1) Congress passed (and President Obama recently signed) a bill that kept the country from going over the “fiscal cliff.” Part of the deal included an increased income tax rate for families making more than how much per year?
a) $200,000
b) $250,000
c) $450,000
d) $1,000,000
2) What two politicians were seen as the primary architects of the “fiscal cliff” bill?
a) President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner
b) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner
c) House Speaker John Boehner and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
d) Vice-President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
3) A new Congress was sworn in on January 3. What Congress is it?
a) 29th
b) 87th
c) 113th
d) 143rd
4) Whom did the new House elect as their Speaker?
a) Nancy Pelosi
b) Paul Ryan
c) Eric Cantor
d) John Boehner
5) One of the first bills approved by the new Congress provided $9 billion for what?
a) Gun buyback programs in response to the Newtown shooting
b) Funding for the “fiscal cliff” bill
c) Aid for victims of Hurricane Sandy
d) Emergency funding for the Post Office
6) What Democratic Senator has President Obama nominated to be the new Secretary of State?
a) Barbara Boxer
b) Hillary Clinton
c) John Kerry
d) Harry Reid
7) According to a new U.N. report, how many people are estimated to have died in the recent Syrian conflict?
a) 10,000
b) 20,000
c) 40,000
d) 60,000
8) Egyptian voters approved a new constitution on December 25. What percentage of voters was in favor of the new constitution?
a) 45%
b) 56%
c) 64%
d) 89%
9) Which of the following countries was recently found to have the happiest people in the world?
a) United States
b) Sweden
c) Australia
d) Panama
10) What school won college football’s national championship by winning the BCS Title Game?
a) University of Alabama
b) University of Notre Dame
c) University of Florida
d) Florida State University