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Welcome to the return of the Extemp Central news quizzes. These quizzes will be posted each Wednesday at midnight CST and will be only in short answer format. Unlike the old quizzes, answers will be posted inside of the quiz, but will be spoiler tagged under each question. This way, you can get immediate feedback as you scroll through. This will also allow additional details to be provided about a question, if warranted. This year’s quizzes will test your knowledge of world leaders, domestic and global situations, major concepts, and other pertinent information. We hope that these quizzes will be a useful for extempers and coaches during the 2013-2014 season.
1. Amazon founder Jeffrey P. Bezos has agreed to buy this major American newspaper.
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”] The Washington Post[/toggle]
2. Who is Mitch McConnell’s opponent in the 2014 Kentucky Senate race?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Alison Lundergan Grimes[/toggle]
3. Ilker Basbug, the former head of the Turkish Armed Forces, was recently sentenced to life in prison for this crime.
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Plotting to overthrow the Justice & Development (AK) Party’s government.[/toggle]
4. This Latin American country has become the first to legalize gay marriage.
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Uruguay[/toggle]
5. What is the United States attitude towards the recent Zimbabwean elections?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has said that he does not believe the outcome “represent[s] a credible expression of the will of the Zimbabwean people.”[/toggle]
6. How has the GOP responded to CNN and NBC’s efforts to make television specials about Hillary Clinton?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]It has threatened to not participate in debates on the network in 2016.[/toggle]
7. What name has Chris Christie given to his followers in a New Jersey campaign ad?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]”Christiecrats”[/toggle]
8. How is New York attempting to collect delinquent taxes from residents?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Suspending their driver’s licenses until payment is received.[/toggle]
9. Who is Iran’s new president?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Hassan Rohani[/toggle]
10. What distinguishes a “right to work” state from those that do not share this distinction?
[toggle hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]They do not require employees to pay union dues, even if their workplace is unionized. Most “right to work” states are located in the South, although some states, like Michigan and Indiana, have recently become “right to work” states. These laws were permitted by the 1947 Taft-Hartley Act, which significantly reduced the power of organized labor in the United States.[/toggle]