Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia plus a few jokes every Thursday – how will you fare? Martin Belam Thu 18 Nov 2021 11.00 GMT 511 Alas and alack, the Thursday quiz is back. Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, laced with a few jokes and regular appearances from Kate Bush, Ron from Sparks, the anagrams that everybody loves so much, and a hidden Doctor Who reference to spot. It is just for fun, there really are no prizes – but let us know how you get on in the comments The Thursday quiz, No 30 1.RETIREMENT PLAN: Japanese former princess Mako Komuro has arrived in the US with her husband, Kei Komuro, after leaving the royal family and relinquishing her royal title. Where in the US have they moved to? Miami Washington DC Los Angeles New York Reveal 2.POSH NOSH: The five-star Claridge’s hotel in Mayfair has lost its chef Daniel Humm after it rejected his vision for what? Banning MPs from dining An all-vegan menu Nudist theme nights A European Super League™ Reveal 3.MUSIC: British retailer John Lewis has faced accusations that their new Christmas ad features a "borrowed" maudlin piano-and-misery driven arrangement of hitherto joyous eighties hit Together In Electric Dreams. But who sang on the original version, a side project with legendary producer Giorgio Moroder? Midge Ure from Ultravox Phil Oakey from Human League Tom Bailey from Thompson Twins Kate Bush from Kate Bush Reveal 4.LYRIC ROUND: In the song Alphabet Street, Prince claims he"s going to pick up the first girl he sees, put her in the back seat, and drive her in his daddy"s car to … where? Salt Lake City Tennessee New Orleans Milton Keynes Reveal 5.POETRY CORNER: Talking of lyrics, Frankie Goes To Hollywood famously misquoted the opening to the poem Kubla Khan, with Holly Johnson gleefully intoning "In Xanadu did Kubla Khan, a stately pleasure-dome erect" when the original has "decree" rather than an erection. But who wrote the original poem? William Wordsworth Lord Byron Percy Bysshe Shelley Samuel Taylor Coleridge Reveal 6.WHAT GOES DOWN MUST COME UP (EVENTUALLY): Wrexham are the oldest football club in Wales, and have become probably the richest club in non-league football after they were purchased by Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds and American actor Rob McElhenney in February 2021. Which character does Reynolds play in the Marvel movies? Deadpool Winter Soldier Hawkeye Vinder Reveal 7.MORE WELSH SPORT: At the weekend, the men"s Welsh football team secured a play-off place to try to qualify for the 2022 Fifa World Cup. When was the last time that Wales appeared in a men"s Fifa World Cup finals tournament? 1938 1958 1978 1998 Reveal 8.BIBLICAL PLAGUES: More than 500 people have been reportedly hospitalised by what in southern Egypt, after storms forced the creatures out of their hiding places? It wasn"t these cute camels by the way. Wasp stings Bat bites Spider bites Scorpion stings Reveal 9.GCSE SCIENCE CORNER: Plants are widely renowned for their use of photosynthesis, which produces oxygen among other things. Apart from sunlight, which of these sets of two things do plants also mainly use in the process? Nitrogen and water Carbon dioxide and water Carbon dioxide and nitrogen Carbon dioxide and argon Reveal 10.GEOGRAPHY: Which of these North American river and city pairings is incorrect? The Missouri river flows through Kansas City, Kansas The Rio Grande river flows through Albuquerque, New Mexico The Mississippi river flows through Memphis, Tennessee The Yukon river flows through Anchorage, Alaska Reveal 11.FLAGS OF JOY: While we are in North America, which US state flag is this? Would you like the anagrams now? You surely would. Muscat stashes Ham icing Omen stain Sis is imp psi Reveal 12.FLAGS OF CHANGE: It has emerged that Emmanuel Macron’s office has done what to the French flags flying at the entrance of the Élysée Palace since July last year and nobody particularly noticed? Tripled the number of them Changed their aspect ratio from 2:3 to 3:5 Changed the blue to a darker shade of blue Embiggened them all over in a perfectly cromulent way Reveal 13.BEAT THE CLOCK: That is a 1979 song by Sparks where they"ve seen everything there is. But that"s not important right now. A train driver in Japan is suing his employer after it docked their wages over a one-minute delay they claim was not their fault. How much pay were they docked? ¥43 (0.28 GBP / 0.38 USD) ¥430 (2.82 GBP / 3.78 USD) ¥4,300 (28.16 GBP / 37.75 USD) ¥43,000 (281.52 GBP / 377.51 USD) Reveal 14.ENSEMBLE CAST: Which British sitcom that featured ONE of the Two Ronnies also featured Barbara Lott, William Moore and Marguerite Hardiman as actors in the regular cast? Sorry! Porridge Open All Hours When The Dog Dies Reveal 15.ON THIS DAY: Some sources claim that 18 November 1626 marks the exact completion date of the Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican. It replaced the earlier Old St Peter"s Basilica ordered to be built by which Roman emperor? Theodosius I Basiliscus Constantine the Great Justinian I