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  1. Long reads
17 December 2009

The NS Quiz: International Affairs

By Olav Bjortomt

Click here for the answers

1 What did the South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson shout at Barack Obama during a speech about health-care reform?
a “You speak very eloquently!”
b “You the man!”
c “You lie!”
d “You socialist!”

2 In May, the Belgian city of Ghent declared its intention to do what every Thursday?
a Go vegetarian
b Ban the sale of petrol
c Turn off electric lights
d Elect a new mayor for the day

3 Appointed the first permanent president of the European Council, the former Belgian prime minister Herman van Rompuy is known for which hobby?
a Playing poker
b Keeping tropical fish
c Writing haiku
d Cat fancying

4 Which US Airlines pilot was dubbed “the Hero of the Hudson” after landing 155 passengers safely on the said river in January?
a Chesley Sullenberger
b Fielding Kartheiser
c Maxwell Schumpeter
d Langton Moleschott

5 A visit made in May by an American named John William Yettaw got which person into trouble?
a The Dalai Lama
b Shirin Ebadi
c Hu Jia
d Aung San Suu Kyi

6 The American investment fraudster Bernard Madoff was sentenced to how many years’ imprisonment?
a 50 b 100 c 150 d 200

7 Carrie Prejean came to global prominence during the Miss USA 2009 pageant when she was asked a question about which issue?
a Abortion
b The US intervention in Iraq
c Legalising same-sex marriage
d Gun control

8 The Australian town of Bundanoon became the first place in the world to ban what?
a Mobile phones
b Bad manners
c New Zealanders
d The sale of bottled water

9 Pope Benedict XVI’s May visit to Israel was marked by controversy when a Vatican spokesman contradicted the pontiff’s own 1997 memoirs and said that he had “never, never, never” what?
a Supported a Palestinian state
b Wished that Jerusalem was in Christian hands
c Belonged to the Hitler Youth
d Declared Judaism to be a heathen faith

10 Álvaro Uribe of Colombia and which other Latin American president were diagnosed with swine flu?
a Oscar Arias of Costa Rica
b Ricardo Martinelli of Panama
c Alan García of Peru
d Tabaré Vázquez of Uruguay

 

ANSWERS:

1c “You lie!”
2a Go vegetarian
3c Writing haiku
4a Chesley Sullenberger
5d Aung San Suu Kyi
6c 150
7c Legalising same-sex marriage
8d Bottled water
9c Belonged to the Hitler Youth
10a Oscar Arias of Costa Rica

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