Questions

1. Pirates from which African country were holding an American merchant ship captain hostage after they attacked his ship last week?
a) Somalia
b) Sudan
c) Zimbabwe
d) Saudi Arabia

2. American ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued this week after:
a) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton negotiated with the pirates for his release
b) A British man-of-war attacked the port city that serves as the pirates' safe haven
c) U.S. Navy snipers shot and killed the pirates
d) President Obama called the leader of the pirates and asked him to release Captain Phillips

3. After President Zardari of Pakistan gave in to the Taliban and signed a bill this week that imposes Islamic law in the Swat Valley region of Pakistan:
a) the Taliban leaders agreed to leave the people in peace and ordered most of their fighters to leave the area
b) the Taliban shaved their beards and denounced their practice of flogging women
c) Osama bin Laden entered the region on a donkey and declared himself ruler
d) thousands of Islamist militants came into the region and set up training camps to make it one of the main bases for Taliban fighters

4. Before the Taliban invaded the Swat Valley, it was known as:
a) a breeding ground for terrorists
b) a popular weekend getaway for well-to-do Pakistanis
c) a destination for religious pilgrims
d) the "mosquito" state

5. In which former Soviet republic did protesters this week call for the resignation of their president Mikheil Saakashvili?
a) Uzbekistan
b) the Czech Republic
c) Belarus
d) Georgia

6. Critics who called for his resignation accuse President Saakashvili of all but which of the following?
a) stealing government funds
b) making too many mistakes when Russia invaded last year
c) exerting pressure on the judiciary and the media
d) monopolizing power

7. Why did Americans hold rallies in towns and cities across the country on April 15th?
a) to express their concern with excessive government spending
b) to ask the government to implement strict cap and trade regulations as a way to prevent global warming
c) to protest the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
d) to ask that the federal government to raise their taxes

8. More than ______________ people attended rallies across the country on April 15th:
a) 200
b) 2,000
c) 20,000
d) 200,000

9. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a report to ____________________ on the dangers of Extremists to U.S. national security
a) law enforcement officials nationwide
b) newspaper editors around the country
c) the United Nations Security Council
d) the World Bank

10. In their report, DHS warns of the potential threat to national security from:
a) radical jihadists whose goal is to destroy the U.S.
b) Islamic extremists who aim to make Islam the dominant religion in every country
c) right-wing extremists including individuals dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration
d) eco-terrorists and anarchists who oppose land development and big business