Austerity bites but the bailout waits

A gloomy year for the Spanish economy turned into a stormy one as Catalans raised their voices in favor of independence for the region, while Argentina pulled a dirty one on oil giant Repsol. Check your answers here.

Politics

1. Which former Franco minister and founder of the Popular Party died in January at the age of 89?

2. On January 18 new Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy followed in the footsteps of predecessors Felipe González, José María Aznar and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero by making his first official trip abroad to which nation?

3. After its crushing defeat in the November 2011 general elections, the Socialist Party kicked off the year by electing Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba as its new secretary general. Who, though, did Rubalcaba pick as his second in command?

4. March 25, 2012 saw elections in which two regions?

5. After much speculation the government finally caved in and did what on June 9?

6. Leftist politician Juan Manuel Sánchez Gordillo hit the headlines over the summer with his Robin Hood-style anti-austerity antics, which included encouraging followers to steal food from supermarkets to distribute to the poor. Of which Seville province town is he mayor?

7. The PP's Esperanza Aguirre surprised many by announcing her resignation as Madrid regional premier in September. Who took over from her?

8. Hundreds of thousands marched in Barcelona and other towns and cities on September 11 to mark Catalonia's National Day and call for independence. What is the common Catalan name for the celebration?

9. As thousands of demonstrators gathered outside Congress to protest the government's austerity policies on September 25, Rajoy raised their ire even more when he was pictured performing what act on the streets of New York City?

10. In November's Catalan elections, which party increased its number of seats to 21 to overtake the Socialists, and for the first time became the second political force in the region?

Business

11. What is the name of the new European rescue fund created this year that Prime Minister Rajoy has yet to decide to tap?

12. What is the name of the failed travel group jointly owned by businessman Gerardo Díaz Ferrán, who was jailed this year?

13. What is the name of the employers group that Díaz Ferrán resigned from?

14. What government bond is used to calculate the risk premium?

15. What is the size of the bailout Portugal received from the European Union and the IMF?

16. Which 110-year-old banking brand is due to disappear?

17. Name the Catalan bank that was nationalized this year.

18. What is the name of the so-called bad bank set up to absorb the system's toxic assets?

19. What is the name of the holding company for British Airways and Iberia's merger?

20. Who resigned as chairman of Bankia in May?

Culture

21. The coins found on a shipwrecked Spanish frigate by a salvage firm, Odyssey, became the object of a legal battle between the government and the US company, eventually lost by the latter. But what was the full name of the 19th-century vessel?

22. Baroness Thyssen, whose private art collection hangs in Madrid's Thyssen Museum, raised a few eyebrows this year by selling a Constable painting due to her apparent lack of money. But what was the name of the auctioned work by the British landscape artist?

23. The Basque Country already boasts more than its fair share of Michelin-starred eateries. And this year the magazine Restaurant picked a Basque chef as the best female cook in the world. What is her name?

24. An elderly lady from Borja, Zaragoza, became an international sensation when her "restoration" work on a fresco in the town's church turned into an online viral hit. But what was the name of the original painting?

25. The culture sector has not escaped the government's cost-cutting measures, having seen its value-added tax rate for theater and cinema tickets raised from its previous rate of eight percent. What is the new percentage of VAT for culture?

26. Culture Minster José Ignacio Wert has caused plenty of controversy with his attitude to regional languages such as Catalan. What did he famously say in Congress that managed to earn him a rebuke from King Juan Carlos?

27. One of Spain's most prestigious prizes, the National Literature Prize, was rejected by the winning author this year, who came good on his promise to turn down any government-backed award. What was his name?

28. Actor and activist Willy Toledo has had an eventful year, after being arrested and later freed without charge during the first general strike of 2012. What did he do during the second strike, in November?

29. The Royal Academy of History's Spanish Biographical Dictionary nearly lost its state funding due to what some claimed were over-favorable entries for controversial historical figures. The description of which former dictator caused the greatest outrage?

30. Which king of animation was brought to the Madrid stage this year in a less-than-flattering opera by composer Philip Glass?

Sports

31. Leo Messi broke Gerd Müller's 1972 record of 85 goals in a calendar year in 2012, but it was later reported a Zambian player had scored 107, also in 1972. What was his name?

32. French Open champion Rafa Nadal was unceremoniously dumped out of Wimbledon by a journeyman ranked almost 100 places below him at the time. Who was the Czech that bounced the former champ out of SW19?

33. Spain successfully defended its European Championship soccer title in Poland and Ukraine. Who buried the final strike in a semifinal shoot-out to see off the challenge of Portugal?

34. Name two of the three Spaniards who contributed to Europe's Ryder Cup victory over the USA in the "Miracle of Medinah."

35. Which Spanish midfielder ended the 2011-12 Liga season as top-scoring midfielder and was then snapped up by Swansea for a bargain two million euros?

36. Spain's soccer team crashed out of the Olympic Games in London in the group stage despite entering the tournament as one of the favorites for gold. How many goals did La Rojita net in its three group stage games?

37. Chasing its sixth Davis Cup victory against the Czech Republic in Prague, Spain came undone despite David Ferrer winning both his singles rubbers. Who lost to Radek Stepanek in the decider?

38. Which was the only Spanish team to successfully navigate the group stages of the Champions League unbeaten?

39. Fernando Alonso lost the 2012 F1 world championship by three points. Where did the cheery Spanish driver admit the title race was lost by his Ferrari team?

40. Spain won three gold medals at the London Olympics. In which two sports?

Society

41. In which province did wildfires claim four lives, including those of a father and daughter who jumped from a cliff to avoid the blaze?

42. What did the government decide to deprive illegal immigrants of last summer?

43. Which of the Zapatero government's social reforms was approved by the Constitutional Court?

44. Why did the nun Sor María Gómez Valbuena appear in a Madrid court this year?

45. What has the PAH organization successfully prevented on dozens of occasions in 2012?

46. How many young women died in a crush at a Halloween party in Madrid Arena?

47. Name one of two top judicial posts that Carlos Dívar was forced to resign from over an expenses scandal.

48. What allegedly blinded a Barcelona woman during a demonstration on the day of the November 14 general strike?

49. What took Telecinco chat show La Noria off the air in November?

50. To whom did Judge Baltasar Garzón decide to offer his legal counsel in July?

Latin America

51. Osvaldo Payá, the Cuban dissident who died in a vehicular accident in July that sent Spaniard Ángel Carromero to jail in Cuba, gained international attention in 1998 for a signature-collection initiative asking the Castro government to implement democratic reforms. What was the name of the project?

52. After Argentinean President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner nationalized Repsol's stake in the local YPF affiliate, Spanish officials said that there was only one good but unfair reason why the Buenos Aires government had kicked the firm out. What was it?

53. What historic Mexican party returned to power this year after sitting more than 12 years on the sidelines?

54. In November, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued a far-reaching ruling concerning a territorial dispute between Colombia and Nicaragua. What were the two nations fighting over?

55. In an effort to break up monopolies in the radio, television and cable television industries, Argentina's government made bold moves this year against a media conglomerate that owns one of the country's leading dailies. What is the name of that newspaper?

56. How many surgeries has Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez undergone for cancer?

57. Brazil's biggest political corruption trial ended in September with a host of convictions. What was the basis of the scheme involved?

58. Which country in the region became the first nation to introduce legislation aimed at legalizing marijuana?

59. On June 22, senators in this South American state suddenly voted President Fernando Lugo out of office - a move that isolated the country from regional groups. What is the name of the nation?

60. Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa pardoned the publishers of a Guayaquil daily El Universo after they were found guilty and fined by the country's Supreme Court for committing this offense against him?