Quiz: Newsmakers 2017

1 What did a certain Stephanie Del Valle present on November 18 in Sanya, China, that made headline news around India?

2 Which organisation started by a certain Mastana Balochistani in April 1948 was in the news in August ?

3 In November, what did Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Farhan finally decide to buy for $450 million?

4 In one of the biggest mix-ups ever, La La Land was declared the Academy Award winner for Best Picture in 2017 before the organisers rushed on stage to announce that the award, in fact, had been won by Moonlight. Who were the two presenters on stage at the time, co-stars in an iconic ’70s film?

5 Which two-word phrase first came to public notice after being used by Kellyanne Conway in a Meet the Press interview in January while defending the statements of Sean Spicer?

6 Leo Varadkar, 38, a doctor of part-Indian descent became the first openly LGBT person to head which European country?

7 On February 15, which century recorded in a town in Andhra Pradesh made all of India proud? If it helps, 96 were from the US, three from India and the rest from Israel, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Switzerland and the UAE.

8 #MeToo was one of the biggest social movements of 2017. Which actress’s use of the hashtag in the context of the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment case helped make it go viral around the world?

9 Which widely acclaimed book released in 2017 relates the story of a certain Newton Francis Xavier, and is set in the art and literary scene of Bombay in the 1970s and ’80s?

10 In April, Aizawl FC, a team that was slated to be relegated the previous year and survived only because of withdrawals, managed to go on and win the I-League over the likes of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Bengaluru FC. Which coach, also released by his former club for non-performance, led them to this historic title?

Answers

1 . The Miss World crown, to Manushi Chhillar of India. Chhillar is the first Indian winner since Priyanka Chopra in 2000

2 . The Dera Sacha Sauda, led by Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who was convicted by a CBI court to 20 years for rape

3 . The Salvator Mundi, by Leonardo Da Vinci, which is now the most expensive painting ever sold

4 . Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, remembered together for Bonnie and Clyde. It wasn’t their fault, a Pricewaterhouse Coopers employee had given them the wrong envelope

5 . When she was questioned whether Spicer was lying on the attendance figures for President Trump’s inauguration, she stated that they were actually ‘alternative facts’

6 . Ireland; he was elected as the Taoiseach in June

7 . ISRO’s PSLV successfully launched 104 satellites, a world record

8 . Alyssa Milano

9 . The Book of Chocolate Saints by Jeet Thayil

10 . Khalid Jamil. Jamil is coaching East Bengal this season

_{Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup; Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj}