1) Proponents of the nuclear deal with Iran were able to block a Republican attempt to overturn it last week. Proponents needed 41 votes to keep the deal in place. How many votes did they get?
b) 42
The forty-two votes included 40 Democratic Senators and 2 independents.
https://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/10/us-iran-nuclear-congress-idUSKCN0RA20P20150910
2) What Republican presidential candidate dropped out of the race last week?
a) Gov. Rick Perry
Perry’s campaign was having big financial problems.
https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/11/politics/rick-perry-2016-campaign-suspended/
3) Who is the only Republican presidential candidate to be invited to participate in this week’s CNN debate who did not participate in the Fox Network’s “Main Event” debate a few weeks ago?
b) Carly Fiorina
Fiorina was the consensus winner of the “JV” Fox debate that took place a few weeks ago.
4) Last week, Donald Trump insulted the physical appearance of what fellow Republican presidential candidate?
b) Carly Fiorina
Referring to Fiorina, Trump said “Look at [her] face! Would anyone vote for that?”
https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/11/politics/donald-trump-carly-fiorina-entertainer/
5) Queen Elizabeth II recently became the longest reigning monarch in British history. How long has she been on the throne?
a) 42 years
b) 59 years
c) 63 years
d) 89 years
She surpassed her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34177107
6) Jeremy Corbyn was recently elected to what position?
d) Leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party
The Guardian called Corbyn “one of the most leftwing, anti-establishment leaders” in Labour’s history. Labour is currently out of power, having lost last May’s House of Commons election to the Conservatives.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/12/jeremy-corbyn-wins-labour-party-leadership-election
7) A new species of human relative – homo naledi - was discovered last week. Where was it found?
b) South Africa
It appears that homo naledi buried its dead; it was previously believed that only humans did that.
https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/africa/homo-naledi-human-relative-species/
8) What former professional tennis player was thrown to the ground and falsely arrested last week in a case of mistaken identity?
c) James Blake
The NYPD wrongly thought that Blake was part of an online credit card scam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpaRmNwJs9Y
9) Who took over the Late Show from David Letterman last week?
c) Stephen Colbert
Jeb Bush was a guest on his first show.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/10/arts/television/late-show-with-stephen-colbert-review.html?_r=0
10) What woman defeated Serena Williams in the semifinals of the US Open in what some have called the greatest upset in modern sports history?
d) Roberta Vinci
Vinci lost in the finals to fellow Italian Flavia Panetta.
https://espn.go.com/tennis/usopen15/story/_/id/13633288/tennis-roberta-vinci-shatters-serena-dreams-monumental-upset