BBC, Annual *Boxing Day* Dec. 26, Family Puzzler 2018
Last edited Wed Dec 26, 2018, 08:11 PM - Edit history (1)
It's time once again for my Boxing Day Family Puzzler - a seasonal distraction now in its 11th year. As regular readers will know, this is the quiz where no-one is expected to know any of the answers. By Mark Easton, Dec. 26, 2018.
The questions relate to events in the past 12 months - and all the solutions are numbers. This year, as a special treat in these troubled times, I've included bonus questions, raising the number from 20 to 23.
Contestants must simply use wisdom and judgement to come as close to the right figure as they can. Each player/team should write their guesses down before revealing them. One mark for the closest answer and three if by coincidence, or brilliance, you get it spot on. Good luck.
1) The British have an unfortunate reputation for not speaking foreign languages. In the past financial year, how much did the Brexit department pay the EU Council for interpreters?
2) The average salary for a male footballer in the Premier League is now a little over £2.64m a year. What is the average salary for a player in the Women's Super League, according to analysis this year?
3) The mythical animal of the year is clearly the unicorn, inspiring vast amounts of single-horned merchandise. As of 20 December, a search for the word "unicorn" on the e-commerce site etsy.com produced how many different unicorn-inspired items?
4) The UK's summer of 2018 was designated the equal hottest on record. July was particularly sunny. How many hours and minutes of sunshine did the UK enjoy on an average July day this year?
5) The Harry Potter phenomenon shows no sign of a let-up, with the new film, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, released last month. It cost $200m (£158m) to make. How much, in dollars, did it recoup at the box office in the first 72 hours?
6) The fastest lap in Formula 1 history was set in 2004 at Monza by Juan Pablo Montoya… until this year. At the same circuit, in September, 38-year-old Kimi Raikkonen amazed the motor-racing world by completing a lap more quickly than anyone ever. In miles per hour, what was the Finn's average speed?
7) US President Donald Trump's tendency to say things that prove not entirely accurate has led the Washington Post to set up a fact-checking service. According to that site, how many untrue statements did the president make on the day of a Republican rally in Houston, Texas, on 22 October?
8) The BBC thriller Bodyguard became the most watched drama in television history this year. What proportion of people in the UK watched at least some of it, according to official figures?
9) Every possible precaution was taken to ensure the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding went smoothly. Police identified 54 women whose obsession with the royals saw them classified as potential "stalkers". How many men were similarly identified?
MORE, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-46603918
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This traditional upside-down pear cake is given a fiery twist with the addition of ginger and dark rum. Serve with ice cream as a dessert or by itself as a teatime treat.
Recipe & more, https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/ginger_and_pear_61641