The Mini Quiz archive

An archive of our quizzes based around the day's studio guest. Relive the magic!

THE POLITICAL MINIQUIZ QUESTIONS...
...the answers are below

Question: Tuesday 7th July, 2009

The Rev Richard Coles was a member of which 80s band?

a) The Communards

b) The Commitments

(c) Haircut 100

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday 6th July, 2009

With former newspaper editor Kelvin McKenzie as a guest, we asked: which word has just had a new definition entered in to the Collins English dictionary?

a) App

b) Twitter

c) Flip

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday July 2nd, 2009

Will Self has described himself as a modern 'flâneur'. But what does that mean?

a) someone who likes to talk a lot

b) someone who is partial to pastry

(c) someone who strolls around the city

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday June 25th, 2009

Which actor played Charlie Whelan in the TV film the Deal?

a) Michael Sheen

b) Dexter Fletcher

c) Brad Pitt

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday June 23rd, 2009

About which senior politician did Lord Puttnam say the following: 'If I were him, I would go before the summer recess. I think he can go with honour.'

a) Gordon Brown

b) Tony Blair

c) Michael Martin

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday June 18th, 2009

How many speakers have been beheaded?

a) 1

b) 4

c) 7

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday June 11th, 2009

According to reports two years ago, which cabinet position did Gordon Brown offer to Paddy Ashdown when he became Prime Minister?

a) Defence Secretary

b) N Ireland Secretary

c) Foreign Secretary

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday June 9th, 2009

As well as First Secretary of State, what other new title did Lord Mandelson pick up in the reshuffle?

a) First Knight of the Council

b) Dark Lord of the Council

c) Lord President of the Council

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday June 2nd, 2009

As the LibDem treasury spokesman joined us for the programme, we asked: Which senior politician did Vince Cable once write a book with?

a) Margaret Thatcher

b) Gordon Brown

c) Tony Blair

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday June 1st, 2009

As UKIP's Nigel Farage joined us to talk about the elections later this week, we asked: Which celebrity is publicly supporting UKIP in this election?

a) Eddie Izzard

b) Frank Carson

c) Joanna Lumley

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday May 18th, 2009

When a new Speaker of the House of Commons is elected what traditionally happens?

(a) they drink a yard of ale

(b) they are dragged to the Speaker's Chair

(c) they run up the steps of Big Ben

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday May 5th, 2009

All PMs have their high points and low points. Who said 'Being Prime Minister is a lonely job....you cannot lead from the crowd'?

a) John Major

b) Gordon Brown

c) Margaret Thatcher

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday April 28th, 2009

First Minister Alex Salmond joined us as the Daily Politics guest of the day. He is leader of the Scottish National Party, MSP for Gordon and MP for the constituency of Banff and Buchan. Which area is twinned with Banffshire?

a) Kronach in Germany

b) Heinsberg in Germany

c) Agen in France

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday April 21st, 2009

As we head towards Wednesday's budget we asked: when was income tax first introduced?

a) 1503

b) 1799

c) 1852

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday April 20th, 2009

The longest budget speech in history is believed to have been delivered by William Gladstone in 1852. How long was it?

a) Two and a half hours

b) Three hours and 45 minutes

c) Four hours and 45 minutes

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday April 2nd, 2009

In honour of the Obamas visit to the UK, we asked: what is Michelle Obama's secret service code name?

(a) Renaissance

(b) Renegade

(c) Radiance

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday March 31, 2009

As the fallout continued over Jacqui Smiths expenses and further details about claims from her colleagues, we asked: Which of these is NOT a real expenses claim made by a British politician?

a) Home Secretary Jacqui Smith claimed 88p for the cost of a bath plug

b) Conservative MP David Maclean claimed £3,300 for a quad bike

c) Liberal Democrat MP Paul Keetch claimed for a cheese grater

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday March 30, 2009

Ahead of the G20 summit in London, we asked what extra bit of equipment was President Obama flying into London?

a) a fully equipped ambulance?

b) a replica of his gym at home?

c) the desk from the Oval office?

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday March 26, 2009

Ahead of the G20 meeting in London, we asked which of these countries is not in the G20?

a) Indonesia

b) South Korea

or c) Spain

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday March 24, 2009

Author and former Tory MP, Michael Dobbs was our guest. We asked which TV series based on one of Michael novels was screened in 1990?

a) House of Cards

b) A Very British Coup

or c) Bonfire of the Vanities

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday March 23, 2009

We askedwhich European political party have the Conservatives agreed to form a new grouping with after the European elections in June?

a) The German Christian Democratic Party

b) The Italian Forza Italia Party

or c) The Czech Civic Democratic Party

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday March 17, 2009

We spoke about banking ahead of a proposed tightening of rules, and an expected change to mortgage lending, with Norman Tebbit, Angela Knight and John McFall. Norman Tebbit enjoys cooking and is compiling a recipe book - but what is his favourite recipe?

a) partridge with pears and cheese

b) beef wellington

c) chicken tikka masala

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday March 10, 2009

What is the best time for teenage pupils to start lessons according to Dr Paul Kelley, headteacher of a North Tyneside school.

a) 7 am

b) 8.30 am

c) 11 am

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday March 2, 2009

We talked about tweeting, the ongoing row about Sir Fred Goodwin's pension and were joined by Labour's former Director of Communications David Hill . And we asked: which Prime Minister has NOT addressed a joint session of Congress

a) Harold Macmillan

b) Margaret Thatcher

c) Clement Attlee

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday February 3, 2009

Leading fertility expert Robert Winston joined us on the show. He is presenting a series on radio 4 which explores the relationship between the music and the medical conditions of composers who suffered mental and physical illness. What condition did the composer, Robert Schumann, suffer from?

a) Dementia

b) Bipolar disorder

c) Schizophrenia

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday January 29, 2009

Former Sun editor Kelvin McKenzie joined us on the day when Scottish politicians were struggling with their budget. We asked: Which daily national newspaper had the smallest percentage drop in sales last year?

a) The Sun

b) The Daily Mail

c) The Financial Times

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday January 27, 2009

Children's author Michael Rosen joined us to talk about public libraries, who uses them and why we should keep them. Former Deputy PM John Prescott has swapped his pledge card for a different general election campaigning tool. But what is it?

a) a megaphone

(b) a soapbox

(c) a blackberry

(d) a scooter

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday January 20, 2009

Economist editor John Micklethwait and former diplomat James Rubin joined us on the day of Barack Obama's inauguration. What was the new ice cream flavour introduced by a top ice cream manufacturer to mark Obama's inauguration

(a) Baracked Alaska

(b) Yes Pecan

(c) O'banana and ice cream

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday January 12, 2009

For the first programme of a new political year we were joined by Matthew D'Ancona, the editor of the Spectator. How many sitting days are there until MPs have their next break from Westminster?

(a) 20

(b) 35

(c) 45

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday December 15, 2008

Will Self is an English novelist, reviewer and columnist. He was also a regular contestant on Have I Got News for You and starred in quiz show Shooting Stars and Grumpy Old Men. How did Will Self describe Tony Blair's speeches ?

(a) particularly insightful political rhetoric

(b) suitable as anaesthetic for a major neurological operation

(c) straightforward, clear and inspiring

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday December 11, 2008

What was the exchange rate with the Pound when the euro was first introduced in 1999?

(a) 83.52p

(b) 79.65p

(c) 75.86p

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday December 4, 2008

Before the Queen leaves the palace to go to parliament to deliver her speech a MP is taken to Buckingham Palace as a ceremonial hostage.

(a) Claire Curtis-Thomas

(b) Clare Short

(c) Claire Ward

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday November 27, 2008

Derek Hatton, a property developer in Cyprus, is probably better known for his stint in the Labour Party and a group called the Militant tendency. Which Soviet politician was Derek Hatton and the Militant tendency associated with in the 1980s?

(a) Lenin

(b) Stalin

(c) Trotsky

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday November 20, 2008

Simon Jenkins is a journalist and author. He writes for the Guardian and the Sunday Times, as well as broadcasting for the BBC. He has edited the Times and the London Evening Standard. On which magazine did journalist Simon Jenkins start his career?

(a) Horse and Hound

(b) The Field

(c) Country Life

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday November 18, 2008

Geoffrey Robertson QC has been counsel in many landmark cases in constitutional, criminal and media law in the courts of Britain and the commonwealth and he makes frequent appearances in the Privy Council and the European Court of Human Rights. Which well known public figure did Geoffrey Robertson QC defend the Guardian newspaper against ?

(a) Jonathan Aitken

(b) Kate Garraway

(c) Neil Hamilton

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday November 17, 2008

Bob Crow is the general secretary of the RMT trade union. He is also one of the founder members of the so-called "Awkward Squad" - the loose grouping of left-wing union leaders who came to power in a series of electoral victories beginning in 2002. In 2003, Bob was stopped from entering the Houses of Parliament by security guards. What prohibited item was he carrying?

(a) a ten inch sword

(b) a crow bar

(c) a copy of Labour's old Clause Four

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday November 13, 2008

Phil Hammond qualified as a GP in 1991 and, after 10 years, switched to sexual health medicine. He is a regular on Have I Got News For You and since 1992, he has also been medical correspondent for Private Eye. Who reported Phil Hammond to the General Medical Council in 1999?

(a) An angry patient

(b) William Hague's Press Secretary

(c) Former Health Secretary Frank Dobson

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday November 10, 2008

Charles Moore writes the Spectator Notes column. He was the editor of The Spectator from 1984 to 1990, the Sunday Telegraph from 1992 to 1995 and The Daily Telegraph from 1995 to 2003. Why did Charles Moore step down as editor of the Daily Telegraph in 2003? Was it to spend more time ...

(a) with his family

(b) writing a biography of Margaret Thatcher

(c) writing a biography of Winston Churchill?

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday November 3, 2008

Historian Niall Ferguson specialises in financial and economic history as well as the history of empire. He is currently researching a biography of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Which Republican Secretary Of State has endorsed Barack Obama?

(a) Lawrence Eagleburger

(b) Colin Powell

(c) Condoleezza Rice

For the answer, click here

Question: Tuesday October 28, 2008

Tom Steinberg is the founder and director of mySociety, a charitable body that runs many of the best-known democracy websites in the UK, from WriteToThem.com, to PledgeBank.com to the volunteer-founded TheyWorkForYou.com to the No10 petitions website. How many potholes and other problems does the website FixMyStreet.com claim to have solved?

(a) 8000

(b) 1000

(c) 25000

For the answer, click here

Question: Monday October 27, 2008

Our guest Archie Norman is the former Chief Executive of the Conservative party. He was also Chief Executive of Asda. When he was with Asda which item of clothing did Archie ask managers to wear when 'thinking'?

(a) Sunglasses

(b) Baseball cap

(c) Flourescent jacket

For the answer, click here

Question: Thursday October 23, 2008

Our guest Peter Tatchell was the 1983 Labour candidate in the Bermondsey by-election, losing to Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes. In 2006, readers of the New Statesman voted Peter Number 6 in their list of "Heroes Of Our Time". On which world leader did Peter attempt to perform a citizen's arrest in 2001?

(a) Tony Blair

(b) Vladimir Putin

(c) Robert Mugabe

For the answer, click here .

Question: Tuesday October 21, 2008

Dominic Lawson is a columnist and former editor of the Sunday Telegraph and the Spectator magazine. Which Cabinet Minister's resignation followed an article published by Dominic Lawson when he was editor of the Spectator?

(a) Geoffrey Howe

(b) Nicholas Ridley

(c) David Mellor

For the answer, click here .

Question: Monday October 20, 2008

The economist Will Hutton is a weekly columnist and former editor-in-chief for The Observer. He is currently Chief Executive of the Independent Work Foundation. What is the full name of the economist whose name is given to the Keynesian economic theory?

(a) John Maynard Keynes

(b) John Milton Keynes

(c) John Mallard Keynes

For the answer, click here .

Question: Tuesday October 14, 2008

Stephen Bayley is a British design critic, cultural critic and author. In July 2008 he became the first of three non-executive directors to join the management board of Sidhu & Simon Communications, a public relations & sponsorship agency. A decade earlier he resigned as creative director of the Millennium Dome. What did he accuse Peter Mandelson of running the project like?

(a) A dream

(b) A dictator

(c) A demon

For the answer, click here .

Question: Monday October 13, 2008

Simon Schama is a British professor of history and art history at Columbia University. His new series on America's history is on BBC2. What was the last state to join the United States of America? Was it ...

(a) Alaska

(b) Hawaii

(c) New Mexico

For the answer, click here .

Question: Thursday October 9, 2008

Irwin Stelzer is an American economist. He is a Sunday Times columnist and Director of the US think tank the Hudson Institute. For which two politicians did Irwin Stelzer act as a go-between? Tony Blair and ...

(a) George Bush

(b) Alex Salmond

(c) Nicolas Sarkosy

For the answer, click here .

Question: Tuesday October 7, 2008

Respect MP George Galloway represents the London constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow. He was previously a Labour MP and an outspoken opponent of the Iraqi war. In 2006 George Galloway took part in Celebrity Big Brother, but who won the show that year?

(a) Michael Barrymore

(b) George Galloway

(c) Chantelle Houghton

For the answer, click here .

Question: Monday October 6, 2008

Phil Hall is the former editor of the News of the World. He had a spell in magazines as editor-in-chief of Hello! and now runs his own PR agency. What is the current circulation of the News of the World every week?

(a) 3.2m

(b) 4.6m

(c) 1.8m

For the answer, click here .

Question: Thursday October 2, 2008

Derek Simpson is a former communist who later joined Labour and who describes himself as a "lieutenant of the left". He's the joint leader of the country's biggest trade union, Unite, which was created in 2007 after a merger between the Transport & General Workers Union and Amicus. How much has Unite given to the Labour party nationally and to its constituency parties since 2007?

• (a) £6m

• (b) £25m

• (c) £500,000

For the answer, click here .

Question: Tuesday July 15, 2008

Conservative MP Steve Norris lost to Ken Livingstone in both the 2000 and 2004 London Mayoral elections. He was a Transport Minister in John Major's government. He is currently Chairman of the transport infrastructure company Jarvis and has also worked as Director General of the Road Haulage Association. When Steve was at University, which student group did he join?

• (a) Federation of Conservative Students

• (b) Labour Club

• (c) Liberal Party

For the answer, click here .

Question: Monday July 14, 2008

Jon Gaunt is one of the most outspoken characters on radio. - he's been called a rabid right-winger, so you may be surprised to hear about one of his famous causes. Which of these did he support?

• (a) Greenham Common protests

• (b) Poll tax riots

• (c) Anti-Vietnam movement

For the answer, click here .

Question: Thursday July 10, 2008

Ken Livingstone was Mayor of London from 2000 to 2008 and leader of the Greater London Council from 1981 until it was abolished in 1986. He was expelled from the Labour Party in April 2000 when he announced he would stand against Frank Dobson in the Mayoral election. Our question is: while he was London's Mayor, with which foreign leader did Ken Livingstone strike an oil deal?

• (a) Venezuela's Hugo Chavez

• (b) Bolivia's Evo Morales

• (c) Canada's Stephen Harper

For the answer, click here .

Question: Tuesday July 8, 2008

Jonathon Porritt acts as an environmental advisor to many bodies and individuals including Prince Charles and Stuart Rose, the chief executive of Marks & Spencer. He's the son of Lord Porritt, 11th Governor-General of New Zealand, and he was the chair of the UK Ecology Party. But when did the Ecology Party become the Green Party?

• (a) 1979

• (b) 1985

• (c) 1990

For the answer, click here .

Question: Monday July 7, 2008

Brendan Barber is General Secretary of the TUC, and a Non-Executive Director of the Court of the Bank of England. He has also been a member of Sport England. He spent a gap year with Voluntary Service Overseas, teaching in Ghana before going on to City University in London. But today's question is: how many members does the TUC represent?

• (a) 6.5 million

• (b) 9 million

• (c) 12.5 million

For the answer, click here .

Question: Thursday July 3, 2008

Andrew Porter, political editor of the Daily Telegraph, started his career on a local paper in Plymouth, rising to take the top political job at the Telegraph when he was just 34. He's a keen golfer and plays for the journalists' football team against MPs. He's in the studio to talk about the PM's attendance at the Liaison Committee. And today's question is: when Gordon Brown last appeared before the Liaison Committee, which event did he then turn up late for?

• (a) state banquet with French president Nicolas Sarkozy

• (b) budget discussions with Treasury officials

• (c) official signing of the new EU treaty

For the answer, click here .

Question: Tuesday July 1, 2008

Baroness Lola Young is a Crossbench peer and a consultant on arts and heritage matters. She is also a visiting professor at Birkbeck College in London. Prior to her academic career, Lola was an actor, performing in various repertory theatres and appearing in numerous television programmes. In which of these children's programmes did she star?

• (a) Metal Mickey

• (b) Number 73

• (c) Rentaghost

For the answer, click here .

Question: Monday June 30, 2008

American pollster Frank Luntz has advised politicians on both sides of the Atlantic, and in Australia. In 2005, Frank pinpointed David Cameron as a future leader for the Conservatives and in 2006, he said voters preferred John Reid as Labour leader to Gordon Brown. Today's question is appropriately from a marketing standpoint: in the 1997 general election, which group was identified as the key to any kind of win for the Labour Party?

• (a) Worcester women

• (b) Lincolnshire ladies

• (c) Gloucester grannies

For the answer, click here .

THE POLITICAL MINIQUIZ ANSWERS...
...the questions are above

Answer: Tuesday July 7th, 2009

The answer was (a) The Communards

To return to the questions, click here .

Answer: Monday July 6th, 2009

The answer was (b) Twitter

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Answer: Thursday July 3rd, 2009

The answer was (c) someone who strolls around the city

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Answer: Thursday June 25th, 2009

The answer was (b) Dexter Fletcher

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Answer: Tuesday June 23rd, 2009

The answer was (b) Tony Blair

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Answer: Thursday June 18th, 2009

The answer was (c) seven (with two gone in one day!)

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Answer: Thursday June 11th, 2009

The answer was (b) N Ireland Secretary

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Answer: Tuesday June 9th, 2009

The answer was (c) Lord President of the Council

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Answer: Tuesday June 2nd, 2009

The answer was (b) Gordon Brown

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Answer: Monday June 1st, 2009

The answer was (b) Frank Carson

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Answer: Monday May 18th, 2009

The answer was (b) they are dragged to the Speaker's Chair

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Answer: Tuesday May 5th, 2009

The answer was (c) Margaret Thatcher

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Answer: Tuesday April 28th, 2009

The answer was (a) Kronach in Germany

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Answer: Tuesday April 21st, 2009

The answer was (b) 1799

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Answer: Monday April 20th, 2009

The answer was (c) Four hours and 45 minutes

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Answer: Thursday April 2nd, 2009

The answer was (a) Renaissance

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Answer: Tuesday March 31st, 2009

The answer was none of then - all three were true!

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Answer: Monday March 30th, 2009

The answer is (a) a fully equipped ambulance

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Answer: Thursday March 26th, 2009

The answer is (c) Spain

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Answer: Tuesday March 24th, 2009

The answer is (a) House of Cards

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Answer: Monday March 23rd, 2009

The answer is (c) The Czech Civic Democratic Party

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Answer: Tuesday March 17th, 2009

The answer is (a) partridge with pears and cheese

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Answer: Tuesday March 10th, 2009

The answer is (c) 11 am

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Answer: Monday March 2nd, 2009

The answer is (a) Harold Macmillan

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Answer: Tuesday February 3rd, 2009

The answer is (b) Bipolar disorder

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Answer: Thursday January 29th, 2009

The answer is (c) The Financial Times

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Answer: Tuesday January 27th, 2009

The answer is (c) a blackberry

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Answer: Tuesday January 20th, 2009

The answer is (b) Yes Pecan.

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Answer: Monday January 12, 2009

The answer is (a) 20

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Answer: Monday December 15, 2008

The answer is (b) suitable as anaesthetic for a major neurological operation

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Answer: Thursday December 11, 2008

The answer is (c) 75.86p

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Answer: Thursday December 4, 2008

The answer is (c) Claire Ward

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Answer: Thursday November 27, 2008

The answer is (c) Trotsky

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Answer: Thursday November 20, 2008

The answer is (c) Country Life

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Answer: Tuesday November 18, 2008

The answer is (c) Neil Hamilton.

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Answer: Monday November 17, 2008

The answer is (a) a ten inch sword.

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Answer: Thursday November 11, 2008

The answer is (b) William Hague's Press Secretary.

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Answer: Monday November 10, 2008

The answer is (b) writing a biography of Margaret Thatcher

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Answer: Monday November 3, 2008

The answer is (b) Colin Powell.

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Answer: Tuesday October 28, 2008

The answer is (a) 8000

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Answer: Monday October 27, 2008

The answer is (b) Baseball cap

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Answer: Thursday October 23, 2008

The answer is (c) Robert Mugabe

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Answer: Tuesday October 21, 2008

The answer is (b) Nicholas Ridley

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Answer: Monday October 20, 2008

The answer is (a) John Maynard Keynes

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Answer: Tuesday October 14, 2008

The answer is (b) A dictator

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Answer: Monday October 13, 2008

The answer is (b) Hawaii

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Answer: Thursday October 9, 2008

The answer is (a) George Bush

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Answer: Tuesday October 7, 2008

The answer is (c) Chantelle Houghton

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Answer: Monday October 6, 2008

The answer is (a) 3.2m

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Answer: Thursday October 2, 2008

The answer is (a) £6m.

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Answer: Tuesday July 15, 2008

The answer is (b) Labour Club.

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Answer: Monday July 14, 2008

The answer is (a) Greenham Common protests.

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Answer: Thursday July 10, 2008

The answer is (a) Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

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Answer: Tuesday July 8, 2008

The answer is (b) 1985.

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Answer: Monday July 7, 2008

The answer is (a) 6.5 million.

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Answer: Thursday July 3, 2008

The answer is (c) official signing of the new EU treaty.

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Answer: Tuesday July 1, 2008

The answer is (a) Metal Mickey.

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Answer: Monday June 30, 2008

The answer is (a) Worcester women.

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