Questions

1. Shell Oil Company has announced it must scrap efforts to drill for oil this summer in __________________, after the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board decided to withhold necessary permits.
a) the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Alaska
b) the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cape Cod
c) the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California
d) the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indiana

2. The EPA appeals board denied the necessary air permits Shell needed based on an environmental group's argument, which said that:
a) we need to find alternative energy sources like wind and solar
b) the burning of any fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas) is bad for the environment
c) no oil company should be allowed to drill in any ocean
d) Shell's drilling would increase air pollution levels in a village of 245 people 70 miles away from the drilling.

3. An unknown number of civilians have been killed by the military in Syria over the past week/month. Those killed are believed to be have been protesting the rule of autocratic president _____________________________
a) Moammar Gadhafi
b) Bashar Assad
c) Hosni Mubarak
d) Hamid Karzai

4. A British-led group of European countries has responded to the killing of civilians in Syria by urging the U.N. Security Council to:
a) call on the Syrian president to step down immediately
b) release a statement which condemns the killings, and calls on the Syrian government for an immediate restraint, an end to the state of emergency, and an independent investigation into the civilian deaths.
c) send U.N. troops into Syria to protect the citizens from their military
d) ask the United States to lead a coalition force into Syria to oust the president and hold democratic elections

5. In a recent meeting between Afghan and Pakistani officials,
a) the president of Afghanistan and prime minister of Pakistan agreed to work together with the U.S. to stamp out terrorism in their countries
b) the prime minister of Pakistan told the president of Afghanistan that while taking billions of dollars in aid from the U.S., he has been supporting terrorist organizations in their attacks against Americans and the West
c) the prime minister of Pakistan urged the president of Afghanistan to end his partnership with the U.S. and instead form a partnership with Pakistan and China
d) the president of Afghanistan told the prime minister of Pakistan that he has the U.S. wrapped around his finger

6. Details of the meeting between Afghan and Pakistani officials was leaked to the press:
a) through wikileaks
b) after a hacker infiltrated their personal email accounts and made them public
c) after President Karzai boasted of the meeting to friends on his Facebook page
d) through pro-U.S. Afghan officials who were at the meeting

7. The leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan are:
a) Yousuf Raza Gilani and Hamid Karzai
b) Pervez Musharraf and Hamid Karzai
c) Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hamiz Karzai
d) Yousuf Raza Gilani and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

8. ______ percent of the world's pecans are grown in the U.S.
a) 6
b) 33
c) 66
d) 100

9. Until recently, the majority of pecans grown in the U.S. were sold in the U.S.
In 2007, ____________ began buying a lot of pecans.
a) China
b) Italy
c) India
d) Iran

10. The large increase in demand for pecans has benefitted pecan growers, but hurt:
a) walnut consumers
b) pecan sellers
c) walnut shellers
d) pecan shellers