin Weaver as Clara
Clue 2 (9 points)
David Rudman as Old Joe
Clue 3 (8 points)
David Rudman as Rat
Clue 4 (7 points)
David Rudman as Peter Cratchit
Clue 5 (6 points)
Jessica Fox as The Ghost of Christmas Past
Clue 6 (5 points)
Jerry Nelson as Tiny Tim Cratchit
Clue 7 (4 points)
Steve Whitmire as Beaker
Clue 8 (3 points)
Michael Caine as Scrooge
Clue 9 (2 points)
Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo
Clue 10 (1 point)
Frank Oz as Miss Piggy
Answer:
Round 5 points
(Maximum: 10)
Total points
(Maximum: 104)
That is it. The quiz is complete.
For housekeeping purposes, the share and subscribe buttons, plus a PDF version of the questions, are here:
With that, there is only one more thing to add: please do have a merry Christmas, and the quiz shall return soon.