Weekly Bonus Question
09:59 UK time, Friday, 8 January 2010
Welcome to the Weekly Bonus Question.
Each week the news quiz will offer an answer. You are invited to suggest what the question might have been.
Suggestions should be sent using the COMMENTS BOX IN THIS ENTRY (and not in the form on the right). And since nobody likes a smart alec, kudos will be deducted for predictability in your suggestions.
This week's answer is 49,000 YEARS TO READ OUT.
UPDATE 1604 BST: The correct question is, how many years would it take to read out all of the known digits of Pi, speaking at one number a second? (More details - )
Of your wilfully and deliberately wrong questions, we liked:
- Raven's How long you'd need to read Joan Collins' day-to-a-page diary?
- Rob Falconer's How long would it take Jonathan Ross to read the news if there were lots of R's in it?
- Abbotofmelrose's The licence agreement of any software that you install, and just click "I have read and understood..."
- Prejudiced's Peter Mandelson's job titles?
- Toffeedaz's And now over to the travel news in your area... where I believe they will be running through a list of all the untreated roads where you live.
- Darkmarker's How long does it take to read the full list of Ryanair surcharges
Thanks to all who entered.
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Comment number 1.
At 8th Jan 2010, BaldoBingham wrote:How long will it take me to get through the wife's list of things to do around the house?
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Comment number 2.
At 8th Jan 2010, BaldoBingham wrote:How long will it take the wife to list my faults?
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Comment number 3.
At 8th Jan 2010, Pendragon wrote:This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.
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Comment number 4.
At 8th Jan 2010, Rob Falconer wrote:How long would it take Jonathan Ross to read the news if there were lots of R's in it?
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Comment number 5.
At 8th Jan 2010, Rob Falconer wrote:How long does it take to read out all the titles at the end of a Star Wars film?
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Comment number 6.
At 8th Jan 2010, rogueslr wrote:Now over to Jane with the travel news, how long will you need?
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Comment number 7.
At 8th Jan 2010, Valerie Ganne wrote:... and finally I'd like to thank my parents for their support during the making of my film "Gandhi"
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Comment number 8.
At 8th Jan 2010, Valerie Ganne wrote:Er, how do you pronounce [XLIX]?
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Comment number 9.
At 8th Jan 2010, rogueslr wrote:How long will it take to explain the Duckworth Lewis method to the wife?
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Comment number 10.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:Colonel Gaddafi's next UN speech?
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Comment number 11.
At 8th Jan 2010, Valerie Ganne wrote:How long will Marilyn Monroe's script run-through take?
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Comment number 12.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:The instructions to put together an Ikea flat pack table?
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Comment number 13.
At 8th Jan 2010, Bellhouse Hartwell wrote:And my client would like a number of other crimes to be taken into account, M'lud ...
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Comment number 14.
At 8th Jan 2010, LaurenceLane wrote:What's the estimate for the audio book of the eighth Harry Potter?
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Comment number 15.
At 8th Jan 2010, LaurenceLane wrote:Just how long will it take St Peter to get through the sins of Russell Brand?
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Comment number 16.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:You've translated War and Peace into Klingon?
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Comment number 17.
At 8th Jan 2010, Bellhouse Hartwell wrote:And that's the complete list of Ryanair extras?
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Comment number 18.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:And now I'd like to thank all of the little people?
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Comment number 19.
At 8th Jan 2010, Bellhouse Hartwell wrote:So that's every MPs' expenses since January 2008?
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Comment number 20.
At 8th Jan 2010, Bunny wrote:What is the amount of time it would take to read the new PI number to every decimal place?
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Comment number 21.
At 8th Jan 2010, Bellhouse Hartwell wrote:Actually no, but reading a Jeffrey Archer novel just seems like it
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Comment number 22.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:How long would it take to explain the rules of the WBQ to some people?
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Comment number 23.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:A Reading from the Book of Armaments?
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Comment number 24.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:Ah, I see you've brought your own telephone directory to the meeting?
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Comment number 25.
At 8th Jan 2010, JK wrote:How long would it take for Stephen Hawking to recite The Lord of the Rings novels?
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Comment number 26.
At 8th Jan 2010, Candace9839 wrote:Asking a hypochondriac what's wrong?
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Comment number 27.
At 8th Jan 2010, ARoseByAnyOther wrote:I suppose I'm wondering why I've gathered you all here?
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Comment number 28.
At 8th Jan 2010, Andrei CSA wrote:How long have you all been here? [Unsuitable/Broken URL removed by Moderator]
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Comment number 29.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:How long you'd need to read Joan Collins' day-to-a-page diary?
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Comment number 30.
At 8th Jan 2010, rogueslr wrote:How long would it take to master the Inland Revenue self assessment rule book?
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Comment number 31.
At 8th Jan 2010, Carlos wrote:How long it would take to read all the currently known digits of 'Pi' if read one per second?
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Comment number 32.
At 8th Jan 2010, rogueslr wrote:Have you ever tried to read 'A Brief History of Time'?
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Comment number 33.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mike wrote:The licence agreement of any software that you install, and just click 'I have read and understood...'
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Comment number 34.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mike wrote:An explanation of what 'The Matrix' was all about?
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Comment number 35.
At 8th Jan 2010, make my day punk wrote:How long will it take to read out all the tax rises brought in by labour since 1997
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Comment number 36.
At 8th Jan 2010, SkarloeyLine wrote:What happened when Dr Who installed sat-nav in the Tardis?
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Comment number 37.
At 8th Jan 2010, SimonHare wrote:How long would it take to list the things men need to do to make women happy?
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Comment number 38.
At 8th Jan 2010, rogueslr wrote:Now for those of you who haven't played 'Escape From Colditz' before, I'll just read out the rules.
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Comment number 39.
At 8th Jan 2010, Fiona H wrote:How long would it take to say the latest (and longest) amount that Pi has been calculated to?
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Comment number 40.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mike wrote:Geoff Hoon and Patricia Hewitt's letter to MP's?
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Comment number 41.
At 8th Jan 2010, MAJM wrote:How long is today's list of school closures?
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Comment number 42.
At 8th Jan 2010, muzi_87 wrote:what is the amount of time to count to the amount of debt in the premier league football teams?
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Comment number 43.
At 8th Jan 2010, Ed Loach wrote:I named all the snowflakes in my garden. What strikes you most about the list?
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Comment number 44.
At 8th Jan 2010, Iain Macleod wrote:A child yesterday set an all-time reading age record low by spending how long on which word?
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Comment number 45.
At 8th Jan 2010, Ed Loach wrote:I just had to sign up for a 91Èȱ¬ iD to be able to post a comment here instead of using the letters form (oops - sorry!). The instructions to do so take...
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Comment number 46.
At 8th Jan 2010, Robert Blackpool wrote:Recently pie has been discovered to a more specific larger number, to read this out would take.........
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Comment number 47.
At 8th Jan 2010, graeme wrote:John Prescott's daily calorie intake
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Comment number 48.
At 8th Jan 2010, Jay wrote:How long does it take for non-welsh speakers to pronounce the town name of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
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Comment number 49.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:OK, but what if we just dented the circle ever so slighly and made it exactly 3?
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Comment number 50.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:OK, but what if we just dented the circle ever so slightly and made it exactly 3?
(spelling correction)
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Comment number 51.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:Ah, here it is - the old Mornington Crescent Rulebook
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Comment number 52.
At 8th Jan 2010, Dougie wrote:If the large hadron colider runs for a microsecond, how long will it take to get the results?
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Comment number 53.
At 8th Jan 2010, alexsmk wrote:What is the main reason MPs' expense claims have not been published 100% without censorship?
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Comment number 54.
At 8th Jan 2010, joandunne wrote:How long will it take to get through all the tiresome, misogynist jokes?
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Comment number 55.
At 8th Jan 2010, Robert Drummond wrote:How long would it take to read out the list of people more likely than Gordon Brown to be prime minister in 6 months time?
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Comment number 56.
At 8th Jan 2010, ARoseByAnyOther wrote:Announcing Liz Taylor's names at the ball?
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Comment number 57.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mhadaidh wrote:I know it's 11pm and you all want to go home , but I just have one more point to make , it will only take ......
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Comment number 58.
At 8th Jan 2010, Tristan Trevissick wrote:The section titled 'What to do when it snows' in the government's Health and Safety procedures manual...
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Comment number 59.
At 8th Jan 2010, ben roberts wrote:The length of time it would take to read out pi to its newly calculated figure
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Comment number 60.
At 8th Jan 2010, BeckySnow wrote:The list of editors on Wikipedia.
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Comment number 61.
At 8th Jan 2010, aamcfarland wrote:How long will it take to go through the list of Iris Robinson's financial and sexual indiscressions?
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Comment number 62.
At 8th Jan 2010, SkarloeyLine wrote:Moonie wedding vows?
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Comment number 63.
At 8th Jan 2010, MightyGiddyUpGal wrote:You've named every grain of sand in the hourglass?
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Comment number 64.
At 8th Jan 2010, greennun wrote:The time required to list all the excuses and justifications used by politians for their expense claims.
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Comment number 65.
At 8th Jan 2010, Ryan Fisher wrote:You want me to say Pi. But read every state of the calendar, every second, from now until the same date in 51010.
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Comment number 66.
At 8th Jan 2010, MightyGiddyUpGal wrote:How do I love thee, let me count the ways? Hello?
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Comment number 67.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:I think we'll need a relay team for this
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Comment number 68.
At 8th Jan 2010, Kevin wrote:the names of all the journalists who will have stood in a field / side of road somehere in Nritain looking at snow and telling us all just how cold it is before the end of next week - hey ho !
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Comment number 69.
At 8th Jan 2010, MightyGiddyUpGal wrote:I seem to have misplaced my reading glasses, but let me take a crack at the attendance list anyway?
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Comment number 70.
At 8th Jan 2010, Raven Clare wrote:I think we're going to need a bigger bookcase
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Comment number 71.
At 8th Jan 2010, Gray Gable wrote:And now, Peter Mandelson’s full title?
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Comment number 72.
At 8th Jan 2010, Steve Burton wrote:Well thats the economy supermarkets own brand pi ....... what about the ingredients of the newly discovered luxury pi ........?
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Comment number 73.
At 8th Jan 2010, David Lee Williams wrote:How long it would take me to eat all the pies in the world
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Comment number 74.
At 8th Jan 2010, Leslie Mustoe wrote:The time taken to read out the latest approximation to Pi.
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Comment number 75.
At 8th Jan 2010, MightyGiddyUpGal wrote:Eats, disputes and doesn't leave?
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Comment number 76.
At 8th Jan 2010, Steve Burton wrote:The St Peter Rejection list of heaven applications from RBS bankers..?
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Comment number 77.
At 8th Jan 2010, Kieran Boyle wrote:The ingredients of a Pot-Noodle.
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Comment number 78.
At 8th Jan 2010, darkmarker wrote:How long does it take to read the full list of Ryanair surcharges?
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Comment number 79.
At 8th Jan 2010, MightyGiddyUpGal wrote:I've never made Sauce a l'Afrique before, talk me through it?
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Comment number 80.
At 8th Jan 2010, Steve Burton wrote:The new security restrictions when your 5 year old wants to visit Mickey Mouse this summer....?
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Comment number 81.
At 8th Jan 2010, Robert Blackpool wrote:the names of the heads that have dropped courtesy of George Bush
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Comment number 82.
At 8th Jan 2010, Kieran Boyle wrote:Why did the use of a video umpire not work in inter-galactic cricket?
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Comment number 83.
At 8th Jan 2010, MightyGiddyUpGal wrote:Stand by while we check the no-fly list?
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Comment number 84.
At 8th Jan 2010, Rose1104 wrote:The latest amount of discovered pi decimal places.
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Comment number 85.
At 8th Jan 2010, BeckySnow wrote:The ingredients list of Sunny Delight.
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Comment number 86.
At 8th Jan 2010, MorningGlories wrote:So it's no longer seven words you can never say on television?
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Comment number 87.
At 8th Jan 2010, BeckySnow wrote:The number of people who helped Katie Price with her 'novels'.
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Comment number 88.
At 8th Jan 2010, MorningGlories wrote:Yes, and here's the form doctor wishes you to complete before your next visit?
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Comment number 89.
At 8th Jan 2010, Sarah Keenlyside wrote:Amount of time required to read the list of Russel Brand's previous conquests!
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Comment number 90.
At 8th Jan 2010, eddie-george wrote:So Sir Alex, what were you hoping for when the 4th official raised the board?
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Comment number 91.
At 8th Jan 2010, Tony wrote:If I had a list of people who are more of a celebrity than the people that TV companies put on celebrity shows what would be the biggest waste of time I could do with it?
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Comment number 92.
At 8th Jan 2010, Tony wrote:The list of 'optional' charges that must be paid when flying with RyanAir would take what?
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Comment number 93.
At 8th Jan 2010, Hughsie wrote:The Audio book A Brief History of Time took Stephen Hawkings how long to produce and record?
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Comment number 94.
At 8th Jan 2010, MorningGlories wrote:Google search results for moggie jokes?
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Comment number 95.
At 8th Jan 2010, Crispin wrote:How long would it take to read out all the digits in the number Pi?
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Comment number 96.
At 8th Jan 2010, Kitwemiller wrote:How long will it take to list all who have been delayed in the snow?
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Comment number 97.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mike wrote:Yesterday's 'closed schools' list?
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Comment number 98.
At 8th Jan 2010, BeckySnow wrote:A Richard Attenborough acceptance speech.
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Comment number 99.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mike wrote:All the entries submitted in the 'send us a letter' column on the right?
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Comment number 100.
At 8th Jan 2010, Mike wrote:The list of reasons why Jonathan Ross has decided to leave the 91Èȱ¬?
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