1) A group of Sunni Muslims calling themselves ISIS recently took over the city of Mosul. Mosul is the second-largest city in what country?
c) Iraq
The group – Islamic State of Iraq and Syria – is an offshoot of al-Qaeda. The United States has denied Iraqi government requests for American military assistance.
https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/11/opinion/cooper-quilliam-isis-mosul-takeover/index.html
2) What Republican Congressional leader lost his bid for re-election to fellow Republican Dave Brat last week?
b) Eric Cantor
Cantor, who represented Virginia’s 7th District on the outskirts of Richmond, was the Republican Majority Leader in the House but lost to Brat, a Tea-Party backed candidate who accused Cantor of not being conservative enough.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/11/us/politics/eric-cantor-loses-gop-primary.html?_r=1
3) Why has Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl been in the news lately?
a) President Obama traded five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to secure his release by the Taliban
President Obama did the deal without notifying Congress, even though he signed a law last year that required him to do so. Some believe that Bergdahl deserted his unit before being captured.
https://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/politics/bergdahl-arrival/
4) What government agency issued an apology last week for its poor performance and for fabricating data?
a) Veterans’ Administration
The VA has admitted to unacceptably long wait times for veterans seeking appointments and treatment at VA hospitals. The acting head of the VA also admitted that some of the agency’s employees fabricated data about wait times.
5) Which statement about the fiscal year 2014 federal government budget deficit is true?
d) It is 30% lower than it was at the same point last year.
Government revenues are up 7 % over last year and expenditures are down 2%.
6) Which of the following has happened in the last two weeks?
d) All of the above
There have been 74 incidents involving guns in schools since the 2012 Newtown Connecticut shootings. The National Rifle Association and the Republican-led House of Representatives have come out against the enactment of new gun control regulations.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27789110
7) After enduring months of protests in their capital city, the citizens of this country saw their military take over their democratically-elected government. What country?
d) Thailand
This was the twelfth military coup since 1932. The leader of the coup, Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, recently wrote a ballad for the Thai people called “Return Happiness to Thailand” and includes the lines "Let us be the ones who step in before it is too late / To bring back love, how long will it take?"
https://www.cnn.com/2014/05/22/world/asia/thailand-martial-law/index.html
8) Who was recently inaugurated as the new president of Egypt?
a) Gen. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi
Last July, General al-Sisi led the military takeover of the democratically elected government led by Mohammed Morsi and immediately began jailing members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Sisi was elected president last month.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-27751813
9) The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently approved what for the first time?
a) The use of a drone for commercial purposes
The drone will be used by BP to survey pipelines, roads and equipment in Alaska.
10) What carmaker has recalled over 16.1 million cars over the past year?
c) General Motors
The latest recall involves a faulty ignition switch in the Chevrolet Camaro.
https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/13/us-gm-recall-camaro-idUSKBN0EO1C620140613
11) What politician recently compared homosexuality to alcoholism?
b) Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas)
Perry made the statement in San Francisco while discussing the recently adopted platform of the Texas Republican Party which advocates “curing” homosexuality.
12) What was recently discovered under the earth?
c) A form of water
The water is in a form that is neither solid, liquid, nor gas. Were it liquid, it would be the world’s largest underwater reservoir.
13) According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the incidence of which of the following activities is down among American teens?
d) All of the above
Teens are also drinking less soda, are watching less television, and are less likely to have been in a fight than teens in the past.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/12/teen-cigarette-cdc-survey/10368235/
14) What man celebrated his birthday by parachuting out of a plane?
d) Former President George H.W. Bush
President Bush recently turned 90.
15) Which of the following has NOT won a sports championship over the last few weeks?
b) Simona Halep
Nadal won the French Open tennis tournament, the Kings won the Stanley Cup, and the Spurs won the NBA Championship. Halep lost the women’s French Open championship to Maria Sharapova.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/06/08/nadal-wins-th-french-open-tops-djokovic-in-final/