Fifteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia plus a few jokes every Thursday – how will you fare? Martin Belam Thu 9 Dec 2021 11.00 GMT 373 Where would we be without the Thursday quiz? On one of the other days of the week I guess. All your favourites are here as you face 15 topical or general knowledge questions. Can you spot the hidden Doctor Who reference? Can you avoid the lure of answering Kate Bush to the music question? And will Ron from Sparks end up disappointed with you – yet again? It is not entirely serious, but let us know how you got on in the comments. The Thursday quiz, No 33 1.LITERATURE: Julia Donaldson has revealed that publishers had a problem with her initial opening couplet for the book Superworm. How had she wanted to open the book for children? Superworm he likes to funk, Superworm is full of spunk Superworm wants you to know, if you touch him he can grow Superworm is long and pink, Superworm can grow and shrink Superworm he likes to tease, with his European Super League™ Reveal 2.LITERATURE AGAIN BUT NOW EVER WEIRDER: Which book has won the public vote for the Diagram prize for "oddest book title of the year" in 2021? How to Avoid Huge Ships Curves for the Mathematically Curious The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories Is Superman Circumcised? Reveal 3.OOOOOOOF: The other week a homeowner in Maryland tried to fight something with coal, only to burn their own house down, causing more than $1m in damage. What were they trying to fight? Racoons Wasp"s nests A snake infestation 30-50 feral hogs Reveal 4.SPORT(-ISH): Magnus Carlsen has been embroiled in an epic battle for the World Chess Championship in Dubai, which has been racking up the page views on our live blogs. But who or what is he playing? Alireza Firouzja Ian Nepomniachtchi Liren Ding A chess-playing super-computer called Wotan Reveal 5.MUSICAL CHESS: Who had a worldwide hit in the 1980s with One Night in Bangkok, written by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and taken from the musical Chess? David Essex Michael Crawford Murray Head Kate Bush Reveal 6.LIGHTEN UP, MORRISSEY: That"s a 2008 Sparks song where a man is complaining his girlfriend always compares him unfavourably to the Smiths singer. But that"s not important right now. When did Morrissey first do a gig wearing a "Fuck the Guardian" t-shirt? 1983 2013 2017 2019 Reveal 7.GCSE SCIENCE CORNER: Talking of bitter old things, in 1774 Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele is credited with the isolation of which element, to which he gave the catchy name "dephlogisticated muriatic acid air" Chlorine Bromine Fluorine Nitrogen Reveal 8.ENSEMBLE CASTS: Which of these shows, which can be loosely grouped as "Scandi noir" – featured a regular cast including Søren Malling, Lars Mikkelsen and Sofie Gråbøl? Midnight Sun (Midnattsol) The Killing (Forbrydelsen) Borgen (Borgen) The Bridge (Broen) Reveal 9.FLAGS OF JOY: This is the flag of a French overseas territory. Which one? Saint Barthélemy New Caledonia French Southern and Antarctic Lands French Polynesia Reveal 10.EVERY TRAIN GOES EAST FROM HERE: What is the westernmost passenger train station in Wales? Pembroke Dock Fishguard and Goodwick Milford Haven Holyhead Reveal 11.FREE WELSH STUFF: Over the next year or so every household in Wales is to be offered something free as part of a Welsh government plan to fight against the climate emergency. What? Heat pump system Tree Composter Olly Murs face mask Reveal 12.ON THIS DAY: On 9 December 2017 the Marriage Amendment Bill received royal assent and came into effect, making Australia the 26th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. Which was the first country to do so, in 2001? Netherlands Norway Spain Belgium Reveal 13.NEW GREEN REAL DEAL: It is the birthday of Green Party MP Caroline Lucas today. Happy birthday, Caroline! But the question is, how many times has she been elected MP for Brighton Pavilion? Two Three Four Five Reveal 14.HAPPY BIRTHDAY: It is Judi Dench"s birthday today too. Happy birthday Judi! But what was the first James Bond film in which she played M? GoldenEye The World Is Not Enough Casino Royale Die Another Day Reveal 15.WHAMAGEDDON: That"s the game where people try to go from 1 December to 24 December without hearing Last Christmas by Wham!, one of the greatest Christmas singles of all time. But which year did it first become a No 1 hit in the UK singles chart? 1984 1992 2007 2021