Saturday Quiz: Put Your Smarts to the Test

How much of common knowledge are you holding? Plunge into this collection of queries to find out.

The Queries

1 Which icon of country music was nearly killed from an ostrich attack in 1981?

2 Dame Sarah Mullally was named as the one hundred and sixth what?

3 What initially met at Thingvellir in the nation of Iceland in 930?

4 Within the energy sector, what does EfW stand for?

5 Tears of Christ vino originates from wine estates on what mountain?

6 What British television comedy has been running for 19 years?

7 Which person's findings resulted in the implementation of stadiums with only seats in the UK?

8 What piece in chess was initially called the counsellor?

Common Connections

9 Brick; Chancery; Hangar Lane; Leather Lane; Park Lane; Pudding?

10 Sierra de Urbión; Tordesillas town; Zamora; Oporto?

11 Son of Cush; ninth variation in music; naval patrol plane; Iranian embassy siege?

12 Caldey; Denny Island; Flat Holm Island; Lundy; Stert Island; The Wolves Islands?

13 Pugilism; chariot racing; discus throw; javelin throw; long jump; ancient combat sport; wrestling?

14 Agent 007; Leamas character; Alden Pyle; Adolf Verloc?

15 Cate Blanchett; Cruz star; Keaton performer; Sorvino actress; Dianne Wiest?

In deep water over the Tordesillas clue?

The Answers

1 Johnny Cash.

2 Archbishop of Canterbury.

3 Althing (Icelandic assembly).

4 Energy from waste.

5 Mount Vesuvius.

6 Not Going Out (UK's second longest-running comedy)

7 Taylor Report (1990).

8 Queen.

9 London lanes.

10 Douro River: starts in Spain; flows through in Spain; reaches Atlantic.

11 The name Nimrod: from Genesis; from Elgar’s Enigma Variations; Hawker Siddeley Nimrod; codename for SAS operation.

12 Islands in the Bristol Channel.

13 Events in the ancient Olympics.

14 Spy titles in books: Fleming’s The Spy Who Loved Me; Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; Greene’s The Quiet American; Joseph Conrad's The Secret Agent.

15 Oscar wins in Woody Allen movies: Blue Jasmine; movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona; classic Annie Hall; feature Mighty Aphrodite; Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway.