Saturday Quiz: Put Your Smarts to the Test

How much of common knowledge are you holding? Plunge into the following set of questions to find out.

The Queries

1 What icon of country music had a close brush with death by an ostrich in 1981?

2 Dame Sarah Mullally was named as the 106th what?

3 Which initially met at Thingvellir in Iceland in 930?

4 Within the energy sector, what is EfW?

5 Lacryma Christi vino originates from wine estates on what mountain?

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

7 Which person's report resulted in the adoption of stadiums with only seats in the United Kingdom?

8 Which chess piece was originally known as the counsellor?

Common Connections

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

10 Sierra de Urbión; Tordesillas town; Zamora city; Porto?

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

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

13 Pugilism; chariot contests; discus; javelin throw; broad jump; pankration; wrestling?

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

15 Blanchett actress; Cruz star; Keaton performer; Mira Sorvino; Wiest thespian?

In deep water over the Tordesillas clue?

The Solutions

1 Johnny Cash.

2 Archbishop of Canterbury.

3 Althing (parliament).

4 Energy from waste.

5 Vesuvius.

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

7 Taylor Report (1990).

8 Queen.

9 Lanes in London.

10 Douro River: rises in Spain; travels through Spain; empties into the Atlantic.

11 Nimrod: from Genesis; from Elgar’s Enigma Variations; Nimrod aircraft; codename for SAS operation.

12 Islands in the Bristol Channel.

13 Ancient Olympic events.

14 Title spies in novels: Fleming’s The Spy Who Loved Me; Le Carré’s The Spy Who Came in from the Cold; Graham Greene's The Quiet American; Conrad’s The Secret Agent.

15 Won acting Oscars in Woody Allen films: Blue Jasmine; movie Vicky Cristina Barcelona; classic Annie Hall; feature Mighty Aphrodite; Hannah and Her Sisters, Bullets Over Broadway.