News quiz no. 5

Current Events, May 7, 2004

It's time to put your "knows" for news to the test! The questions below are based on major news events that made headlines this school year. How well do you know the news? Take this quiz and find out.

Note to teacher: This is the last in a series of Current Events News Quizzes for the school year. Send in the name(s) of the top scorer(s) in your class(es) and CE will honor each winner with a certificate. Send student names to Current Events New Quiz, Weekly Reader Corporation, 200 First Stamford Place, P.O. Box 120023, Stamford, CT 06912-0023.

People in the News

Identify each person below by putting the letter of the correct description in each blank.

-- 1. Ariel Sharon             a. actor who replaced Gray Davis as the
                                  governor of California last fall
-- 2. John Kerry               b. North Korean dictator suspected of
                                  manufacturing nuclear weapons
-- 3. Kim Jong II              c. former Texas governor who calls the
                                  White House home
-- 4. George W. Bush           d. exiled spiritual leader of Tibet who
                                  visited the United States last fall
-- 5. Tom Ridge                e. Democratic senator from Massachusetts
                                  who is running for president
-- 6. Saddam Hussein           f. Israeli prime minister who approved
                                  the assassination of an Arab
                                  Palestinian militant leader this
                                  spring
-- 7. Dalai Lama               g. dictator who was captured in December
                                  after ruling Iraq with an iron fist
                                  for more than two decades
-- 8. Arnold Schwarzenegger    h. U.S. Department of Homeland Security
                                  head who controls the nation's terror
                                  alert level

Facts and Figures

In each blank, put the letter of the answer that best answers the question or completes the statement.

-- 9. A power grid failure caused a major blackout in parts of the United States and Canada in August. How long did the blackout last? a) two days, b) two weeks, c) two months

-- 10. Which condition has not been labeled a global epidemic by the World Health Organization? a) obesity, b) mad cow disease, c) AIDS

-- 11. The Recording Industry Association of America cracked down on people last fall for a) stealing CDs from music stores, b) singing karaoke songs off-key, c) downloading songs online without paying.

-- 12. The Patriot Act makes it easier for a) the government to track down terrorists, b) illegal immigrants to become legal U.S. residents, e) farmers to detect mad cow disease.

-- 13. Last winter, the United States sent two rovers to explore a) Venus, b) Jupiter, c) Mars.

-- 14. The Supreme Court will determine whether the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional because it contains the words a) "and to the republic," b) "under God," c) "with liberty and justice for all."

Countries in the News

Fill in the blanks with the correct countries from the list below. (Note: There are more countries than correct answers.) China, Israel, India, Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan, Spain, South Korea, United States

15. India and this country have long fought each other for control of the Kashmir region. --

16. This country and Iran are the only two countries where executing juveniles is legal. --

17. This country declared its independence in 1948 and was immediately attacked by neighboring countries. --

18. Tensions rose last fall after this Asian country kicked out U.N, weapons inspectors and restarted a nuclear power plant. --

19. Violence continues to mount in this country, whose leader was ousted by the United States. --

20. Train bombings in this country's capital city killed 190 people in March. --

1. f, 2. e, 3, b, 4. c, 5. h, 6. g, 7. d, 8. a, 9. a, 10. b, 11. c, 12. a, 13. c, 14. b, 15. Pakistan, 16. United States, 17. Israel, 18. North Korea, 19. Iraq, 20. Spain

This week's puzzle:

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