Quiz of the week's news

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Welcome to 7 days 7 questions - the Magazine's quiz of the week's news. If this isn't enough brain exercise, there's also our Daily Mini-Quiz, every weekday on the Magazine home page.

1.) Multiple Choice Question

Details of the fabled "John Lewis list" of items MPs can claim back on expenses, have been released. Which of the following can they spend most on?

1. Washer-dryer
   
2. Recordable DVD
   
3. Coffee maker and coffee table
   
4. Dishwasher
   

2.) Multiple Choice Question

Budget time folks. According to Alistair Darling's first Budget, duty on which of the following will go up most?

1. Pint of beer
   
2. Gallon of petrol
   
3. Packet of five cigars
   

3.) Multiple Choice Question

Which of the following proposals was NOT in Lord Goldsmith's citizenship review?

1. Reduced university tuition fees for volunteers
   
2. Review of ban on asylum seekers getting paid work
   
3. A "Deliberation Day" to spark debate at elections
   
4. A National Enterprise Academy
   

4.) Multiple Choice Question

What did the Environment Agency warn was the "potent cocktail" looming on Monday?

1. Heavy rain, high tides and strong winds
   
2. Strong winds, wave action and high tides
   
3. Wave action, heavy rain and strong winds
   
4. Heavy rain, wave action and high tides
   

5.) Missing Word Question

Lighter terms for * thefts

1. addict
   
2. phone
   
3. first
   

6.) Multiple Choice Question

What has become the "equivalent of a Wetherspoons pub but with even less of a sense of social responsibility" according to Lib Dem treasury spokesman Vince Cable?

1. High Street banks
   
2. Fast food outlets
   
3. Premiership football clubs
   
4. Energy suppliers
   

7.) Multiple Choice Question

"I do not live my life for the critics." Whose defiant words?

1. Actor Hugh Laurie on being "snubbed" by Britain
   
2. Thrice-married Ulrika Jonsson on tying the knot again
   
3. Jonny Wilkinson on being dropped by England
   
4. Disgraced New York governer Eliot Spitzer
   

Answers

1. It's the washer-dryer, which carries a £500 maximum allowance. For the DVD it's £270 max, the dishwasher £375 max and the coffee ensemble £350 max (£100 max for a coffee machine, £250 max for the table). The items are part of an MP's second home allowance.
2. It's the petrol, although the rise of 1.84p per litre is delayed until April 2009, and a further 0.5p in 2010. Converted to gallons, that's a total of 9.1p more per gallon. Beer is up 4p a pint and it's the same for cigars.
3. The academy was announced separately by Business Secretary John Hutton. It will be partly funded by TV Dragon Peter Jones's charitable foundation, and will offer a qualification in enterprise to 16 to 19-year-olds. The other three proposals were in Lord Goldsmith's review.
4. It was strong winds, wave action and high tides. Roads, rail and air travel were disrupted and almost 12,000 homes in south-west England and Wales were without power on Monday. Northern Ireland, north Wales and north-west England were hit by a second storm two days later.
5. A drug or gambling addiction could mitigate against jail for some types of theft, says the Sentencing Guidelines Council (SGC), which advises courts in England and Wales. It has called for more community orders, but this leniency will not apply to burglary.
6. It's High Street banks. The comment provoked an angry response from Wetherspoons HQ, which said it was "ridiculous" adding: "Perhaps he has been barred from a Wetherspoons pub."
7. It's Ulrika, who married advertising executive Brian Monet at the weekend. The former weathergirl said she "couldn't give a monkey's" about her reputation . Laurie said he felt snubbed in the UK, Wilkinson said his motivation was undimmed and Spitzer said sorry.

Your Score

0 - 3 : Armchair critic

4 - 6 : Critical mass

7 - 7 : Critics' choice

For a complete archive of past quizzes and our weekly news quiz, 7 days 7 questions, visit the Magazine page and scroll down.