Christmas quiz

1. Earlier this month more than 4,000 US people signed a White House petition calling on President Barack Obama to nationalise which industry to prevent their nation "from losing her sweet, creamy centre"?

2. Despite his Eton education, David Cameron embarrassed himself on the David Letterman show in September after he admitted not knowing the meaning of what?

3. Which city council announced plans to totally cuts its arts budget next year?

4. In May Caroline Lucas revealed that she was stepping down as leader of the Green Party. What is the name of her successor?

5. Legendary Cuban boxer Teofilo Stevenson died in June at the age of 60. How many Olympic gold medals did he win?

6. What kind of flag was flown over Whitehall for the first time in July?

7. In February Labour MP Eric Joyce was involved in a drunken brawl with Tory Stuart Andrew. According to witnesses Joyce had been doing what kind of dance on the Commons terrace before the dust-up?

8. Which NGO did the Morning Star link to a private intelligence agency in March following its controversial Kony 2012 viral video campaign?

9. How many people attempted a citizen's arrest on ex-PM Tony Blair in 2012?

10. Which US writer prevented an Israeli publisher releasing a Hebrew edition of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel in June, saying she objects to Israel's treatment of the Palestinian people?

11. And what was the name of the novel?

12. Which Shakespeare play received all-black and all-women productions for the first time this year?

13. Muhammad Ali's trainer from 1960 to 1981 died in February at the age of 90. Name him.

14. The Home Office was in hot water in April after botching the deportation of Abu Qatada. Home Secretary Theresa May was accused being distracted by partying with who at the time Qatada's appeal was launched?

15. Why did a trip to the pub in June leave David Cameron feeling "distraught"?

16. Robin van Persie finished as top scorer in the Premier League in 2011-12. But who provided the most assists for his team-mates?

17. What was the name of the beer that was banned at Parliament's Strangers Bar in February following complaints of sexism?

18. Amid the hype of the Jubilee, it was proposed to rename Big Ben tower in honour of Elizabeth Windsor. Labour MP Paul Flynn disagreed - what did he suggest renaming it in his early day motion in June?

19. "Fifty per cent of people won't vote, and 50 per cent don't read newspapers. I hope it's the same 50 per cent." This is a quote from which writer who died in July this year?

20. Who won rugby league's Man of Steel award in 2012?

21. Who made history this year in getting married to his longstanding partner Kyle Jinadu?

22. In December, the England cricket team completed a historic Test series win in India. When did they last win there?

23. Formerly principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, she took over as artistic director of the English National Ballet in the spring. Who is she?

24. Who won Stonewall's bigot of the year award after writing this year that same-sex marriage represented a "grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right"?

25. In June police were on the hunt for a man in the Forest of Dean who was taking passers-by by surprise by doing star jumps - but what was he dressed as?

26. Which football team finished first in the Conference in 2011-12?

27. In September protests erupted across a number of Islamic nations in response to a crude anti-Muslim film. What was its name?

28. Which film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival this year?

29. In August, it was announced that whose skeleton would finally be returned to his descendants 132 years after he was executed?

30. Why did North Korea's women footballers walk off the pitch for an hour at their opening London 2012 match?

31. In February former Cuban president Fidel Castro released his memoirs. What are they titled?

32. In September Thin Lizzy star Phil Lynott's mother hit out at Mitt Romney running mate Paul Ryan's use of her son's music in their presidential election campaign. What was the name of the song?

33. Russian baritone Evgeny Nikitin pulled out of the Bayreuth opera festival in July after it was revealed he had tattooed himself with what as a youth?

34. Who won this year's Formula One world title?

35. Which winner of the Booker Prize for the novel Sacred Hunger died in June?

36. Which music group directed the music for the Olympics opening ceremony in the summer?

37. Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell was involved in a tussle with a police officer at the gates of Downing Street in September. After the incident it emerged that Mitchell had been given what nickname when at Rugby school?

38. The residents of the Scottish village of Dull were celebrating in June after their home was twinned with which US town?

39. Fifty truckloads of sets and costume, piles of sand, a mountain of flowers and a cast of 100 from Germany. What were they doing in London last summer?

40. Who won the first ever Olympic women's boxing final?

41. In January Disney announced that workers at its theme parks would be allowed to do what for the first time?

42. Scottish tennis player Andy Murray won his first grand slam at the US Open in September. But how many grand slam finals had he lost before he broke his duck?

43. In April Thai film censors banned an adaptation of what, saying that it could "cause divisiveness among the people of the nation" in the kingdom where it is illegal to criticise the monarchy?

44. In March New Zealanders were troubled by a shortage of what product after an earthquake knocked out the only factory which produces it?

45. Which Paralympian claimed "we aren't racing a fair race" after being beaten to gold?

46. Which Cabinet minister narrowly avoided braining a bystander while ringing a bell "in a very excited way"?

47. What was the name of the police horse loaned to Rebekah Brooks and ridden by David Cameron?

48. Which team won this season's Women's Super League?

49. The PM was left red-faced in March after claiming to have eaten a pasty from which non-existent shop at Leeds railway station?

50. Bradley Wiggins won this year's Tour de France. Who came second?

51. In August Belarus sacked its air defence and border security chiefs - why?

52. Why was Spanish King Juan Carlos kicked out of his honorary presidency of Spain's wing of the World Wildlife Fund in July?

53. Which sport opened the Olympic Games two days before the opening ceremony?

54. Former prime minister Tony Blair faced criticism in April after starring in a promotional video for which repressive regime?

55. Team GB won 65 medals at the London Olympics. But where did they finish in the final medals table?

56. An art exhibition launched in Moscow for President Vladimir Putin's 60th birthday depicted him alongside various cuddly animals. What was it called?

57. Why was the 14th annual Burton Latimer Duck Race in Northamptonshire called off in June?

58. Aung San Suu Kyi surprised many when she said that she enjoyed listening to Dave Lee Travis on the World Service while under house arrest. What was the name of her favourite programme ?

59. Which bungling CEO when being grilled by MPs in July claimed not to understand the term "fluent English"?

60. Engelbert Humperdinck's Eurovision entry for 2012 Love Will Set You Free finished in what position in the competition?

quiz answers----

1. The Twinkie industry. The US snack cake ceased production in November after its manufacturers ran into financial trouble

2. The Magna Carta

3. Newcastle city council, which plans to slash £2.5 million

4. Natalie Bennett

5. Three

6. The gay pride rainbow flag, to coincide with London hosting World Pride

7. The Gay Gordons

8. Invisible Children, whose former "international strategy adviser" David Young is the son of David Young Snr - founder of the Oxford Analytica agency and one of the original Watergate "plumbers"

9. Just one, expat Tom Grundy during a speech at Hong Kong University. However filmmaker David Lawley-Walkin also interrupted his testimony at the Leveson inquiry to demand his arrest in May

10. Alice Walker

11. The Colour Purple

12. Julius Caesar, in productions at the RSC in the Straford and the Donmar Warehouse in London

13. Angelo Dundee

14. The X-Factor judges

15. He left his eight-year-old daughter Nancy behind - which was gleefully seized upon by the press

16. Manchester City's David Silva

17. Top Totty

18. Democracy Tower

19. Gore Vidal

20. Sam Tomkins

21. Marvel superhero Northstar. Marvel is the first mainstream comic book publisher to depict a gay wedding

22. 27 years ago

23. Tamara Rojo

24. Cardinal Keith O'Brien

25. A Smurf

26. Fleetwood Town

27. Innocence of Muslims

28. Amour, directed by Michael Haneke

29. Australian folk hero Ned Kelly

30. Organisers mistakenly introduced the players using South Korea's flag

31. Guerrilla of Time

32. The Boys are Back in Town

33. A swastika

34. Sebastian Vettel

35. Barry Unsworth, who won the prize in 1992

36. Underworld

37. Thrasher

38. Boring

39. They were participating in World Cities, an experimental dance project by the legendary Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal

40. Nicola Adams of Team GB

41. Grow beards

42. Three

43. Shakespeare's Macbeth

44. Marmite. Local papers dubbed the situation "Marmageddon."

45. Oscar Pistorius

46. Jeremy Hunt

47. Raisa

48. Arsenal Ladies

49. The West Cornwall Pasty Company

50. Chris Froome

51. For failing to prevent a Swedish company from dropping 800 teddy bears with "pro-human rights messages" on the country

52. For going on an elephant-killing jaunt in Botswana. He had previously been investigated by Russian police over the drugging and killing of a pet bear

53. Women's football

54. The Nursultan Nazarbayev government in Kazakhstan, which massacred striking oil workers last December

55. Third

56. A Man With The Kindest Soul

57. Due to heavy rainfall

58. A Jolly Good Show

59. G4S boss Nick Buckles, when asked why he couldn't guarantee that his staff patrolling the Olympics would be able to speak the language

60. 25th - second from last