Quiz of The Week: 12 - 17 April

Find out how closely you've been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

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1. Brice Oligui Nguema was elected president of which central African country?

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• Equatorial Guinea
• Gabon
• Central African Republic
• Malawi

2. What was the name of the Blue Origin rocket that launched an all-female crew into space?

• Astro One
• New Shepard
• Pink Voyager
• Sally Ride

3. According to a new report, what percentage of Britons attend church at least once a month?

• 3%
• 7%
• 12%
• 19%

4. Which US university announced it would not comply with the Trump administration's crackdown on DEI?

• Yale
• Stanford
• Harvard
• Columbia

5. Sales of which drink have reportedly fallen to their lowest level since 1961?

• Wine
• Coca-Cola
• Vodka
• Root beer

6. Two men were arrested in Kenya for attempting to smuggle out which exotic pet?

• Flamingos
• Monkeys
• Ants
• Hyenas

7. Which country's army is operating tourist excursions into captured territory?

• Israel
• Turkey
• Russia
• North Korea

8. What was the magnitude of the earthquake that jolted Southern California?

• 5.2
• 6.1
• 7.4
• 8.0

9. British tennis player Harriet Dart made what unusual request of French rival Lois Boisson at the Rouen Open?

• Wear a longer skirt
• Apply sunscreen
• Put on deodorant
• Change her squeaky shoes

10. Scientists have captured the first rare footage of which deep-sea creature?

• Ethereal snailfish
• Anglerfish
• Colossal squid
• Sloane's viperfish

1. Gabon

Nguema, a former military officer, overthrew his cousin, Ali Bongo, in a 2023 coup that ended 55 years of corrupt dynastic rule. In Saturday's election, he received just over 90% of the vote – an eyebrow-raising landslide, but seemingly an earned one: international observers reported that polling went smoothly.

2. New Shepard

The Blue Origin spacecraft launched from West Texas on an 11-minute journey into lower orbit, carrying Lauren Sánchez, Kerianne Flynn, Amanda Nguyen, Katy Perry, Gayle King and Aisha Bowe. It was the US' first all-women space crew.

3. 12%

The figure represents a 50% rise since a similar survey was carried out in 2018, challenging the perception that church-going is in irreversible decline. The increase was largely due to a surge in Gen Z worshippers, particularly among men and ethnic minorities, with Catholic and Pentecostal congregations gaining the most new members.

4. Harvard

Harvard rejected the Trump administration's demands for oversight and internal policy changes, calling the effort an unlawful and unconstitutional overreach. In response, the government swiftly froze $2.3 billion in federal grants and contracts to the university.

5. Wine

The International Organisation of Vine and Wine, the industry's leading trade body, said that "short-term economic and geopolitical disruptions" had driven up costs for both producers and consumers. They also pointed to the effect of "long-term factors" like increased health consciousness and a diminishing wine-drinking culture, particularly among younger people.

6. Ants

Two Belgian men were charged with wildlife piracy for allegedly attempting to smuggle 5,000 giant African harvester ants out of Kenya in modified test tubes. The ants, valued at around $7,700, were headed for exotic buyers in Europe and Asia.

7. Israel

During the week of the Passover festival, the Israel Defense Forces is leading daily bus trips into the contested Golan Heights, internationally recognised as Syrian territory. Stop-offs include sites inside the UN-mandated buffer zone along the Syrian border, which was itself invaded and occupied by Israeli troops following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

8. 5.2

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the town of Julian, in San Diego county, with tremors felt across Southern California. The quake provided an opportunity to test the state's early-warning system, which successfully alerted residents moments before the shaking began.

9. Put on deodorant

As she passed the umpire's chair, Dart claimed Boisson "smells really bad" and asked the official to tell her to put on deodorant, during what The Telegraph described as "an ill-tempered 6-0, 6-3 humbling for Dart". The umpire ignored the request. Dart apologised on Instagram later for the "heat-of-the-moment comment", picked up on courtside mics.

10. Colossal squid

The Schmidt Ocean Institute captured the first-ever footage of a colossal squid using a high-tech robot. The juvenile squid measured just a foot long, but adults can reach up to 23 feet and weigh more than 1,100 pounds.