Current Events Quiz – Oct/2012

It’s that time of the year again. Students in my 4th year International Health class are being treated to their Current Events quiz. As always, I share the questions in this space immediately after, and ask that you, the reader, enter your score in the survey link below, so that we can gauge what a member of the general public typically knows about global current events.

Like the last quiz, this one was based on the BBC global news podcasts for the period from Oct 14 to Oct 27, 2012.

You know the drill.  If you’d like to participate, try to be honourable about it.  Take the multiple choice test below.  The answer key is at the bottom of this post.  Then, share your results with the rest of the world by clicking on the following SurveyMonkey.com link:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CLYBT2S

Keep in mind that the answers are relevant to the date of the quiz (Oct 29, 2012), and are according to the facts as presented by the BBC.

As always, remember: this is not a contest.  And feel free to share the quiz widely.

1. In Mongolia, the last statue of what Soviet-era leader was taken down and put up for auction?
A. Stalin
B. Trotsky
C. Lenin
D. Gorbachev
E. Kruschev

2. Malala Yousufzai, a teenaged Pakistani girl, was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman for:
A. Wearing an American flag
B. Not wearing a head scarf
C. Preaching atheism
D. Promoting education for girls
E. Walking alone at night without a male escort

3. Since the end of this country’s civil war in 2009, at least 120 people have been killed by leftover landmines.
A. Serbia
B. New Guineau
C. Nicaragua
D. Iraq
E. Sri Lanka

4. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is preparing to send troops into the north of this country, after Islamist groups and members of the Tuareg ethnic group seized control of the region after a coup.
A. Mali
B. Chad
C. Burkina Faso
D. Senegal
E. Malawi

5. A car-bombing in this country killed intelligence chief Wissam al-Hassan, who was close to the anti-Syrian opposition, and has caused Prime Minister Najib Mikati to offer to resign.
A. Lebanon
B. Syria
C. Palestine
D. Iraq
E. Tajikistan

6. In 1969, a controversial vote resulted in the Asian region called Papua being incorporated into this country. Now, there is a vibrant independence movement seeking to make Papua an independent nation.
A. Malaysia
B. Indonesia
C. Brunei
D. Thailand
E. Vietnam

7. What are the only three remaining countries in which Polio is still endemic?
A. Nigeria, Chad, Mali
B. Mali, Equatorial Guinea, Suriname
C. Chad, Suriname, Afghanistan
D. Pakistan, Equatorial Guinea, Mali
E. Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan

8. A UN report suggests that two African nations are complicit in providing support to the M23 rebel group in Congo. Those two countries are Rwanda and…
A. Senegal
B. Ethiopia
C. Kenya
D. Uganda
E. Tanzania

9. As Buddhists clash with Muslims, at least 56 people have been killed in the state of Rakhine in this country:
A. Bhutan
B. Sri Lanka
C. Indonesia
D. Burma (or Myanmar)
E. Armenia

10. This past week, the German chancellor unveiled a memorial in Tiergarten park, Berlin, in memory of which group which was targeted during the WWII Holocaust?.
A. Jews
B. Homosexuals
C. Catholics
D. Turks
E. Roma

There you have it.  The answers are below.  Don’t cheat!

A couple of quick announcements: 

• Check out my latest cover story at India Currents Magazine. 
• My first article has been posted at The Huffington Post!
• Check out my audio interview on the same topic (reproductive tourism) on CBC radio

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Answers:

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