Guardian business Christmas quiz 2019

Do you know your Thomas Cook from your Tim Cook? Then test your 2019 business knowledge here with our annual quiz …
  
  

Christmas head boppers
Festive head boppers – will the high street be celebrating this Christmas? Photograph: KHAM/Reuters

  1. Who described their business relationship as “a corporate Romeo and Juliet”?

    1. Mike Ashley musing on Sports Direct’s new auditors

    2. The chief executive of the Hong Kong stock exchange on his bid for the London Stock Exchange

    3. Elon Musk waxing lyrical about his love for Twitter

  2. What were WeWork’s co-founder Adam Neumann’s previous business ventures?

    1. Selling collapsible mops and buckets to offices

    2. Selling skateboards and potted plants to startups

    3. Selling women’s shoes with collapsible high heels and baby romper suits with reinforced knees

  3. What music format made a comeback this year?

    1. MiniDisc

    2. Cassette

    3. Vinyl 78s

  4. Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, is known for cutting costs at the airline – but what scraps can the Irish Scrooge expect for his own potential bonus?

    1. €0.99

    2. €999,000

    3. €99,000,000

  5. Zamira Hajiyeva arrives at Westminster Magistrates' Court for her extradition hearing.

    How much money did Zamira Hajiyeva – the wife of a jailed Azerbaijani banker – spend on sandwiches at Harrods, according to a police investigation into her spending habits?

    1. £320

    2. £32,000

    3. £332,000

  6. Thomas Cook Group collapsed in September, leaving 150,000 holidaymakers stranded. When did Thomas Cook, the founder of the tour operator, organise his first excursion?

    1. 1841

    2. 1881

    3. 1919

  7. An Australian cricket writer was left reeling after a Manchester hotel bar accidentally served him what might be the most expensive beer in history. How much was he charged?

    1. £5,000

    2. £15,000

    3. £55,000

  8. Andrea Leadsom in Telford.

    How many times did the business secretary, Andrea Leadsom, speak to executives from Thomas Cook in the weeks leading up to its collapse into insolvency?

    1. None

    2. One

    3. Ten

  9. Which member of a pop group demanded answers from Tesco after her image was used, apparently without her prior knowledge, on a bus stop advert for its Clubcard?

    1. Kerry Katona of Atomic Kitten

    2. Nadine Coyle of Girls Aloud

    3. Mel B of the Spice Girls

  10. For how long were one million homes left without electricity after National Grid’s biggest blackout in a decade in early August?

    1. Between two and three hours

    2. Between one and two hours

    3. Between 15 and 45 minutes

  11. What proportion of UK adults have (according to official data) gone “cashless” as contactless and mobile payments explode in popularity?

    1. One in five

    2. One in 10

    3. One in 20

  12. With more than 8 million members, Nest (set up by the government as part of “automatic enrolment”) is Britain’s biggest pension scheme. What are the top two shareholdings in the fund?

    1. Facebook and Amazon

    2. HSBC and ExxonMobil

    3. Microsoft and Apple

  13. A new Bank of England £20 note was issued in October. Who was on the back?

    1. Alan Turing

    2. JMW Turner

    3. Jane Austen

  14. Porn Star Martini 3

    Marks & Spencer was ordered in August to change the name of its Porn Star Martini drink because it breached an industry code. What was the new name?

    1. Passion Fruit Martini

    2. Passion Star Martini

    3. Passionate Martini

  15. The first “fake” meat burger that went on sale at the JD Wetherspoon pub chain this year is made of what?

    1. Pulverised jackfruit blended with beetroot powder

    2. Quorn flavoured with herbs and spices

    3. Pea, soy and rice protein and chicory root

  16. Elon Musk gestures while introducing the newly unveiled all-electric battery-powered Tesla Cybertruck

    Which of the following did not happen to Elon Musk in 2019?

    1. He hit a traffic bollard while driving the new Tesla Cybertruck in Malibu

    2. He pledged to develop a flying version of the Cybertruck by 2030

    3. During a theatrical official launch of the Cybertruck, he looked on as the “bullet-proof” windows were smashed by metal balls

  17. Who refused to reveal his next move, saying “you'll have to ask my wife”?

    1. Mario Draghi as he stepped down from the European Central Bank

    2. Carlos Ghosn as he was released on bail to face fraud charges

    3. Sir Philip Green after Arcadia, the family business, plunged to a huge loss

  18. A cold night. But for who?

    Who camped out in -18C temperatures?

    1. Elon Musk to promote Tesla's new self-driving electric snowmobile in Nunavut, Canada

    2. Greta Thunburg, who skipped school to hold a climate strike at Davos

    3. The JD Wetherspoon founder, Tim Martin, to advertise a super-strong, "Brexit-proof" Russian vodka

  19. Neil Woodford, the erstwhile star fund manager, had previously fallen out with a famous neighbour over plans to extend his property by building a dressage arena and 28-horse stabling block. Who was the broadcaster?

    1. Ant McPartlin

    2. Clare Balding

    3. Jeremy Paxman

  20. How did WeWork describe its mission?

    1. To democratise the office rental landscape

    2. To elevate the world’s consciousness

    3. To work for global peace

  21. What, according to a director of Lloyds, was the reaction of employees to their chief executive’s £6.3m pay package?

    1. Outraged … “How can he be worth 169 times median pay?"

    2. Happy … “People like a winner”

    3. Resigned … “And that’s what he should do”

  22. Why did two Deutsche Bank staff get into hot water?

    1. They ran up a £9,000 bar bill celebrating Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal

    2. They told clients to buy bitcoin this summer, just before its price tumbled

    3. They organised an expensive suit fitting on the morning thousands of staff were sacked

  23. Which celebrity invested in a London vegan burger chain?

    1. Greta Thunberg

    2. Lewis Hamilton

    3. George Monbiot

  24. Mike Ashley leaving the Sports Direct headquarters in London.

    How many of Mike Ashley’s stock market investments went into administration in 2019?

    1. One

    2. Four

    3. Two

  25. “Full of semiliterate business jargon.” What was Tim Martin describing in JD Wetherspoon’s annual report?

    1. Company annual reports

    2. The CBI’s report on Brexit preparations

    3. The Labour party’s election manifesto

    Solutions

    1:B, 2:C, 3:B, 4:C, 5:C, 6:A, 7:C, 8:A, 9:C, 10:C, 11:B, 12:C, 13:B, 14:B, 15:C, 16:B, 17:A, 18:B, 19:C, 20:B, 21:B, 22:C, 23:B, 24:C, 25:A, 26:

    Scores

    1. 25 and above.

      Amazing! You should be the new governor of the Bank of England

    2. 24 and above.

      Amazing! You should be the new governor of the Bank of England

    3. 23 and above.

      Amazing! You should be the new governor of the Bank of England

    4. 22 and above.

      Amazing! You should be the new governor of the Bank of England

    5. 21 and above.

      Amazing! You should be the new governor of the Bank of England

    6. 20 and above.

      Not bad! You seem like more of a middle manager than a high flyer, though

    7. 19 and above.

      Not bad! You seem like more of a middle manager than a high flyer, though

    8. 18 and above.

      Not bad! You seem like more of a middle manager than a high flyer, though

    9. 17 and above.

      Not bad! You seem like more of a middle manager than a high flyer, though

    10. 16 and above.

      Not bad! You seem like more of a middle manager than a high flyer, though

    11. 15 and above.

      Not bad! You seem like more of a middle manager than a high flyer, though

    12. 14 and above.

      Not bad! Like the Co-up, you're making steady returns in a tough market

    13. 13 and above.

      Not bad! Like the Co-up, you're making steady returns in a tough market

    14. 12 and above.

      Not bad! Like the Co-up, you're making steady returns in a tough market

    15. 11 and above.

      Not bad! Like the Co-up, you're making steady returns in a tough market

    16. 10 and above.

      Are you sure quizzes suit you? Like Ted Baker, you're struggling to stay on trend

    17. 9 and above.

      Are you sure quizzes suit you? Like Ted Baker, you're struggling to stay on trend

    18. 8 and above.

      Are you sure quizzes suit you? Like Ted Baker, you're struggling to stay on trend

    19. 7 and above.

      Are you sure quizzes suit you? Like Ted Baker, you're struggling to stay on trend

    20. 6 and above.

      Are you sure quizzes suit you? Like Ted Baker, you're struggling to stay on trend

    21. 5 and above.

      Have you been paying attention this year? Your score is unhealthier than Arcadia's balance sheet

    22. 4 and above.

      Have you been paying attention this year? Your score is unhealthier than Arcadia's balance sheet

    23. 3 and above.

      Have you been paying attention this year? Your score is unhealthier than Arcadia's balance sheet

    24. 2 and above.

      Have you been paying attention this year? Your score is unhealthier than Arcadia's balance sheet

    25. 0 and above.

      Have you been paying attention this year? Your score is unhealthier than Arcadia's balance sheet

    26. 1 and above.

      Have you been paying attention this year? Your score is unhealthier than Arcadia's balance sheet
     

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