Questions

1. Construction of the Hoover Dam bypass bridge began in:
a) 1935
b) 1968
c) 2001
d) 2005

2. The Hoover Dam bypass bridge was built to:
a) bypass the traffic that backs up over the Hoover Dam
b) draw terrorists away from the Hoover Dam
c) give tourists a better view of the Hoover Dam
d) lower the unemployment rate among bridge construction workers

3. Citizens in France staged protests this week in an attempt to:
a) prevent the pension system from going bankrupt
b) prevent the government from firing tens of thousands of government employees
c) prevent the government from abolishing free tuition for public universities
d) prevent the French parliament from approving a bill that will raise the retirement age from 60 to 62

4. Which of the following did not happen as a result of the protests in France?
a) hundreds of airline flights were canceled
b) parliament agreed to the protesters demands
c) youths clashed with police and set fires in cities across France
d) train service in many regions was cut in half

5. The new police chief of Guadalupe, a northern Mexican border town plagued by drug violence is:
a) an 80 year old grandmother
b) a 20 year old college student
c) a former U.S. Navy Seal
d) the head of one of Mexico's largest drug cartels

6. The new police chief of Guadalupe got the job
a) for being the most qualified candidate
b) by getting the most number of votes
c) because no one else wanted the job
d) because she is related to the mayor

7. Some protesters in France have attacked police, overturned cars and set vehicles on fire. President Sarkozy responded by saying:
a) "It is not troublemakers who will have the last word in a democracy."
b) "These protesters are forcing parliament to postpone their vote on the retirement age bill."
c) "The government must give way to the voice of the people."
d) "Destroying property and attacking police has always been the French way to protest laws they don't like."

8. Strikes and protests in France have not only shut down one quarter of the gas stations and blocked all access to a main city airport, they have:
a) caused Lady Gaga to postpone her concerts in Paris
b) caused Johnny Depp to walk off the set of his latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie
c) forced the Eiffel Tower to close down for the week
d) disrupted taping of the popular show "French Idol"

9. In speaking with a Washington Examiner reporter, troops in Afghanistan this week expressed their frustration over:
a) the choice of fast-food restaurants available to those stationed in forward operating bases
b) the excessive heat
c) the restrictive rules of engagement they have to fight under
d) their commander-in-chief's repeated mis-pronunciation of the word corpsman

10. Soldiers in Afghanistan view President Karzai's attempt to negotiate a peace deal (and the Obama administration's support for the negotiations) with the Taliban as:
a) a great way to get out of harm's way quicker
b) a brilliant political move
c) a bad idea that sends the message that the war was pointless and that the sacrifices made by U.S. soldiers were a waste
d) the best way to save face before the troops are pulled out of Afghanistan