News Quiz - Week 45

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Introduction

Every week you will find a new exciting News Quiz from the LessonUp Team. This week: the US midterms, F1's youngest champion, 'mogging', dinosaur blood, penguin poo and a 28-year walk around the world, plus an On This Day history challenge! This lesson was created with AI assistance.

News Quiz

School year 2026-2027

Week 45

THIS WEEK . . .

A chilly winter ahead?

Front page: forecasters say the polar vortex high above the Arctic could weaken unusually early, raising the chance of colder weather across parts of Europe in the coming weeks (The Guardian, 2 November 2026). Image credit: laura adai / Unsplash

In the US midterm elections, Democrats won control of what?

Question 1

A

The Supreme Court

B

Congress

C

The White House

D

The Pentagon

Answer: B. The Guardian, 4 November 2026 - In the midterm elections on 3 November, Democrats took control of both parts of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives, from Donald Trump's Republicans in what was called a 'blue wave'. The president is not elected in the midterms, so the White House stays with Trump. Image credit: Janine Robinson / Unsplash

Commonwealth leaders met this week in which Caribbean country?

Question 2

A

Antigua and Barbuda

B

Jamaica

C

Barbados

D

The Bahamas

Answer: A. The Guardian, 2 November 2026 - Prime Minister Andy Burnham travelled to the Commonwealth heads of government summit in Antigua and Barbuda, where he planned to ask countries affected by Britain's role in slavery to help shape an expected formal apology. Campaigners there called for reparations. Image credit: Christian Lendl / Unsplash

Collins named which slang word its 2026 word of the year?

Question 3

A

Rizz

B

Aura

C

Mogging

D

Delulu

Answer: C. BBC News, 3 November 2026 - Collins English Dictionary named 'mogging' its word of the year. It means playfully outshining, outperforming or upstaging someone or something, and began as bodybuilding slang. Image credit: Joshua Hoehne / Unsplash

Who became Formula 1's youngest ever world champion?

Question 4

A

Lando Norris

B

Oscar Piastri

C

George Russell

D

Kimi Antonelli

Answer: D. BBC Sport, 1 November 2026 - Italian driver Kimi Antonelli sealed the Formula 1 world title at the Mexican Grand Prix aged 20 years and 68 days, beating Sebastian Vettel's record as the youngest champion. Image credit: KaroGraphix Photography / Unsplash

What did scientists find inside a 115-million-year-old dinosaur bone?

Question 5

A

Red blood cells

B

Intact DNA

C

Stone tool marks

D

A bird-killing virus

Answer: A. The Guardian, 2 November 2026 - Researchers studying the leg bones of Aratasaurus, a small meat-eating dinosaur from about 115 million years ago, say they found what look like fossilised red blood cells and traces of heme, the molecule that lets blood carry oxygen. Image credit: Jonathan Ardila / Unsplash

Scientists say what is helping Antarctic snow melt faster?

Question 6

A

Whale songs

B

Penguin poo

C

Volcanic ash

D

Ship engines

Answer: B. BBC Newsround, 4 November 2026 - Penguin poo, called guano, feeds red snow algae, which absorb more of the sun's energy and make Antarctic snow melt faster. As temperatures rise and penguins move further south, the effect could spread (The Guardian, 4 November 2026). Image credit: Jay Ruzesky / Unsplash

Gen Z are going offline to enjoy which traditional dance?

Question 7

A

Morris dancing

B

Ballroom

C

Line dancing

D

Ceilidh

Answer: D. The Guardian, 30 October 2026 - A 'ceilidh renaissance' is drawing young people to traditional Scottish dance nights, such as one at the Ivy House pub in south-east London, as they look for real-life, community fun away from screens. Image credit: DDP / Unsplash

Karl Bushby has finished walking around the world. How many years did it take?

Question 8

A

8

B

18

C

28

D

38

Answer: C. [QUIRKY] BBC News, 2 November 2026 - Former paratrooper Karl Bushby reached his family home in Hull and was reunited with his mother 28 years after setting off on foot from the tip of South America. The Guardian says he crossed 29 countries, facing polar bears, kidnappers and a spell in Russian custody, and became the first person to walk continuously around the planet. Image credit: Mohamed Elwaid / Unsplash

Enter your question here

1. Darts player Fallon Sherrock won £501,000 by beating Luke Littler live on Netflix.

2. A teenage violinist won BBC Young Musician 2026 in its first all-female final.

3. The UK and EU agreed a draft deal to scrap Brexit checks on food exports.

4. Campaigners want a lower noise limit on fireworks to protect wild animals.

5. A rare beetle that oozes a substance from its knees has been found in Wales again.

Luke Littler

violinist

food

fireworks

knees

Michael van Gerwen

pianist

car

concerts

eyes

Question 9

Fill in the missing words:

The Guardian, 31 October 2026 - Fallon Sherrock was one of the amateur challengers on Netflix's live show Beat Luke Littler and won the £501,000 prize by beating the world number one in a single leg of darts.

The Guardian, 1 November 2026 - Violinist Sofia Demetriades won BBC Young Musician 2026 with Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, in the first all-female final in the competition's 48-year history.

BBC News, 3 November 2026 - The UK and EU agreed a draft deal to remove post-Brexit checks on food and agricultural exports, ahead of a UK-EU summit later this month.

The Guardian, 4 November 2026 - Before Bonfire Night, the Center for Wild Animal Welfare asked the government to cut the maximum noise of fireworks sold to the public from 120 to 90 decibels to protect wild animals from stress.

[QUIRKY] BBC News, 31 October 2026 - The short-necked oil beetle was found at Castlemartin in Pembrokeshire, its first record in Wales for about 60 years. Oil beetles ooze an oily liquid from their knee joints when threatened (The Guardian, 1 November 2026).

1

Laika the dog is launched into orbit.

2

Martin Luther publishes his 95 theses.

3

Barack Obama is elected US president.

4

Howard Carter's team finds the first step to Tutankhamun's tomb.

5

The Gunpowder Plot to blow up Parliament is foiled.

Question 10

This week in history...Put these historical events that happened in the same week in order from earliest to most recent!

Correct order: 1517 Martin Luther's 95 theses (31 Oct, by tradition; BBC News), 1605 Gunpowder Plot foiled (5 Nov; BBC News), 1922 first step of Tutankhamun's tomb found (4 Nov; BBC Newsround - Carter's diary entry about it is dated 5 Nov, Griffith Institute), 1957 Laika launched on Sputnik 2 (3 Nov; BBC confirms November 1957, the exact day is from Wikipedia only), 2008 Barack Obama elected (4 Nov; The Guardian, 5 Nov 2008). The next slide has the answers.

1: 1517 (31 October) - Luther's 95 theses.

2: 1605 (5 November) - The Gunpowder Plot is foiled.

3: 1922 (4 November) - Tutankhamun's tomb found.

4: 1957 (3 November) - Laika goes into orbit.

5: 2008 (4 November) - Barack Obama is elected.

A new News Quiz every week

NEXT WEEK . . .

What will happen next week?