Test Your Knowledge with This Fun Quiz!

Good morning and happy celebrations to you! After enjoying a festive meal, there usually comes a moment when family members start to drift off into nap mode. That’s your perfect time to whip out this engaging quiz. Read the questions aloud in your best “BBC continuity announcer” accent and watch the lively discussions unfold! Topics cover everything from Antarctic ice loss to celebrity spats. While there are no prizes, consider this your First Edition quiz of the year. Apologies in advance, and you’re welcome! Now, let’s dive into the headlines!

Quiz Time: Get Ready!

1) Which Chinese AI app skyrocketed to become the most downloaded free app in the US in January, causing a stir in tech stocks?
a) DeepSeek
b) DeepMind
c) DeepThought
d) DeepHeat

2) Who has graced the main image of the First Edition most frequently in 2025?
a) Volodymyr Zelenskyy
b) Donald Trump
c) Keir Starmer
d) Mr. Blobby

3) In May, Friedrich Merz became Germany’s chancellor. To which party does he belong?
a) Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU)
b) Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD)
c) Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP)
d) Bei der Leoparden Gesichter fressen Partei (BLGP)

4) Nigel Farage has had his share of fallouts. Who is the Great Yarmouth MP who left the Reform leader’s party in March?
a) Jonathan Gullis
b) Rupert Lowe
c) Ben Habib
d) Paddington Bear

5) In March, which messaging app did Donald Trump’s team mistakenly use to discuss strikes on Yemen, accidentally including a journalist?
a) Whisper
b) Telegram
c) Signal
d) Threema

6) Who was elected as Pope Leo XIV earlier this year? What was his name before taking on this papal title?
a) Robert Prevost
b) James Abbott
c) Peter Bailiwick
d) Derek Tardis

7) NASA is reviving lunar missions. What is the name of the program aimed at returning US astronauts to the moon?
a) Horizon
b) Artemis
c) Intrepid
d) Elder One

8) Which English city has been grappling with accumulating refuse due to an ongoing industrial dispute?
a) Liverpool
b) Birmingham
c) Sunderland
d) Ambridge

9) Who was the South Korean president impeached this year following an attempt to impose martial law?
a) Park Geun-hye
b) Moon Jae-in
c) Yoon Suk Yeol
d) Yasaeng Dwaeji

10) How many prime ministers have served under Emmanuel Macron this year?
a) Five
b) Seven
c) Nine
d) It might as well have been 1,057, we’ve lost count

11) Angela Rayner’s departure from the cabinet left Keir Starmer in a tough spot. What was the reason behind her resignation?
a) She had underpaid stamp duty on her seaside flat
b) It emerged she had pleaded guilty to a fraud offence involving a work phone a decade ago
c) She had been holding unauthorized meetings with foreign government ministers
d) She was caught secretly upgrading the Downing Street printer to print everything in Comic Sans

12) Who did Zack Polanski defeat to become the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales?
a) Adrian Ramsay and Carla Denyer
b) Adrian Ramsay and Siân Berry
c) Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns
d) Lord Buckethead and Count Binface

13) What day does Martin Belam publish his weekly news quiz, upon which this First Edition quiz is loosely based?
a) Tuesday
b) Wednesday
c) Thursday
d) Friday

14) When is Black History Month celebrated in the UK each year?
a) February
b) April
c) July
d) October

15) What was the title of Taylor Swift’s new album released this year?
a) The Life of a Showgirl
b) Confessions of a Showgirl
c) The Making of a Showgirl
d) Carry On Showgirls

16) Which constituency does Kemi Badenoch represent amid discussions of the Tory party’s survival?
a) North West Sussex
b) North West Norfolk
c) North West Essex
d) North West Bedfordshire

17) Who won the Canadian election held during Donald Trump’s tariff negotiations?
a) Yves-François Blanchet
b) Mark Carney
c) Pierre Poilievre
d) Alanis Morissette

18) When did the Just Stop Oil group stage a “last day of action” in London?
a) 2016
b) 2018
c) 2020
d) 2022

19) As the HS2 debate continues, what is the potential London terminus station being considered instead of Euston?
a) Great Elm Junction
b) High Beech Parkway
c) Old Oak Common
d) Upper Broke Street

20) When did Donald Trump and Elon Musk have their latest public fallout?
a) June
b) July
c) August
d) September

21) What name did Your Party members vote to use after a prolonged discussion?
a) Your Party
b) Our Party
c) Their Party
d) Party McPartyface

22) What was the name of the BBC director general who resigned abruptly in November?
a) Tim Lowe
b) Tim Cobb
c) Tim Davie
d) Tim Idd

23) How long did the 2025 US federal government shutdown last, marking the longest in history?
a) 43 days
b) 53 days
c) 63 days
d) 73 days

24) What is the name of the UK scheme aimed at helping disabled individuals access vehicles, which became controversial in March?
a) Motability
b) Motassist
c) MobilityPlus
d) MotiFlex

25) How much below average was the Antarctic ice reported to be in March?
a) 6%
b) 16%
c) 26%
d) 36%

26) What was the location where Labour’s once safe seat was lost recently by just six votes to the Reform candidate Sarah Pochin?
a) Croxden and Helsmere
b) Runcorn and Helsby
c) Bridmore and Ottersby
d) Ellesmere Port and Bromborough

27) Which exoplanet do scientists believe might hint at biological life?
a) 01 811 8055
b) L1z 49dyz
c) 5PA Rk5
d) K2-18 b

28) What was Archie Bland’s dog, Quincy, doing in Archie’s final edition of First Edition?
a) Sitting stoned on the sofa
b) Eating an entire packet of Jaffa Cakes
c) Chasing a squirrel through the house
d) Fending off 30-50 feral hogs from Archie’s garden

We will send you the answers tomorrow. Enjoy your day, and Happy Holidays from all of us on the newsletters team!