Questions

1. Columbus Day is celebrated on the second Monday in October. In his Book of Prophesies, Christopher Columbus credits _________________ for enabling him to make his historic trip.
a) King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
b) His father
c) His skill as a sailor and a navigator
d) God

2. Columbus wrote a letter in 1493 to King Ferdinand’s treasurer reporting on his voyage. In it, he describes the natives they encounter as:
a) trustworthy and generous
b) savages
c) knowledgeable
d) unteachable

3. As of Monday, at least 1,500 homes, businesses and other structures had been destroyed by wildfires in _______________. Other disruptions caused by the wildfires included school closings, power outages, the evacuation of two hospitals and disruption of cellphone service.
a) Porto Rico
b) Northern California
c) South Florida
d) Houston, Texas

4. Conditions that made the wildfires one of the worst in the state’s history include:
a) extremely dry conditions, strong winds and high temperatures
b) extremely dry conditions, high temperatures, and torrential rains
c) extremely dry conditions, strong winds and a large number of campers leaving campfires unattended despite burn bans
d) a lack of firemen, extremely strong winds and high temperatures

5. Last Wednesday, three scientists won the 2017 Nobel chemistry prize for developing cryo-electron microscopy, allowing researchers to see biological molecules frozen in action. Microscopy is the technical field of using _______________ to view objects and areas of objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
a) magnifying glasses
b) periscopes
c) microscopes
d) telescopes

6. Cryo-electron microscopy is a form of transmission electron microscopy where the sample is studied at cryogenic temperatures. It is a technique that involves _______________ the biological sample in order to view the sample with the least possible distortion.
a) heating
b) enlarging
c) shrinking
d) freezing

7. The U.S. government recently issued a $12 million bounty for information leading to the capture of two senior leaders of Hezbollah who are believed to be plotting attacks on U.S. soil. This is the first U.S.-issued bounty for Hezbollah leaders in more than:
a) a week
b) a month
c) a year
d) a decade

8. Which one of the following is not true of Hezbollah?
a) its name means “party of Allah”
b) it is a terrorist group believed responsible for nearly 200 attacks since 1982 that have killed more than 800 people, including many Americans
c) it is a proxy of the Israeli government
d) it is a Lebanese Shiite Islamic militant group

9. Customers at a new Shake Shack location that will open in _______________ this month will place their orders using an app or touchscreen kiosks.
a) Houston
b) Los Angeles
c) Washington D.C.
d) New York

10. Customers will not be able to _______________ at this new Shake Shack location.
a) customize their burger
b) take food to go or order delivery
c) order from a cashier or pay with cash
d) customize their order or order from a cashier