Quiz of the Year: 18 Questions to Close a Year

A quiz of the year is the easiest round to write and the fastest to date. These eighteen use anchors that do not expire — the structure of a year rather than a specific one — so you can swap in this year’s events and keep the shape.

The shape of a year

1. How many days are in a leap year? — 366
2. Which month has the fewest days? — February
3. How many weeks are in a year? — 52, plus a day or two
4. In which month is the northern summer solstice? — June
5. How many public holidays does a typical year hold? — Varies by country – usually eight to fourteen
6. Which year follows a leap year? — A common year

Recurring events

1. How often are the summer Olympics held? — Every four years
2. How often is the football World Cup held? — Every four years
3. In which month are the Academy Awards usually held? — March
4. How often are Nobel Prizes awarded? — Annually
5. How often does a US presidential election occur? — Every four years
6. How often does Ramadan move through the seasons? — It shifts about eleven days earlier each year

Counting the year

1. How many seconds are in a year, roughly? — About 31.5 million
2. How many sunrises does a year contain? — 365, or 366 in a leap year
3. How many full moons are there in a typical year? — Twelve, occasionally thirteen
4. How many hours are in a year? — 8,760
5. Which calendar is most widely used today? — The Gregorian calendar
6. How long is a lunar year? — About 354 days

Build your own version by replacing the middle round with ten questions from this year’s news, and keep the first and last rounds as they are – they will still work next year.