It seems that everyone is considering big changes this week: Senators, private organizations, possible presidential candidates. Amidst all of this early spring cleaning, take our news quiz and find out how much you know about the week's important developments.
Here are some random but real hints: He's probably unendorsed McCain by now; bottoms up; visiting the British is dangerous; and nous sommes fauchés.
Answers are at the bottom of the quiz.
1. Who said this week, "Our war in Iraq I think was the most fundamentally bad, dangerous decision since Vietnam?"
a. Vice President Joe Biden
b. Defense secretary nominee Chuck Hagel
c. Conservative New York Times columnist David Brooks
d. Incoming Secretary of State John Kerry
2. What sparked the violence that flared up in the streets of Egypt?
a. The death sentence verdicts handed down in a court case involving soccer hooliganism
b. Egyptian aid to Syrian government forces
c. Egyptian aid to Syrian rebel forces
d. Outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's testimony before Congress regarding the Benghazi attacks in nearby Libya
3. Despite economists' predictions of weakened economic growth, they were surprised this week when fourth quarter 2013 gross domestic product figures were announced. What happened?
a. GDP contracted by 0.1 percent
b. GDP contracted by 1 percent for the second quarter in a row, the statistical definition of a recession
c. GDP expanded by 4 percent, up one percentage point from the third quarter
d. GDP expanded by 0.03 percent
4. The U.S. Justice Department filed suit to stop the merger of what two companies?
a. Volkswagen and Tesla
b. Verizon and T-Mobile
c. Anheuser-Busch InBev and Grupo Modelo
d. Barnes & Noble and Microsoft
5. Veteran journalist and The View host Barbara Walters just arrived back home after an extended stay elsewhere. Where was she and why?
a. She was in Martha's Vineyard, wrapping up a three-week vacation with the Kennedys and the Clintons
b. She was in Cairo, reporting on the fate of Egyptian women under the new government
c. She was in the hospital, having sustained injuries in a fall and contracting chickenpox
d. She's completing a four-day visit to the International Space Station, where she interviewed Russian and American astronauts for a forthcoming TV special
6. What happened in Hillary Watch 2016 news this week?
a. Hillary Clinton told 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft that she was "90 percent sure I'll be a candidate in 2016"
b. Chelsea Clinton revealed to New York magazine that she has been asked to be a co-chair of her mother's 2016 campaign
c. Hillary Clinton told David Frum she would "rather vacation on Mars than go through another presidential race"
d. Two super PACs, "Ready for Hillary" and "HillaryClintonSuperPAC," filed with the Federal Election Commission
7. On CBS' 60 Minutes, President Obama and Hillary Clinton told interviewer Steve Kroft that they weren't as personally upset by their tough 2008 primary battle as is commonly believed. Who did they say was more personally upset by the battle?
a. Their pollsters
b. Their spouses
c. The Republicans
d. Their children
8. On Sunday, why did an Iran court sentence Iranian-American Saeed Abedini to eight years in prison?
a. He used fake credentials to gain access to one of Iran's nuclear development facilities
b. He was accused of having ties to Israeli electronic warfare agencies
c. He was convicted of trying to undermine state security by setting up a network of Christian churches
d. While visiting family members in Tehran, he wore his hair in "effeminate and Western decadent" style
9. France's employment minister surprised Europe with what statement in a radio interview?
a. French people are better off unemployed than working for the low wages they're getting
b. French is a "very difficult, probably unnecessary language to learn"
c. France "is a totally bankrupt state"
d. France's economy "could overtake even China's" within "five to 10 years"
10. What group is considering altering is position on gays in its ranks?
a. The Russian federal government
b. The Roman Catholic Church
c. The Boy Scouts of America
d. "Project Runway"
BONUS QUESTION. San Francisco 49ers defensive back Chris Culliver made news with a pre-Super Bowl interview this week. What did he say?
a. The Baltimore Ravens are a team of "sissy men" who shouldn't "play with real people"
b. That he couldn't tolerate a gay teammate, and the 49ers "ain't got no gay people on the team; they gotta get up outta here if they do"
c. He was unable to say whether his coach was Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh
d. He is skipping the Super Bowl to go pick up his Nobel Prize
The news and the quizzes don't stop there! Join us for our next live Week to Week political commentary program with a news quiz at The Commonwealth Club on February 8 in downtown San Francisco. Also see the Week to Week website for event dates, free audio, and more.
ANSWERS: 1) b. 2) a. 3) a. 4) c. 5) c. 6) d. 7) b. 8) c. 9) c. 10) c. BONUS) b.
EXPLANATIONS OF THE HINTS: Chuck Hagel endorsed his colleague John McCain in 2000; "bottoms up" is a popular drinking phrase; Barbara Walters sustained her injuries in a fall while at the British ambassador's residence; and that's how the French say they're broke, but if they learn the German words for "Can we borrow some money," it might all turn out all right.