If you don't news it, you lose it! This quiz is based on major news events that recently made headlines in Current Events and around the world. Put your "knows" for the news to the test by answering the questions. Good luck!

People in the News

Identify each person below by writing the letter of the correct
description in the blank.

--1. Hugo Chavez         A. North Korean dictator who pledged to give
                            up his nuclear weapons program
--2. Condoleezza Rice    B. U.S. secretary of state who recently
                            traveled to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan,
                            Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan

--3. Emma Watson         C. facing trial for alleged role in 1982
                            massacre in Dujail, Iraq
--4. Harriet Miers       D. actor in Harry Potter and the Goblet of
                            Fire
--5. Saddam Hussein      E. person appointed by George W. Bush to
                            replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
--6. Tai Shah            F. panda cub at the National Zoo in
                            Washington, D.C.
--7. Kim Jong II         G. Venezuelan president who accused the United
                            States of "threatening all life on the
                            planet" during a speech at the United
                            Nations
--8. John Roberts        H. youngest chief justice of the United States
                            in more than 200 years

Facts and Figures

Decide whether each statement is true or false. Write T for true or F for false in each blank.

--9. In 2005, the federal poverty line was set at $46,090 for a family of three.

--10. Only 50 of the 191 U.N. member countries have signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

--11. According to the U.N. Great Apes Survival Project, as few as 350,000 great apes are still living in the wild.

--12. Auto accidents are the leading cause of death of teens in the United States.

--13. Iran became an Islamic republic in 1999.

--14. More than 140,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq.

Countries in the News

Fill in the blanks with the correct countries from the following list.

(There are more countries than correct answers.) Pakistan, Iran, Syria, Romania, China, Iraq, North Korea, Iraq, United States, Saudi Arabia, Democratic Republic of the Congo

15. Bird flu was recently confirmed in this European country.--

16. An estimated 40,000 people might have died in an earthquake in the Kashmir region of this country.--

17. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the leader of this country, says he will press ahead with a program to develop uranium in defiance of the United Nations.--

18. Representatives from 23 countries recently met in Kinshasa, this country's capital.-

19. This country recently held a referendum on its constitution.--

20. This country recently completed its second spaceflight carrying astronauts.--

Extra Credit: Where and when did the first Thanksgiving take place?--

News Quiz

Answers

1. G, 2. B, 3. D, 4. E, 5. C, 6. F, 7. A, 8. H, 9. F, 10. F, 11. T, 12. T, 13. F, 14. T, 15. Romania, 16. Pakistan, 17. Iran, 18. Democratic Republic of the Congo, 19. Iraq, 20. China, Extra Credit: present-day Plymouth. Mass., 1621

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