What do you remember about the big stories of the past 12 months?

Test your knowledge of European news events in our quiz.

When you've got your result, why not e-mail the quiz to your friends to see how they measure up?

Question 1

Whose neighbours were so alarmed when he staged a mock volcanic eruption at a garden party that they called in the fire brigade?

A: British pop singer Sir Elton John B: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi C: German racing driver Michael Schumacher

Question 2

Bruno, the first brown bear to roam free in Germany for 170 years, was shot dead in May. Where did he come from and how?

A: He is thought to have escaped from a private collection in Bavaria B: He crossed the Alps from Italy, where authorities are trying to reintroduce the species C: He was released by animal rights activists from a circus on the outskirts of Munich

Question 3

Romanian Leonard Orban and Bulgarian Meglena Kuneva were accepted as European commissioners, ahead of their countries' accession to the EU in January. But commissioners for what?

A: "Multilingualism" and "consumer protection" B: "Ethnic minorities" and "emergencies" C: "Counter-terrorism" and "women's issues"

Question 4

What part did four women on horseback play in a dramatic rescue attempt?

A: They drove away a pack of wolves surrounding an occupied tent in Romania B: They raised the alarm after coming across an old man snowed into his Russian cottage for two weeks C: They led a herd of horses stranded by floods in the Netherlands to safety

Question 5

The 2000-year-old Lupanare was re-opened to the public after renovations, but what is it?

A: A complex of baths used for early Christian baptism in Ephesus, Turkey B: An elaborate brothel in Pompeii, Italy C: A Roman necropolis deep beneath the Vatican

Question 6

In January Russia cut off supplies of gas to Ukraine in a dispute over rising prices. How much did Russia want to charge for 1,000 cubic metres of gas?

A: $65 B: $170 C: $230

Question 7

The semi-finals of the World Cup in Germany were contested by four European teams for the first time since...?

A: 1974, in West Germany B: 1982, in Spain C: 1990, in Italy

Question 8

Turkey suspended military ties with whom, and why?

A: Germany, after Chancellor Angela Merkel recommended Turkey not be allowed full membership of the EU B: The EU, after it suspended parts of Turkey's membership talks C: France, after French MPs voted to criminalise denials that Ottoman Turks committed "genocide" against Armenians

Question 9

Natascha Kampusch escaped from her Austrian kidnapper after eight years in captivity. What was the response of a neighbour when she knocked on a window after escaping and explained her plight?

A: The neighbour asked her to come back later B: The neighbour asked her to get off the lawn C: The neighbour gave her some small change

Question 10

Which country withdrew from the Eurovision song contest before it started, and why?

A: Serbia-Montenegro, amid claims that Montenegrin judges had favoured Montenegrin over Serbian contestants B: France, after its contestant refused a culture ministry request to rewrite her lyrics in French C: Turkey, which refused to send a contestant to Greece

Question 11

According to Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2006, which are Europe's most, and least, corrupt countries?

A: Belarus and Finland B: Russia and the UK C: Albania and Norway

Question 12

An unknown work by which German composer was discovered among documents rescued from a fire?

A: Robert Schumann B: Ludwig van Beethoven C: Johann Sebastian Bach

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