1. What European country raised its terrorism threat warning to its second-highest level on Nov. 15 after a bomb in a taxi exploded outside of a hospital?
a. U.K.
b. France
c. Spain
d. Greece
2. Three people died and more than 500 were hospitalized after heavy rain and flooding caused what animal to enter people’s homes?
a. Snakes
b. Crocodiles
c. Scorpions
d. Hippopotami
3. Schools in India’s capital city of New Delhi moved online for the week of Nov. 15 due to what unfolding crisis?
a. A recent earthquake
b. Increasing school violence
c. Severe air pollution in the city
d. Extreme drought conditions
4. What U.S. state’s lawmakers will meet for a week-long special legislative session with the goal of thwarting COVID-19 vaccine mandates?
a. Utah
b. Texas
c. Alabama
d. Florida
5. Peery’s Egyptian Theater hosted its seventh annual festival dedicated to what “cult classic” movie on Nov. 13?
a. “Rocky Horror Picture Show”
b. “Dazed and Confused”
c. “Plan 9 from Outer Space”
d. “The Big Lebowski”
Answers:
1. The correct answer is A, U.K. According to the Washington Post, the Liverpool taxi passenger, who brought a homemade explosive device into the taxi, was declared dead at the scene. The driver was able to escape after locking the passenger inside the car and has been released after a brief hospitalization. The motivation of the bombing is still unclear.
2. The correct answer is C, Scorpions. According to The Associated Press, the storms forced countless scorpions from their hiding places and into houses across the Egyptian province of Aswan. Three died from scorpion stings, while 503 were hospitalized and discharged after antivenom treatment.
3. The correct answer is C, Severe air pollution in the city. According to CNN, the chief minister of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, announced the physical closing of all schools and move to virtual classes. The thick smog blanketing the city has been made worse by weather conditions that have restricted the dispersion of pollution caused by stubble burning by farmers.
4. The correct answer is D, Florida. According to The Guardian, Republican governor Ron DeSantis, who is staunchly opposed to mask mandates and vaccine mandates, called the special session to begin on Nov. 15. His goal is to prevent business or government agencies to require vaccination of employees in the state.
5. The correct answer is D, “The Big Lebowski.” According to the Standard-Examiner, the festival included a showing of the film with white Russians and other Lebowski-themed cocktails, a pre-screening lobby party with trivia, a costume contest and a rug to really tie the room together.
