José Saramago, the novelist pictured above, won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his extensive body of work including O Evangelho Segundo Jesus Cristo (The Gospel According to Jesus Christ). What nationality was he?
Two
On this day, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act was signed authorising the construction of a pipeline across Alaska. Which US President signed it and what communities are at either end?
Who is this Canadian singer, born on 16 November 1964, as pictured in 2010?
Four
With NASA’s ___ campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.
The above is taken from a NASA website and describes a program which is named after the twin sister of Apollo. What is this name which has been omitted from the above quote?
Five
On this day in 1855, an explorer became the first European to witness Mosi-oa-Tunya, a now-renowned World Heritage Site. What name did he give it?
The massive sandstone monolith pictured above is sacred to the Aṉangu people. Could you tell me its name and the state or territory it’s located in?
A: Uluru/Ayers Rock; Northern Territory
Uluru/Ayers Rock, sighted in 1873 and named after Sir Henry Ayers, was renamed Uluru/Ayers Rock in 1993, reflecting its traditional Pitjantjatjara name which has been in use for thousands of years. The monolith, which appears to change colour dramatically at sunrise and sunset, is 348 metres (1,142 feet) high.
Two
What is the largest island in the United States of America?
Answer: Hawaiʻi
Also known as the Big Island, Hawaiʻi is 4,028 square miles (10,433 km2) in area. The next island in size is Kodiak Island, with an area of 3,588 square miles (9,292 km2).
What is the name of the world’s largest ice shelf, located along the coast of Antarctica?
Answer: The Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf covers an area roughly the size of France, and its floating ice can be up to 750 metres (2,460 feet) thick.
Four
The Danube River flows through more countries than any other river in the world. How many countries does it pass through or border?
Answer: Ten
The Danube flows through or borders ten countries — Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine — before emptying into the Black Sea.
Five
Mount Everest sits on the border between Nepal and which autonomous region?
Answer: Tibet Autonomous Region
Tibet, since 1951 an autonomous region of China, the highest region on Earth, has an average elevation of 4,380 metres (14,000 feet). Its peak, Mount Everest, stands at 8,848.86 metres (29,031 feet) above sea level, making it Earth’s highest point.
Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.
King James VI of Scotland and James I of England. Image Wikipedia
One
What event is commemorated in the United Kingdom on November 5th, when effigies of Guy Fawkes are traditionally burned on bonfires? Also, in what year did it occur?
Answer: The Gunpowder Plot of 1605
The failed plot was an attempt by Catholic conspirators to blow up the English Parliament and assassinate King James VI (of Scotland) & I (of England). ‘Remember, remember, the fifth of November’ became a famous rhyme, see below, recording the event.
Two
Which spacecraft, launched on 5 November 2013, was India’s first interplanetary mission?
Answer: The Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)
Developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Mangalyaan made India the first Asian nation to reach Mars orbit and the first country in the world to do so successfully on its maiden attempt — all on a remarkably low budget.
On 5 November 1981, a small Caribbean nation achieved independence from the United Kingdom. Its capital is St. John’s. Can you name the country?
Answer: Antigua and Barbuda
The twin-island nation remains a member of the Commonwealth, recognizing the British monarch as its head of state, but governs itself independently.
Four
November 5th is a central date in the storyline of what 2005 film which opens with the line, ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November’?
Answer: V for Vendetta
The film, based on a graphic novel, turned the Guy Fawkes mask into a global symbol of resistance — later adopted by protest movements such as Anonymous and Occupy Wall Street.
Five
On November 5th, Google introduced its first Android-based mobile operating system, signalling the start of a new era in smartphones. In what year did this occur?
Answer: 2007
The Android OS announcement reshaped the mobile landscape — today, Android powers over 70% of the world’s smartphones.
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Remember, remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason Why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, ’twas his intent To blow up the King and the Parliament Three score barrels of powder below Poor old England to overthrow By God’s providence he was catch’d With a dark lantern and burning match Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring Holler boys, holler boys God save the King!
The undercroft beneath the House of Lords. Image Wikipedia
What event is commemorated in the United Kingdom on November 5th, when effigies of Guy Fawkes are traditionally burned on bonfires? Also, in what year did it occur?
Two
Which spacecraft, launched on 5 November 2013, was India’s first interplanetary mission?
See question 3. Image Wikipedia
Three
On 5 November 1981, a small Caribbean nation achieved independence from the United Kingdom. Its capital is St. John’s. Can you name the country?
Four
November 5th is a central date in the storyline of what 2005 film which opens with the line, ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November’?
Five
On November 5th, Google introduced its first Android-based mobile operating system, signalling the start of a new era in smartphones. In what year did this occur?
The tiger shark, the largest member of the Galeocerdo genus, is a solitary, nocturnal predator found in tropical and temperate waters. It has a diverse diet and is considered near-threatened due to human activities.
Two
What 1964 film starring Stanley Baker and Michael Cain depicts the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift?
Answer: Zulu
Zulu is a 1964 British historical drama film about the Battle of Rorke’s Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War. Directed by Cy Endfield, it stars Stanley Baker and Michael Caine, and received critical acclaim for its sets, soundtrack, cinematography, and performances.
Three
Complete the title of this short story by Alan Sillitoe which was published in 1959: The Loneliness of the…?
Answer: Long-Distance Runner(The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner)
Alan Sillitoe’s 1959 short story The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner follows Smith, a Nottingham teenager who finds solace in running.
Four
Which state or territorial capital of mainland Australia is the only one north of the Tropic of Capricorn?
Answer: Darwin (Northern Territory)
Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory, is the smallest, wettest, and most northerly capital city. It has a tropical climate with a wet and dry season, and its proximity to Southeast Asia makes it a key link between Australia and countries like Indonesia and Timor-Leste. The city has been rebuilt four times due to cyclones and WWII air raids.
Chumbawamba’s 2008 album The Boy Bands Have Won holds the Guinness World Record for the longest album title. Can you tell me how many words are in the full title? A decade (a group of ten) is acceptable. For example, if the answer is 104 then 101-110 is fine.
Answer: 156 (151-160 acceptable)
Its full title contains 156 words, or 865 characters, and holds the Guinness World Record for the longest album title. In full, it is…
The boy bands have won, and all the copyists and the tribute bands and the TV talent show producers have won, if we allow our culture to be shaped by mimicry, whether from lack of ideas or from exaggerated respect. You should never try to freeze culture. What you can do is recycle that culture. Take your older brother’s hand-me-down jacket and re-style it, re-fashion it to the point where it becomes your own. But don’t just regurgitate creative history, or hold art and music and literature as fixed, untouchable and kept under glass. The people who try to ‘guard’ any particular form of music are, like the copyists and manufactured bands, doing it the worst disservice, because the only thing that you can do to music that will damage it is not change it, not make it your own. Because then it dies, then it’s over, then it’s done, and the boy bands have won.
Today’s five questions are random with no connection.
Image Wikipedia
One
Which shark is pictured?
Two
What 1964 film starring Stanley Baker and Michael Cain depicts the 1879 Battle of Rorke’s Drift?
Three
Complete the title of this short story by Alan Sillitoe which was published in 1959: The Loneliness of the…?
Four
Which state or territorial capital of mainland Australia is the only one north of the Tropic of Capricorn?
Five
Chumbawamba’s 2008 album The Boy Bands Have Won holds the Guinness World Record for the longest album title. Can you tell me how many words are in the full title? A decade (a group of ten) is acceptable. For example, if the answer is 104 then 101-110 is fine.
Here are the answers to the questions posed earlier.
The Öresund Bridge, which features in the Nordic noir television drama series The Bridge, carries European Route E20, see question 1. Image Wikipedia
One
The European Route E20 stretches approximately 1,168 miles (1,880 km) from a river estuary airport in the west to the northernmost city of over a million people in the east. Which airport and city are these?
Answer: Shannon Airport, Republic of Ireland and Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The European route E20 is part of the United Nations International E-road network and runs roughly west-east through Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia and finally Russia. The road is not continuous and, at three points, a ferry must be used to continue along its length; although at one of those there is no ferry! The Øresund Bridge, which is known for featuring in the Nordic noir television series The Bridge, carries European Route E20.
Two
A television medical drama that ran from October 1982 to May 1988 was set in St Elegius Hospital, Boston. What was its title?
Answer: St Elsewhere
St. Elsewhere, a medical drama series, aired on NBC from 1982 to 1988. Although it never ranked higher than 47th in Nielsen ratings, it gained a loyal following and critical acclaim, winning 13 Emmy Awards. Set at the fictional St. Eligius Hospital in Boston, the show was known for its realistic portrayal of the medical profession and featured a large ensemble cast. It tackled contemporary issues like breast cancer, AIDS, and addiction, while also incorporating humour and inside jokes.
Three
In what novel by Charles Dickens does Esther Summerson tell her own story in the past tense?
Answer: Bleak House
Bleak House, a Dickens novel, satirises the legal system through the long-running case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. The novel, partly narrated by Esther Summerson, is set in London and is credited with introducing urban fog to Gothic literature.
Four
The Chalcolithic period, an archaeological era, was primarily defined by a rise in the use of what specific material?
Answer: Copper (smelted copper)
The Chalcolithic, or Copper Age, was a period characterised by the increasing use of smelted copper, following the Neolithic (latter part of the Stone Age) and preceding the Bronze Age. It occurred at different times in different regions, with the earliest evidence of copper smelting dating back to around 5,000 BC in Serbia. In Britain, the Chalcolithic was a short period between 2,500 and 2,200 BC, marked by the arrival of Beaker culture people and the introduction of copper and gold objects.
Pope Leo XIV and King Charles III in the Sistine Chapel, October 2025. Image thedialog.org
Five
In October 2025, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England prayed with Robert Francis Prevost on the Apennine Peninsula. Who is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and who is Robert Francis Prevost known as?
Answer: King Charles III and Pope Leo XIV
The reigning British monarch is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, currently King Charles III. Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago, is the first American pope. King Charles and Pope Leo met at the Vatican to pray together in the Sistine Chapel. It was the first occasion that the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and the Pope had prayed together since the reformation 500 years ago.
Today we have five unrelated and unconnected questions.
The Öresund Bridge, which features in the Nordic noir television drama series The Bridge, carries European Route E20, see question 1. Image Wikipedia
One
The European Route E20 stretches approximately 1,168 miles (1,880 km) from a river estuary airport in the west to the northernmost city of over a million people in the east. Which airport and city are these?
Two
A television medical drama that ran from October 1982 to May 1988 was set in St Elegius Hospital, Boston. What was its title?
Three
In what novel by Charles Dickens does Esther Summerson tell her own story in the past tense?
Four
The Chalcolithic period, an archaeological era, was primarily defined by a rise in the use of what specific material?
Five
In October 2025, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England prayed with Robert Francis Prevost on the Apennine Peninsula. Who is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and who is Robert Francis Prevost known as?
Here are the answers to the questions I posted earlier.
Marlene Dietrich, The Blue Angel. See question two. Image Wikipedia
One
A rock group’s first album, which was self-titled, was released in 1964 while their latest Hackney Diamonds was released in 2023. Which group is this?
Answer: Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones, an English rock band formed in 1962, are one of the most influential bands of the rock era. Known for their gritty, rhythmically driven sound, they pioneered hard rock and were at the forefront of the British Invasion. With over 250 million album sales, they have won four Grammy Awards and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Two
Who played Lola Lola in 1930’s film The Blue Angel?
Answer: Marlene Dietrich
The Blue Angel (1930) is a German musical comedy-drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg, starring Marlene Dietrich. It is based on Heinrich Mann’s novel and follows a professor’s transformation into a cabaret clown.
Three
What is the one word name used for the prestigious institution, part of a larger university, which Marie Curie attended for her studies in physics and mathematics, and where she became the first woman professor?
Answer: Sorbonne
Marie Curie studied at the Sorbonne, which is part of the University of Paris. She earned her degrees in physics and mathematics there and later became the first woman professor at the Sorbonne — National Geographic
Four
What, since February 2025, is the hereditary title of Prince Shah Rahim al-Hussaini, 50th hereditary Imam of Nizari Ismailis?
Answer: Aga Khan
The Aga Khan is the hereditary title of the spiritual leader and Imam of the Nizari Ismāʿīli Shias, a branch of Islam. Currently, the 50th hereditary Imam is Prince Shah Rahim al-Hussaini. He succeeded his father in February 2025 and oversees development and humanitarian work.
Five
Founded by the Greeks in the first millennium BCE, this city is now Italy’s third-largest as well as Campania’s regional capital. Please name it?Question
Answer: Naples
Naples, the regional capital of Campania, is Italy’s third-largest city and a significant cultural centre. Founded by Greeks in the first millennium BCE, it has a rich history, having served as the capital of various kingdoms. Today, it is a major economic hub with a UNESCO World Heritage-listed historic centre and numerous cultural sites nearby.
Peter Sarstedt Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? Image chordify.net
Six
What connects the five answers above?
Answers: (The song) Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)?
Peter Sarstedt’s 1966 hit Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? features all five of these answers in its lyrics. The song tells the story of Marie-Claire, a girl who rose from poverty in Naples to become a jet-setter. It achieved chart success in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, reaching number one in all of them. In the US, it peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart and 36 on Canada’s RPM Adult Contemporary chart. The lyrics are shown below.
Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)
by Peter Sarstedt
You talk like Marlene Dietrich And you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire Your clothes are all made by Balmain And there’s diamonds and pearls in your hair, yes there are
You live in a fancy apartment Off the Boulevard St. Michel Where you keep your Rolling Stones records And a friend of Sacha Distel, yes you do
But where do you go to my lovely When you’re alone in your bed? Tell me the thoughts that surround you I want to look inside your head, yes I do
I’ve seen all your qualifications You got from the Sorbonne And the painting you stole from Picasso Your loveliness goes on and on, yes it does
When you go on your summer vacation You go to Juan-les-Pins With your carefully designed topless swimsuit You get an even suntan on your back, and on your legs
And when the snow falls you’re found in St. Moritz With the others of the jet set And you sip your Napoleon brandy But you never get your lips wet, no you don’t
But where do you go to my lovely When you’re alone in your bed? Won’t you tell me the thoughts that surround you? I want to look inside your head, yes I do
You’re in between twenty and thirty That’s a very desirable age Your body is firm and inviting But you live on a glittering stage, yes you do, yes you do
Your name is heard in high places You know the Aga Khan He sent you a race horse for Christmas And you keep it just for fun, for a laugh, ha-ha-ha
They say that when you get married It’ll be to a millionaire But they don’t realize where you came from And I wonder if they really care, or give a damn
But where do you go to my lovely When you’re alone in your bed? Tell me the thoughts that surround you I want to look inside your head, yes I do
I remember the back streets of Naples: Two children begging in rags Both touched with a burning ambition To shake off their lowly-born tags, they tried
So look into my face, Marie-Claire And remember just who you are Then go and forget me forever But I know you still bear the scar, deep inside
I know where you go to my lovely When you’re alone in your bed I know the thoughts that surround you ‘Cause I can look inside your head
