52 weeks 52 questions, part one

Quiz of the year's news

The first of the Magazine's annual four-part quiz of the year's news, covering January - March. PLUS a special bonus question each day this week, see below for details. But first, just click NEXT

1.) Multiple Choice Question

"Seriously, I'm going home." Said which reality TV show participant?

1. Leo Sayer in Celebrity Big Brother (CBB)
   
2. Ken Russell in CBB
   
3. Shilpa Shetty in CBB
   
4. Preston, formerly of CBB, in Never Mind the Buzzcocks
   

2.) Multiple Choice Question

In January, the Bank of England put the interest base rate up to 5.25%. What is it now, at the end of 2007?

1. 5%
   
2. 5.25%
   
3. 5.5%
   
4. 5.75%
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

Chris Eubank in his truck outside Downing St, where he was arrested for breaching the peace. What was he protesting against?

1. Fuel tax
   
2. Congestion charges
   
3. Iraq war
   
4. Planning regulations
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

Missing sex offenders, youth prisons' overcrowding, failure to update police records - a sample of Home Office woes... in January. What did then Home Secretary John Reid describe Home Office reform as like...

1. ...teaching an old dog new tricks
   
2. ...painting the Forth bridge
   
3. ...renovating a house
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

In February, thieves stole Picasso's painting Jacqueline (seen here, bottom right) from an apartment in Paris. Which of his lovers pictured here, does the painting depict?

1. 1
   
2. 2
   
3. 3
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

Below are squid-related headlines from the BBC News website. Which matches this picture?

1. NZ fishermen land colossal squid
   
2. Large squid lights up for attack
   
3. Live giant squid caught on camera
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

There were gasps all around when Blackpool lost out to Manchester to host Britain's first supercasino in January. How did Blackpool sum up its sense of let down?

1. "Absolutely flabbergasted and very disappointed"
   
2. "Disappointing news but won't hold us back"
   
3. "Like someone very important has just died here"
   

8.) Multiple Choice Question

Top Gear returned in January, four months after presenter Richard Hammond's high speed crash, in which he sustained severe brain injuries. The first episode showed the accident - what caused it?

1. Burst tyre
   
2. Wheel came off
   
3. Poor driving
   
4. Debris on road
   

9.) Missing Word Question

Israel recalls ' * ambassador'

1. corrupt
   
2. naked
   
3. British
   

10.) Multiple Choice Question

The MSC Napoli ran aground off the coast of Branscombe in Devon, spilling its load of motorbikes, nappies, Bibles in Zulu and cider brandy. But what does MSC stand for?

1. Mediterranean Shipping Company
   
2. Merchant Sea Carrier
   
3. Maritime Seaborne Cargo
   

Info

This is Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik (centre, obviously) and the Cheeky Girls, aka Gabriela and Monica Irimia. The one on the right is his girlfriend. Click NEXT to answer a question about the early stages of their relationship.

11.) Missing Word Question

Cheeky love 'not * ', says Opik

1. lust
   
2. stunt
   
3. funny
   

12.) Multiple Choice Question

"I'm embarrassed and ashamed. It shouldn't have happened" - cricketer Andrew Flintoff on what?

1. Captaining England to a 5-0 Ashes drubbing
   
2. Scoring more than 50 only twice in said Ashes series
   
3. Getting drunk and falling off a pedalo
   

Answers

1. It was Preston, storming off the music quiz in January. Ken escaped the CBB house after a row with Jade Goody. Leo Sayer also flounced out, but Shilpa stayed despite bullying from Jade and cronies.
2. Today the rate is 5.5%, dropped in early December from 5.75%.
3. He protested against the Iraq war in February, and pulled a similar stunt in May when he was charged with making an unlawful protest in Whitehall.
4. It's renovating a house. It is only when you take the wallpaper off "that you discover more problems" said Mr Reid.
5. It's 3 - his second wife, Jacqueline. 1 is his first wife, Olga Khokhlova and 2 his "companion" Francoise Gilot.
6. It's "Large squid lights up for attack" from February - the huge deep-sea squid T.danae emits blinding flashes of light as it attacks its prey.
7. It's "like someone very important has just died here". Greenwich in London was "absolutely flabbergasted" and Glasgow found the result "disappointing news".
8. The tyre burst at 288mph. More than a year on, Hammond has said that although he is physically fine, he is still recovering.
9. It's "naked". Israel's ambassador to El Salvador was found drunk and naked apart from bondage gear. He was recalled although he had not broken any laws.
10. It's Mediterranean Shipping Company.
11. The headline said "Cheeky love 'not lust', says Opik". The odd couple got together in January and are still an item.
12. It's the pedalo. The event happened in St Lucia where the England team were competing in the World Cup in March. The Ashes loss came in early January.

Your Score

0 - 4 : Pauper

5 - 10 : Courtier

11 - 12 : Prince - but keep your tally

Bonus question

BONUS QUESTION 52 weeks, Part two 52 weeks, part three 52 weeks, part four

In addition to the 12 questions above, there was also a bonus question for each of the four parts of this quiz. (That's how we get to the grand total of 52 questions.)

Each day this week, we published a photograph and asked you to spot the link alluding to a major 2007 news story.

The correct answer can be found at the bottom of this page.

These people solved the puzzle before the Friday afternoon deadline:

Jonathan Griffith, Cambridge
Stig, London
Peter Judge, W Yorkshire
Simon Rooke, Nottingham
Kate Allan, Teddington
Rob Falconer, Llandough
Richard Sheehan, Leicester
Colin, Cambridge
Tim Etra, Uxbridge
Mike Need, Bristol
Dav, London
Gwennan Thomas, London
Hoi Yen Sihapanya, Saffron Walden
Michael Brookes, Saffron Walden
Ivan Poulson, Cambridge
David Smith, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Mark Spankey, Eton

It is the Labour deputy leadership contest. A hazel branch, Hilary Duff on the red carpet, Mr Harman from Are You Being Served? and Dr Johnson.