The 2024 quiz: Were you paying attention this year?

a. Ole Ole Ole b. Hot Hot Hot c. Bye Bye Bye

2. We hate-watched Fabulous Lives Vs. Bollywood Wives. We discussed, endlessly, which bits were scripted and which bits were too weird to be contrived. Tell us who delivered this gem: “The only reason I don’t hold grudges against people is because it affects my skin”.

a. Shalini Passi b. Maheep Kapoor c. Bhavana Panday

3. Find X using these clues: X is a slang term referring to the belief that one can influence one’s own destiny through willpower. X comes from the word delusional. X originated in K-pop communities to refer to superfans who believed they were in a relationship with their celebrity idols. X is the solulu for Gen-Zs.

a. Dominatrix b. Depression c. Delulu

4. Content creators were all over the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in May. One 22-year-old woman from Uttar Pradesh wore a fabulous, frothy gown that caught the eye of the cameras and the public. Turns out, she’d designed and sewn it herself. Name the woman who is now styling film stars and celebrities.

a. Niharika NM b. Nancy Tyagi c. Aastha Shah

5. On the official website of the Olympics, Yusuf Dikeç uses this line to express himself: “Success doesn’t come with your hands in your pockets.” And yet, at the Paris games, he had one hand in his pocket as he won silver. He became a viral sensation because he seemed so cool under pressure. He’s not a hitman. What field was the Turkish athlete competing in?

a. Break dancing b. Sport shooting c. Chess

6. Richard Gadd adapted his autobiographical one-man show into a black comedy-drama miniseries. He plays Donny Dunn, a London bartender and aspiring comedian, whose first of many mistakes is to offer a cup of tea to plump, sad-looking Martha. The show features stalking, drugs, sexual assault and threats “Typed on my iPhon”. Give Martha’s nickname for Dunn, aka the name of the show.

a. Yellowstone b. Yellow Jackets c. Baby Reindeer

7. India won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. We brought home six Olympic medals and 29 Paralympic medals. Gukesh D became the youngest World Champion in chess. Meanwhile, one cricketer was signed by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore, becoming the most expensive IPL player. The same man was involved in a near-fatal car crash on the Delhi-Dehradun highway in 2022. What a comeback! Who?

a. Rishabh Pant b. Suresh Raina c. Virat Kohli

8. Parents: Tony and Jonah. Siblings: Nadet and Moo Tun. Half-siblings: Ko, Kanya, Phalo and Moo Wan. Home: Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Thailand. This internet superstar isn’t even a year old but she has merch and fan art. Her name means “Bouncy Pork” in Thai. But she’s not a pig. She’s a pygmy hippo. What’s her name?

a. Hoy Tod b. Moo Deng c. Moo Oink

9. Ariana Grande, Kacey Musgraves and SZA sound totally different from each other. But on albums this year, they all had songs about the same thing, a planet. Not Mercury. This one returns to the same place in the sky every 30 years; a metaphor for rebirth at age 30. Which planet? Think of rings.

a. Saturn b. Venus c. Pluto

10. Of course we’re including the Ambani wedding. Advance celebrations featuring Rihanna, a gown printed with text from an old love letter, John Cena, David Beckham and Kim Kardashian among the guests. All of Bollywood in attendance. Now, try to remember the bride’s maiden name.

a. Shah b. Merchant c. Mehta

11. All right, gig hounds. Which TWO of these acts did NOT perform in India this year: Dua Lipa, Bryan Adams, Coldplay, Diljit Dosanjh, Jonas Brothers, Halsey, Sting, Boney M, Shawn Mendes.

a. Boney M and Halsey b. Halsey and Sting c. Coldplay and Shawn Mendes

12. One word. Three letters. It was among the 3,200 new words added to the Cambridge Dictionary this year, along with boop, chef’s kiss and IYKYK. The word took off after it was used in the reality show Love Island to define turn-offs in a romantic partner. He dresses well but has dirty fingernails? She cuts her spaghetti before eating? They refer to themselves in the third person? All examples of _ _ _.

a. Ick b. Eww c. Nom

13. The drama surrounding It Ends With Us just doesn’t end. Justin Baldoni was upset because his co-star Blake Lively commissioned a second cut of the film. She sued him for sexual misconduct and a smear campaign. She also promoted the tale of domestic violence like it was a frothy romcom. The movie version of the bestseller was meh. But who makes a surprise cameo, as a party guest?

a. Author Colleen Hoover b. Ryan Reynolds c. Elon Musk

14. Method dressing was everywhere in 2024. Sydney Sweeney and Dakota Johnson wore mesh gowns for Madame Web. Janhvi Kapoor wore a jersey number on the back of her sari blouse for Mahi. Zendaya did it best. She pulled out tennis skirts, tennis-ball heels, bright green gowns and racquet motifs for which movie, set in the competitive world of tennis?

a. Love All b. King Richard c. Challengers

15. It’s a question that divided the world: Picture yourself alone and unarmed in the woods; would you rather encounter a X or a man? X is a dangerous predator, known to attack and kill humans. Still, nearly every woman chose X. Some men did too, proving, again, that men are considered less safe and less civilised than beasts. Name the predator.

a. Bear b. Tiger c. Anaconda

16. She’d been missing from public life since Christmas 2023. Rumours suggested that she’d divorced her husband, fled the official residence, or may have died. Then, a photo of her and her family was released. It was quickly found to be doctored. Then, in a rare post, she apologised for what was clearly her team’s gaffe. Finally, an official note revealed that she was recovering from breast cancer. Who was at the centre of this royal mess?

a. Lindsay Lohan b. Catherine, Princess of Wales c. Meghan Markle

17. All summer, we obsessed over male celebrities that fit a certain look: Pinched or angular facial features, unkempt hair, beady eyes and mildly craggy disposition. They were charming despite this description. Jeremy Allen White, Timothée Chalamet, Josh O’Connor, Barry Keoghan (and literally Stuart Little) embody which three-word viral term?

a. Red Flag Boyfriend b. Come To Daddy c. Hot Rodent Boyfriend

18. This Hindi horror-fantasy movie didn’t do exceptionally well at the box office when it was released in 2018. But it gained a cult following in the years after. In September, fuelled by popular demand, the film was re-released. It made nearly twice more than its original revenue. Do not worship the monster Hastar. Just name the movie.

a. Tumbbad b. Stree 2 c. Kalinga

19. Fleabag gave us Andrew Scott as a Hot Priest. Nobody Wants This gave us a Hot Rabbi. The show is about a devout Jewish man who falls for a woman who is not a Jew and is not even religious. “You’re gonna turn your whole life upside down for this girl?” his mum asks. Who plays Rabbi Noah? He hasn’t got this much love since he played Seth on the OC 20 years ago.

a. Adam Brody b. Glen Powell c. Tom Holland

20. Everyone who watched Inside Out 2 learnt an 18th-century French word this year. X is not a swear word – no one with X cares enough to swear. X perfectly captures the feeling of staring at your phone with zero motivation to do anything. X is also a new emotion inside Riley. Care to name X?

a. Nostalgia b. Anxiety c. Ennui

21. It’s the 1940s, India is inching towards Independence (and a bloody Partition). In which glitzy quarter of Lahore might one find Mallikajaan, Bibbojaan and Waheedajaan? Think of diamonds, courtesans, Netflix and Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the answer.

a. Zaveri Bazaar b. Zevar Nagari c. Heeramandi

22. Actors Timothée Chalamet, Dev Patel, Harry Styles, Jeremy Allen White and Paul Mescal are part of a very specific set of 2024 newsmakers. In Melbourne, it seems the late Heath Ledger became part of the set too. By December, the hooded figure who shot Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, was included in that set too. Costumes, competition, camaraderie. What are we talking about?

a. Lookalike contests b. Comic Con c. Netflix documentaries

23. History won’t remember the film Bad Newz. It has a 4.8/10 rating on IMDb, and a 27% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But one song from the movie became such a hit that our feeds were full of people attempting its complicated dance. Choreographers did tutorials. Influencers tripped as they tried it on the streets. We fumbled through it at weddings. Two words, but both the same word. What what?

a. Moye Moye b. Tauba Tauba c. Shava Shava

24. Professor Minerva McGonagall from the Harry Potter movies. Mufasa from The Lion King. Coriolanus Snow from The Hunger Games films. They’re iconic characters largely because of the performers who played them. A fitting end to our 24 questions about 2024: What connects them all and this year?

a. They retired b. They won Oscars c. They all passed away. RiP!

Answers to the quiz:

1. Bye Bye Bye

2. Shalini Passi

3. Delulu

4. Nancy Tyagi

5. Sport shooting

6. Baby Reindeer

7. Rishabh Pant

8. Moo Deng

9. Saturn

10. Mehta

11. Coldplay and Shawn Mendes

12. Ick

13. Author Colleen Hoover

14. Challengers

15. Bear

16. Catherine, Princess of Wales

17. Hot Rodent Boyfriend

18. Tumbbad

19. Adam Brody

20. Ennui

21. Heeramandi

22. Lookalike contests

23. Tauba Tauba

24. They all passed away. RiP!

From HT Brunch, December 28, 2024

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