by South Wales Echo

1. The single currently at the top of the UK charts has become the fastest-selling single ever by a female artist. Who is she?

2. A play which starts with the death of former Tory Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher marks the 25th anniversary of which event this year?

3. Today is the start of the busiest week of the year for which profession?

4. This year represents the 500th anniversary of whose accession to the throne?

5. Which long-running BBC quiz show has been at the centre of controversy over suggestions that celebrity contestants may be offered crib sheets?

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE

6. Where was the second atomic bomb dropped over Japan in 1945

7. Who had the UK Christmas number one in 1971?

8. Which American state is known as the Lone Star state?

9. Who was in charge of Union forces at the end of the American Civil War?

10. Who was the only member of the Beach Boys who could surf?

SHOWBIZ

11. Which singer's debut single was released digitally at one second into the New Year across the different time zones of the world?

12. Which Hollywood actor who starred in 2004 movie Crash has been charged with driving at an excessive speed after police allegedly clocked him travelling at 106mph?

13. Which band has been crowned 2008's hardest-working rockers after notching up the most arena concerts?

14. Which Australian actor is reportedly being lined up to play Bill Clinton in The Special Relationship, a film about the former US president's friendship with Tony Blair?

15. Who has secured two Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Actress in

Revolutionary Road and Best Supporting Actress in The Reader? The awards will be announced on January 25 in Hollywood.

TV

16. Which weather presenter bowed out of GMTV on New Year's Eve after more than a decade on the show?

17. What is the biggest-selling DVD in the UK ever, according to an Official Charts Company announcement?

18. Which Gavin And Stacey star is heading for Hollywood to work with Nicholas Stoller, the man who helped make Russell Brand a star in America?

19. Which former Beatle is starring in a US TV advert for the One Laptop Per Child campaign?

20. Which Sopranos actor has been cleared of the murder of a New York policeman?

SPORT

21. Who is the reigning men's Australian Open Tennis champion?

22. Which three national teams has Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari managed?

23. How many gold medals did swimmer Michael Phelps win in Beijing?

24. The Cardinals NFL franchise are based in which American city?

25. Which city is the start and end venue for this year's Dakar Rally?

Trivia Quiz answers

1. Alexandra Burke, 2. The 1984 Miners' Strike, 3. Divorce lawyers, in the wake of the Christmas holiday and the credit crunch, 4. Henry VIII, 5. Mastermind 6. Nagasaki, 7. Benny Hill with Ernie, 8. Texas, 9. Ulysses S Grant, 10. Dennis Wilson, 11.

Lauren Harris, 12. Matt Dillon, 13. Status Quo, 14. Russell, Crowe 15. Kate Winslet, 16. Andrea McLean, 17. Mamma Mia!

The Movie, 18. James Corden, 19. John Lennon, 20. Lillo Brancato, 21. Novak Djokovic, 22. Kuwait, Brazil & Portugal, 23.

Eight, 24. Phoenix, 25. Buenos Aires.

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