The Point Weekend Quiz

1. NAIDOC Week has its origins in a 26 January Day of Mourning protest organised by Indigenous leaders including William Cooper, Douglas Nicholls and Margaret Tucker in what decade?

2. The Coorong and Lower Lakes sit at the end of which Australian river?

3. Why will the 2026 World Cup final’s half-time break be 30 minutes long, rather than the usual 15?

4. This week, which foreign leader visited Australia to sign a major uranium deal?

5. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned his seat amid an investigation into an undeclared £5 million gift from crypto investor Christopher Harborne but will re-contest the resulting by-election. Which parody political candidate, a self-labelled “independent space warrior” is likely to be his main challenger?

6. Phoebe Bridgers, who recently announced her third studio album Lost Weekend, is a member of what indie-rock supergroup alongside fellow American singer-songwriters Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus?

7. True or false: You can tell if someone has been tattooed even if the tattooed body part has been removed?

8. In the three years since the Murphy review into online gambling was released, how much money have Australians collectively lost to gambling: A. $14 billion, B. $74 billion, C. $104 billion?

9. Which of these evolved first: A. Sharks, B. Trees, or C. Dinosaurs?

10. The NSW Blues’ Nathan Cleary, who was named player of the series for the 2026 State of Origin, is the boyfriend of which Australian soccer star, who plays as a forward for the Matildas and Manchester City?

11. Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite recently announced his retirement. Who wrote and recorded the original version of the song The Horses, which Braithwaite made famous with his 1991 cover version?

12. Which Parisian canal was opened to swimmers as a public health measure during the recent climate change-driven European heatwave?

13. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will hit theatres this month. The film adapts an epic poem of the same name attributed to which ancient Greek poet?

14. True or false: the words ‘soccer’ and ‘sock’ have the same origin?

15. The world’s largest air force is operated by the US Air Force. Who operates the world’s second largest air force?

Answers are below

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. NAIDOC Week has its origins in a 26 January Day of Mourning protest organised by Indigenous leaders including William Cooper, Douglas Nicholls and Margaret Tucker in what decade? (The 1930s)

2. The Coorong and Lower Lakes sit at the end of which Australian river? (The Murray River)

3. Why will the 2026 World Cup final’s half-time break be 30 minutes long, rather than the usual 15? (To make time for a half-time show): the show’s performers will include Shakira, Madonna, BTS and Justin Bieber.

4. This week, which foreign leader visited Australia to sign a major uranium deal? (Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi)

5. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned his seat amid an investigation into an undeclared £5 million gift from crypto investor Christopher Harborne but will re-contest the resulting by-election. Which parody political candidate, a self-labelled “independent space warrior” is likely to be his main challenger? (Count Binface)

6. Phoebe Bridgers, who recently announced her third studio album Lost Weekend, is a member of what indie-rock supergroup alongside fellow American singer-songwriters Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus? (Boygenius)

7. True or false: You can tell if someone has been tattooed even if the tattooed body part has been removed? (True): ink is visible in the lymph nodes

8. In the three years since the Murphy review into online gambling was released, how much money have Australians collectively lost to gambling: A. $14 billion, B. $74 billion, C. $104 billion? (C. $104 billion)

9. Which of these evolved first: A. Sharks, B. Trees, or C. Dinosaurs? (A. Sharks): Sharks evolved 420-450 million years ago, trees around 400 million and Dinosaurs around 250 million

10. The NSW Blues’ Nathan Cleary, who was named player of the series for the 2026 State of Origin, is the boyfriend of which Australian soccer star, who plays as a forward for the Matildas and Manchester City? (Mary Fowler)

11. Australian singer Daryl Braithwaite recently announced his retirement. Who wrote and recorded the original version of the song The Horses, which Braithwaite made famous with his 1991 cover version? (Rickie Lee Jones)

12. Which Parisian canal was opened to swimmers as a public health measure during the recent climate change-driven European heatwave? (Canal Saint-Martin)

13. Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will hit theatres this month. The film adapts an epic poem of the same name attributed to which ancient Greek poet? (Homer)

14. True or false: the words ‘soccer’ and ‘sock’ have the same origin? (False): The word ‘soccer’ is an abbreviation derived from the ‘Association Football’ played in England in the late 19th Century, whereas the word ‘sock’ comes from the Old English word for ‘shoe’

15. The world’s largest air force is operated by the US Air Force. Who operates the world’s second largest air force? (The US Navy)