Questions

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There are 75 multiple choice questions.
Each question worth 1.5 points for a total of 112 (let students try for the extra credit, or delete a few questions of your choosing to total 100 points.)

IN THE COURTS:

1. In June the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that __________________ guarantees a nationwide right to same-sex marriage.
a) Congress
b) the Court
c) the President
d) the Constitution

2. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that an Arkansas policy prohibiting inmates from having beards violated the _________________ of a prisoner who had wanted to grow a beard in accordance with his Muslim beliefs.
a) free speech rights
b) civil rights
c) religious rights
d) Sharia law

3. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a federal air marshal who was fired for being a whistleblower. The air marshal leaked the information because he believed planned cuts on overnight trips for undercover air marshals:
a) negatively impacted his salary
b) negatively impacted his travel opportunities
c) endangered the public
d) endangered air marshals

4. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that specialized license plates are a form of government speech and Texas is free to reject a proposed design that features _________________________. The court ruled that states could allow such plates, but that they did not have to, because license plates represent government speech.
a) the Gadsden flag
b) the Confederate flag
c) the American flag
d) the Texas state flag

5. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in April that police can’t prolong a routine traffic stop to allow a drug-sniffing dog to search the vehicle unless they have:
a) a reasonable suspicion of uncovering contraband
b) a search warrant
c) permission from the driver
d) a K-9 partner

6. In April, a federal judge approved a settlement agreement that is expected to cost the NFL $1 billion over 65 years to resolve thousands of concussion lawsuits. For years, _______________ has/have been accused of hiding the risks of repeated concussions to return players to the field.
a) the players’ union
b) the NFL
c) the fans
d) sportswriters

7. In their petition to the U.S. Supreme Court over Colorado’s legalization of recreational marijuana, the states of Oklahoma and Nebraska argue that Colorado is causing irreparable harm in their own states, including significant interstate trafficking of marijuana from Colorado. The two states want the court to declare that Colorado’s 2012 ballot initiative decriminalizing marijuana is preempted by federal drug laws and is, thus, unconstitutional. They want the federal government to _________________ the federal law.
a) enforce
b) change
c) ignore
d) add to

8. A U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in May that a lower court judge erred in dismissing a lawsuit by the ACLU that challenged the constitutionality of the _________________’s surveillance program. The ACLU had challenged the constitutionality of the surveillance on the ground it violated citizens’ Fourth Amendment rights.
a) EPA
b) FDA
c) NSA
d) DHS

9. When the U.S. Supreme Court began the 2015 term, the Court announced an end to lawyers’ practice of _____________________, where lawyers would pay someone to hold a spot for them when the court has a big argument.
a) line jumpers
b) line standers
c) line cutters
d) ticket scalping

10. For 2016 health insurance plans under Obamacare, insurers have raised premiums steeply for the most popular plans at the same time they have increased out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, copays and coinsurance in many of their offerings. _______________________ – people who don’t qualify for subsidies under the health law – will be most affected by the increased premiums.
a) millionaires
b) middle-class Americans
c) senior citizens
d) low-income Americans

11. In February, a federal judge in Texas upheld a challenge to President Obama’s executive action granting amnesty to 4 million illegal immigrants. The lawsuit was filed by 26 states’ attorneys general and governors and is expected to be decided by the Supreme Court in 2016. The judge ruled that President Obama’s amnesty order violated the Administrative Procedure Act by ignoring Congress’s laws. The judge also wrote that the amnesty:
a) improperly imposed burdens on the states
b) improperly imposed burdens on the public education system
c) improperly imposed burdens on the federal government
d) improperly imposed burdens on taxpayers

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND REGULATIONS:

12. In January, The Wall Street Journal reported on a secret nationwide license-plate tracking program run by the DEA. Although the DEA has not provided much information on the program, the WSJ reported that supposedly the primary goal of the license-plate tracking program is:
a) to monitor the location of every American at all times
b) to monitor the speed of every car on the road
c) to gather driver data to sell to marketing companies
d) to intercept drug deals and seize the assets of dealers

13. In April, a year after it was reported that sick veterans were put on long waiting lists for care at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), VA statistics showed that the number of patients facing long waits had not declined, even after Congress gave the department an extra $16.3 billion to shorten waits for care. The highest percentage of patients who were found to wait more than 30 days for care were in:
a) the South
b) the Northeast
c) the Midwest
d) the Pacific northwest

14. In an exercise conducted in Jersey City, NJ in April, the federal government agency ___________ attempted to map out what an oil-train accident might look like in an urban area. The agency conducted the exercises in Jersey City because they are concerned about a serious accident in a densely populated area, and believe it is possible that it could occur in an urban area in the future.
a) FDA
b) FAA
c) FEMA
d) CDC

15. In 2015, more than 50 intelligence analysts working out of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) formally complained to the Pentagon’s inspector general that their reports on ISIS and al Qaeda’s branch in Syria were being inappropriately altered by senior officials. The analysts’ complaints allege:
a) the reports were changed by CENTCOM to portray the terror groups as weaker than the analysts believe they are
b) the reports were changed by CENTCOM to adhere to the Obama administration’s public line that the U.S. is winning the battle against ISIS
c) in some cases key elements of intelligence reports were removed, resulting in a document that didn’t accurately capture the analysts’ conclusions
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

16. At the end of October, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Prisons granted early release to approximately 6,000 inmates from federal prisons nationwide – the largest one-time release of federal prisoners. The early release follows action by the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC) that reduced the potential punishment for future drug offenders last year and then made that change retroactive. The USSC made the change:
a) in an effort to reduce overcrowding
b) to provide relief to drug offenders who received harsh sentences over the past three decades
c) both a) and b)
d) neither a) nor b)

17. Preliminary results of a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) inspector general’s investigation were leaked this summer: they showed that TSA screeners failed to detect ___________________ of prohibited items – including water bottles and nail clippers – planted by undercover investigators posing as passengers traveling through airport security.
a) 95 percent
b) 50 percent
c) 10 percent
d) 1 percent

18. The week after attacks in Paris by Islamic State terrorists, CIA Director John Brennan warned the attacks were a not a “one-off event” and that the militants may have similar operations ready to launch. Brennan said the major problem for European intelligence agencies is the huge amount of man-power needed to track extremists who’ve returned from Syria. European officials estimate that as many as _____________ European Muslims have gone to fight in Syria since 2011. Many more have been flagged by authorities as potential security threats.
a) 5
b) 50
c) 500
d) 5,000

19. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced in May that a “sophisticated” organized crime syndicate had targeted one of its online tools and accessed the personal and financial data of over 100,000 taxpayers and filed tax returns in their names. In August the IRS announced that the actual number of victims was 330,000. Some critics say that the IRS should have ________________, arguing that if hackers were able to figure out how to trick the IRS’ systems into thinking they were legitimate users, the IRS should have too.
a) shut down the IRS website
b) infiltrated the criminals’ network
c) taken preventative measures when it had the opportunity
d) hired the group ‘Anonymous’ to secure the data

20. In a separate incident, it was revealed that the personal data of 22 million current, former and prospective federal employees and contractors was stolen in a cyber attack at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Officials said hackers accessed not only personnel records of the employees but also extensive information about friends, relatives and others listed as references in applications for security clearances for some of the most sensitive jobs in government. FBI Director James Comey said, “It’s a treasure trove of information about everybody who has worked for, tried to work for, or works for the United States government.” U.S. investigators believe ________________________ is behind the cyber attack.
a) the Russian government
b) the Chinese government
c) ISIS
d) Kim Jong Un of North Korea

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION:

21. During his 2015 State of the Union address in January, President Obama told Congress, “I will seek to work with you to make this country stronger.” He also said several times that he would:
a) use his veto power to block legislation advanced by the Republican-controlled Congress
b) refuse to meet with any Congressmen who did not agree with him
c) travel to Cuba to meet with Communist leader Raul Castro
d) sign any legislation Republicans could get passed in both Houses of Congress

22. President Obama made official trips to many countries in 2015. Which one of the following events did he attend?
a) Immediately after the death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, the President traveled to that country to pay respects to the family and to meet with the newly enthroned King Salman
b) Along with the heads of state of many other countries, the president traveled to Poland to attend a memorial for the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz
c) After the terrorist attack that killed almost 20 people at newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish market in Paris, President Obama traveled to France to attend a unity march with more than 40 other world leaders
d) none of the above

23. President Obama held a defense summit at the White House in May, with the aim of strengthening ties at a time of unusual friction with our longtime Gulf allies. Those leaders worried that the administration may be forming an alliance with their regional rival, Iran, and was disengaging in the Middle East. Of the six Gulf states invited to the defense summit, four of the leaders sent a subordinate. The White House portrayed the decision by some leaders not to attend personally as:
a) a slap in the face
b) very unusual
c) not unusual
d) a slight snub

24. In September, President Obama signed an executive order requiring government contractors to give their employees:
a) a yearly bonus for showing up to work on time every day
b) seven days of paid sick leave a year
c) 6 weeks paid vacation
d) free health care coverage

25. President Obama announced in September that the U.S. will increase the number of refugees the U.S. accepts from Syria to 10,000. The majority of Americans:
a) oppose admitting Syrian refugees into the United States
b) support the President’s decision to take at least 10,000 Syrian refugees
c) think the President should allow a much larger number than 10,000 to come to the U.S. over the next year
d) fear that opposing the President’s plan to admit Syrian refugees will give ISIS another reason to hate us

26. When he addressed the UN General Assembly in September, President Obama addressed all but which issue?
a) Russia’s moves in Ukraine
b) the Syrian civil war and the ensuing refugee crisis
c) the danger to the world posed by Iran gaining nuclear weapons
d) the threat from ISIS

27. During a meeting at the UN, President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to:
a) look for a diplomatic end to the Syrian civil war
b) notify each other prior to conducting airstrikes in Syria
c) have the U.S. pull out of Syria and let Russia take the lead
d) work together to completely destroy ISIS with coordinated airstrikes and ground troops

28. A day after President Obama met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the UN, Russia conducted surprise airstrikes in Syria. Which one of the following is NOT a response made by U.S. officials?
a) a defense official called it “unprofessional”
b) President Obama demanded that Russia stay out of Syrian airspace
c) a defense official called it unproductive
d) Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and said he raised U.S. concerns about attacks that target regime opponents other than ISIS.

29. In November, President Obama rejected TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline. Which of the following was not one a reason the president gave for rejecting the TransCanada’s application?
a) environmental groups pressured him to do so
b) shipping “dirtier” crude from Canada would not increase US energy security
c) authorizing the construction of Keystone XL would not reduce gasoline prices
d) the pipeline would not make a meaningful long-term contribution to our economy

30. After House Republicans blocked a Democrat sponsored immigration bill in 2014, President Obama announced plans to _____________________ to expand his DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program that deferred the deportations of hundreds of thousands of immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children by creating DAPA – Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.
a) work out a compromise with Congress
b) order ICE
c) work with the leaders of Latin American countries
d) use executive action

31. The objective of the climate summit (COP21) held in Paris in December was to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate change, from all the nations of the world. At the end of the week, negotiators from 196 countries approved a landmark climate accord that seeks to dramatically reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. This will require a reduction in the use of ____________________ for electricity and transportation fuel.
a) fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas
b) nuclear, hydroelectric and whale oil
c) renewable energy – solar, wind and biomass
d) ethanol, propane and biodiesel

32. The ____________________ is a trade agreement between 12 countries including the U.S., Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The completion of the agreements marks a major victory for President Barack Obama. For the deal to take effect, it must be approved by national legislatures in all 12 countries. It has been controversial to Congressional members of both political parties because the negotiations have largely been secret.
a) Trans-Atlantic Partnership
b) NAFTA
c) Trans-Pacific Partnership
d) Trans-Siberian Orchestra

33. U.S. and international negotiators reached the “framework” for a breakthrough nuclear deal with Iran in early 2015. The agreement will restrict, but not eliminate, Iran’s ability to:
a) enrich uranium to make nuclear weapons
b) hold rallies calling for “Death to America”
c) sign a peace treaty with Israel
d) impose sanctions on the U.S.

34. President Obama defended the nuclear agreement he negotiated with Iran by saying all but:
a) “If Iran cheats, the world will know it”
b) the agreement will make the world “a safer place”
c) the agreement is a “good deal”
d) “Israel has nuclear weapons, why shouldn’t Iran?”

MILITARY

35. On April 1, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Odierno announced that the Army would be implementing a new tattoo policy which will allow soldiers to have tattoos on their arms and legs as long as they are not visible in the Army Service Uniform. The Army is changing the tattoo policy for all but which one of the following reasons?
a) the realization that the Army could lose good soldiers over the policy
b) the overwhelming opposition to the ban by soldiers
c) pressure from the tattoo industry after business suffered due to the ban
d) the recognition that times are different and tattoos are part of society

36. A 2015 Marine Corps study on integrating women into combat units found all-male ground combat units were more effective than teams that included women. The study has raised concerns because all branches of the military face a deadline the Pentagon has set for requiring them to open all specialties to women, including infantry and special operations forces, beginning January 1, 2016. The Marine Corps study found:
a) On marksmanship, men who had not been through infantry school hit targets 44% of the time with M4 rifles, besting infantry-trained women, who hit targets 28% of the time.
b) The women suffered higher injury rates during physically demanding training.
c) Women struggled with obstacles designed to test upper body strength in simulated combat.
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

37. It was reported in October that Russian ships are aggressively operating in an area vital to global communications, raising concerns among _____________ that the Russians could attack those lines. These undersea cables carry about 95% of all global Internet communications.
a) UN peacekeeping forces
b) ESPN and other cable channels
c) US military and intelligence
d) presidential debate moderators

38. Also in October, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer sailed close to one of China’s man-made islands in the South China Sea. The U.S. took this action to defend “freedom-of-navigation” that all countries have. In response to the USS destroyer’s patrol, the Chinese did ALL BUT:
a) summoned the U.S. Ambassador, telling him that the patrol was “extremely irresponsible”
b) have a guided-missile destroyer and a naval patrol ship shadow and give warning to the U.S. warship
c) sank the U.S. destroyer with a heat seeking missile
d) accused the US of “illegally” entering waters near islands and reefs in the Spratlys without the Chinese government’s permission

39. When questioned during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in December about President Obama’s statement the day before the Paris terrorist attacks that ISIS is contained, Gen. Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff responded by:
a) admitting that the United States has “not contained” ISIS
b) pleading the Fifth
c) saying we need to annihilate ISIS, not just contain them
d) saying that President Obama is 100% correct

40. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the U.S. government. It is bestowed on members of the military who distinguish themselves through “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States.” In November, U.S. Army Capt. Florent Groberg was awarded the Medal of Honor for his acts of extraordinary heroism: Groberg jumped on _____________________, protecting the colonel he was guarding from being killed.
a) a hand grenade
b) a suicide bomber
c) an IED
d) all of the above

IN THE STATES

41. Wisconsin lawmakers voted in March to make their state the 25th to become a “right-to-work” state. The legislation was signed into law by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. The right-to-work law:
a) prohibits a union from requiring employees join and pay dues as a condition of employment
b) enables employers to fire an employee for any reason, including having a personal dislike for the employee
c) permits employees to quit a job they do not like
d) allows a person to decide whether or not he/she wants to work at all

42. In March, Utah became the only state to allow firing squads for executions when Gov. Gary Herbert signed a law approving its use:
a) if the person being executed gives permission to use this method
b) when no lethal-injection drugs are available
c) if the victim’s family chooses that means of execution
d) all of the above

43. In 2015, the Los Angeles Police Department began using _________________ to prevent crimes. Police use heat maps, technology and years of statistics to identify crime “hot spots.” The theory is that would-be criminals tend to rethink their plans when they know they are being monitored.
a) police dogs
b) Google Maps
c) armored tanks
d) helicopters

44. California Gov. Jerry Brown announced an executive action in April that ______________________. Gov. Brown’s action marks the first time in California’s history that the entire state would have to abide by such restrictions.
a) bans the use/sale of plastic bags
b) requires residents to reduce water usage by 5 percent across the state
c) prohibits public prayer
d) raises the legal smoking age from 18 to 35

45. California passed a law making it mandatory for children to be vaccinated before starting school. The law eliminates the personal beliefs exemption, which would effectively eliminate any exemption based on religion. Under the bill, only children with medical waivers to opt out of vaccinations would be exempted. The bill was introduced in the wake of a _________________ outbreak that began at Disneyland and infected 147 people last year.
a) measles
b) flu
c) chickenpox
d) polio

46. A _________________ high school student was told by school officials in May that he was not permitted to fly an American flag on his truck. School officials removed the bolts that were securing the flag to the student’s truck, taking the flag down themselves. Officials told the teen he couldn’t fly the flag because it offended some people, but later said it was a safety issue.
a) California
b) Massachusetts
c) New York
d) South Carolina

47. Record-breaking rain fell on South Carolina in October. The storm resulted in power outages, businesses, homes and apartments flooded and hundreds of people getting stranded in floodwaters. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said of the system carrying the epic rainfall, “We haven’t seen this kind of rainfall in the low country in ______________________. That’s how big of a deal this is.”
a) ten years
b) one thousand years
c) one year
d) one hundred years

48. An 8th grade student in Oregon was sent home in October for wearing a t-shirt with an image of the traditional soldier memorial, which includes a rifle, boots, and a helmet and bearing the words “Standing for those who stood for us.” The student was sent home for wearing the t-shirt because a gun was part of the Fallen Soldier image. The school handbook says “clothing with alcohol, tobacco, illicit drug and/or __________________________ are prohibited.”
a) religious references
b) patriotic references
c) violence related references
d) military references

49. A coalition of 24 states filed lawsuits in October to challenge the most significant piece of President Obama’s environmental agenda, his signature climate change rule for power plants, which seeks to reduce carbon output from hundreds of power plants across the nation by 32 percent by 2030. West Virginia’s Attorney General, who is representing the states in their lawsuit, gave all but which one of the following reasons for the states’ opposition to President Obama’s new EPA rule?
a) it will risk electricity reliability
b) it will hurt the coal mining industry
c) it will decrease power rates for consumers
d) it will raise power rates for consumers

50. Republican governors in more than 25 states announced in November that they wouldn’t allow Syrian refugees into their states and at the same time are also appealing for stronger control of U.S. borders. The governors took this step:
a) because they dislike Syrians
b) because they support the Assad regime in Syria
c) they do not believe that U.S. immigration screeners will be effective in weeding out terrorists
d) because one of the terrorists involved in the Paris attacks entered Europe pretending to be a Syrian refugee

HISTORIC ANNIVERSARIES

51. 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII. In January a commemoration was held for the liberation of Auschwitz where almost 1 million Jewish men, women and children were killed by the Nazis. The leaders from the “Big Three” Allies of WWII did not attend the memorial at Auschwitz. The Big Three (the Grand Alliance) include all but:
a) the United States
b) Russia
c) Great Britain
d) Germany

52. 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, a major battle in which the U.S. Armed Forces landed and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the ______________________ during World War II. Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photo of U.S. soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima inspired a wave of national hope that enemy forces would soon be crushed and peace was near.
a) Japanese army
b) German army
c) Vietnamese army
d) Chinese army

53. The last week of April marked 40 years since the largest ____________________ in history, which is known as “Operation Frequent Wind.” This means of transport was triggered by a North Vietnamese attack on Saigon’s airport, which ruined runways and made a mass airplane evacuation impossible.
a) drone evacuation
b) parachute jump
c) hot-air balloon escape
d) helicopter airlift

54. Nine former American servicemen who were held as prisoners during World War II traveled to Japan in October to revisit some of the places they were held as prisoners 70 years ago. Approximately 12,000 American POWs were ___________________ in Japanese companies during WWII.
a) employed
b) forced into slave labor
c) trained as executives
d) given jobs

DRONES

55. By early 2015, fifteen states had passed drone laws, which address the issue of ___________________, especially unlawful government surveillance. Of the 15, fourteen passed laws to curb government agencies from using drones to monitor its citizens, such as in traffic or at a public rally.
a) personal safety
b) privacy
c) who is permitted to use drones
d) national security

56. In May, the Secret Service arrested a man who was flying a small drone in a park across the street from the White House. This was the second time in five months that the Secret Service had found a drone flying near the White House. The man operating the drone was arrested because:
a) it is illegal to fly a drone in Washington DC
b) the Obamas wanted to watch TV without being disturbed
c) the man did not have a license to operate the drone
d) police wanted to make an example of him to deter others from doing the same

57. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Department are developing a drone registration regulation. They’ll recommend which drones should be required to be registered and which should be exempted. The federal government will require many drone aircraft to be registered, a move prompted by:
a) the federal government recognizing that a lot of money can be raised through drone licensing fees
b) a request from the drone industry
c) the federal government’s belief that it must regulate everything
d) the growing number of reported close calls and incidents that pose safety risks

58. In 2015, Walmart asked the FAA for permission to test drones outdoors for, among other purposes, home delivery in small residential neighborhoods and taking stock of trailers and other items in the parking lot of a warehouse. In addition to Walmart, _______________________ are also testing drones for commercial use.
a) McDonalds and KFC
b) Amazon and Google
c) Facebook and Twitter
d) Snapchat and Instagram

HEALTH/SPORTS/TECHNOLOGY

59. A recent study ordered by Congress on raising the legal age for purchasing tobacco found it would “substantially” reduce the number of 15- to 17-year-olds who begin smoking. A report by the U.S. Surgeon General noted that increasing the legal age would help disrupt cigarette use before it becomes ingrained as an adult habit because:
a) adults are too embarrassed to smoke in public
b) nearly nine out of 10 smokers start smoking before the age of 18
c) the only people who can afford to buy cigarettes are teens
d) most people don’t start smoking until after college

60. In one week in April, over 160 people were rushed to hospitals across New York State due to adverse reactions to synthetic marijuana. Synthetic marijuana is an herbal product sprayed with powerful and sometimes unknown chemicals. Commonly marketed and sold under such names as ________________, it has great potential for adverse effects. These synthetic drugs are often marketed as legal plant material coated with chemicals that are supposed to mimic the effects of marijuana.
a) Sugar
b) Spice
c) Pepper
d) Wacky Weed

61. According to a survey by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of students who said they had used e-cigarettes at least once in the past 30 days tripled in one year. _________________ are warning against the use of e-cigarettes because they say it is too early to know the long-term health effects of using them and warn that nicotine can adversely affect brain development among adolescents.
a) cigarette manufacturers
b) Chinese manufacturers
c) health officials
d) tobacco growers

62. In December, Harvard researchers released results of a study in which they tested the 51 leading types of flavored e-cigs and liquids. Diacetyl, a flavoring chemical used to make the smoke from e-cigarettes taste good was found in more than 75 percent of the flavored e-cigs and refill liquids that they tested. Diacetyl is linked to cases of _____________________. Researchers also found two other highly hazardous chemicals in e-cigs and refill liquids.
a) severe respiratory disease
b) memory loss
c) increased energy
d) insomnia

63. The San Francisco 49ers announced in March that linebacker Chris Borland was retiring after one season due to:
a) his salary – he wants to make more money
b) his wife is forcing him to quit
c) his disappointing rookie season
d) his concerns about how head trauma might affect his health

64. In December, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a digital rights watchdog, asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate Google’s popular Apps for Education service, alleging that it violates the company’s pledge to restrict its use of student data. Google is one of many companies that signed the Student Privacy Pledge, in which companies agreed to collect, store or use student data only for _________________ purposes.
a) advertising
b) fund-raising
c) educational
d) surveillance

65. In 2015, more than 80,000 .com domain names were registered each day. The first .com domain name was registered in 1985 and it took almost two years for the first 100 .com domain names to be registered. When was the World Wide Web launched?
a) the same day the first .com domain name was registered
b) in 1950 -many years before domain names were used
c) the day after the first .com domain name was registered
d) in 1991 – six years after the first domain name was registered

MISCELLANEOUS

66. Mount St. Helens erupted in May 1980. According to environmental scientist Jim Gawel of University of Washington Tacoma, people were surprised that they were starting to see signs of life within a year. Following the destruction caused by the eruption, a new ecosystem emerged. All BUT WHICH ONE of the following are true:
a) the hundreds of square miles of century-old forests destroyed by the eruption have come back
b) a whole host of plants, insects, birds and small mammals appeared that weren’t there before the eruption
c) Spirit Lake recovered, different than it was before
d) Spirit Lake was restored to way it was before the eruption

67. In August, while on vacation, three American friends (two of them U.S. servicemen) thwarted a terrorist attack on a train en route to France. The French government honored the Americans’ bravery by:
a) awarding them the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award
b) holding a parade in their honor
c) giving them free train passes for life
d) inviting them to meet American ’70’s singer James Taylor

2016 ELECTION

68. Democratic presidential candidates include all but:
a) former First-lady, Senator and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
b) former Senator and current Vice President Joe Biden
c) Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders
d) former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley

69. The DNC is holding six Presidential primary debates, with the first four to take place in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. These four states are:
a) the states with the largest number of electoral votes combined
b) the only states in which Hillary Clinton will participate in a debate
c) the states that usually vote Republican in presidential elections
d) the first four early-voting states

70. Senator Bernie Sanders is running for president in the Democratic party, although he is the longest-serving independent in Congress and identifies himself as a:
a) conservative
b) communist
c) democratic socialist
d) left-leaning libertarian

71. In the first Democratic presidential debate, candidate Bernie Sanders said that he didn’t care about Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email account/server for government business when she was Secretary of State. But in an interview a week later, Sen. Sanders had a different view on this issue. He said ALL BUT WHICH ONE of the following about the federal investigation of Mrs. Clinton’s private email account?
a) let the investigation proceed unimpeded
b) the federal investigation is appropriate
c) questioning whether Secretary Clinton’s email practices compromised classified information are “valid questions”
d) Hillary did nothing wrong

72. Potential Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton used a personal email account when she was _______________ to conduct government business and may have violated federal requirements that officials’ correspondence be retained as part of the agency’s record.
a) first lady
b) Senator from New York
c) Secretary of State
d) Supreme Court Justice

73. In addition to using a personal email address, Mrs. Clinton also used her own:
a) hackers
b) server that she kept at her own home
c) airplane
d) security detail

74. Republican presidential candidates include all but:
a) Donald Trump
b) Ted Cruz
c) Carly Fiorina
d) Mitt Romney

75. U.S. presidential candidate Ben Carson visited two Syrian refugee camps in Jordan over Thanksgiving weekend in an effort to better understand the crisis. Dr. Carson was surprised by the response from Syrians he talked to. He said, “I had an opportunity to talk to many of the Syrian refugees and ask them, ‘What is your supreme desire?’ And it was pretty uniform: ______________________.”
a) they want to go to Texas
b) they want to go to Europe
c) they don’t care where they go
d) they want to go back home

EXTRA CREDIT (Teacher to determine length/content of answer required for the extra credit, and number of extra points to be given)

What do you think was the most important national news issue/event of 2015? Explain your answer.

  1. The popularity of “outsider” Republican presidential candidates (businessman Donald Trump and pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson)
  2. Trump’s continued popularity; failure of political experts and media to understand his appeal to voters
  3. Hillary Clinton private email / personal server scandal
  4. Hillary Clinton Benghazi hearings
  5. Iran nuclear deal – Obama bypasses Congress by making it an executive agreement, not a treaty
  6. Syrian Refugees – President Obama’s announcement that he will bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S.
  7. Radicalized Muslim terrorist attacks at U.S. military locations in Chattanooga and at an office holiday party in San Bernadino, California
  8. The rise of ISIS; President Obama said ISIS was contained the day before the Paris terrorist attacks
  9. Paris global climate summit and worldwide agreement
  10. Hacking of federal government computers – 21.5 million federal employees detailed personal data stolen by Chinese government hacking; over 300,000 taxpayers personal information stolen from IRS computers
  11. Pope Francis’ trip to U.S. including his address to Congress, the first time a Pope ever addressed Congress
  12. Supreme Court rules gay marriage legal in all 50 states
  13. Video exposes Planned Parenthood officials admitting to making a profit selling aborted baby parts
  14. Other
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