Quiz of The Week: 3 - 9 August (2024)

The Paris Olympics will draw to a close this weekend, ending what has proved a much-needed display of international harmony – and a welcome distraction – in an unsettled period on the world stage, including fresh sabre-rattling in the Middle East.

To get all the news that matters delivered to your inbox every day, sign up for our new daily digital editions: US readers can find out more here, and here if you're a reader in the UK.

And now, find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to the latest news and other global events by putting your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

1. The prime minister of which country fled by helicopter as protesters surrounded their official residence?

• Sri Lanka
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Nepal

2. US shot putter Raven Saunders is gaining attention for wearing what item while competing at the Paris Olympics?

• A fedora
• A full face mask
• A cape
• A MAGA hat

3. Three planned Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna had to be called off due to what?

• Flooding
• Technical issues
• Laryngitis
• Terror threat

4. US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr revealed that he hid what in New York's Central Park?

• A box of cash
• A bear cub
• A human hand
• A treasure map

5. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed Ukraine had deployed what military hardware for the first time?

• M1A2 Abrams tanks
• Switchblade kamikaze drones
• F-16 fighter jets
• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles

6. Which military base housing US and allied personnel was hit by a rocket attack in Iraq?

• Al-Asad
• Al-Harir
• Camp Taji
• Camp Victory

7. Italian gymnast Alice D'Amato secured a surprise gold in which event at the Paris Olympics?

• Beam
• Vault
• Uneven bars
• Floor

8. Arizona's attorney general secured a guilty plea from how many Republicans, who falsely attested that Donald Trump won the state in 2020?

• One
• Three
• Five
• Eight

9. Who became Wales's new first minister following the resignation of Vaughan Gething?

• Elin Jones
• Andrew R.T. Davies
• Rhun ap Iorwerth
• Eluned Morgan

10. A US federal court ruled that which tech giant had engaged in anti-competitive business practices to maintain its dominance?

• Microsoft
• Google
• Meta
• Apple

1. Bangladesh

The autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina, who has ruled the country since 2009, came to an abrupt end on Monday as she was whisked out of the capital, Dhaka, by helicopter following weeks of protests. She is now reportedly in Delhi and plans to seek political asylum abroad.

2. A full face mask

Saunders competed in the women's shot put qualification at the Paris Olympics, donning a full face mask and sunglasses. They dyed their hair green and purple to embody their "Hulk" alter ego, a persona Saunders uses to manage the intense pressure of a world-class competition.

3. Terror threat

The three "Eras" tour shows in the Austrian capital were cancelled after police foiled a plan to stage a terrorist attack on the Ernst Happel Stadium. Two teenagers have been arrested and are being questioned over the plot.

4. A bear cub

In a video on social media, Kennedy told comedian Roseanne Barr that after a car in front of him hit a bear cub in the Hudson Valley, he put the dead cub under an old bicycle because he "thought it would be amusing for whoever found it or something".

5. F-16 fighter jets

Securing US approval for the delivery of the cutting-edge jets and training pilots to fly them has been a lengthy process, but Zelenskyy confirmed on Sunday that Ukraine's new F-16s have embarked on their first sorties in the battle to repel Russian invaders.

6. Al-Asad

Two rockets landed inside the al-Asad air base, injuring at least five American troops and contractors, with one seriously wounded. It's unclear if the attack was a response to the assassinations of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders, but the US is currently discussing drawing down its 2,500 troops stationed in Iraq.

7. Beam

D'Amato pulled off a near flawless routine and – crucially – stayed upright in a final that saw four gymnasts, including Team USA's Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee, lose their footing.

8. One

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes secured a guilty plea from one of 11 Republicans involved in a scheme to overturn President Joe Biden's electoral victory. However, the Arizona case "is not expected to go to trial until next year".

9. Eluned Morgan

Baroness Morgan, formerly the Welsh devolved government's health minister, will be the first woman to serve as first minister in the post's 25-year history after she was approved by the Senedd.

10. Google

Judge Amit Mehta ruled on Monday that Google had violated antitrust laws, primarily by spending billions of dollars to ensure its search engine was the default option on smartphones and other devices, unfairly squeezing out would-be competitors.