Cathedral High School // Academic Decathlon // Current Events
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Attention: Please write your name and school on your answer sheet.
Please write Current Events in the Subject space.
Directions:
Chose the best answer for each of the following multiple choice questions and darken the appropriate space on the scantron answer sheet. You will receive 1 point for each correct answer. The highest, second highest, and third highest score will receive a bonus of 20, 10, and 5 points respectively. Good Luck!
1. Which of the following was NOT one of the neuroscientists awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or Medicine? a. John O’Keefe b. May-Britt Moser c. Edward Moser d. Thomas Duncan 2. Which Chinese leader visited the US for the first time in September 2015? a. Zhou Enlai b. Li Peng c. Xi Jinping d. Hu Jintao 3. Which country to Pope Francis visit immediately BEFORE visiting the United States? a. Argentina b. Cuba c. Canada d. Mexico 4. Which Wisconsin governor dropped out of the Republican Primary race in September? a. Philip LaFollette b. John Reynolds c. Pete McCallum d. Scott Walker
5. Which group was liberated from ISIL control by Peshmerga forces? a. Kurds b. Coptic Christians c. Sephardic Jews d. Yazidis 6. Which of the following states has agreed to allow self-driving car testing on public roads? a. Missouri b. New Jersey c. Virginia d. Pennsylvania 7. Which of the following was discovered about Antarctica by scientists in November? a. The ice sheet is growing on the western side but shrinking on the eastern side b. The ice sheet is growing on the eastern side but shrinking on the western side c. The ice sheet is shrinking on both the western and eastern side d. The ice sheet is getting thicker on the northern or southern sides but narrowing on the eastern and western side 8. Who is the leader of the National League for Democracy in Myanmar a. Shwe Mann b. Min Aung Hlaing c. Thein Sein d. Aung San Suu Kyi 9. Who was elected President of Taiwan in January? a. Ma Ying-jeou b. Tsai Ing-wen c. Eric Chu Li-luan d. Hsu Hsin-ying 10. What did President Barak Obama say he would not allow to be built in the United States during his Presidency? a. Keystone XL Pipeline b. Canadian Transcontinental Pipeline c. Yukon Oil Pipeline d. North American Crude Pipeline 11. At which university did students force their president to resign over a race related incident in 2015? a. University of Iowa b. University of Alabama c. University of Wisconsin
d. University of Missouri 12. What is the “thinnest, lightest, and strongest stable substance on Earth” and potentially of use in telecommunications sector? a. Fullerenes b. Losdaleite c. Graphene d. Acetylene 13. Where did the G20 meet in November? a. Russia b. Turkey c. Germany d. Switzerland 14. Who invented the technology that later became “Auto-Tune” while working for Exxon? a. Dr. Andy Hildebrand b. Dr. Pat McCroy c. Dr. Matthew Green d. Dr. Todd Jerschaid 15. Who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives? a. John Boehner b. Paul Ryan c. Mitch McConnell d. Pat Lehay 16. Who is the self-proclaimed Caliph of ISIS? a. Abu Ali al-Andari b. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi c. Abu Suleiman al-Naser d. Abu Mohammad al-adnani 17. Which of the following was believed to be the source of salmonella infections last summer? a. Tomatoes from Guatemala b. Cucumbers from Mexico c. Corn from Canada d. Oranges from Australia 18. What did students from the Milwaukee School of Engineer build out of LEGOs? a. A model of Mount Rushmore b. A working model of Hoover Dam c. A scale mode of Lambeau Field
d. A model of the Eiffle tower 19. What was the main goal of the COP21 meeting in Paris? a. An agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions b. UN Resolution condemning ISIS c. Placement of Syrian refugees d. End the disputed election in Afghanistan 20. Who is the US Secretary of Defense a. John Kerry b. Ash Carter c. Leo Panetta d. Joseph Dunford 21. Besides Apple, which other company filed for a patent regarding holographic communication? a. Hewlett-Packard b. General Electric c. Google d. Samsung 22. Who is the current attorney General? a. Eric Holder b. Loretta Lynch c. Janet Yellen d. Joseph Klimavicz 23. In which restaurant chain did an E coli outbreak occur in October? a. Jack in the Box b. El Pollo Loco c. Chipotle d. Long John Silvers 24. Who was Time Magazine’s Person of the Year for 2015? a. Serena Williams b. Angela Merkel c. Tony Brown d. Bon Ki-Moon 25. Who is the President of Syria? a. Subhi Brakat b. Basha al-Assad c. Taj al-Din al-Hasani d. Muhammad Ali al-Abid
26. Which is the world’s second most populous country? a. Russia b. Brazil c. India d. Indonesia 27. What dos the British Organization HALO Trust work to do? a. Place Syrian refugees with Canadian Families b. Treat West Africans suffering from the Ebola outbreak c. Remove landmines in war torn countries d. Immunize poor and rural communities in Asai 28. From which University of Texas campus did the Supreme Court case involving affirmative action arise? a. University of Texas-Austin b. University of Texas-El Paso c. University of Texas-Dallas d. University of Texas-Waco 29. Which South Carolina River flooded interstate roads and homes in October? a. Roanoke River b. Congaree River c. Apalachicola River d. Savannah River 30. Which of the following is NOT one of the main countries affected by Ebola? a. Guinea b. Liberia c. Zambia d. Sierra Leone 31. Which of the following were a series of agreements between Israelis and Palestinians in the early 1990’s? a. The Dayton Accords b. The Oslo Accords c. The Geneva Accords d. The Jerusalem Accords 32. Which of the following is the capital of Turkey and the site of a terrorist attack in October? a. Atalya b. Bursa c. Istanbul
d. Ankara 33. Who is the Israeli Prime Minister? a. Sharon Peres b. Ehud Barak c. Benjamin Netanyahu d. Ariel Sharon 34. Who is the Palestinian President? a. Rami Hamdallah b. Mahmoud Abbas c. Salam Fayyad d. Aziz Queri 35. Which of the following struck the Philippines in October causes much damage? a. Typhoon Koppu b. Typhoon Haiyan c. Tropical Storm Pama d. Tropical Storm Boopha 36. Who is the Canadian Prime Minister elected in October? a. Stephen Harper b. Justin Trudeau c. Paul Martin d. Brian Mulroney 37. Which city was labeled as the world’s most polluted city according to the World Health Organization? a. Hong Kong b. Tokyo c. Paris d. New Delhi 38. Which of the following is true about Fata Morgana? a. The surface air is warmer than the air above it b. The surface air is cooler than the air above it c. The surface air is super-heated d. The surface air is super-saturated 39. Which of the following is a kind of color blindness? a. Chalazion b. Blepharitis c. Retinopathy d. Protanopia
40. Which of the following U.N. organizations help Nations transition to self-government and/or democracy? a. The Alliance for Progress b. The Trustee Council c. The International Monetary Fund d. The UN Security Council 41. Whose beard was knock off by an Employee of the British Museum and badly glued back on? a. King Ramses II b. Queen Hatshepsut c. King Tutankhamen d. King Cheops 42. Which Islands in the East China Sea are being disputed by China and Japan? a. Spratly Islands b. Suyan Rock Islands c. Hebao Islands d. Senkaku Diaoyu Islands 43. Which company decided to close its stores on Thanksgiving AND “Black Friday”? a. REI b. Big 5 Sporting Goods c. Sports Chalet d. EMS 44. What is the Coast Guard motto? a. Non sibi sed patriae b. Progredere ne regredere c. Vigilamus prote d. Semper paratos 45. How many states will cast primary ballots on Super Tuesday in March? a. 11 b. 12 c. 13 d. 14 46. Who is the North Korean dictator? a. Kim Tu-bong b. Kim Il-sung c. Kim Jong-il d. Kim Jong-un
47. In which state did ranch owners take over a wilderness refuge protesting Federal control of lands? a. Oregon b. Washington c. Texas d. Idaho 48. Which part of the Constitution requires the President to address and give, “information of the State of the Union.”? a. Article I, Section III b. Article II, Section III c. Article III, Section I d. Article IV, Section II 49. Who was the missing Cabinet official from the 2016 State of the Union Address? a. Jeh Johnson b. Anthony Fox c. Ernest Moniz d. Ken Salazar 50. Who delivered the Republican response to the State of the Union Address? a. Donald Trump b. Leslie Graham c. Nikki Haley d. Jeb Bush
