How well have you kept up with the week's stories? Take the quiz and find out.
Sat 24 Oct 2026 01.00 AEDT
1. Which will come first: the United States midterm elections or the New Zealand general election?
2. Radio National has released its listener poll on the top 100 Australian books of all time. Two authors were tied for most entries in the poll, having four books each. For a point, name either of the two authors.
3. The actor Tom Skerritt has died at 93. He starred in what 1970s sci-fi/horror film with Sigourney Weaver?
4. Sydney’s new airport will be opened to passengers tomorrow. What aviation pioneer is its namesake?
5. In his National Press Club speech this week, Senator David Pocock called for a 5% levy on what?
6. What year was the “Year of Revolutions”?
7. Weather radars in south-eastern Australia have recently been misreporting non-existent rain clouds. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, what is causing the issue?
8. What is the name of the compromised web development software that has forced governments and businesses around the world to take their websites temporarily offline?
9. Which tech company has been ordered by the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority to immediately halt work after it cleared 250,000 trees before gaining environmental approvals for the construction of two data centres?
10. The Australian cricket team has been smashed in its second test match against South Africa. Where did the match take place? A. Durban B. Gqeberha C. Cape Town
11. The United Nations has issued a warning to fossil fuel giant Chevron after independent satellite monitoring detected persistent plumes of methane over its Gorgon LNG Plant. Which state/territory is the plant located in?
12. In what decade was Donald Horne’s The Lucky Country published?
13. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a member of the Trump administration, recently retired due to corruption allegations. She had been the ambassador to which European country?
14. Which London musician won the 2026 Mercury Prize?
15. The Australian Dictionary of Biography, which has produced biographical articles on nearly 14,000 Australians, recently launched its new website and appointed a new chairperson, Kate Fullagar. When did the ADB begin operating? A. 1957 B. 1967 C. 1977
See answers below
Quality research, analysis, explainers and factchecks from experts you can trust.
1. Which will come first: the United States midterm elections or the New Zealand general election? (US midterm elections)
2. Radio National has released its listener poll on the top 100 Australian books of all time. Two authors were tied for most entries in the poll, having four books each. For a point, name either of the two authors. (Helen Garner or Tim Winton)
3. The actor Tom Skerritt has died at 93. He starred in what 1970s sci-fi/horror film with Sigourney Weaver? (Alien)
4. Sydney’s new airport will be opened to passengers tomorrow. What aviation pioneer is its namesake? (Nancy-Bird Walton)
5. In his National Press Club speech this week, Senator David Pocock called for a 5% levy on what? (Data centres)
6. What year was the “Year of Revolutions”? (1848)
7. Weather radars in south-eastern Australia have recently been misreporting non-existent rain clouds. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, what is causing the issue? (Migrating bogong moths appearing as rain on the radars)
8. What is the name of the compromised web development software that has forced governments and businesses around the world to take their websites temporarily offline? (PHP)
9. Which tech company has been ordered by the Finnish Licensing and Supervision Authority to immediately halt work after it cleared 250,000 trees before gaining environmental approvals for the construction of two data centres? (Google)
10. The Australian cricket team has been smashed in its second test match against South Africa. Where did the match take place? A. Durban B. Gqeberha C. Cape Town (B. Gqeberha)
11. The United Nations has issued a warning to fossil fuel giant Chevron after independent satellite monitoring detected persistent plumes of methane over its Gorgon LNG Plant. Which state/territory is the plant located in? (Western Australia, on Barrow Island off the Pilbara coast)
12. In what decade was Donald Horne’s The Lucky Country published? (1960s)
13. Kimberly Guilfoyle, a member of the Trump administration, recently retired due to corruption allegations. She had been the ambassador to which European country? (Greece)
14. Which London musician won the 2026 Mercury Prize? (Raye)
15. The Australian Dictionary of Biography, which has produced biographical articles on nearly 14,000 Australians, recently launched its new website and appointed a new chairperson, Kate Fullagar. When did the ADB begin operating? A. 1957 B. 1967 C. 1977 (A. 1957)
