Questions

1. In an attempt to ____________________, Philadelphia city officials have recently decided to install Mosquito speakers in several city-run playgrounds and recreation centers.
a) keep the parks mosquito-free during the summer
b) provide enjoyable music during the day for park-goers
c) force potential teen vandals out of the parks after hours
d) keep children off the playground equipment

2. The mosquito speaker emits ________________________, said to be harmless, but highly irritating to teenagers and young adults. “They find it extremely annoying and will leave an area within a couple of minutes.”
a) a continuous Justin Bieber soundtrack
b) a high-frequency tone
c) a low booming sound
d) classical music

3. The number of new jobs in the oil and gas industry increased by 92% between 2003 and 2012. The number of all new jobs in the U.S. during the same time period increased by:
a) 3%
b) 13%
c) 30%
d) 300%

4. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average annual wage in the oil and gas industry in 2012 was ___________________ the average for all workers in the U.S.
a) more than double
b) half
c) one percent
d) less than

5. Ebola was first identified almost 40 years ago in 1976 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo. The current outbreak began in:
a) Guyana
b) Ghana
c) Guinea
d) Guam

6. The only way to stop the spread of the disease is to:
a) administer an Ebola vaccine
b) identify the sick, trace those with whom they have had contact and apply infection-control measures in homes and clinics
c) treat infected patients with anti-Ebola drugs
d) educate the public as to how it is spread

7. President Obama signed executive orders this week intended to remedy the pay disparity between men and women ______________, which he says “isn’t fair.”
a) in his White House staff
b) in America
c) at CNN
d) who are mothers

8. A factor the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics takes into account when comparing the pay men and women earn for full time jobs is:
a) Education: women often choose fields of study, such as sociology, liberal arts or psychology, that pay less in the labor market. Men are more likely to major in finance, accounting or engineering, which pay more.
b) Job flexibility: many working mothers seek jobs that provide greater flexibility, such as telecommuting or flexible hours. Flexible jobs may pay less.
c) Experience: child care takes mothers out of the labor market, so when they return they have less work experience than similarly-aged males.
d) All of the above

9. Hamid Aboutalebi is Iran’s newly appointed ______________________. His appointment is opposed by Congress and most Americans because he was a member of the Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days during the takeover of our embassy in Tehran.
a) ambassador to the U.N.
b) NATO representative
c) head of the G20 summit
d) EU liaison

10. To prevent Aboutalebi from entering the U.S. Congress:
a) instructed the TSA to deny his application through customs
b) passed a bill that would bar entry to individuals found to be engaged in espionage, terrorism or a threat to national security
c) threatened to end all negotiations with Iran and impose further sanctions
d) announced that he was persona non grata