Reaction’s Christmas Quiz
Welcome to our annual Christmas Quiz, compiled by Adam Boulton in collaboration with Dr Tom Roberts. Take the quiz to test your recollection of the highs and lows of the last twelve months.
There are 20 Questions and a total of 33 points up for grabs. Answers are at the bottom. Good luck, and no Googling…
GERONTOCRACY
1.) Biden or Trump? Fit each flub this year to the right front runner.
a. “I have many friends in their 80s … Age is interesting because some people are very sharp and some people do lose it”.
b. To Congressional leaders: “Lots of luck in your senior year!”
c. “We have plans to build a railroad from the Pacific all the way across the Indian Ocean.”
d. “You know, Hezbollah is very smart. They’re all very smart”
e. “[my opponent] is cognitively impaired, in no condition to lead”
f. “God save the Queen, man”.
g. “We would be in World War Two pretty quickly if we’re going to be relying on this man.”
h. “Victor Orban. He’s probably, like, one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world. He’s the leader of Turkey.”
i. “Ground Zero in New York — I remember standing there the next day and looking at the building.” Records show he was not in New York City.”
j. “You don’t have to vote — don’t worry about voting. We’ve got plenty of votes.”.
THE CROWN
2.) How many tins of black Kiwi shoe polish were required to “bull the boots” of all the ceremonial personnel on the day of the Coronation?
a. 140
b. 700
c. 1,400
d. 7,000
e. 14,000
3.) As guests arrived at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation, who did the veteran presenters of Australia’s Channel Nine’s live coverage describe as “Hard to identify. Maybe minor royals … they could well be local dignitaries”
a. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie
b. Carole and Michael Middleton
c. Queen Camilla’s children Tom Parker Bowles and Laura Lopes
d. UK Prime Minister Liz Truss and husband Hugh O’Leary
e. Ant and Dec
4.) Which of the weapons employed for the ceremony was held point up by Penny Mordaunt, generating the “Pippa’s bottom” excitement of the Coronation?
a. St Edward’s Staff
b. The Sword of State
c. The Sword of Mercy, a.k.a.
d. The Sword of Spiritual Justice
e. The Sword of Temporal Justice
5.) What name has Omid Scobie, author of the contentious “Endgame” and sometimes described as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s “attack dog”, given to his own oft- photographed pet, a French Bulldog?
a. Yoshi
b. Yoko
c. The Duke of York.
d. Churchill
e. Spare
6.) Where did the makers of The Crown film the Coronation of King Tony Blair as dreamt in a nightmare by the Queen in Season 6?
a. Westminster Abbey
b. York Minster
c. Winchester Cathedral
d. St Pauls Cathedral
e. Our Lady of Chartres Cathedral
SWIFTNESS
7.) Taylor Swift was chosen as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 2023, what is the name of the blue-eyed, long-haired cat she draped around her neck for the cover photo?
a. Rag Doll
b. Benjamin Button
c. Bad Boy
d. Griseldo
e. Choupette
8.) Taylor Swift became the first female artist to break a record only previous held by Herb Alpert and Prince, posthumously. To do it which of her albums were – simultaneously – in the Billboard Top Ten?
a. Speak Now (Taylor’s version)
b. Midnights
c. Lover
d. Folklore
e. 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
9.) In her updated version of her 2010 single “Better than Revenge” , Swift replaces the line “She was better known for the things that she does on the mattress” with:
a. “ I don’t care now, she sure needed the practice”
b. “She was better known for playing at being an actress”
c. “He was a moth to the flame, she was holding the matches”
d. “Stamped across her bedroom door were the words easy access”
e. “After being with her, why didn’t he check for scratches?”
10.) As Swift’s Era’s Tour boosted the US economy an estimated $5.7 billion boost, political leaders in which of these countries publicly begged her to include them on her itinerary?
a. Chile
b. Thailand
c. Hungary
d. Iceland
e. Canada
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
11.) Cher has just released her first ever Christmas album. On it she duets with all of the following except for?
a. Mariah Carey
b. Michael Buble
c. Cyndi Lauper
d. Darlene Love
e. Stevie Wonder
12.) Only two movies grossed over US$1 billion word wide in 2023. They were:
a. Spiderman – Across the Spiderverse
b. Barbie
c. Oppenheimer
d. Super Mario Bros
e. Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
13.) In Succession to which precisely of his family members did an exasperated Logan Roy say “Jesus, you are such ****ing dopes, I love you but you are not serious people”.
a. Shiv, Kendall, Roman, Connor, Greg, and Tom
b. Shiv, Kendall, Roman, Connor, and Greg.
c. Shiv, Kendall, Roman, and Connor.
d. Shiv, Kendall and Roman.
e. Kendall and Roman.
14.) Ridley Scott, the director of Napoleon takes a dim view of “**** ing historians” – “They weren’t there”. Nonetheless, according to leading historians, what does Scott get right in his film?
a. Napoleon met Wellington after Waterloo, when he was on his way to exile in St Helena on board HMS Bellephon.
b. Napoleon witnessed the guillotining of Marie-Antoinette.
c. The Battle of Austerlitz was fought over a frozen lake.
d. French Artillery bombarded the pyramids in Egypt.
e. Napoleon’s last word was “Joséphine”.
15.) The Rolling Stones released Hackney Diamonds, their first album of original material for fifteen years. A host of stars assisted in the recordings including which of these:
a. Elton John
b. Lady Gaga
c. Paul McCartney
d. Ringo Starr
e. Stevie Wonder
****ING POLITICS
16.) Broadcasters had to apologize frequently when reporting expletive laden exchanges by politicians and officials. Fit the outburst to the person
a. **** you Daily Mail! i) Matt Hancock
b. You’ve done a ****ing good job ii) Dominic Cummings
c. Cabinet Office – terrifyingly **** iii) James Cleverly
d. OMFG iv) Boris Johnson
e. A **** MP v) Gillian Keegan
17.) As the boss class railed against WFH and many took a step back themselves, who vowed “you can expect to see me in the office late on a Friday afternoon”
a. Logan Roy
b. Sir Jacob Rees Mogg
c. Sir James Dyson
d. Jeremy Clarkson
e. Rupert Murdoch
18.) Party leaders like making pledges. Fix the pledge to the party.
a. Take back our streets. i) Conservatives
b. Cancer treatment within 2 months of referral ii) Labour
c. Council Tax Freeze in 2024 iii) Reform
d. To stand against every Tory at next election iv) SNP
e. Grow the Economy v) Liberal Democrats
19.) Five Westminster seats changed hands in by-elections this year. Which one had the largest swing against the incumbent party by the victor?
a. Selby
b. Somerton & Frome
c. Rutherglen & Hamilton West
d. Mid Bedfordshire
e. Tamworth
20.) 84 sitting MPs have declared the intention of not standing at the next election, according to the House of Commons Library on 13th December 2023. How many of them are Conservatives?
a. 32
b. 42
c. 52
d. 55
e. 62
Tie breaker or substitute question
Q.) As a boy, Sir Keir Starmer was somewhat of a musical prodigy and had a scholarship at the Guildhall. What were his principle instruments?
a) Piano
b) Flute
c) Violin
d) Recorder
e) Guitar
ANSWERS
GERONOCRACY
Biden: b, c, f, i. Trump: a, d, e, g, h, j. (Score a point for each correct answer)
THE CROWN
2. e.
3. d. ‘I’m just told that was Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister’ anchorman Peter Overton went on explain to his equally perplexed co-presenter Tracy Grimshaw
4. b.
5. a. Named after the Super Mario character by Scobie who has a passion for Nintendo video games and K-Pop, and ran the entertainment website IdolWow! before his lucrative career shift to reporting on royalty
6. c. Winchester College also stood in for Eton in the series.
SWIFTNESS
7. b.
8. a, b, c, d, She broke the record in July, 1989 (Taylor’s version) was released later in the year. (1 point for all correct)
9. c.
10. All of them. Only Canada’s Justin Trudeau has received a definite yes so far. (1 point)
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
11. a.
12. b & d.
13. c.
14. e
15. a, b, c, e. (not Ringo). (1 point for all correct)
***ING POLITICS
16. a. iv, b. v, c. ii, d. i, e. iii. (Five Points in total)
17. e.
18. a. ii, b. v, c. iv, d. iii, e. i.
19. b. Liberal Democrat from Conservatives 29% swing.
20. c. (3 others elected as Conservatives now sit as independents).
TIE BREAKER
A. a, b, c. (One point for all correct)