Taxed snacks, sweary robots and a princess with six legs – take the Thursday quiz

This robot Ameca by Engineered Arts doesn’t swear, although it can pull some good sarcastic expressions. But which AI chatbot did go off on a sweary rant? Photograph: Johannes Simon/Getty Images

After what feels like a million years of January, it is finally the last Thursday of the month. You’ve nearly made it to February. Well done. Why not celebrate with 15 questions of varying degrees of topicality, difficulty and sheer bloody-minded obscurity? There are no prizes, it is just for fun. Let us know in the comments how you got on, and whether you spotted any sly references to Doctor Who, which could earn you bonus points.

The Thursday quiz, No 144

1. 

   The Thursday quiz isn't saying that all AI chatbots are idiots, but the chatbot belonging to which delivery firm was convinced by a user to swear, call itself "useless" and criticise the firm it represents?

   1. DPD

   2. Yodel

   3. Evri

   4. Kerblam!

2. 

   Which Walkers product has been declared to be "a crisp" during a tax tribunal in the UK and therefore subject to VAT (pictured)?

   1. Walkers’ mini pittas

   2. Walkers’ mini naan

   3. Walkers’ mini poppadoms

   4. Walkers’ mini dachshunds

3. 

   This time last week the Thursday quiz was asking you about the organising committee for Cop29 which had no women on it. They've added 12 women to it now. But can you remember where Cop29 is being held (not pictured)?

   1. Uzbekistan

   2. Azerbaijan

   3. Kazakhstan

   4. Turmezistan

4. 

   Pressed for an example of BBC bias, Conservative transport minister Huw Merriman cited the corporation's reporting about universal credit, naming what he claimed was a specific journalist producing biased reports. Unfortunately, Merriman demonstrated his grasp of it all by naming which childrens' TV presenter (not pictured) as the culprit?

   1. Tony Hart

   2. Neil Buchanan

   3. Phil Gallagher

   4. Johnny Ball

5. 

   Which character has this week inked a deal to make their Lego debut and expand into the global theme park business?

   1. Basil Brush

   2. Fireman Sam

   3. Peppa Pig

   4. Ron from Sparks

6. 

   This is Willow, the official dog of the Guardian Thursday quiz. She was worried about a six-legged puppy that was found abandoned in Wales, but pleased to hear the spaniel has now had surgery and is doing fine. Which Disney character did rescuers name the dog after?

   1. Ariel

   2. Belle

   3. Merida

   4. Romanadvoratrelundar

7. 

   Every fan of Sapphire & Steel knows "all irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic heavy elements may not be used where there is life". Gold can be assigned. How much (roughly) would you pay for an ounce of gold this week?

   1. $20

   2. $200

   3. $2,000

   4. $20,000

8. 

   One question about every country taking part in the Euro 2024 finals this summer. This week: The Czech Republic, or Czechia, as Uefa have adopted but the Guardian style guide hasn't. We all know Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic, but which is its second biggest city?

   1. Košice

   2. Ostrava

   3. Plzeň

   4. Brno

9. 

   While we are on a football and geography theme, Ivory Coast is currently hosting the Africa Cup of Nations. All of the African countries with Guinea in their name have qualified for the second consecutive tournament. How many African countries with Guinea in their name are there?

   1. Two

   2. Three

   3. Four

   4. Five

10. 

    And an actual sport question. What is Saudi Arabia planning to add to snooker to make it less dull?

    1. Larger pockets on the table

    2. Bar billiards style pegs as obstacles

    3. A golden ball

    4. 30-50 feral hogs

11. 

    Which of these was director Steven Spielberg's first feature?

    1. Duel

    2. Jaws

    3. Close Encounters of the Third Kind

    4. 1941

12. 

    You've always wanted to pass GCSE business studies, right? Try this one. Which of these is an example of long-term finance for a sole trader?

    1. A bank loan

    2. Share capital

    3. An overdraft

    4. Investing in garish JPGs of apes

13. 

    Which art movement is Wassily Kandinsky most associated with?

    1. Magic realism

    2. Video art

    3. Hypermodernism

    4. Abstraction

14. 

    Which musical artist is being sued by some fans annoyed that she started their show late?

    1. Madonna

    2. Lady Gaga

    3. Taylor Swift

    4. Katy Perry

15. 

    It is Burns night tonight, and here is Willow again, who will surely be looking this disappointed later on when she isn't allowed any delicious haggis. The date is fixed to commemorate the birth of Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns. In which year was he born?

    1. 1559

    2. 1659

    3. 1759

    4. 1859

Solutions

1:A - Musician Ashley Beauchamp shared the conversation on social media, with the chatbot replying to one message: “Fuck yeah! I’ll do my best to be as helpful as possible, even if it means swearing.”, 2:C - Traditional poppadoms are zero-rated as they are deemed to be a restaurant food or one that requires further preparation rather than a packaged snack, but the tribunal decided that didn't apply. The Thursday quiz feels quite peckish now., 3:B - They also added another extra man for no readily apparent reason. The event will be held in Baku, 11–24 November 2024., 4:B - Buchanan was creator and presenter of CITV's Art Attack from 1990 until 2007, was in a heavy metal band called Marseille, and to the best of the Thursday quiz's knowledge, has never done a news report about universal credit. BBC social affairs correspondent Michael Buchanan may have opinions about the furore., 5:C - Hasbro, which acquired Peppa Pig’s owner for £3.3bn in 2019, has struck a deal with the Lego Group and the theme park group Merlin Entertainments. So it wasn't technically Peppa Pig who inked – or OINKED – the deal, ho ho ho., 6:A - The dog was taken in by the Greenacres Rescue charity, near Haverfordwest, and has been cared for by a foster family. She was named after the character from Disney’s film The Little Mermaid because her partly fused extra back legs were said to resemble a mermaid’s tail. Awwwwww., 7:C - YMMV, but according to Forbes, the 52-week gold price high is $2,121 for an ounce, while the 52-week gold price low is $1,982 for an ounce. Forbes, regrettably, do not give the price of gold in ancient Sumerian cubits. Mark Gatiss played Gold in the audio version of Sapphire and Steel. And yes, this is a new regular science-lite round so why not re-watch some Sapphire & Steel to work out which "elements" are coming up next., 8:D - Not to be confused with the lead singer of U2, Brno is the second biggest city with a population of nearly 400,000 people, compared to Prague's near 1.35 million folks. Košice, of course, is Slovakia's second city behind the lovely capital Bratislava., 9:B - Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea are all present and correct. In fact Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea played each other in Group A already, with Equatorial Guinea running out 4-2 winners, and Equatorial Guinea and Guinea will face each other in the round of 16 on Sunday., 10:C - Apparently if you make a break of 147 you then get a chance to pot a 20 point bonus golden super ball, which, given you've already comprehensively won the frame, seems somewhat superfluous., 11:A - He made Duel for Universal Pictures in 1971., 12:A - Sole traders don't have shares, and an overdraft is a temporary measure. Well done if you picked this option – you've got one point towards your fictitious business studies GCSE., 13:D - Born in 1866 and dying in 1944, he is generally regarded as a pioneer of abstract painting., 14:A - Notoriously unpunctual Madonna is being sued by some fans who had to get up early the next morning. Incidentally the Thursday quiz saw Depeche Mode on Monday and it was great and the Thursday quiz is going again on Saturday., 15:C - Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race! The Thursday quiz is going all in for a dirty fries with haggis, jalapeños and peppercorn sauce combo tonight, famously a traditional dish in Drumnadrochit in the 18th century.

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   We hope you had fun – let us know how you got on in the comments

If you really do think there has been an egregious error in one of the questions or answers – and can show your working – feel free to email martin.belam@theguardian.com, but remember the quiz master’s word is final and he is busy listening to the new Nadine Shah single.