NOTE TO TEACHERS: The answers to this quiz were sent out on Jan. 30. If you need answers, please write to firstname.lastname@example.org from your school email address (and include your name and the name of your school.)
MATCHING (1 point each). Directions: 2016 saw the deaths of many well-known people. Write the letter of the person next to his/her description.
a. Fidel Castro
b. Harper Lee
c. Shimon Peres
d. Nancy Reagan
e. Arnold Palmer
f. Antonin Scalia
g. Elie Wiesel
h. Muhammed Ali
i. John Glenn
1. _______ served as a U.S. Supreme Court justice for 30 years
2. _______ brutal communist dictator who ruled for almost 50 years
3. _______ Olympic Gold Medalist and world heavyweight champion boxer
4. _______ Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate
5. _______ Pulitzer Prize winning American novelist
6. _______ Astronaut, first American to orbit the Earth
7. _______ considered a founder of Israel, served as both President and Prime Minister
8. _______ American actress, and the wife of the 40th President of the United States
9. _______ American professional golfer, considered one of the greatest players in the sport’s history
MULTIPLE CHOICE. (1 point each) DIRECTIONS: Circle the correct answer.
10. President Obama announced on Twitter in February that he would embark on a historic trip to Cuba. The President said that his visit will advance the U.S.’s “progress and efforts that can improve the lives of the Cuban people.” The following month, hours before Obama landed in Cuba to meet with communist dictator Raul Castro, Castro’s police arrested more than 50 dissidents who were peacefully marching for ____________. Berta Soler, who has been marching since 2003 said, “…we do this so President Obama knows that there are women here fighting for the liberty of political prisoners. And…that we are here being repressed simply for exercising our right to express ourselves…in a non-violent way.”
a) improved human rights in Cuba
b) safe spaces for all college students
c) an increased minimum wage
d) longer prison sentences for those who oppose Castro
11. Republican Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas announced at the end of April that the state was withdrawing from President Obama’s federal refugee resettlement program. Gov. Brownback said, “Because the federal government has failed to provide adequate assurances regarding refugees it is settling in Kansas, we have no option but to end our cooperation with and participation in the federal refugee resettlement program.” The federal government responded to the announcement by:
a) giving the governor the information he requested
b) vowing to provide detailed information on the background of each individual being resettled
c) ignoring Kansas’ announcement and their concern, with one official saying “refugee resettlement will continue in Kansas”
d) setting up a meeting between President Obama and all of the governors who have concerns over the program
12. Republicans and the majority of Americans are opposed to President Obama’s decision to accept 10,000+ refugees from Syria because they say they are concerned that:
a) the refugees do not speak English
b) some of those accepted are economic migrants, not true refugees
c) violent militants could come into the U.S. posing as refugees
d) the refugees won’t like American food
13. The nonpartisan watchdog group Campaign for Accountability reported in May that the head of public policy for ____________ has met with White House officials 128 times over the course of the Obama’s presidency. The Obama administration’s Chief Technology Office is a former executive from that company.
US MILITARY AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
14. In February, the U.S. navy conducted a “freedom of navigation operation,” in the South China Sea as a challenge to China’s claims in the region. U.S. officials said the exercise was conducted on the basis of “innocent passage” – which according to ____________ Convention on the Law of the Sea – allows naval ships to transit another nation’s territorial waters without prior notice if they don’t conduct threatening activity.
a) the United States’
b) the European Union’s
d) the United Nations’
15. In March, the Air Force launched the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Brandenburg AFB in California. It landed in a target area in the South Pacific, 4,200 miles from Brandenburg. The purpose of the test-fires was to demonstrate the Minutemen III’s nuclear arms capacity and serve as a nuclear deterrent. The U.S. tests, conducted at least 15 times since January 2011, send a message to strategic rivals like ____________ that Washington has an effective nuclear arsenal.
a) Poland, Ukraine and Czech Republic
b) Russia, China and North Korea
c) Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Afghanistan
d) Japan, South Korea and the Philippines
16. In May, the U.S. unveiled an $800 million missile shield that the government says is vital to defend the U.S. and Europe from rogue states, but the Kremlin says is aimed at blunting its own nuclear arsenal. “As long as Iran continues to develop and deploy ballistic missiles, the United States will work with its allies to defend NATO,” said U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work. The missile shield is located in ____________.
b) South Korea
17. In October a U.S. Navy destroyer was targeted three times in a week in a failed missile attack from territory in Yemen. Houthi rebels backed by ____________were responsible for the attacks on the U.S. Navy destroyer.
b) the Philippines
c) North Korean
d) Saudi Arabia
18. In May, the Pentagon announced that __________ had performed an “unsafe and unprofessional” barrel roll over a US Air Force jet above the Baltic Sea — the latest in a string of such incidents.
a) an Iraqi military plane
b) a Russian military plane
c) Vladimir Putin’s private jet
d) SpaceX rocket
19. Astronaut Scott Kelly returned to the U.S. in March after spending nearly a year in space, which was part of a NASA twin study involving his brother Mark. While Scott was in space, Mark remained earthbound, which allowed scientists to study the effects of space travel on the human body in preparation for a manned mission to ____________. Researchers looked at the effects of radiation on the human body, as it would be the biggest issue astronauts face if they traveled to that planet.
20. In March, the Inspector General for Homeland Security told a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing that it will take another three years and $1 billion more to automate the DHS’ immigration system and this lack of progress is compromising border security. Which one of the following was NOT a statement made by the Inspector General?
a) The immigration system is “more suited to an office environment from 1950 rather than 2016”
b) The current system allows “known human traffickers” to use work and fiancé visas to bring victims into the country.
c) “We may be admitting individuals who wish to do us harm, or who do not meet the requirements for a visa.”
d) “We need to get Trump elected to come in and clean up this mess.”
21. Following the 15th commemoration of 9/11, the one major gap in the U.S.’s security framework was highlighted in the news again. It is the ability for people to enter the country on short-term tourist or business visas and then stay in the country indefinitely. In 2004, Congress had passed a law requiring the implementation of a ____________ entry-exit system to help keep better track of overstayers. No such system is currently in place.
22. In September, thirty-seven members of Congress signed a letter to House GOP leaders urging them to insert language into the spending bill that would freeze Middle East refugee resettlement programs until better ____________ for the refugees are put in place. They also requested that the government implement a “longer-term monitoring process” for refugees admitted to the U.S.
a) vetting processes
b) public transportation systems
c) job opportunities
d) none of the above
23. In 2014, an investigation revealed that U.S. veterans were dying while awaiting treatment in Phoenix’s Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center, due to a secret patient waiting list created to ensure VA staff received their bonuses. The reporter who broke the story followed up in 2016 with the news that __________.
a) Democrats and Republicans in Congress united to reform the VA and end the ridiculous wait times
b) nothing has changed
c) VA Secretary Bob McDonald appointed an independent committee to implement a new system that eliminates unreasonable wait times
d) President Obama personally cleaned house at the VA and kept officials’ feet to the fire until the corruption was cleaned up
24. It was announced in December that a vast field of shale rock in West Texas could yield 20 billion barrels of oil, making it the largest source of shale oil this U.S. government agency has ever assessed. A geologist for the agency said, “[this] just goes to show that, even in areas that have produced billions of barrels of oil, there is still the potential to find billions more.” The agency that made the discovery is ____________.
a) the EPA
b) the U.S. Geological Survey
25. Justice Antonin Scalia passed away in February. With 11 months left in President Obama’s second term, the Republican Senate majority leader vowed that Republicans would:
a) refuse to consider any nominee before a new president is elected
b) work with President Obama to confirm a new justice as soon as possible
c) put forward their own nominee for President Obama’s consideration
d) confirm any nominee the President puts forward
26. Three U.S. Congressmen applied for visas to Iran in February. They received no response even after several follow-ups. In April the congressmen wrote again, pointing out that the U.S. is allowing Iranian leaders to visit the U.S. In June Iran responded by denying the request. The congressmen wanted to visit Iran to:
a) meet with the Americans hostages in Iran who were not freed with the others when President Obama signed a nuclear deal with Iranian leaders
b) observe Iran’s February elections to ensure that they were “free and fair”
c) obtain information about the January detention of 10 American sailors and their two naval ships by the Iranian military
d) all of the above
THE STATES/FEDERAL GOVT/THE COURTS
27. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in September. Historian and founding director of the museum Lonnie Bunch stresses that the museum is NOT intended to be the National Museum of Discrimination. Mr. Bunch said, “For me, the African American experience is an experience not of tragedy, but of unbelievable belief — belief in themselves, belief in an America that often didn’t believe in them.” The museum is located:
a) in Atlanta at the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.
b) next to the Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery, Alabama
c) on the Mall in Washington D.C.
d) in New York City
28. In May, new government rules were released on the e-cigarette industry. Under the new rules, e-cigarette sales to people under 18 will be banned and manufacturers must submit premarket applications that will undergo review to assess their impact on the “public health.” The rules were released by:
a) the TSA
b) the FCC
c) the EPA
d) the FDA
29. New Hampshire officials went before a federal appeals court in September in an attempt to persuade the court that a 2014 state law banning voters from posting online photos of their ballots on election day does not violate the U.S. right to free speech. In 2014, in response to a growing trend of voters taking selfies with their filled-in ballots and posting them on social media sites, the state passed a law banning the practice. The state argued that having the right to take a photo of a filled-in ballot and post it publicly risks a return to the problem of:
a) voter apathy
b) vote rigging
c) vote buying
d) embarrassing Facebook photos
30. It was reported in October that Pennsylvania residents won’t be able to use their driver’s licenses as ID to get into federal buildings or board planes for much longer because they don’t meet the requirements of the federal REAL ID Act. The REAL ID Act was enacted after 9/11. It is supposed to make it harder for ____________.
a) potential terrorists to get a fake ID
b) illegal immigrants to vote
c) citizens to expect a right to privacy
d) underage students to get a fake ID
TECHNOLOGY / SURVEILLANCE / HACKING / LEAKS
31. A survey (by a media non-profit) found that half of ______________ feel addicted to their mobile phones, with most checking the devices at least every hour and feeling pressured to respond immediately to messages.
32. A separate review of internet and technology use found that multi-tasking can hinder the ability to form memories and the lack of human interaction can also:
a) make it harder to find a job
b) make it harder to develop empathy
c) is very beneficial
d) improve a person’s gaming skills
33. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said he wants Facebook Instant Articles to be the “primary news experience people have.” Facebook’s trending news section is run by people in their 20s and early 30s, most of whom graduated from Ivy League and private East Coast schools like Columbia University and NYU. According to former team members interviewed by Gizmodo, this small group has the power to ____________.
a) choose what stories make it onto the trending bar
b) choose what news sites each topic links out to
c) neither a) nor b)
d) both a) and b)
34. Google began testing its self-driving car in winter weather conditions for the first time in 2016. Before that, the cars were only tested in environments where the roads and weather are clear. Snow and ice negatively affect self-driving cars because they rely on all but ____________ to navigate.
d) laser-based sensing systems
35. Uber’s partially self-driving car began accepting passengers in Pittsburgh in September, in a test for the company as it seeks to develop a fleet of autonomous vehicles that could someday ferry passengers around crowded cities. Pittsburgh has a combination of many types of challenges which have caused trouble for self-driving vehicles, including all but:
a) flat streets laid out in a grid
b) snow and ice in the winter
c) steep and narrow streets
d) bridges, pedestrians, bicyclists
36. Snapchat introduced “Spectacles” – sunglasses with a built-in wireless video camera. Specs are different from Google Glass in that they are designed solely for capturing video and are significantly cheaper than Glass. Features include all but ____________.
a) lights on the inside and outside of the frame let other people know you’re recording
b) camera is able to record up to 30 seconds of video at a time
c) sending text messages and tweets
d) the videos are stored on the sunglasses, so you don’t need your phone nearby while recording
37. It was reported in December that Amazon is launching a new grocery store set up to operate without ____________. Customers will use an app. As they shop, their items get added to a virtual cart on the app (and subtracted if they put them back) with receipts emailed to them once they leave, according to the company. One industry expert estimated that Amazon’s cutting-edge technology has the potential to wipe out 75 percent of typical grocery-store staff.
a) junk food
b) a produce department
d) shopping carts
38. Clear Channel Outdoor Americas, which has tens of thousands of billboards across the U.S., announced in March that it has partnered with several companies, including AT&T, to track people’s travel patterns and behaviors through their mobile phones. With the data it collects, Clear Channel aims to provide ____________ with detailed information about the people who pass its billboards.
a) potential employers
b) local law enforcement
d) the federal government
39. In October, two former Yahoo employees and a third person said that Yahoo secretly built a custom software program to search all of its customers’ incoming emails for specific information requested by ____________. In its investigation, Reuters was NOT able to determine what information officials were looking for, what data Yahoo may have handed over, if any, and whether officials had approached other email providers besides Yahoo with this kind of request, and if so if any complied.
a) U.S. intelligence
b) potential employers
c) Google executives
d) Russian President Vladimir Putin
40. The Wall Street Journal reported in October that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents got local police to use license plate readers on all attendees at certain gun shows in an attempt to ____________. Privacy and guns-rights advocates are concerned about the use of license plate readers at the gun shows because it is an invasion of privacy.
a) create a database of gun owners in the U.S.
b) catch gun smugglers
c) intimidate those who wished to purchase guns
d) search for terrorists who entered the country disguised as college students
41. In 2015, an anonymous source leaked an unprecedented number of documents from a Latin American law firm. The scandal, named ____________, was reported in April 2016. World leaders, government workers, billionaires and celebrities were all involved in the scandal. The report revealed that for at least the past 40 years, more than 130 rich, famous and/or politically powered people have hidden their fortunes in anonymous, offshore (and legal) shell companies, allowing them to skirt tax laws and make major money moves in the shadows.
a) the Panama Papers
b) the Punjab Papers
c) the Phnom Penh Papers
d) the Palermo Papers
42. Following an order by a federal judge in California directing Apple to help the FBI gain access to the work phone of San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook, Apple CEO Tim Cook said his company would:
a) be more than happy to assist the FBI in obtaining access to the terrorist’s phone data
b) protect the right to privacy for all customers, terrorist or not
c) fight the federal judge’s ruling
d) never have the ability to access the phone
43. In early February, the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a ransom to hackers who seized control of its computer system and encrypted the hospital’s data, demanding payment in exchange for a digital key to unlock it. The CEO said the hospital paid the ransom because it was “In the best interest of restoring normal operations.” This tactic of taking control of a computer or computer system is referred to as:
44. Yahoo announced in September that 500 million user accounts had been hacked in 2014. Then in December, the company disclosed that a different attack in 2013 compromised more than __________ accounts. Yahoo’s chief information security officer Bob Lord says that the company hasn’t been able to determine how the data was stolen or what data has been stolen. He said, “The stolen user account information may have included names, email addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, hashed passwords (using MD5) and, in some cases, encrypted or unencrypted security questions and answers.” Yahoo was alerted to the massive breach by law enforcement.
a) 1 gazillion
b) 100 million
c) 1 billion
d) 1 million
45. In March, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) ran a pilot program to find vulnerabilities in its computer system. The DoD invited vetted hackers to test its cybersecurity as part of a unique ____________ competition. Defense Department systems get probed and attacked millions of times a day, officials say. Last year the DoD suffered a cybersecurity breach after Russian hackers infiltrated an unclassified defense computer network.
a) “Hack the Pentagon”
b) “Catch the Hacker”
c) “All-Star Hacker”
d) “Hack the Hacker”
46. In 2013, National Security Agency contract employee Edward Snowden stole more than a million classified documents and leaked them to journalists who revealed a massive federal government surveillance program that collected the telephone metadata records of millions of Americans and examined emails from overseas. Snowden is currently living in Russia to avoid prosecution. In December 2016, after he appealed to President Obama for ____________, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Snowden, “exposed so much else that had absolutely nothing to do with domestic surveillance, where he has damaged our capability against foreign threats and he has taken away capabilities that were used to protect our troops in Afghanistan. There is no incentive for the government for any kind of negotiated plea agreement.”
a) a job at the CIA
b) Medal of Freedom award
c) a pardon
d) a recess appointment
47. At the end of October, security analysts reported that hackers were able to interrupt service on several popular websites through a DDoS (a distributed denial of service), which relies on millions of machines sending coordinated messages to overwhelm the service through a DNS service company. The websites that were affected included Netflix, Twitter and Spotify. The hackers used internet-connected home devices in this attack, which included all but ___________________. Many of the devices involved come from Chinese manufacturers, with easy-to-guess usernames and passwords that cannot be changed by the user.
a) transistor radios
b) coffee makers
c) baby monitors
d) CCTV cameras
48. The AP reported in January that the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq – the 1400-year-old St. Elijah’s – was completely destroyed by ISIS. It joins a growing list of religious and historic sites looted and destroyed by ISIS, including mosques, temples, tombs, shrines and churches. Ancient monuments in the cities of Nineveh, Palmyra and Hatra are in ruins. Museums and libraries have been pillaged, books burned, artwork crushed—or trafficked. As they have taken control of large parts of Iraq and Syria, Islamic State fighters have destroyed whatever they consider:
d) contrary to Islam
49. In November, two U.S. service members and two civilian contractors were killed in a suicide bomb attack at Bagram Air Base in ____________. There has never been a suicide bombing inside Bagram since it was open for U.S. troops in late 2001. Bagram features several layers of security, including retinal scans. It was unclear how someone got into the base with a suicide vest.
50. In response to NFL player Colin Kaepernick’s protest, a high school football coach and his players in Pennsylvania made headlines by doing the opposite of Kaepernick. At their games they:
a) refused to stand for the National Anthem
b) turned their backs on the American flag during the Pledge of Allegiance
c) continued to stand during the National Anthem
d) criticized any player who stands during the National Anthem
51. The Chicago Cubs beat the Cleveland Indians in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series. The last time the Cubs won the World Series was 1908; the last time the Indians won was 1948. For the first time in history, Cubs fans were able to watch their team play in the World Series on TV because the last time the Cubs were in the World Series was 1945 and:
a) the World Series was not televised until 1947
b) local TV stations chose not to air the games
c) baseball fans didn’t own TV sets in 1945
d) they didn’t have satellite TV
52. In the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the favored Golden State Warriors. The win by the Cavaliers was:
a) the first major professional sports championship won by a team based in Cleveland in 50 years
b) the first-ever championship won by the Cavaliers franchise
c) both a) and b)
d) neither a) nor b)
53. U.S. Olympian Michael Phelps finished a career at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio that spanned five Olympics with 28 medals, 23 of them gold. No other athlete in any sport has more than nine gold medals. His win in the 200 meter butterfly made him the first person to win individual ____________ gold in Olympic games 12 years apart. That race also made him the oldest man to win individual ____________ gold, breaking a 96-year-old record set by Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku in 1920.
54. In September, North Korea conducted its fifth and biggest nuclear test and said it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile. In Laos after a summit of Asian leaders, __________ said Kim Jong Il was showing “maniacal recklessness” in completely ignoring the world’s call to abandon his pursuit of nuclear weapons.
a) U.S. President-elect Donald Trump
b) Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
c) U.S. President Barack Obama
d) South Korean President Park Geun-hye
CHOOSING. (1 point each) DIRECTIONS: For the bolded part of each statement, circle the correct answer.
55. A comparison of the Democratic and Republican party platforms show how similar / different the two parties’ views are on most major issues including the rights of the unborn, the rights of the mother, the rights of the LGBTQ community, marriage and the family.
56. The first presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump was carried by all of the broadcast networks, the cable news networks, C-SPAN, Univision, PBS and a number of streaming options. The number of viewers exceeded 84 million, making it the most watched / the second most watched presidential debate in modern history.
57. After the first Presidential debate, Hillary Clinton / Donald Trump said he/she had a defective mic. Four days later, the Commission on Presidential Debates acknowledged there was a technical problem with the candidate’s audio and acknowledged “there were issues regarding Hillary Clinton’s / Donald Trump’s audio that affected the sound level in the debate hall.” They provided no further details on what caused the audio issue.
58. Knowing they had lost their party’s nomination, Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and John Kasich / Ben Carson announced that they joined forces in an effort to deny Donald Trump the delegates needed to win the Republican presidential nomination on the first ballot at the July convention. Both candidates said Donald Trump could not unite the Republican party or win the general election.
59. A superdelegate is a delegate to the RNC / DNC who is seated automatically and chooses for whom they want to vote, even if the voters in their state chose a different candidate. Superdelegates include distinguished party leaders, and elected officials, including all members of the House and Senate and sitting governors from the party. At the 2016 National Convention the superdelegates made up approximately 15% of the party’s total number of delegates.
60. Donald Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway made history by being the youngest person / first woman to lead a winning presidential campaign.
61. Although he ultimately lost the primary election to Hillary Clinton, 74-year-old democratic-socialist Bernie Sanders, known for his opposition to “millionaires and billionaires” was overwhelmingly supported by Baby Boomers / Millennials.
62. It was revealed that in violation of federal regulations, Hillary Clinton used only a private email address and server located in her home in Chappaqua while serving as first lady / secretary of state.
63. More than half / none of the people outside the U.S. government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money to the Clinton Foundation.
Multiple Choice. (1 point each) DIRECTIONS: Circle the correct answer.
64. Strong voter turnout is typically a sign of how enthusiastic and engaged a party’s voters are. Compared with the 2008 presidential primaries, the 2016 Democratic turnout was down; Republican____________.
a) numbers were also down
b) numbers were the same as 2008
c) voters turned out in record numbers
d) numbers were even lower than Democratic turnout
65. During an interview, this presidential candidate, when asked if he/she would consider nuclear retaliation after the terror attacks in Brussels that week, said they would never rule anything out and didn’t want to say “because, at a minimum, I want them [ISIS] to think maybe that we would use it.” Adding, “The fact is that we need unpredictability. When you ask a question like that…the enemy is watching…. I frankly don’t want the enemy to know how I’m thinking. But with that being said, I don’t rule out anything.” The statement was made by:
a) Bernie Sanders
b) Ted Cruz
c) Hillary Clinton
d) Donald Trump
66. In a conference call to House members on October 10, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan urged Republican lawmakers to do whatever they needed to win re-election, even if it meant cutting loose from the party’s presidential nominee Donald Trump. Ryan said he would not defend Trump or campaign with him for the remainder of the election and that he would no longer defend the party’s nominee and instead would focus on __________.
a) getting Hillary Clinton elected
b) showing voters what a man of integrity he is
c) keeping the Republican majority in Congress
d) convincing Trump to drop out and appoint former presidential candidate Mitt Romney in his place
67. About a dozen members spoke during the conference call with Speaker Ryan, and most disagreed with him. They explained:
a) “For us to try to undo what the Republican voters did in the primaries would be a betrayal to the Republican voters who made their choice.”
b) “The best way to ensure a Republican majority in the House is to make Donald Trump the most successful candidate we can make him. The idea that running from him strengthens that, I don’t buy that strategy.”
c) both a) and b)
d) neither a) nor b)
68. In October, Wikileaks released thousands of emails that had been hacked from Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta. The emails revealed, among other things, that:
a) several members of the media have given advice or shown favoritism to Donald Trump
b) several members of the media have given advice or shown favoritism to Mrs. Clinton
c) the media is completely impartial in the presidential race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
d) the news media refuses to give special treatment to Hillary Clinton
69. Several of the Podesta emails released by Wikileaks were from John Harwood to the Clinton campaign chairman. In one email to Podesta, Harwood says: “[Hillary] was good here” after an event and in another describes her as “pretty strong.” In another email, he described a story he was writing about Hillary as one “she wants.” Harwood was a moderator of a Republican primary debate and in an email exchange with Podesta bragged about saying to Donald Trump, “Let’s be honest, is this a comic book version of a presidential campaign?” John Harwood is:
a) a reporter for Mother Jones
b) Fox News’ Washington Bureau Chief
c) CNBC’s chief Washington correspondent and political writer for The New York Times
d) a Democratic party operative
70. Making history, Donald Trump is the first person elected president who:
a) is a businessman
b) is wealthy
c) has never held any political office or any position in the government
d) was endorsed by every major media outlet and every politician in his own party
71. Which of the following issues did President-elect Trump NOT vow to accomplish if elected?
a) ban the use of fossil fuels in energy production
b) close the border
c) lower taxes
d) bring jobs back to America
72. Donald Trump announced in December that he had asked U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Georgia to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Congressman Price is an orthopedic surgeon who practiced for 20 years prior to serving in the House. Price was one of the first Republicans to introduce an alternative to Obamacare when Democrats were debating health care reform. His proposed legislation, named the Empowering Patients First Act, was introduced in 2009. It includes all but:
a) high-risk insurance pools
b) health savings accounts
c) mandate that every American purchase health insurance
d) allowing interstate insurance sales
73. During President Obama’s two terms in office, several retired generals held key roles in his administration. President-elect Trump has picked former military leaders for all but which one of the following posts?
a) Secretary of State
b) Secretary of Defense
c) Secretary of Homeland Security
d) National Security Adviser
74. Which ONE of the following company executives did President-elect Donald Trump NOT invite to a tech summit at Trump Tower in December?
a) Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
b) Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk
c) Apple CEO Tim Cook
d) Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey
e) Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg
f) Google CEO Larry Page
75. President-elect Trump picked __________ to head the Energy Department, seeking to put the former Texas governor in control of an agency whose name he forgot during a presidential debate even as he vowed to abolish it.
a) Jeff Sessions
b) Rick Perry
c) Chris Christie
d) George Bush
MOST IMPORTANT NEWS STORY OF THE YEAR (25 POINTS)
What do you think was the most important national news issue/event of 2016? Explain your answer.
2016 Presidential Election – Historic contest between a candidate who never held political office and the first female presidential candidate.
Hillary Clinton Email Scandal – While serving as U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton set up a private email server, and a private email network for herself and her family and aide Huma Abedin. Clinton deleted 33,000 emails she said were personal – not work-related – after FBI subpoenaed her account.
Democratic Party Hacked – Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s emails were hacked.
Flint Water Crisis – local officials lied, tried to cover up
YAHOO – reveals over 1 billion users’ email hacked
IRAN detained US sailors in January (following the over $100 billion in sanctions relief given by the Obama administration to Iran in July 2015 in exchange for a nuclear deal)
President Obama’s Syrian Refugee Resettlement Program – Polls show overwhelming majority of Americans oppose bringing Syrian refugees to the U.S.
Unprecedented Attacks / Ambushes on Police Across the U.S.
Obamacare – huge increase in health insurance fees
The Syrian Civil War – The humanitarian crisis, the multiple cease-fire agreements that have been broken, millions of Syrian refugees
Brexit – vote for the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union
Islamist Terror Attacks in 2016
-Brussels suicide bombing at airport and subway
-Bastille Day terrorist drives into crowds with truck, kills 84 in Nice
-Orlando nightclub gunman terrorist kills 50, another 50 wounded
-While saying mass in a church near Rouen, French priest’s throat slit by two Islamic State terrorists
-Ohio State car ramming attack and mass stabbing by Somali refugee Abdul Razak Ali Artan
-Turkey Istanbul nightclub attack
-Turkey Istanbul airport attack
-Germany – terrorist drove through Christmas market in Berlin killing 12 people and wounding 56 others
Daily “Answers” emails are provided for Daily News Articles, Tuesday’s World Events and Friday’s News Quiz.