The Yorkshire Post News Quiz of 2014

POLITICS

1 Q: Who cited his family origins in a Highlands clan with the motto Let Us Unite as he pleaded with Scotland in February not to vote for independence?

2 Q: Which party leaders went head-to-head in a TV debate on Europe in March?

3 Q: What did Ed Miliband struggle to eat elegantly in May?

4 Q: Which former 10 Downing Street communications chief was jailed in June over phone hacking while a tabloid editor?

5 Q: What did the wife of a Russian oligarch pay £160,000 in July to do with David Cameron and Boris Johnson?

6 Q: What did Ed Miliband forget to mention in his conference speech in September?

7 Q: Which British party leader appeared to praise Vladimir Putin in April for “restoring Russian pride”?

8 Q: Whose August announcement that he will stand in the 2015 election was welcomed by David Cameron, who said he wanted “all my star players on the pitch”?

9 Q: Which former party leader was hailed in September as “the greatest living Yorkshireman” after he announced he retiring from front-line politics?

10 Q: Whose Reckless gamble paid off in November?

ROYAL

1 Q: To which magazine did Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall sell photographs of their baby daughter Mia Grace, who was born in January?

2 Q: Who went on a deer and boar hunting trip in Spain in February - the day before he launched an appeal to stop illegal hunting of wildlife?

3 Q: What toy did Prince George take from another baby, making her cry during an official playdate in New Zealand in April?

4 Q: Who did Matthew Hicks pretend to be for a US show in May which duped contestants into thinking they were dating a royal?

5 Q: Which throne did the Queen inspect but not sit on in June?

6 Q: Who revealed in July that her grandchildren call her by the nickname “Gaga”?

7 Q: How did the Queen sign off her first ever tweet in October?

8 Q: Which boy band star revealed he had never been more nervous after meeting William and Kate at the Royal Variety Performance in November?

9 Q: Which royal described breastfeeding in public as “dreadful” in December?

10 Q: Which TV show will Mike Tindall appear in in the New Year?

WORLD

1 Q: Who lost his first lady in January after he was caught on camera emerging from the home of a second lady.

2 Q: What was Republican Jodi Ernst known for before she won election to the US senate in November on a pledge to cut ‘pork’ in Washington?

3 Q: Which town in the US state of Missouri erupted in protests after unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot dead by police in August?

4 Q: Who did Prince Charles compare to Hitler in May?

5 Q: Why did the Rosetta spacecraft Philae hit the headlines in November?

6 Q: Which Olympic athlete was arrested in February after his girlfriend was shot dead at his home?

7 Q: Who became the new Prime Minister of India in May?

8 Q: Which European monarch abdicated in June after reigning for almost 40 years?

9 Q: Which building rose from the ashes of 9/11 and opened for business in November?

10 Q: Name the film about a plot to kill North Korean despot Kim Jong Un which apparently prompted cyber-attack on Sony Pictures in December.

BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES

1 Q: Which TV impresario became a dad in February?

2 Q: Which singer named his second child Charlton Valentine in October?

3 Q: Which “titan of British cinema” died in August at the age of 90?

4 Q: Which Hollywood legend committed suicide in August.

5 Q: Which country did Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt choose when they finally tied the knot in August?

6 Q: Where did Kim Kardashian and Kanye West go for their honeymoon in May?

7 Q: Who did Cheryl Cole marry in July?

8 Q: Which Hollywood heartthrob did British lawyer Amal Alamuddin bag in September?

9 Q: Where did Benedict Cumberbatch announce his engagement to actress Sophie Hunter in November?

10 Q: Who dedicated his latest album to his ex-wife Paula in July?

WHO SAID

1 Q: “Well, I hope people will think very carefully about the future.”

2 Q: “That was something. She purred down the line.”

3 Q: “I am a warm person who sometimes hugs people, most times hugs people.”

4 Q: “What it does have to do with is a population that is going through the roof chiefly because of open-door immigration and the fact that the M4 is not as navigable as it used to be”

5 Q: “I’m just not... it’s a bit sh*t.”

6 Q: “We have lost our cooking skills. Poor people don’t know how to cook.”

7 Q “Despite the fact that I laugh and joke all the time, I get incredibly nervous, if not anxious actually, before going into rooms full of people when I’m wearing a suit.”

8 Q: “I remember standing at the rail of the QE2 next to Jimmy Savile, whom I personally disliked really intensely, before everyone else did. My biggest regret is not tipping him over the rail when I had the chance.”

9 Q: “We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and co-parent, we will be able to continue in the same manner”

10 Q: “Dying is much worse for the people left behind.”

SPORT

1 Q: Who stood down as England’s team director in January following the Ashes debacle?

2 Q: Who skipped the men’s and women’s curling teams in February to medal glory at the Sochi Winter Olympics?

3 Q: Who signed off a glittering international career in March with a Six Nations championship clinching win in Paris?

4 Q: Which horse won the 2014 Grand National in April?

5 Q: Who did Arsenal beat 3-2 in the FA Cup final in May?

6 Q: By what score did Germany beat hosts Brazil in the World Cup semi-final in June?

7 Q: How many gold medals did Scotland win at the Commonwealth Games in July?

8 Q: Who was the first manager out of England’s top four divisions to leave his position in the 2014/2015 season in August?

9 Q: Which two Americans had a public bust-up at a press conference in September following Europe’s Ryder Cup victory at Gleneagles?

10 Q: Name the Wigan prop who was the first player to be sent off in a rugby league Grand Final in October.

SHOWBIZ

1 Q: The death of which comedian in June saw Adrian Edmondson pay tribute to him as a “selfish bastard” for dying without him?

2 Q: Which BBC broadcaster showed off his new clean-shaven look in January after claiming “beards are so 2013”?

3 Q: Who was the would-be singing star parachuted into the I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! jungle only days after being turfed off The X Factor?

4 Q: A cover version of the final recording made by The Beatles went into the top ten in November after featuring in a Christmas ad. What was the song?

5 Q: Which member of boy band One Direction caused a Twitter sensation as fans went wild for a loose strand of hair from his quiff?

6 Q: Kylie Minogue bowed out of BBC1 talent show The Voice to be replaced by who in September?

7 Q: He was famous for a Triangle, moved on to a Square and this month joined the cast of New Tricks. Who is he?

8 Q: Comedian Frank Skinner had his dreams come true when he had a guest role in which sci-fi series?

9 Q: Which film by British director Steve McQueen was named Best Picture at the Oscars in February.

10 Q: Who was nominated for a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Professor Stephen Hawking?

ANSWERS

1 A: David Cameron.

2 A: Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage.

3 A: A bacon sandwich.

4 A: Andy Coulson.

5 A: Play tennis.

6 A: Immigration and the deficit.

7 A: Alex Salmond.

8 A: Boris Johnson.

9 A: William Hague.

10 A: Mark Reckless, who won back his Rochester seat for Ukip after quitting as a Tory MP.

ROYAL

1 A: Hello!, for a reported £150,000

2 A: The Duke of Cambridge.

3 A: A doll.

4 A: Prince Harry for “I Wanna Marry Harry”.

5 A: The Iron Throne from Games of Thrones when she toured the set of the hit fantasy series in Belfast.

6 A: The Duchess of Cornwall.

7 A: Elizabeth R.

8 A: One Direction’s Liam Payne.

9 A: Princess Michael of Kent.

10 A: The Jump!

WORLD

1 A: French President Francois Hollande

2 A: Castrating pigs on her farm in Iowa.

3 A: Ferguson.

4 A: Vladimir Putin.

5 A: It landed on a comet.

6 A: Oscar Pistorius.

7 A: Narendra Modi

8 A: King Juan Carlos.

9 A: One World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower

10 A: The Interview.

BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES

1 A: Simon Cowell, whose partner Lauren Silverman gave birth to Eric.

2 A: Robbie Williams.

3 A: Richard Attenborough.

4 A: Robin Williams.

5 A: France.

6 A: Ireland.

7 A: Frenchman Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini.

8 A: George Clooney.

9 A: Via a personal announcement in The Times.

10 A: Blurred Lines singer Robin Thicke.

WHO SAID

1 A: The Queen’s reported comment before the Scottish independence referendum.

2 A: David Cameron, describing the Queen’s reaction to the No vote.

3 A: Dave Lee Travis, who was given a suspended sentence of three months in September for indecently assaulting a woman in 1995.

4 A: Nigel Farage, blaming immigration for being late.

5 A: Sprinter Usain Bolt’s reported reply when asked if he was enjoying the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. He later denied the comment.

6 A: Tory peer Baroness Jenkin.

7 A: Prince Harry.

8 A: Michael Buerk.

9 A: Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, announcing they were splitting up in March.

10 A: Lynda Bellingham, who died in October after battling colon cancer.

SPORT

1 A: Andy Flower.

2 A: David Murdoch and Eve Muirhead.

3 A: Brian O’Driscoll.

4 A: Pineau De Re.

5 A: Hull.

6 A: 7-1.

7 A: 19.

8 A: Mark Robins (Huddersfield).

9 A: Phil Mickelson and Tom Watson.

10 A: Ben Flower.

SHOWBIZ

1 A: Rik Mayall.

2 A: Jeremy Paxman.

3 A: Jake Quickenden.

4 A: Real Love

5 A: Zayn Malik.

6 A: Rita Ora.

7 A: Larry Lamb.

8 A: Doctor Who.

9 A: 12 Years a Slave.

10 A: Eddie Redmayne, star of The Theory Of Everything.