Questions
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MATCHING. (1 point each)
Write the number of the description next to each ruler’s name.
1. What happened to each of the following longtime leaders after uprisings in their countries in 2011?
a. _______ Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia
b. _______ Hosni Mubarak of Egypt
c. _______ Muamar Gadhafi of Libya
d. _______ Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen
e. _______ Bashar Assad of Syria
1- Killed just after he was captured
2- Arrested, imprisoned and put on trial
3- Survived an assassination attempt, went to Saudi Arabia for medical care, returned to his country where he agreed for a second time (after changing his mind the 1st time) to resign and leave office
4- Escaped to Saudi Arabia; tried in absentia and sentenced to 35 years in prison
5- Has repeatedly ignored calls for his resignation; his troops continue to use violence against the protesters; expected to be ousted in early 2012
MULTIPLE CHOICE. (2.5 points each)
There is one correct answer for each question. Circle the correct answer.
PEOPLE IN THE NEWS:
2. Who was sworn in as U.S. Secretary of Defense on July 1, 2011?
a) Ben Bernake
b) Robert Gates
c) Leon Panetta
d) Eric Holder
3. What position does this former first lady hold?
a) Secretary of Homeland Security
b) Attorney General
c) U.S. Supreme Court Justice
d) Secretary of State
4. Who did not announce a run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination in 2011?
a) Texas Governor Rick Perry
b) former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney
c) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
d) former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum
5. Which U.S. citizen, who headed al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and called on his followers to wage jihad against U.S. citizens, was killed in September by a U.S. drone strike in Yemen?
a) Ayman al Zawahiri
b) Gilad Schalit
c) Osama bin Laden
d) Anwar al Awlaki
6. Who became Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives officially on January 5, 2011?
a) Newt Gingrich
b) John Boehner
c) Joe Biden
d) Nancy Pelosi
7. Which of the following is not a policy enacted by President Obama?
a) authorized construction of the proposed Canada-U.S. Keystone oil pipeline, which is opposed by environmental groups
b) ordered the withdrawal of all troops from Iraq by the end of 2011
c) terminated NASA’s Space Shuttle program, with last Space Shuttle’s final mission taking place in July
d) withdrew his Justice Department’s legal support for the federal Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA], which defines marriage for federal purposes as a legal union between one man and one woman
8. Which countries do these leaders govern:
Angela Merkel, David Cameron, Nicholas Sarkozy
a) Germany, Great Britain, France
b) Greece, Great Britain, France
c) Germany, Great Britain, Italy
d) Canada, Italy, Libya
9. Who served two terms as President of his country, but because of constitutionally mandated term limits, was ineligible to run for a third consecutive presidential term? His successor appointed him Prime Minister in 2008. In September 2011, he officially announced that he would seek a third, non-consecutive term in the 2012 presidential election.
a) Hugo Chavez
b) Dmitry Medvedev
c) Vladimir Putin
d) Boris Karloff
10. Who is this world leader?
a) Syrian President Bashar Assad
b) Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
c) Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu
d) Egyptian ex-president Hosni Mubarak
11. Osama bin Laden died in May 2011. How did he die?
a) he was killed by U.S. Special Ops on the ground in Pakistan
b) he was blown up by a predator drone while meeting with the Taliban
c) he died of old age in his cave in the mountains of Afghanistan
d) he was killed by a CIA agent posing as an al-Qaeda operative
NATURAL DISASTERS:
12. What natural disaster occurred in Joplin, Missouri in May that killed 160 people, injured hundreds more, and destroyed thousands of buildings, including the city’s only public high school?
a) an earthquake which registered 8.1 on the Richter scale
b) an EF5 tornado
c) a Category 5 hurricane
d) sudden massive flooding that occurred due to unusually heavy rainfall all Spring
13. In what part of the country did a surprise October snowstorm take down massive amounts of trees and power lines, closing many roads and causing millions of homes to lose power, some for more than a week?
a) the Northeast
b) the South
c) the Great Plains
d) the Pacific Northwest
14. In August, Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene caused flooding and damage along parts of the East coast. In _________________ up to 8.3 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours. In what is expected to be the state’s worst natural disaster since the epic flood of 1927, thousands of buildings were destroyed or damaged. Hundreds of roads were damaged. Almost every highway across the state was closed at some point during the storm. Electrical lines and poles were damaged or destroyed. Power was out in some areas for a week or more.
a) Florida
b) Virginia
c) Vermont
d) South Carolina
15. Which two rivers (and many of their tributaries) flooded in the spring due to record levels of rainfall combined with springtime snowmelt from the mountains, causing widespread flooding from the Dakotas to Louisiana, destroying crops and threatening energy production and transport in many parts of the South?
a) the Tennessee and the Red River
b) the Mississippi and the Missouri
c) the Colorado and the Rio Grande
d) the Arkansas and the Ohio
16. Which natural disaster did not really happen?
a) a Category 5 hurricane on the East Coast killed close to ten thousand people, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses and left residents without power for nearly a month
b) a severe drought in Texas, Oklahoma and other states, which was caused by lack of rainfall, extreme heat and numerous wildfires, resulted in enormous crop and livestock losses
c) a January 2011 North American winter storm/blizzard, which caused numerous power outages, flight cancellations, airport closures, road closures, and mail stoppages. School, government, and business closures took place ahead of and after the storm.
d) a wildfire in Arizona and into New Mexico, which took over a month to completely contain; it burned almost 850 square miles and was declared the largest wildfire in Arizona history
TECHNOLOGY/PRIVACY ISSUES:
17. In 2011, various local police departments across the country began using all but which one of the following technologies?
a) body cameras
b) anti-missile systems
c) facial recognition devices that attach to an i-phone
d) drones
18. The U.S. military has implemented the use of various types of drones, especially useful in Afghanistan and other areas against al Qaeda etc. Which of the following is not the name of an actual drone?
a) Switchblade (kamikaze guided missile)
b) Hummingbird (spy plane)
c) Predator (aircraft which can monitor and fire at ground targets)
d) X-Ray (IED/land mine detector)
19. Massachusetts company Boston Dynamics developed ________________ with names like BigDog and PetMan that the U.S. military was already using or had contracted to buy in 2011.
a) shoulder-fired missiles
b) anti-rocket systems
c) robots
d) drones
20. In addition to regular security, the TSA began testing a new measure in August at Boston’s Logan airport: the chat-down. During a chat-down, TSA agents:
a) ask every passenger a series of questions as they check their IDs and boarding passes, including where they are headed, for how long and the purpose of the trip.
b) ask certain passengers to join them in the bar for a drink
c) engage passengers in conversation to determine their level of English proficiency
d) reassure passengers that TSA security measures are in place for their own safety before subjecting them to full-body scanners and pat-downs
WORLD EVENTS:
21. Which of the following was not a factor contributing to the uprisings that occurred in the Arab world in 2011?
a) lack of freedom
b) poor living conditions
c) government corruption
d) discrimination against non-Muslims
22. In which country, where the long-time leader was ousted after months of protest, is the
Muslim Brotherhood expected to win control of the government in democratic elections?
a) Egypt
b) Israel
c) Tunisia
d) Yemen
23. Several mysterious explosions at Iranian facilities in 2011, including nuclear facilities, are believed to be sabotage attacks carried out by:
a) the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency
b) the CIA
c) North Korean scientists
d) Mossad, Israel’s national intelligence agency
MISCELLANEOUS:
24. In an effort to recoup lost tax revenue, a group of U.S. Senators introduced a bill that would allow states to collect taxes from _________________________. Supporters of this proposed tax include Wal-Mart, Target and other “big box” retailers who argue they are at a disadvantage against these competitors.
a) duty free shops at airports
b) street vendors
c) garage sales
d) online retailers
25. Which one of the following headlines is fake?
a) “Students at Connecticut High School Must Know English if They Want Diploma“
b) “Students Attending Schools in Dangerous Neighborhoods Told to Arm Themselves for Protection”
c) “Chicago Public School Bans Lunches Brought from Home”
d) “Florida Lawmaker Hands Out Belts to Students”
TRUE/FALSE. (2.5 points each)
Decide whether the bolded part of the statement is true or false. Write TRUE or FALSE next to each statement. Rewrite each false statement to make it true.
WORLD EVENTS:
26. __________________ Lampedusa is an island belonging to Italy with a population of 5,000. In 2011, 26,000 Tunisians and 28,000 other migrants arrived on the island due to the Arab uprisings, overwhelming the residents.
27. __________________ In December, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il died. He had ruled for almost 20 years, succeeding his father Kim Il-sung, who had ruled North Korea for over 40 years. Kim Jong-il appointed his oldest son Kim Jong-nam to succeed him as the new leader of North Korea upon his death.
28. __________________ Kim Jong-il’s father, Kim Il-sung, was known to his people as “Great Leader.” Kim Jong-il was known to his people as “Grim Reaper.”
29. __________________ Israel’s Iron Dome is a missile defense system that was developed in response to rockets launched into Israeli towns by Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
30. __________________ After being held captive for over 5 years in Gaza by Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit was released when the Israeli government agreed to exchange him for more than 10 Palestinian prisoners being held in Israeli jails for terrorist activities.
31. __________________ The Chinese government’s “One-Child Policy” has caused a population imbalance in that country. A U.S. Congressional report concluded in October: “By 2020, the number of Chinese males of marriageable age may exceed the number of Chinese females of marriageable age by 30 to 40 million.”
32. __________________ The Chinese government introduced the One-Child policy in 1979. This policy officially restricts the number of children married urban couples can have to one (although it now allows exemptions for several cases, such as those who live in rural areas, etc.). This has led to sex-specific abortions, which has resulted in the population imbalance.
33. __________________ On March 11, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Japan, which triggered powerful tsunami waves that came several miles inland. Close to 20,000 people died or are still missing. The earthquake and tsunami caused extensive and severe structural damage in Japan, including heavy damage to buildings, roads and railways.
34. __________________ The tsunami caused a number of nuclear accidents, primarily meltdowns at three reactors in the Suzuki Nuclear Power Plant complex, which affected hundreds of thousands of residents.
NATIONAL EVENTS:
35. __________________ The U.S. Postal Service announced plans to close over half of the mail processing centers across the country as a way to continue offering the enormous pensions and benefits postal employees expect.
36. __________________ The dedication ceremony for the memorial sculpture to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., erected in Washington D.C., was scheduled for the 48th anniversary of the March on Washington and King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. The memorial generated some criticism over the fact that it was created by an African-American sculptor.
37. __________________ The first statue to be placed near ground zero, which was commissioned by an anonymous group of businessmen and dedicated on Veterans Day 2011, depicts a U.S. Special Ops commando on horseback in the Afghan mountains.
38. __________________ In 2011, a decade after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the official memorials at Ground Zero and Shanksville were unveiled.
39. __________________ Over the past several years, the process of fracking has allowed energy companies across the U.S. to extract vast deposits of natural gas and oil embedded in rock. Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, uses large amounts of water at high pressure, mixed with sand and chemicals to extract gas or oil from sedimentary rock (shale).
EXTRA CREDIT.
(Teacher to determine length/content of answer required for the extra credit, and number of extra points to be given)
Which do you think was the most important issue/event of 2011? Explain your answer.
a) the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. Special Ops forces in Pakistan
b) the U.S. Supreme Court decision to hear a challenge to President Obama’s 2010 health care law, (oral arguments will be held in March and a decision in late June, several months before the 2012 presidential campaign enters its crucial final months)
c) the natural disasters that struck across the U.S., including tornadoes, record heat and drought, wildfires, various widespread flooding and an October snowstorm
d) the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq
e) other – name the issue
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