In today’s newsletter: From the right number of French prime ministers to the pastimes of Archie Bland’s dog – here are answers to our inaugural Christmas Day quiz.
Good morning, and happy-day-after-the-day-before. Later on, before anyone suggests another round of charades or “helping in the kitchen”, here is a more civilised alternative: corral your family back together, fire up the WhatsApp group chat, and resolve yesterday’s arguments over the correct name of a South Korean president or the activities of Archie Bland’s dog.
Below are the same questions as yesterday, but this time the right answers are in bold with a link to the relevant issue of First Edition. Feel free to keep score, settle grudges, and offer formal apologies where necessary. But first, the news.
1) What was the name of the Chinese AI app that rapidly became the most downloaded free app in the US in January, sparking a tech-stock dive? A) DeepSeek ✅ b) DeepMind c) DeepThought d) DeepHeat. Deep Thought was, of course, the supercomputer in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, while Deep Heat definitely needs to be applied very carefully.
2) Who has appeared in the main image of First Edition the most times in 2025? a) Volodymyr Zelenskyy B) Donald Trump ✅ c) Keir Starmer d) Mr Blobby. He appeared twice as many times as any world leader, although to be fair, he was often pictured alongside either Zelenskyy or Starmer.
3) In May, Friedrich Merz became Germany’s chancellor. Which party does he belong to? A) Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands (CDU) ✅ b) Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD) c) Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP) d) Bei der Leoparden Gesichter fressen Partei (BLGP). Bei der Leoparden Gesichter fressen Partei (BLGP) are of course the Leopards Eating People’s Faces party in Germany.
4) The list of people that Nigel Farage has fallen out with is spectacularly long. Who is the Great Yarmouth MP who got propelled out of the door marked ‘do one’ by the Reform leader in March? a) Jonathan Gullis B) Rupert Lowe (pictured, below) ✅ c) Ben Habib d) Paddington Bear. Lowe took it well, announcing that he would sue Farage for defaming his reputation. I’d put a punchline here but legal would only take it out.
5) Also in March, the very best people that Donald Trump employs in the White House accidentally added a journalist to a message group discussing strikes on Yemen using which messaging app? a) Whisper b) Telegram C) Signal ✅ d) Threema. Idiots. Idiots everywhere.
6) Earlier this year, the papal conclave elected Pope Leo XIV to lead the Catholic church. What is his pre-papal name? A) Robert Prevost ✅ b) James Abbott c) Peter Bailiwick d) Derek Tardis. He is the first pope to have been born in the US.
7) In December, we wrote about the resurgent space race. What is the name of Nasa’s programme to return US astronauts to the moon? a) Horizon B) Artemis ✅ c) Intrepid d) Elder One. Elder Ones have no need of space exploration. We’re a bit tired.
8) Which city in England has had rubbish piling up in the streets thanks to a protracted industrial dispute? a) Liverpool B) Birmingham ✅ c) Sunderland d) Ambridge. Jill Archer and co wouldn’t stand for that in Ambridge.
9) What was the name of the South Korean president removed from power earlier this year after he was impeached following an attempt to impose martial law? a) Park Geun-hye b) Moon Jae-in C) Yoon Suk Yeol ✅ d) Yasaeng Dwaeji. Yasaeng Dwaeji is, of course, a rough Google Translate rendition of “feral hogs” into Korean. Watch out for 30 to 50 of them infiltrating your yard within 3-5 mins.
10) France has been chopping and changing prime ministers this year more than a Tory party with Liz Truss involved. How many prime ministers have now served under Emmanuel Macron? a) Five B) Seven ✅ c) Nine d) It might as well have been 1,057, we’ve lost count. Chaos. Still, unlike Liz Truss, at least they haven’t all started their own YouTube chatshow.
11) Angela Rayner’s abrupt exit from the cabinet left Keir Starmer in a pickle. Why did she resign? A) She had underpaid stamp duty on her seaside flat ✅ b) It emerged she had pleaded guilty to a fraud offence involving a work phone a decade ago c) She had been holding unauthorised meetings with foreign government ministers d) She was caught secretly upgrading the Downing Street printer to print everything in Comic Sans. UK government documents being in Comic Sans wouldn’t be a problem. It is only the Trump administration that has a problem with “woke” fonts.
12) Zack Polanski
