The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.
1. A Vinita elementary school is offering 30 minutes more instruction every day — almost 15 more school days per year — by:
a) Starting a half-hour earlier.
b) Eliminating recess and gym.
c) Rearranging the day, including having recess before lunch.
2. A new Norman eatery has an unusual theme:
a) No animals were harmed in the making of the entrees.
b) The customers are dogs.
c) It serves only macaroni and cheese.
3. A study from Oklahoma State University says Tulsa could benefit $13 million a year if it:
a) Gets a new Imax theater downtown.
b) Builds a downtown ballpark for the Dr illers.
c) Charges tolls on all area highways.
4. Pew Research Center findings suggest just 35 percent of Americans over 65 are:
a) Internet users.
b) Vegetarians.
c) Churchgoers.
5. China says it will enact even tougher rules in the coming weeks to curb:
a) International adoptions.
b) Anti-government protests.
c) Air pollution in Beijing.
6. This was the name of the plane Wiley Post flew alone around the world 75 years ago:
a) The Spirit of Oklahoma
b) Winnie Mae
c) Ellie Mae
7. A foot treatment in a D.C.-area spa uses these:
a) Slices of cucumber and yogurt sauce.
b) Tiny nibbling fish, known as garra rufa.
c) Comfortable shoes, as most bunions are caused by footwear that pinches
8. In the 2004 Super Bowl Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction case, an appeals court has:
a) Thrown out the $550,000 indecency fine against CBS.
b) Doubled the fine.
c) Suggested the fine be used to buy Jackson some clothes with better coverage.
9. While a California home burned, firefighters had to search for a usable fire hydrant because:
a) Water pressure is down everywhere because of shortages.
b) They’re analog technology, and young firefighters only know digital.
c) Metal thieves are stealing the brass nuts used to turn on the water.
10. As the economy worsens, Americans are turning to an Earth- and budget-friendly lifestyle called The Compact, in which participants pledge to:
a) Walk everywhere for a year.
b) Avoid buying anything new.
c) Plant food gardens instead of lawns.
11 Texas oilman Boone Pickens wants to attract Americans’ attention to the need for:
a) Nuclear power.
b) Finding more domestic reserves to power our increasing dependence on fossil fuels.
c) Smoothing the way for wind power and gas-powered vehicles.
12. At $3.83 a gallon, gas prices in Oklahoma are:
a) About the national average.
b) Lower than Texas and everywhere else in the U.S.
c) Higher than the average gallon of milk.
13. According a Pew Research poll, six out of 10 Chinese believe:
a) The government should restrict access to Olympic tickets.
b) It’s OK to eat dog, as long as it isn’t one you know.
c) China will replace the U.S. as the world’s dominant superpower.
14. The U.N. estimates that 3.5 million people in Somalia soon will need this:
a) Food aid as prices for staples soar, and the drought continues.
b) A place to live, as seasonal rains are wiping out whole villages.
c) Cable boxes to convert to digital TV.
15. Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, wanted for war crimes, was discovered in disguise an d working as:
a) Counter help in a Belgrade McDonald’s.
b) A practitioner of alternative medicine in a private clinic.
c) A minor functionary in the tax collection agency.
16. To satisfy consumer demand, Walmart will be selling more of this:
a) Gasoline at a discount for people who drive American cars.
b) Fresh produce from local farmers.
c) i-electronics such as the iphone.
17. Ford built 15 million cars with a Model T engine, a production run that wasn’t surpassed until the:
a) Volkswagen Beetle in 1972.
b) Ford Taurus in 1985.
c) Toyota Camry in 2005.
18. Two billionaire philanthropists, Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, are pooling $375 million to fight:
a) Smoking.
b) AIDS
c) Driving while talking on cell phones.
19. Frontier City has a new roller-coaster that allows passenger to dangle their feet high over the park. It’s called the:
a) Steel Lasso.
b) Roller Rip.
c) Scary Scream Maker.
20. A new study shows girls do as well as boys in what subject?
a) Math.
b) Art.
c) English.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-C; 2-B; 3-B; 4-A; 5-C; 6-B; 7-B; 8-A; 9-C; 10-A; 11-C; 12-B; 13-C; 14-A; 15-B; 16-B; 17-A; 18-A; 19-A; 20-A.
Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date:
The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.
1. Republican John McCain said four Arizonans who ran for president all failed. They are McCain himself in 2000, former Gov. Bruce Babbit, Rep. Morris Udall and:
a) Sen. Barry Goldwater.
b) Sen. Bob Dole.
c) Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
2. A plane abandoned in Sierra Leone held:
a) 231 angry passengers.
b) 540 endangered birds
c) 1,540 pounds of cocaine.
3. Iraqi police, dealing with increasing numbers of women suicide bombers, are trying to catch them with the help of:
a) Iraqi women volunteers.
b) Portable X-ray technology which can look under their abayas.
c) American military women.
4. More than 40 nations have agreed to work for a Middle East zone free of what?
a) Identifying clothing — if they don’t know the enemy, they can’t fight.
b) Weapons of mass destruction.
c) Fighting words, with changes to free-speech provisions.
5. Two school buildings under construction in Dibble are expected to provide more weather safety and increase energy efficiency. How?
a) The concrete buildings are well-insulated and dome-shaped.
b) They have energy windmills and specialized tornado sirens.
c) They have fewer windows along with underground safe rooms.
6. Miami-based TracFone Wireless is suing in federal court to try and halt this practice, although it isn’t technically illegal:
a) Unlocking the software of a personal cell phone.
b) Changing a phone’s cover to make it look like a more expensive model.
c) Using another company’s phone on the network.
7. About half the nation’s governors met to discuss:
a) A candidate to endorse for the presidency.
b) Moving beyond corn-based fuel.
c) How to manage overwhelmed mass-transit systems.
8. Experts in self-promotion say if you want to get ahead, you should keep a running record of your accomplishments and:
a) Always wear a nametag.
b) Make sure your boss always has coffee.
c) Leave your job the moment it becomes clear you won’t be promoted.
9. Money magazine ranked Norman No. 6 in its annual list of best places to live. What was the only other city in the state to make the list?
a) Yukon.
b) Edmond.
c) Tulsa.
10. What could one day be a popular spot for brides and grooms to tie the knot?
a) An Amtrak train click-clacking into Kansas.
b) An open-air wedding chapel at the top of Mount Scott.
c) In space aboard a Rocketplane.
11. OSU fans have voted, and the results are in: They want a simpler look honoring the past for the:
a) Basketball court.
b) Centerpiece courtyard for the athletic village.
c) Pizza served at the Hideaway.
12. The EPA has proposed rules to allow power companies to do this with carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants:
a) Release it into the air over smaller cities.
b) Inject it into the ground where it won’t contribute to climate change.
c) Limit emissions by use of scrubbing technology.
13. A 49-year-old Henryetta man plans to use a $1.3 million jackpot from Hot Lotto to:
a) Quit his job and move to Hawaii.
b) Buy a house with a swimming pool.
c) Buy the company where he works and run it his way.
14. Some people say this is driving down movie rentals and sales:
a) Seeing movies in fancy new theaters.
b) Watching television.
c) Downloading movies.
15. MillerCoors is choosing a site for its new joint headquarters in:
a) Milwaukee.
b) Golden, Colo.
c) Chicago.
16. Major League Baseball is studying the use of these and safety issues:
a) More nets and fences to stop foul balls.
b) Maple bats, because of breakage.
c) Ballpark hot dogs.
17. Massachusetts is taking steps to eliminate a ban on out-of-staters doing this:
a) Getting married, if it is illegal to do so in their home states.
b) Playing the Massachusetts lottery.
c) Opening a bar near Fenway Park.
18. Embattled Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart has produced a comic book that portrays:
a) An angel siding with Rinehart.
b) A superhero cleaning up county politics.
c) A county official elected governor by unanimous consent.
19. Yoga practioners call this “sheetali pranayama” and use it to cool down even on the hottest days of summer:
a) Stand on your head and wiggle your feet.
b) Stick out your tongue and control your breathing.
c) Put your head in the icebox and breathe deeply.
20. A Cimarron County publisher gave a $50 bounty to Gov. Brad Henry because:
a) The governor stopped a cattle rustler.
b) Henry visited the Panhandle county.
c) He was contributing to his campaign warchest.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A; 2-C; 3-A; 4-B; 5-A; 6-A; 7-B; 8-A; 9-B; 10-C; 11-A; 12-B; 13-B; 14-C; 15-C; 16-B; 17-A; 18-A; 19-B; 20-B.
Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date:
The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.
1. Among the new words in the Merriam-Webster’s new edition of its Collegiate Dictionary is “mondegreen,” which means:
a) That fashionable color somewhere between seafoam and jute.
b) The squares of grass on traffic islands in New York City.
c) A word or phrase that results from mishearing.
2. This group of state employees alone was lucky enough to get 5 percent raises this year:
a) Legislators.
b) Judges.
c) Teachers.
3. A motorcyclist should do this if a traffic light fails to detect him:
a) Get off the bike and jump up and down to express his anger.
b) Roll back and forth over the light’s sensor until it turns green.
c) Call the city’s action center to report a possible malfunction because the sensor should even detect a scooter.
4. More catalytic converters are being stolen because:
a) Commodity metal prices are rising.
b) More interest in the environment is raising the price.
c) They’re valued on the lucrative reconditioned converter market.
5. Boone Pickens wants to end the nation’s dependence on foreign oil by using natural gas to power vehicles and this to make electricity:
a) The sun.
b) Ethanol.
c) Wind.
6. A doctors’ group is recommending cholesterol-fighting medicine be given to children as young as 8 to:
a) Prevent future heart problems.
b) Help youngsters who wet the bed.
c) See whether it will help them get in shape.
7. General Motors is considering doing this with its brands Buick, Hummer, Saab and Saturn?
a) Selling them to Ford.
b) Merging them into one brand.
c) Eliminating them.
8. Studies find that college students, on average, drink only a bit more than adults in a week but they have this sometimes fatal difference:
a) Students save drinks for a single sitting.
b) Students drink more beer.
c) Students drink alone.
9. A Claremore man uses special equipment to take beautiful photographs of these difficult-to-see items:
a) Bacteria.
b) Fashion models.
c) Celestial bodies.
10. Kevin Bookout says playing basketball at OU was a setback for his track and field aspirations. What is his goal now?
a) Winning a medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
b) Making the team for the 2012 London Olympics.
c) Becoming the head track coach at OU.
11. Federal officials are considering a proposal that calls for capturing or killing what in Yellowstone National Park?
a) Elk infected with brucellosis.
b) Bears that pester tourists for snacks.
c) The rising numbers of bison.
12. Google is opening a new service called “Lively,” in which three-dimensional software enables users to:
a) Go out for virtual coffee and save the calories of the real stuff.
b) Congregate in virtual rooms untethered to one Web site.
c) Get off the computer and play outdoors.
13. A Tipton truck owner’s vehicle got a makeover from “Trick My Truck,” to bring attention to the:
a) Perils faced by honeybees.
b) Contributions of wheat farmers.
c) Oil industry products
14. Danny McFarlane and Michael Blackwood, both former OU track stars, aren’t part of the U.S. Olympic team, but they’re in the spotlight because:
a) They’re going as broadcasters.
b) They’re going as coaches.
c) They’re going for Jamaica.
15. An environmental impact report says a $50 million suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge would alter the view, but each year it might save:
a) Four people.
b) Fourteen people.
c) Twenty-four people.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-C; 2-B; 3-C; 4-A; 5-C; 6-A; 7-C; 8-A; 9-C; 10-B; 11-A; 12-B; 13-A; 14-C; 15-C.
Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date:
The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.
1. Oklahoma is the first state to ban:
a) Driving while talking on a cell phone.
b) Donations from one political action committee to another.
c) Lobbyist gifts to elected officials.
2. Washington state has moved to stop drivers from using hand-held cell phones. Most likely to benefit are:
a) Motorists in the next lane.
b) Highway construction workers.
c) Those who sell hands-free phone accessories.
3. Saudi Arabia is building this in the desert:
a) A huge oil field that will produce 1.2 million barrels a day.
b) A 100-acre water park.
c) Disney Saudi Arabia.
4. South Korean police have refused to allow more candlelight vigils over:
a) U.S involvement in Iraq.
b) U.S. bases in the region.
c) U.S. beef imports.
5. Anchorage police say a teenage girl was injured in a 24-hour bicycle race when:
a) She collided with others on a steep hill.
b) She was mauled by a grizzly on a park trail.
c) She was struck by a car while using her cell phone.
6. In what is being described as one of the weirdest baseball games in recent years, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 despite:
a) Committing 14 errors.
b) Not getting a hit.
c) Losing the ball in a sand trap.
7. A $1 billion Texas plant to be built by SandRidge Energy and Occidental Petroleum will process this:
a) Ethanol created from switchgrass.
b) Methane gas.
c) Carbon dioxide-rich natural gas.
8. An Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation study has found this common substance may help protect against multiple sclerosis:
a) Caffeine.
b) Vitamin C.
c) Ibuprofen.
9. Some residents near the Mississippi River are learning it’s not a good idea to cancel your flood insurance if you’ve already lived through a 100-year flood because the term actually means:
a) Flooding so high it’s only seen once a century.
b) Century-old buildings have no chance of survival.
c) It has a 1 percent chance of happening in any given year.
10. In terms of fatalities, a 2005 Centers for Disease Control study has found that gun owners most often use their weapons on:
a) Themselves.
b) Intruders in the night.
c) Criminals on the street.
11. Farmers are planting less cotton — acreage is at a 25-year-low — and more:
a) Corn and soybeans.
b) Corn and hemp.
c) Corn — just corn.
12. Changes are brewing at Starbucks. The company said it will:
a) Introduce a new chocolate-based drink.
b) Close 19 percent of its company-operated stores in the U.S.
c) Join with Wal-Mart to offer in-store breakfasts.
13. A study of retirement saving reports four out of five workers aren’t saving enough to maintain their lifestyle. A worker must save this much of his income over the course of his career:
a) 10 to 12 percent.
b) 20 to 22 percent.
c) It doesn’t matter because winning the lottery is easy.
14. Fireworks are banned in most Oklahoma municipalities for safety reasons. Often mistakenly considered children’s toys, sparklers can reach temperatures of:
a) 180 to 200 degrees.
b) 1,800 to 2,000 degrees.
c) 18,000 to 20,000 degrees.
15. With an average 18-gallon tank of gas, and EPA average 21 mpg, an average driver can go:
a) 358 miles.
b) 378 miles.
c) 398 miles.
16. The Phoenix Lander may be finished analyzing Martian soil because:
a) The craft is stuck in the mud of the melting icecap.
b) The craft’s instruments are single use, disposable and recyclable.
c) It has a short circuit, perhaps because somebody shook it to break up the dirt clods.
17. Archaeologists digging around what may be George Washington’s childhood home at Ferry Farm, Va., have found:
a) Artifacts including pieces of a tea set, wig curlers and bone toothbrush handles.
b) Nothing but a burned shell as the building materials already were looted.
c) A hatchet and cherry limbs labeled and enshrined for posterity.
18. Watermelon researchers say a slice of melon contains a chemical called citrulline that can trigger the same results as this:
a) Ibuprofen.
b) Viagra.
c) Alka-Seltzer.
19. The Winchester Drive-In has entertained moviegoers for 40 years. In the past 15 years, this has been unchanged:
a) The price of admission: Two or three movies for $5 per adult.
b) The feature film: It’s still packing them in.
c) The concession-stand menu, including filet mignon.
20. Bargain-hunting consumers are doing more of this for the first time in 16 years:
a) Eating from the dollar menu at McDonald’s.
b) Clipping coupons, including online versions.
c) Buying sport utility vehicles because they’re a really good deal these days.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-B; 2-C; 3-a; 4-C; 5-B; 6-B; 7-C; 8-A; 9-C; 10-A; 11-A; 12-B; 13-A; 14-B; 15-B; 16-C; 17-A; 18-B; 19-A; 20-B.
Week in review
Sometimes it’s easy to miss an event, so here’s a look back at the past week or so to help bring you up to date:
