1. For each of the 5 countries, give the following information:
a) the continent on which it is located
b) the name of the capital city
c) the type of government
d) the chief of state (and head of government if different)
e) the population

[Find the answers at the CIA World FactBook website. For each country: type of government, capital and executive branch (chief of state/head of government) can be found under the "Government" heading; population is listed under the "People" heading.  Go to worldatlas.com for a list of continents.]

2. For Spain:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Do you think the government of Spain should be able to regulate whether private business owners permit smoking inside their establishments since cigarettes are legal (but smoking is known to be harmful to a person's health)? Explain your answer.
c) For either answer above (yes or no) do you think the government should also be able to regulate the type/amount of food people eat at privately owned restaurants, or the number of drinks people can purchase? Explain your answer.
c) Do you support government regulation of legal activities that could be harmful to people's health (such as the type/amount of food people eat, or the number of drinks people can purchase)? Explain your answer. Ask a parent the same question.

3. For Guinea:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) When did Guinea gain its independence from France?

4. For Mexico:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) What prompted the Mexican government to take this action?

5. For China:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) Why did the government implement this new plan?

6. For Egypt:
a) list the who, what, where and when of the news item
b) How safe do you think Christians are in Muslim countries? Explain your answer.
c) How safe do you think Muslims are in Christian countries? Explain your answer.