The Conversation’s super summer quiz

2015: what a year. From toppled prime ministers to a global climate agreement, there’s been a lot on. Thankfully, here is our bumper summer quiz to test your hard earned knowledge of the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the lefts and rights of the last 12 months. Good luck! Answers are at the bottom (in case you need to settle any bitter disputes) and don’t forget to share your results with us on Twitter or Facebook.

        Arts + Culture

1. What activity helps your toddler’s childhood development the most?

2. What is the name of the flaming-guitar-wielding Australian who rocked Mad Max? (Bonus point for both character and musician’s name)

1. Whose art appeared alongside Ai Weiwei’s at the National Gallery of Victoria?

2. which of these four animal roars was NOT used in the original Star Wars sound effects? Elephant, walrus, bear, lion.

Business + Economy

1. Who said this? “The starting point for a first home buyer is to get a good job that pays good money. If you’ve got a good job and it pays good money and you have security in relation to that job, then you can go to the bank and you can borrow money and that’s readily affordable. More affordable than ever to borrow money for a first home now than it has ever been.”

1. How many times did the RBA cut rates this year?

2. A suggested tax on GST on digital goods and services was dubbed what by the media?

3. A controversial 12-nation trade agreement was finalised this year. What was it called?

Education

1. Primary school children should get between how many hours of sleep each night?

1. If a child is being bullied and they hit back, are they more or less likely to be bullied six months later than if they didn’t retaliate?

2. True or false: being dyslexic means you’re bad at spelling.

   Environment + Energy

3. Which iconic trees have been used to trace journeys by sailors across the Indian Ocean?

4. What major climate event happened in 2015? (Bonus point: what was it nicknamed?)

5. Which two animals temporarily halted the construction of an Australian coal mine this year?

1. Following a senate committee hearing on renewable energy, Australia got a new what?

   FactCheck

2. Which country leads the world in emissions intensity reduction if you include land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF)?

   Health + Medicine

3. Controversial drug thalidomide is still sold to treat which two conditions?

4. Who has the higher pain threshold, men or women?

5. Frozen berries were pulled off the shelves this year after being found to be contaminated with what?

1. What is the biggest factor indicating whether IVF will be successful?

   Politics + Society

2. Who ran against Julie Bishop for the deputy leadership of the Liberal Party in September?

3. What was the name of the horse Michelle Payne rode to win the 2015 Melbourne Cup?

4. Which Victorian premier, who died in 2015, introduced poker machine gambling to the state?

5. How much was Joe Hockey awarded in damages after he successfully sued Fairfax Media for defamation?

   Science + Technology

6. The Hubble Space Telescope turned 25 this year, and one of the most startling images it produced is the Ultra Deep Field. Roughly how many galaxies are visible in this image?

1. What is the pseudonym of the mysterious creator of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin?

2. Australian surf champion Mick Fanning decided to change the colour of his surfboard following his close encounter with a shark at at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa. Which colour caused him concern and why?

3. What was the source of mystery signals – known as perytons – picked up by The Dish radio telescope at Parkes?

Answers

1. Making music
2. The Doof Warrior (aka Australian musician iOTA)
3. Andy Warhol
4. Lion
5. Former treasurer Joe Hockey
6. Twice, in February and again in May
7. The Netflix tax
8. The Trans-Pacific Partnership
9. Between 10 and 12 hours
10. More likely
11. False
12. Baobab trees
13. El Nino (Bonus: Godzilla)
14. A skink and a snake
15. Wind commissioner
16. Norway
17. Leprosy and cancer
18. Men
19. Hepatitis A
20. The woman’s age
21. Kevin Andrews
22. Prince of Penzance
23. Joan Kirner
24. $200,000
25. 10,000
26. Satoshi Nakamoto
27. Yellow – although sharks see in shades of grey, research had shown that sharks are attracted to yellow
28. People opening the door on a nearby microwave oven when it was still running.