Current Events Quiz #2

Remember back in November, I gave my 4th year class a quiz on current events. I then shared the quiz online and invited YOU to report your marks. This is how you did:



…which is slightly better than how the students did. But remember that online respondents could have cheated, and perhaps only those who did well took the time to report their results. The two sets of results are therefore not comparable and no conclusions can be made from these observations. It doesn’t matter. This is not a contest, merely an educational opportunity.

This week, I gave the students their second current events quiz. This time, I narrowed the parameters significantly. The test would be on the news as reported by BBC World News radio broadcast (or their saved podcasts), within the period from Feb 1 to Feb 5 inclusive.

I haven’t marked the quiz yet. But I thought you would like to take your shot, as well. As before, the answers are at the bottom of this blog post. And when you’re done and you want to share your results with the rest of the world, click here:

http://doodle.com/6mbwmskkkxsdeph2

Remember: This is not a contest.

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1. A handful of Americans face kidnapping charges for trying to “rescue” orphans –who turned out not to be orphans– from what country? (Broadcast Feb 1)

a. Bangladesh
b. Haiti
c. Croatia
d. Iraq
e. Afghanistan

2. Attempts to move large numbers of people off their land in India is, according to the government, necessary to protect them from underground heat and fires. Critics suggest, though, that the government and industrial interests really want to gain access to what underground resource? (Broadcast Feb 1)

a. Uranium
b. Coal
c. Oil
d. Gold
e. Bauxite

3. The President of Iran made what surprising offer to the international community? (Broadcast Feb 3)

a. He offered to send Iranian uranium abroad to be enriched, rather that developing domestic enrichment capacity
b. He offered to abandon domestic nuclear production in exchange for direct financial aid and debt reduction
c. He offered to step down and institute open elections with direct international oversight
d. He offered to normalize diplomatic relations with Israel
e. He offered to decriminalize homosexuality in exchange for reduction in American and European economic sanctions

4. In Basra, Iraq, a new hospital called the “Sara Center” just opened. What does it focus on? (Broadcast Feb 3)

a. Maternal and reproductive health
b. Mental health
c. Treatment of children injured in the war
d. HIV/AIDS
e. The medical needs of American war veterans

5. A new study showed that in the UK, the cost per person for this disease is greater than that for cancer, heart disease and stroke, and concluded that this is probably also true for the rest of the world. What disease are they talking about? (Broadcast Feb 3)

a. Depression
b. HIV/AIDS
c. Obesity and/or diabetes
d. Dementia
e. Infertility

6. The international criminal court is facing an appeal that may see Omar al-Bashir charged with genocide. Omar al-Bashir is the current leader of what nation? (Broadcast Feb 3)

a. Yemen
b. Serbia
c. Rwanda
d. Sudan
e. Algeria

7. This country recently test-fired a ballistic missile (likely containing test animals), making many surrounding nations quite nervous. (Broadcast Feb 4)

a. Yemen
b. Iraq
c. Iran
d. North Korea
e. Cuba

8. India has offered to resume diplomatic talks with what nation, after relations were suspended due to a terrorist incident in 2008? (Broadcast Feb 4)

a. Afghanistan
b. Iraq
c. Iran
d. Pakistan
e. Sri Lanka

9. Which republic of the former Soviet Union had federal elections scheduled for Feb 7, 2010? (Broadcast Feb 4)

a. Georgia
b. Lithuania
c. Ukraine
d. Romania
e. Uzbekistan

10. What breakthrough at Cambridge University might help millions of people around the world who suffer from diabetes? (Broadcast Feb 5)

a. Genetically engineered insulin
b. A subcutaneous insulin pump
c. A rapid, safe weight-loss drug
d. A carbohydrate digestion blocker
e. An artificial pancreas

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Answers:
1. b
2. b
3. a
4. b
5. d
6. d
7. c
8. d
9. c
10. e

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