Northern Quota’s quiz of 2018: How well can you remember the past year?
- 12 questions to test your knowledge of 2018's news
- Answers are revealed after each question's picture so don't scroll too far
2018 has been full of action with a World Cup and Winter Olympics, plenty of controversy surrounding Donald Trump and the neverending squabbles over Brexit, but how well can you remember the events of the past year? Each question involves a news event for each month, so get ready and give yourself marks out of 12!
1) Which newspaper was banned on Virgin Trains West Coast, which services Manchester, following concern about its position on issues such as immigration, LGBT rights and unemployment?
A. The Daily Mail. You can still bring one on with you if you buy it elsewhere, but the train company no longer sells it on board.
2) With weather becoming dramatically cold and snow and wind disrupting much of the country, what did the Met office do for the first time in its history?
A. It issued a red warning for weather. This means the weather will be dangerous, possibly to life, and people living in the affected area need to take direct precautions.
3) In a statement in March, what did Plaid Cymru announce they would deliver by 2030 if elected?
A. An independence referendum in Wales. There is not as high a sense of nationality there as there is in Scotland, but with Brexit dividing communities, it’s not entirely impossible that Wales could vote to leave the union.
4) London overtook New York in an unenviable statistic in April, what was it?
A. A higher murder rate. Despite the fact that guns are legal in New York and not in London, the British capital does have an increasing problem with knife violence.
5) ‘Trees of hope’ were placed across Manchester City Centre for a week in May between Victoria Station and St Ann’s Square, but what were they for?
A. They were tributes to the victims of the Arena bombing, which took place one year previously on 22 May 2017. Victoria station is next to the Manchester Arena and St Ann’s Square was where the memorial service was held a few days later (the one the crowd sang Don’t Look Back in Anger at).
6) The FIFA world cup began in June and both Manchester sides were the in the top 10 for players represented at the competition, but which team had more players at the tournament?
A. City had more; 16 to United’s 11. Players in the squads for England, Belgium, Sweden, Germany, Serbia, Brazil, Argentina, France, Spain and Portugal played their club football in Manchester.
7) In July, temperatures in Manchester surpassed 30 degrees celsius for second time this year, but how many days has Manchester seen above 30 degree weather in the past decade?
A. 3. In 2016, 2015 and 2013, the weather surpassed 30 degrees on one day each summer.
8) When KSI took on Logan Paul in a boxing match at the Manchester Arena in August, it drew an audience of 20m viewers, which broke live viewing records for which media outlet?
A. YouTube. Both parties in the match are popular YouTubers and it went down as the biggest event in the Google-owned site’s history.
9) The Office for National Statistics reported in September that improvements to what important statistic had stalled in the UK for the first time since records began?
A. Life expectancy. It remains at 72.9 years for males and 82.9 years for females. The ONS cannot offer any conclusive reason as to why this is happening.
10) Controversial academic Jordan Peterson visited Manchester in October, but which of these statements is not one of his 12 rules for life? A. Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them. B. Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street. C. Make sure your house is tidy before you leave.
A. C. He says to keep your house in order before you criticise others, but that’s an analogy, he doesn’t literally mean tidy the house. His advice for parenting is a little glib, and he has clearly not looked after a teenager, and his advice on cats shows his unwavering apathy towards rabies.
11) Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has not been far from the headlines, especially given United’s unusually mediocre start to the 18-19 season, but upon what item on the touchline did he take out his passions following a late winner against Young Boys in the Champions League in November?
A. Mourinho hurled a carrier of water bottles at the ground, sending Twitter into overdrive. His passion could be forgiven, that winner saw his side qualify for the competition’s Last 16 – given their current league form, winning the thing may be their best chance of qualifying next season.
12) As shopping centres descended into the hell of the Christmas playlist, which popular festive tune was reportedly pulled from a number of radio playlists because of the MeToo movement?
A. Baby It’s Cold Outside – the song, which has been recorded by numerous artists and featured in the film Elf, takes place as a duet between a man and a woman, the former convincing the latter to stay as it’s ‘cold outside’. The most suspicious line in the song is when the woman sings, ‘say, what’s in this drink?’ leading many to make the connection to spiking.
So that’s it for this year, have a good end to the year, full of merry celebrations, or not depending on how you spend your NYE. Thanks from everyone at NQ, see you in 2019!