52 weeks 52 questions, part three

Quiz of the year's news

The third of the Magazine's annual four-part quiz of the year's news, covering July - September. PLUS a special bonus question each day this week, below. Just click NEXT to begin. If you missed parts one and two, the links are below.

1.) Multiple Choice Question

Venus Williams led an important victory for women's tennis when, for the first time at Wimbledon, a ladies' singles champion won the same prize money as the men's. How much?

1. £625,000
   
2. £655,000
   
3. £700,000
   

2.) Multiple Choice Question

Tony Blair's former mouthpiece Alistair Campbell published his diaries in July. He revealed that Blair once received a message on his mobile. Complete it: "Tony. It's Gordon..."

1. "Is Alistair listening?"
   
2. "I'm locked in the toilet."
   
3. "I'm not talking to you."
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

In July first Yorkshire, then Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire were flooded. It was the wettest UK July since records began.

1. True
   
2. False
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

Three colourful media figures died in the summer. Which said he wanted to die "either coming off stage with the applause in my ears or of a terminal stroke on a river bank with two trout by my side".

1. Jazzman George Melly
   
2. Comedian and actor Mike Reid
   
3. Factory records boss Tony Wilson
   

5.) Multiple Choice Question

"We are sure it was an oversight and are grateful for their co-operation." Said who?

1. Nasa after a panel found it had let astronauts fly drunk
   
2. O2 authorities after Keith and Ronnie lit up on stage despite the smoking ban
   
3. Tessa Jowell on a National Audit Office report which said the Olympics were over budget
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

In August, a New Zealand couple wanted to name their baby son 4Real. Registrars said they couldn't - so what name did they choose instead?

1. Brett
   
2. Jermaine
   
3. Superman
   

Info

On 4 July, BBC correspondent Alan Johnston was released after being held hostage in Gaza for 114 days. Here, he is reunited with his family in Scotland. Click NEXT to answer a question about his release.

7.) Missing Word Question

BBC man celebrates freedom... with a *

1. haircut
   
2. steak
   
3. bath
   

8.) Multiple Choice Question

September saw a run on Northern Rock as many customers withdrew their savings. As the government propped the bank up, who said they have a Northern Rock mortgage?

1. Gordon Brown
   
2. Jacqui Smith
   
3. Alistair Darling
   

9.) Multiple Choice Question

Northern Rock was the first major UK victim of the global credit crunch, which has also hit the Libor rate. The what?

1. Economists' jargon for the base interest rate
   
2. Rate at which banks lend to each other
   
3. Number of customers whose loans are written off
   

10.) Missing Word Question

Driver held * on car roof

1. ladder
   
2. baby seat
   
3. mattress
   

11.) Multiple Choice Question

In July, seven cabinet ministers admitted they smoked cannabis in their youth. But which said: "I did the sex and rock and roll but not the drugs."

1. Harriet Harman
   
2. Vernon Coaker
   
3. Jacqui Smith
   
4. Alan Johnson
   

12.) Multiple Choice Question

Cats made many headlines. Which was made an honorary constable in north London?

1. Oscar
   
2. Tizer
   
3. Sergeant Podge
   
4. Baby
   

Answers

1. It's £700,000. In 2006, £655,000 was the prize money for the men's singles champion Roger Federer and £625,000 for ladies' singles champion, Amelie Mauresmo.
2. It's "I'm locked in the toilet." This happened soon after the death of John Smith, as the pair locked horns over who would be Labour leader. Campbell added: "They both ended up laughing about it. TB went upstairs and said: 'You're staying there until you agree.' "
3. It's false - while for England it was the wettest July on record, for the UK as a whole it was the second wettest. In Wales it was the second wettest, the 15th wettest in Northern Ireland and 18th wettest in Scotland, according to the Met Office.
4. It was George Melly, who died aged 80 in July.
5. It was the O2 authorities.
6. The boy's official name is Superman, but the couple say they plan to keep calling him 4Real.
7. It's haircut. In a press conference he told reporters that he first called his parents and then asked for a razor to get rid of that "just kidnapped look".
8. It's Chancellor Alistair Darling. News that the Bank of England had granted Northern Rock substantial emergency funds sparked the first run on a British bank for more than 140 years.
9. Libor is the rate at which banks lend to each other. It stands for the London Inter-bank Offered Rate.
10. It's "mattress". The man balanced the double mattress on the roof of his Citroen and held it in place as he drove along the M5 in September.
11. It's Alan Johnson. The other three admitted that they had tried the drug in their younger days.
12. It's Tizer, adopted by British Transport Police to keep a station rodent-free. Baby was dubbed "bionic" after having metal plates fitted in all four legs. Sgt Podge wandered off each night and waited the next morning in the same spot, 2.5km away, to be picked up by car. And Oscar apparently predicted the deaths of 25 patients in a nursing home.

Your Score

0 - 4 : One life down, eight to go

5 - 9 : Puss in boots

10 - 12 : Cat that got the cream - but keep your tally

Bonus question

BONUS QUESTION Pictures 3 and 4 to be published on Thurs and Fri 52 weeks, part one 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. >