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. Reba McEntire has sold more than 50 million records, but her first job was:
a) Singing in the church choir.
b) Herding cattle for her dad.
c) Saying, “Would you like fries with that?”
2. The Oklahoma City mayor is up for a pay raise on the November ballot. The current salary for the job is:
a) $24,000
b) $64,000
c) $104,000
3. Researchers are studying the tiny alpine chipmunk as a messenger for:
a) Climate change. They are moving to higher altitudes.
b) Effects of water pollution. More dead animals are being found.
c) A new Alvin movie coming for Christmas.
4. In efforts to manage urban growth, California is considering a measure mandating:
a) Homes and workplaces to be built closer together.
b) That highways thread through neighborhoods.
c) No new construction in the Bay area.
5. An Athens-based group is trying to prevent the removal of artifacts from the ruined temples of the Acropolis by:
a) Filing suit in international court.
b) Posting guards at the site, 24/7.
c) Praying to the goddess Athena to protect the site.
6. Researchers have found that lower eyelids get baggy as people get older because of:
a) Wrinkling.
b) Extra skin that sags.
c) Accumulations of fat.
7. Jessica and Jaclyn Beed of Norman have Olympic dreams for 2012. They want to compete in:
a) Weightlifting and judo.
b) Rowing and running.
c) Table tennis and regular tennis.
8. Tulsa University engineering students designed and built:
a) A retractable floor for the new arena.
b) A customized wheelchair for a 9-year-old with cerebral palsy.
c) High-tech laptops that speak to pets.
9. The autumnal equinox will occur in an instant Sept. 22, when:
a) The center of the sun is exactly above the Earth’s equator.
b) Earth will experience the longest day of the year.
c) The cumulative scores of the OU games surpass the ticket price.
10. The healthy grain quinoa is actually:
a) The fruit of a wheat-like grass.
b) A particular way of processing buckwheat.
c) The seed of the goosefoot plant.
11. Hurricane Gustav didn’t do much damage to the U.S., but it flattened these in Jamaica:
a) Tourist hotels.
b) Beachfront homes.
c) Banana plantations.
12. One-third of Americans who own their home:
a) Don’t have a mortgage.
b) Make payments larger than $1,000 a month.
c) Make do with just four bathrooms.
13. During construction of the Oklahoma History Center, an unexpected $40,000 job was needed to clean up:
a) Trash along Lincoln Boulevard.
b) A cement spill after a truck backed over a stack of rebar.
c) Old urban oil wells drilled and forgotten.
14. Plans are in place to turn the former downtown library into:
a) A $122 million parking garage.
b) Condominiums, offices and retail space.
c) A vacant lot, waiting to be sold.
15. With continuous personnel changes, the RedHawks have ended their season:
a) At the top of their division.
b) In the middle of the rankings.
c) In the cellar.
16. A new French law is putting an end to:
a) The nation’s famous 35-hour workweek.
b) English translations of French novels.
c) The presence of McDonald’s on the Champs-Elysees.
17. Why don’t some officials like the idea of renaming roads?
a) For public safety reasons, because it has to be changed in the 911 database.
b) It’s too much hassle because of the paperwork.
c) Trick question; they don’t mind accommodating voters.
18. Three Oklahomans were to speak at the Republican National Convention, but they were:
a) Felled by an early bout of the flu.
b) Bumped by a shortened schedule.
c) Unable to get a flight into St. Paul, Minn.
19. Workers in the Comanche County treasurer’s office are handling high fuel prices by:
a) Quitting and finding jobs closer to home.
b) Working from home.
c) Coming to work four days a week.
20. Microsoft is looking for traction in the marketplace by:
a) Working out the bugs in Vista.
b) Putting Bill Gates’ cell phone number online.
c) Dropping the price on the Xbox 360 to $200.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-B; 2-A; 3-A; 4-A; 5-C; 6-C; 7-A; 8-B; 9-A; 10-C; 11-C; 12-A; 13-C; 14-B; 15-A; 16-A; 17-A; 18-B; 19-C; 20-C.