Elementary/Middle Current Events

Round 2

1. National News

On September 10, 2012, more than 26,000 teachers and support staff of a large public school system went on strike over pay, benefits, evaluations, and job security. Over 350,000 students received a extra week of vacation before the union and the administration reached an agreement. Where is this school system?

A. New York City NYB. Los Angeles CAC. Chicago ILD. Seattle WA

Question One

Correct Answer

C. Chicago, IL

2. People in the News

This woman died in July after a battle with pancreatic cancer. She was the first American woman in space. In 1983 and again in 1984, she flew as a mission specialist on the space shuttle Challenger. She was later appointed to the commission that investigated the Challenger accident. Who was she?

A. Kathleen SullivanB. Sally RideC. Christa McAuliffeD. Peggy Whitson

Question Two

Correct Answer

B. Sally Ride

3. Sports

This Olympian from South Africa was one of the heroes of the London games. His nickname is “Blade Runner.” He was the first amputee athlete to compete in the Olympics. Who is he?

A. Usain BoltB. Yohan BlakeC. Jesse OwensD. Oscar Pittorius

Question Three

Correct Answer

D. Oscar Pittorius

4. International News

A terrorist plot or a reaction to a highly partisan film about Muhammad or both led to an attack on this African country’s U.S. consulate. Four Americans died, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Where did this attack occur?

A. Benghazi, LibyaB. Cairo, EgyptC. Algiers, AlgeriaD. Tunis, Tunisia

Question Four

Correct Answer

A. Benghazi, Libya

5. National News

On August 11th, Mitt Romney announced this man as his presidential running mate. He is considered the intellectual leader of the Republican Party. He is also an expert on our country’s fiscal challenges. Who is he?

A. John McCainB. Marco RubioC. Paul RyanD. Chris Christie

Question Five

Correct Answer

C. Paul Ryan

6. Sports

When this franchise won its second NBA champ- ionship, LeBron James reached one of his pro- fessional goals and won the NBA Finals MVP award. Which NBA team won the 2012 champ-ionship?

A. Miami HeatB. Cleveland CavaliersC. Los Angeles LakersD. Oklahoma City Thunder

Question Six

Correct Answer

A. Miami Heat

7. International News

This terrorist organization attacked a school bus full of children, injuring three girls. The organi-zation’s spokesman later admitted that they were targeting Malala Yousafzai, a fourteen year old Pakistani activist and blogger, for her out-spokenness against their organization and pro-moting education for females. What organization was responsible for the attack?

A. Al QuaidaB. Muslim BrotherhoodC. TalibanD. Haqquanis

Question Seven

Correct Answer

C. Taliban

8. People in the News

This man, wearing only a space suit to protect him, became the first person ever to break the sound barrier with just his body. He skydived out of a capsule teetering at the edge of space 24 miles up and fell to Earth at 833.9 miles per hour. He also set a new world record for jumping from the highest place ever. Who is he?

A. Richard BransomB. Criss AngelC. David BlaineD. Felix Baumgartner

Question Eight

Correct Answer

D. Felix Baumgartner

9. BusinessNews

This social media company began selling shares on May 18th. The initial cost per share was $38.00. Surprisingly the price dropped instead of rising sharply as expected. Which social media company are investors not convinced is a good money maker? A. Yahoo!B. PinterestC. FacebookD. LinkedIn

Question Nine

Correct Answer

C. Facebook

10. Science/ Technology

An announcement was made in July. Physicists said they had discovered a new subatomic par-ticle, a key to understanding why there is divers-ity and life in the universe. The particle was dis-covered through work by the Center for Nuclear Research using the Large Hadron Collider. What is the name of the particle?

A. Higgs bosonB. Newton ionC. Einstein neutronD. Rolf particle

Question Ten

Correct Answer

A. Higgs boson

Sports

Extra Question

This team won its second World Series in three years in a four game sweep. The final game went a tense ten innings, resulting in a 4-3 loss for the Detroit Tigers. What team won the series?

A. Florida MarlinsB. San Francisco GiantsC. New York YankeesD. St. Louis Cardinals

Extra Question

Correct Answer

B. San Francisco Giants