Extemp Central News Quiz for the Week of October 13th-19th, 2014

[fblike]

quiz-01Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

To access a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

1. Why did the Organization for Security and Co-operation (OSCE) in Europe lament the outcome of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s general election?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]The OSCE was disappointed that nationalist candidates from Serb, Bosnian, and Croatian ethnic groups won elections for the country’s triparite presidency.  Tensions between all three groups produced a civil war between 1992 and 1995 that left 100,000 people dead.  The OSCE fears that the results of the election will keep Bosnia from moving beyond its ethnic divides.[/toggle]

2. This Latin American leader recently won a third term.

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Evo Morales of Bolivia.  Exit polls showed that Morales won 60% of the vote, with his nearest rival, Samuel Doria Medina, winning 25%.  Morales has been Bolivia’s president since 2006 (when he became the country’s first indigenous leader) and he dedicated his victory to Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.[/toggle]

3. This retailer and this fast food chain were both recently hit with a payment card hack.

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]K-Mart and Dairy Queen.  In both cases, hackers accessed the payment card numbers of customers.  K-Mart’s attack did not allow hackers to gain personal information on customers, but the attack on Dairy Queen provided hackers with the names of customers.[/toggle]

4. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had stern words recently for Russian President Vladimir Putin. What did he say?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Abbott said that he would confront Putin over the shooting of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, which went down over Eastern ukraine, killing all 298 passengers, including 38 Australians, on board.  Abbott argues that the Australian nationals were murdered and he said is going to “shirtfront” Putin, which is an Australian football term referring to knocking down one’s opponent.[/toggle]

5. Who is the second most powerful leader in North Korea?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Hwang Pyong So, the head of the political bureau of the Korean People’s Army.  Mr. Hwang was part of a North Korean delegation that had lunch with South Korea’s unification minister.  Kim Jong-un, the leader of the country, is reportedly suffering from a debilitating illness.[/toggle]

6. This Syrian-Kurdish town came under attack by ISIS last week, allowing critics of American action in the region to argue that American efforts against the Islamic State were failing.

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Kobane.  Despite U.S. and allies airstrikes, fighters affiliated with the Islamic State fought their way into the center of the city, which sits near the Syrian-Turkish border.[/toggle]

7. What are two significant factors behind the declining price of oil?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]The growing strength of the U.S. dollar and weakness in the global economy.  The U.S. also has growing oil supplies, allowing it to reduce some of its dependence on foreign crude. The price of oil is currently going for $85/barrel, which has stirred dissension within the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).[/toggle]

8. On Monday, the Seattle City Council voted to establish the second Monday in October as a celebration of this.

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]The contributions of indigenous peoples in Seattle.  The second Monday in October is celebrated nationally as Columbus Day, but Native American groups have lobbied to change it to Indigenous People’s Day.  Italian Americans protested the change and said it denigrated their culture.[/toggle]

9. Texas Democratic Senate candidate Wendy Davis came under fire for a controversial campaign ad last week. What did this ad say?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Davis’s ad attacked her Republican opponent Greg Abbott for trying to limit the damages accident victims can claim in court when won monetary damages for an accident that left him paralyzed.  Republicans and Democrats have criticized the ad as insensitive.[/toggle]

10. Who is the Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Tom Frieden.  Frieden has been in the public eye because of the recent Ebola scare.[/toggle]

This entry was posted in Quiz and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.