This was a week when it was probably more fun to be on Mars than on Earth, and other than reports from the red planet and from the London Olympics, there was limited bandwidth for additional news. But we found it, nonetheless, for this quiz.
Here are some random but actual hints: Ironic crowd-sourcing is not welcome; don't shoot your new iMac; but they still got the blame; and talk about doubling-down. Now put those to good use and take the quiz! Answers are at the bottom of the quiz.
1) Curiosity, NASA's Martian rover, successfully landed and set to work on the red planet. What is the name of the region it is exploring?
a. Tatooine
b. Nine Lives Basin
c. Gale Crater
d. Streeterville
2) Whom did Egypt's military bomb on Wednesday?
a. Islamist militants in its Sinai region
b. Israeli border troops
c. Coptic Christian activists in Alexandria
d. Occupy Cairo
3) Wikipedia has "locked" the pages of a number of U.S. politicians to prevent changes to their biographies. Why?
a. Iranian government hackers were adding statements that the politicians were "devil-headed conspiracists against the Islamic Republic"
b. The politicians were putting fake information on their Wikipedia writeups
c. Stephen Colbert urged his viewers to enter erroneous information on the pages of likely Mitt Romney running mates
d. Viewers of TMZ had rated each politician as "hot" or "not"
4) Composer Marvin Hamlisch died this week at the age of 68. Which of the following films did he not score?
a. Sophie's Choice
b. The Sting
c. Take the Money and Run
d. Paper Moon
5) Daniel W. Richards was voted out of his presidency of the California Fish and Game Commission on Wednesday, months after he ignited controversy by legally killing what animal during an Idaho hunting trip?
a. A deer
b. A mountain lion
c. A house cat
d. A griffin
6) Comedian Roseanne Barr is the official presidential nominee of what U.S. political party?
a. Green Party
b. Libertarian Party
c. Pirate Party
d. Peace and Freedom Party
7) Wisconsin Sikh community members are dealing with the aftermath of an attack on a Sikh temple by a white supremacist. Which of the following is not true about Sikhs?
a. Sikhs were involved with the 9/11 plotters
b. Sikhs believe in universal brotherhood
c. Uncut hair is a sign of having undergone the Sikh khande-ki-pahul ceremony
d. Sikhs are monotheists
8) Russian authorities broke up an Islamic sect, removed its 19 under-age children, and charged its leader with crimes. Where did the sect keep its children?
a. On board a camouflaged yacht in the harbor of Kazan, Tatarstan
b. In trees
c. In an eight-level underground bunker
d. In a shipping crate in the front yard of its compound
9) A week after defaulting on a $5.5 billion payment for its retiree health benefits fund, the U.S. Postal Service announced its latest quarterly results. What did it announce?
a. It lost $5.2 billion
b. It broke even
c. It managed to earn a $153 million profit
d. It was going to merge with United Parcel Service
10) Whom did the Federal Trade Commission fine $22.5 million over privacy violations?
a. Samsung
b. Apple
c. Facebook
d. Google
BONUS QUESTION) The British might not be feeling too thrilled about their North American friends right now. After enduring Mitt Romney's controversial visit, the U.K. is now upset at singer Justin Bieber. Why?
a. He canceled a concert in London 30 minutes before it was due to start
b. He said he didn't understand why Prince William didn't use Propecia to deal with his thinning hair
c. He told Entertainment Tonight that Queen Elizabeth "should have left her parachute in the helicopter" when she made her (fictional) jump at the Olympics
d. He opened his concert in Manchester dressed in a German World War II uniform
Is that still not enough news for you? Join us for our Week to Week news commentary programs at The Commonwealth Club's San Francisco auditorium. See the Week to Week website for event dates, audio, and more.
ANSWERS: 1) c. 2) a. 3) c. 4) d. 5) b. 6) d. 7) a. 8) c. 9) a. 10) d. BONUS: b.