[fblike]

Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz.  Good luck!

To accesquiz-01s a list of all our old quizzes, click here.

1. What is the new name of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]The Every Student Succeeds Act.  The legislation is a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which had not been done since 2002 when No Child Left Behind was signed into law by President George W. Bush.  The legislation gives more control back to the states in designing curriculum, but still mandates regular testing in reading, math, and science.[/toggle]

2. What did the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decide to do about low oil prices at its latest meeting?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]OPEC decided not to curb production at its December 4 meeting.  The organization appears to still be playing the long game of trying to make existing petroleum operations more economically costly for its Western competitors, but oil prices have continued moving downward, thereby jeopardizing the finances of some OPEC members.[/toggle]

3. This policy suggestion by Donald Trump after the San Bernardino shootings created a firestorm last week.

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Trump suggested that there should be a temporary ban on Muslim immigration into the United States.  Republicans such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan denounced the proposal, but it does not seem to have negatively affected Trump’s standings in the Republican presidential primaries.[/toggle]

4. Why can Venezuela’s opposition parties launch a recall referendum on President Nicolas Maduro?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Opposition parties won a two-thirds majority in parliamentary elections two weeks ago.  Under the Venezuelan constitution this gives them the number of votes necessary to present a recall referendum to voters.  However, doing so will not fix Venezuela’s current social and economic woes.[/toggle]

5. What did Japan recently agree to do for India?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Japan has recently agreed to build a bullet train that will run between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.  Japan is also looking into building nuclear power stations in India and possibly supply the country with military seaplanes.  These efforts are part of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push for strengthening ties with India, which he calls the world’s “most important bilateral relationship.”[/toggle]

6. Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un claimed that his nation had produced this.

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]A hydrogen bomb.  The revelation could further increase tensions on the Korean peninsula and strain North Korea’s attempts to break out of its present diplomatic isolation.  However, some experts are skeptical that North Korea’s claims of having a hydrogen bomb are to be believed.[/toggle]

7. Why did the National Front lose regional elections in France on Sunday?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]The National Front’s defeat took place when the Socialist Party and centre-right Republican Party withdrew candidates from the second round of regional elections where they were weak and banded together to defeat the National Front, which had scored some victories in the first round of voting.[/toggle]

8. How many women won seats in local elections in Saudi Arabia on Sunday?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]Twenty.  The elections were the first time that women were allowed to vote and run for office in the kingdom.  However, women still have a long way to go for an adequate voice in government as their victories were just 1% of the local council seats that were up for election.[/toggle]

9. What is a criticism of passing legislation that would prohibit people on the “no fly” list from buying firearms?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]An argument used against this proposal, which President Obama advocated for when addressing the nation two weeks ago, is that the list has proven faulty and there is not much due process concerning when and how one’s name is added to the list.  Several prominent public officials, including the late senator Ted Kennedy, have had their names appear on the list over the last decade.[/toggle]

10. How much more did Americans spend on prescription drugs last year versus 2013?

[toggle title_open=”Close Me” title_closed=”Open Me” hide=”yes” border=”yes” style=”default” excerpt_length=”0″ read_more_text=”Read More” read_less_text=”Read Less” include_excerpt_html=”no”]12% (or $298 billion more).  Experts argue that drug prices have risen due to new drugs to fight conditions such as hepatitis C.  However, presidential candidates such as Hillary Clinton have highlighed high drug prices and the need for controls.[/toggle]