Quiz of the Year: 52 weeks 52 questions, part four

End of year quiz

'Tis the season to cast an eye back over the events of 2012. But how much do you remember? Test yourself with the Magazine's four-part compilation of the year's quizzes. Part four covers October to December.

1.) Multiple Choice Question

Which resident of Sesame Street did Republican Mitt Romney express his fondness for during a US presidential debate?

1. Elmo
   
2. Big Bird
   
3. Ernie
   

2.) Missing Word Question

* trapped in crisp packet

1. Hedgehog
   
2. Finger
   
3. Kitten
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

The Foreign Office spent �10,000 restuffing an antique anaconda nicknamed Albert. But who gave Britain the 20ft snake as a gift?

1. A Guyanese bishop
   
2. Theodore Roosevelt
   
3. A Peruvian ambassador
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

Pippa Middleton launched a book of party advice. Which is NOT a genuine Pippa tip?

1. Make ice by filling trays with water
   
2. Clear clutter from the space you're entertaining in
   
3. In a sack race, the first person to cross the finish line is declared the winner
   
4. All are in her book
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

James Bond's 50th anniversary was marked in October. Which of the following is true about current Bond Daniel Craig?

1. He's the highest-earning Bond
   
2. He has killed the fewest people to date
   
3. He's the only Bond to do his own stunts
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

Branston was sold to a Japanese company in November. Which one of these is a Japanese pickle?

1. Kimchi
   
2. Umeboshi
   
3. Chow-chow
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

Pope Benedict XVI's new Twitter account is @pontifex, which means pontiff or...?

1. "father of hearts"
   
2. "builder of bridges"
   
3. "sender of messages"
   

8.) Multiple Choice Question

Kate Moss revealed that the late artist Lucian Freud gave her a tattoo - what does it show?

1. Hearts and anchors
   
2. A naked Moss
   
3. Birds
   

9.) Multiple Choice Question

The last of its kind to be produced in the UK was donated to the Science Museum in November. What was it?

1. A typewriter
   
2. Fax machine
   
3. A rotary dial telephone
   

10.) Multiple Choice Question

Thermal pictures of one of Saturn's moons show an image that resembles one of the following characters - which?

1. Elmo
   
2. Pac-Man
   
3. An Angry Bird
   

Info

According to this Nasa picture, the moon Tethys strongly resembles the 1980s arcade game. A similar feature was spotted in 2010 on Mimas, another Saturnian moon.

11.) Multiple Choice Question

Superman's alter ego, Clark Kent, quit his job as a journalist, DC Comics said in October. Why?

1. Hates doorstepping people
   
2. Tired of showbiz stories
   
3. Appalled by phone hacking
   

12.) Multiple Choice Question

Which of the following topped a chart of the biggest-selling UK singles of the last 60 years?

1. Sir Elton John's Candle in the Wind tribute to Diana
   
2. Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood
   
3. She Loves You by The Beatles
   

Info

Frankie Goes To Hollywood's Relax, at No 7, sold 2m copies. She Loves You by The Beatles has sold 1.9m.

Answers

1. It's Big Bird. Romney said he would end federal subsidies to the Public Broadcasting Service, which broadcasts the show. But he added: "I like PBS. I like Big Bird."
2. It's hedgehog. The animal got stuck after it crawled into an empty bag in Weston-super-Mare - its rescue took three-and-a-half hours and involved six people. The hedgehog has now been named Crispian.
3. It was given by a Guyanese bishop. A Foreign Office spokesman justified the expense thus: "As a gift to the FCO, Albert is therefore regarded as an FCO asset. As such, the FCO is obliged to maintain its assets, and the work on Albert was essential maintenance."
4. All three are from her book Celebrate, which was widely parodied for the obviousness of her advice.
5. Craig is the highest-earning Bond. He has signed a �31m ($50.5m) deal for the next two 007 movies.
6. It's umeboshi, or pickled plums. Kimchi is a vegetable pickle from South Korea and chow-chow is a vegetable pickle popular in Nova Scotia and the southern United States.
7. The first tweet from @pontifex, meaning builder of bridges, was: "Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart."
8. It's two birds - apparently Freud told her that as a young man in the navy, he used to do tattoos for his fellow sailors.
9. It's a typewriter. The last one to be made in a factory in Britain rolled off a production line in Wrexham in November - 183 years after a machine was patented as the first typewriter.
10. It's Pac-Man.
11. He's tired of showbiz stories. DC says the Man of Steel feels hard news has given way to "soft" entertainment articles and he could reinvent himself as a blogger.
12. It's the Candle in the Wind tribute, which sold 4.9m copies, according to the Official Charts Company.

Your Score

0 - 5 : One-hit wonder

6 - 10 : Highest climber

11 - 12 : Chart topper