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Thursday News Quiz: Superheroes, AI Zeroes and a Very Lost Shark

The Guardian

ENRICHED

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Date Published
1 Oct 2026
Priority Score
1
Australian
No
Created
1 Oct 2026, 10:00 am

Authors (1)

Description

Test yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?

Summary

This article is a general knowledge and news trivia quiz that includes superficial mentions of AI developments, such as the digital revival of deceased film icons for advertising and hypothetical executive orders regarding AI terminology. It does not provide substantive analysis of existential or catastrophic AI risks, nor does it detail frontier AI capability advancements. The content is formatted for entertainment and lacks relevance to formal AI safety policy or governance frameworks.

Body

This shark has some questions for you. And they might just bite. Photograph: Ron & Valerie Taylor/Bruce Coleman Inc/AlamyView image in fullscreenThis shark has some questions for you. And they might just bite. Photograph: Ron & Valerie Taylor/Bruce Coleman Inc/AlamyThursday news quiz: Superheroes, AI zeroes and a very lost sharkTest yourself on topical news trivia, pop culture and general knowledge every Thursday. How will you fare?Swapping the glitz and glamour of last week’s visit to Istanbul for non-league football, your humble quiz master spent Saturday soaking up the sunshine while watching Walthamstow FC put a mere nine goals past a hapless Lowestoft Town. A quick sympathetic exchange with the shellshocked Lowestoft keeper – “Oh mate, long Saturday afternoon for you” – yielded the weary reply: “Long Saturday? Long fucking season.” Bless him. We hope you feel somewhat more optimistic about tackling these 15 questions on topical news, pop culture and general knowledge. Allons-y!The Thursday news quiz, No 2671.In a story tailor-made for the Thursday news quiz, a man in a Batman costume (not pictured, that's the toilets in the Dog and Duck) chased down a suspected handbag thief. Where?PeterboroughNorwichMansfieldGosportReveal2.A large shark (not pictured) has become an unlikely tourist attraction after getting trapped in a narrow city canal for more than a week, the inept weirdo. Where?Busan, South KoreaOsaka, JapanHo Chi Minh City, VietnamKlow, SyldaviaReveal3.The usual culture warriors have got their knickers in a twist after it was reported that who (not pictured) had been cast as Aslan (not pictured) in Greta Gerwig’s (not pictured) forthcoming adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew?Nicole KidmanAnne HathawayMeryl StreepJennifer LopezReveal4.Donald Trump (not pictured) has signed an executive order declaring that from now on, artificial intelligence will be called what?UltraintelligenceCyberintelligenceSuperintelligenceTrumptelligenceReveal5.California is rushing to prepare for a predicted sea level rise caused by a type of wave called …?RonaldFernandNestorKelvinReveal6.A new museum dedicated to The Sound of Music has opened in the city where much of the movie was filmed. Where?LinzViennaSalzburgSzohôdReveal7.Which dead film icon has been revived by AI in order to advertise ball bearings?Audrey HepburnGreta GarboIngrid BergmanJoan CrawfordReveal8.This week's guest canine is Darcy, who – reader Edwin Rose tells the Thursday quiz – recently won the waggiest tail award at a village charity dog show. She wants to know which artist's painting of his dog Stanley is expected to fetch £2.5m?David HockneyPeter BlakeGrayson PerryLS LowryReveal9.This week's guest feline was in the Hagia Sophia and, frankly, seemed a little bit oblivious to the historic significance of the location. She wants to know who won Fat Bear Week?Dancing QueenHollyBackpackDerekReveal10.Which TV personality has said British broadcasters should merge into one big "Britflix" to survive in the streaming era?Jeremy ClarksonEamonn HolmesJulia Hartley-BrewerFloella BenjaminReveal11.Which pop goddess (very much not pictured) performed at the AFL grand final at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Saturday?Kate BushNatalie ImbrugliaKylie MinogueDelta GoodremReveal12.Which of these was a real headline on the Guardian website this week?National Trust removes plaque linking ornamental garden layout to 'cultural appropriation'Royal Horticultural Society removes guide linking peat-free compost to 'classist gatekeeping'English Heritage removes panel linking medieval moat construction to 'feudal aggression'BBC removes article linking bare nails trend to 'white supremacist standards of beauty'Reveal13.Which entrepreneur is planning to launch a London-wide news operation as part of a "rescue" of one of the capital’s most highly regarded local newspapers, the Camden New Journal?Dale VincePeter JonesTheo PaphitisJulian RicherReveal14.Who won video of the year at the MTV VMAs?Sabrina Carpenter with TearsBruno Mars with I Just MightSparks with Do Things My Own WayTaylor Swift with The Fate of OpheliaReveal15.How many people were arrested after a £320,000 trial of live facial recognition in London train stations, using almost 100 police hours?NoneZeroZipNadaNobody, but press this one to get the pointRevealIf you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working and are absolutely 100% positive you aren’t attempting to factcheck a joke – you can complain about it in the comments below. Why not watch Swerve by Trentemøller instead?Swerve by TrentemøllerExplore more on these topicsLife and styleThursday quizquizzesShareReuse this content