Jeffrey Simpson is the author of eight books and the former national affairs columnist for The Globe and Mail.
Questions
1. Marvin Lee Aday died at the age of 74. His best-known hit song was Bat Out of Hell. What was his stage name?
2. Which country was perceived to be the most corrupt in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index?
a) Ukraine b) Russia c) Mexico d) Brazil e) China
3. Which Prime Minister postponed her own wedding because of COVID restrictions her government had imposed on social gatherings?
4. Which French female writer won the Nobel Prize for Literature?
5. Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre’s wife, Anaida Poilievre, is an immigrant from which country?
6. Which team won Super Bowl LVI?
7. How do you spell the first name of Ukrainian President Zelensky?
8. According to Statistics Canada data released in 2022, which species ranks as Canada’s top fish and seafood export?
9. After a nearly decade-long military intervention, French troops pulled out of which African country?
10. Who was the female leader and spokesperson of the truckers’ convoy in Ottawa?
11. Angela Lansbury, who died in October, became a Broadway star for her role in which musical?
12. What’s the Wagner Group?
13. Who is the head of the Assembly of First Nations?
14. Actor Will Smith hit whom in the face at the Academy Awards ceremony?
15. Pamela Anderson, who lives in Ladysmith, B.C., married her bodyguard but then split from him. How many times has she ended a marriage by divorce or annulment?
16. In which Canadian city were the biggest rallies held for candidates in the Philippines presidential election?
17. In the first week of the year, which central Asian “stan”-suffix country was rocked by violent riots caused by a hike in oil prices and massive government corruption?
18. What is the Ukrainian town near Kyiv where many bodies of civilians were found after the Russians retreated?
19. According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which country’s parliament had the highest share of women in 2022?
a) Rwanda b) Cuba c) Iceland d) Sweden e) Canada
20. What’s the title of Prince Harry’s coming memoir?
21. NFL superstar quarterback Tom Brady and his wife, a world-famous model, announced their divorce. What is her name?
22. According to the Canadian Kennel Club, which breed was the most popular dog in Canada in 2022?
23. In response to a spate of gang violence, Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency that resulted in 19,000 arrests in one month. Which Western-hemisphere country is Mr. Bukele President of?
24. According to the 2022 Mercer Cost of Living Index, which of these cities was the world’s most expensive to live in?
a) Hong Kong b) Tel Aviv c) Geneva d) Paris e) Tokyo
25. Singer “Rompin’ Ronnie” died at the age of 87. What was his real name?
26. In which Canadian province did PepsiCo unveil a 17-foot-high sculpture of a Cheeto, held by fingers covered in Cheeto dust?
27. Who became Prime Minister of Australia in 2022?
28. In May, a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in which Texas town?
29. Who are the NUPES in French politics?
30. Which team won the Stanley Cup?
31. Robbie Coltrane, a Scottish actor, died at the age of 72. For what role is he best known?
32. What is the name of the former Japanese prime minister who was assassinated?
33. Whom did Jennifer Lopez marry?
34. How long was Mattea Roach’s record-setting winning streak on Jeopardy! in the spring of 2022?
a) 18 games b) 19 games c) 21 games d) 23 games e) 25 games
35. In which European country did the Prime Minister remove his necktie and urge other men to do likewise to reduce the need for air conditioning and therefore conserve energy?
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36. Which superstar female vocalist released her seventh solo studio album, Renaissance?
37. William Ruto became Prime Minister of which country?
a) Kenya b) South Africa c) Papua New Guinea d) Pakistan e) Gabon
38. What’s the title of Shania Twain’s Netflix documentary, released in 2022?
39. Name the German Chancellor who visited Canada in August.
40. Which show won best drama series at the Emmy Awards?
41. Which airline did Skytrax magazine name the world’s best airline in 2022? (Air Canada ranked 50th.)
a) Japan Airlines b) British Airways c) Korean Air d) Finnair e) Qatar Airways
42. Which U.S. country music singer, who died at the age of 90, wrote a memoir entitled Coal Miner’s Daughter?
43. Whom did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appoint to the Supreme Court?
44. Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov suddenly resigned as president of which central Asian “stan,” and organized a snap election for his son, Serdar, to replace him?
45. Which former head of state explained that he ran for high office because, “I have so many rich friends and nobody knows who they are”?
46. Which Canadian tennis player won three consecutive Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournaments?
47. Who is Italy’s new right-wing Prime Minister?
48. The government of Turkey wishes to change the country’s name to what?
49. In which country did protesters, angry at their nation’s deep economic problems, set the presidential and prime ministerial residences on fire?
50. Which female U.S. basketball player was sentenced to nine years in prison for allegedly importing narcotics to Russia?
51. Who plays Queen Elizabeth II in the most recent season of Netflix’s The Crown?
52. What was the name of the hurricane that hit the Atlantic provinces and eastern Quebec in September?
53. Which university took the top spot in the Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings in 2022?
54. Which writer was attacked and seriously wounded while speaking at the Chautauqua Institution’s summer arts festival?
55. According to travel data company FlightAware, what percentage of flights out of Toronto’s Pearson Airport were delayed this summer?
a) 25.7 per cent b) 38.4 per cent c) 44.6 per cent d) 55.8 per cent e) 63.2 per cent
56. The Trudeau government announced it would begin negotiations to buy which type of fighter jet?
57. According to Statistics Canada data published in 2022, which province has the largest number of Indigenous people?
58. Which country has by far the largest supply of cobalt, a key mineral for making electric-car batteries?
59. Which country elected a president with the nickname Bongbong?
60. Montrealer Michael Fagen won the North American Scrabble Players Championship by playing the verb “levirates.” What does it mean?
61. Nedd Brockmann, a 23-year-old electrician, ran across Australia from Perth to Sydney while raising US$1.5-million for charity. How long did it take him?
a) 42 day and 7 hours b) 46 days and 12 hours c) 52 days and 3 hours d) 60 days and 8 hours e) 65 days and 9 hours
62. What was the southern coastal Ukrainian city that lost an estimated 90 per cent of its buildings, including the city centre’s beautiful theatre, after Russia laid siege to it?
63. Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Which country is he from?
64. In March, only four countries, apart from Russia itself, voted against a UN General Assembly resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine and calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops. Name the four countries.
65. A 2022 study released by World Population Review revealed that men in which country had the longest penis size?
a) Senegal b) Sudan c) Cuba d) Ecuador e) Canada
66. India was the leading source country for immigrants to Canada in 2022. Which country was next?
67. Which Caribbean country’s broadcasting regulator banned content deemed to glorify or promote criminal activity?
68. According to the United Nations World Happiness Report (published in 2022 but reporting on 2021), which country was the world’s unhappiest?
a) Afghanistan b) Zimbabwe c) Finland d) Uganda e) Pakistan
69. Johnny Depp and his former wife, Amber Heard, sued each other in a defamation lawsuit battle. How much did the jury decide to award Mr. Depp in damages (in U.S. dollars)?
a) $5-million b) $10-million c) $15-million d) $25-million e) $50-million
70. “Let’s go girls,” are the first three words of which Shania Twain song, voted the top karaoke track of all time by Billboard magazine in 2022?
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71. What is the name of the man who killed 11 people on or near the James Smith Cree First Nation in Saskatchewan?
72. The Economist Intelligence Unit measured “liveability” in 172 cities. Three Canadian cities ranked in the top 10. Which ones, and in what order?
73. Large protests broke out in Karakalpakstan, a two-million-person enclave in which large “stan” in Central Asia?
74. A child of which well-known billionaire (who recently named two other children X Æ A-Xii and Exa Dark Sideræl) successfully applied to change her name in order to sever all ties with her father?
75. Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon tennis tournament. How many titles has he won at Wimbledon in total?
76. What has Pantone announced as its Colour of the Year for 2023?
a) Viva Magenta b) Irish Green c) Canary Yellow d) Calming Turquoise e) Baby Blue
77. According to the website BabyCenter, what was the most popular female baby name in Canada in 2022?
a) Ava b) Charlotte c) Nora d) Olivia e) Hannah
78. In which country was Neighbours, a soap opera that first aired in 1985 and ended in 2022, set?
79. Which far-right American radio host was ordered to pay nearly US$1.5-billion dollars to the relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook school massacre, which he had described as a hoax?
80. Which Latin American country had three finance ministers in 2022 and saw its central bank raise its base interest rate to 69.5 per cent?
81. According to the World Happiness Index, which country was the happiest in 2022?
82. Which singer, perhaps best known for the song Great Balls of Fire, died at age 87?
83. The Fabelmans won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival. Who directed it?
84. Which Canadian actress attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II?
85. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2022 survey, which is the world’s least “liveable” city?
a) Damascus b) Kolkata c) Algiers d) Mexico City e) Karachi
86. According to Statistics Canada data, what percentage of Canadian males say they have used cannabis in the previous 12 months?
a) 13 per cent b) 23 per cent c) 25 per cent d) 29 per cent e) 42 per cent
87. Who won the Oscar for Best Actress?
a) Nicole Kidman b) Jessica Chastain c) Penelope Cruz d) Kristen Stewart e) Olivia Colman
88. Athlete Sarah Nurse is famous for playing which sport?
89. According to the United Nations Network on Migration, how many Venezuelans have left their country as refugees or migrants since the onset of political and economic instability in 2014?
a) Two million b) Three million c) Four million d) Five million e) Six million
90. The COP27 climate change conference took place in Egypt. What does COP stand for?
91. Who won the men’s Australian tennis singles championship as his 21st Grand Slam title?
92. Which Asian country decided to build a new capital city, to be called Nusantara?
93. Fighting between Kyrgyzstan and which neighbouring country produced 24 dead and at least 100 wounded?
94. A huge undersea volcanic eruption near which Pacific Island country sent towering clouds of ash into the sky and created tsunami waves across the region?
95. Attrition has contributed to shrinking numbers for the Canadian Armed Forces. Approximately how many “trained effective” military personnel do the forces currently have?
a) 32,000 b) 42,000 c) 65,000 d) 72,000 e) 90,000
96. Who is the president of the European Union’s Commission?
97. Who is the current chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve?
98. Who is the new Premier of British Columbia?
99. Which country was the world’s biggest wine producer in 2022?
100. Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds, who is reportedly interested in part-ownership of the Ottawa Senators, is already a part-owner of a soccer team in which Welsh city?
Answers
1. Meat Loaf
2. b) Russia
3. Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand
4. Annie Ernaux
5. Venezuela
6. Los Angeles Rams
7. Volodymyr
8. Lobster
9. Mali
10. Tamara Lich
11. Mame
12. Russian private-military company. Sometimes referred to as a paramilitary organization, mercenary network or private army
13. RoseAnne Archibald
14. Chris Rock
15. She has ended a marriage six times, including four divorces and two annulments
16. Winnipeg
17. Kazakhstan
18. Bucha
19. a) Rwanda
20. Spare
21. Gisele Bundchen
22. Labrador retriever
23. El Salvador
24. a) Hong Kong
25. Ronnie Hawkins
26. Alberta, in the town of Cheadle
27. Anthony Albanese
28. Uvalde
29. Accepted answers: A leftist or left-wing alliance of political parties in France; The New Ecological and Social People’s Union
30. Colorado Avalanche
31. Hagrid in the Harry Potter series
32. Shinzo Abe
33. Ben Affleck
34. d) 23 games
35. Spain
36. Beyoncé
37. a) Kenya
38. Not Just a Girl
39. Olaf Scholz
40. Succession
41. e) Qatar Airways
42. Loretta Lynn
43. Michelle O’Bonsawin
44. Turkmenistan
45. Donald Trump
46. Félix Auger-Aliassime
47. Giorgia Meloni
48. Türkiye
49. Sri Lanka
50. Brittney Griner
51. Imelda Staunton
52. Fiona
53. Harvard University
54. Salman Rushdie
55. d) 55.8 per cent
56. F-35
57. Ontario
58. The Democratic Republic of the Congo
59. The Philippines
60. In ancient Hebrew custom, if a man levirates it means they have married the widow of their brother
61. b) 46 days and 12 hours
62. Mariupol
63. Sri Lanka
64. Syria, North Korea, Belarus, Eritrea
65. d) Ecuador
66. The Philippines
67. Jamaica
68. a) Afghanistan
69. c) $15-million
70. Man! I Feel Like a Woman!
71. Myles Sanderson
72. Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto
73. Uzbekistan
74. Elon Musk
75. Seven
76. a) Viva Magenta
77. d) Olivia
78. Australia
79. Alex Jones
80. Argentina
81. Finland
82. Jerry Lee Lewis
83. Steven Spielberg
84. Sandra Oh
85. a) Damascus
86. d) 29 per cent
87. b) Jessica Chastain, for her role in The Eyes of Tammy Faye
88. Hockey
89. e) Six million
90. Conference of the Parties
91. Rafael Nadal
92. Indonesia
93. Tajikistan
94. Tonga
95. c) 65,000
96. Ursula von der Leyen
97. Jerome Powell
98. David Eby
99. Italy
100. Wrexham
JEFFREY SIMPSON
The Globe and Mail, December 31, 2022