The general election has effectively begun, and the gloves have come off. Unfortunately, it's also been a week of scandals and low-lifes. Take our news quiz and see how well-informed you are. Can you beat your score from last week?
1. The Secret Service is reportedly facing a second scandal, following the revelations of the prostitution imbroglio in Columbia. What's the new one?
a) Spying for the Cuban government
b) Wiretapping top government officials, including President Barack Obama
c) Prostitution in El Salvador
d) Theft of government property
2. New reports show that high-level Chinese politician Bo Xilai was not toppled primarily because of his alleged involvement in the murder of a UK businessman in China. What is the new reason, according to the New York Times?
a) He embezzled the equivalent of $4.8 million in party funds
b) He wiretapped conversations among other Chinese officials, including President Hu Jintao
c) He failed to win enough votes in regional party elections
d) He was not sufficiently ideologically communist
3. In testimony to a U.K. press inquiry board, News Corp. chief Rupert Murdoch admitted to a "cover-up" at his now-defunct newspaper News of the World. According to Murdoch, who was the victim of the cover-up?
a) David Cameron
b) Gordon Brown
c) James Cameron
d) Rupert Murdoch
4. Vice President Joe Biden lit into Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney this week, accusing him of being a foreign policy lightweight. What did Biden suggest as an Obama-Biden campaign bumper sticker:
a) "Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive"
b) "God is my copilot"
c) "It's half-time in America"
d) "OMG GOP LOL"
5. Embattled Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker promised to create 250,000 jobs during his 2010 campaign. What is the result now, according to recently released figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics?
a) Wisconsin has the most job losses in the past 12 months of any state in the entire country
b) 10 percent of all jobs created in the United States in the past year were created by Wisconsin small businesses
c) Wisconsin has created 256,000 new jobs
d) Wisconsin has outsourced its governor's job
6. According to the Huffington Post this week, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon is preparing what type of response to the cyclist who collided with and killed a 71-year-old pedestrian in the Castro last month?
a) Require cycling education course
b) Drop all charges
c) File misdemeanor charge of failure to signal
d) File felony vehicular manslaughter charge
7. Speaking to The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco this week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was asked why the Obama administration did not request from Congress an increase in the U.S. IMF contribution to help stabilize Europe. What did Geithner say?
a) "The president believes he has the authority to conduct IMF business without congressional approval"
b) "We don't need no stinking budgets"
c) "I don't know if you noticed, but Congress is having trouble doing things that are overwhelmingly popular; we didn't want to distract them"
d) He accused Congress of "bumper-sticker politics"
8. Rush Limbaugh criticized the inclusion of one woman on Time magazine's "100 Most Influential" list by saying "all she is is a secretary." Who is just a secretary?
a) Warren Buffett's secretary, Debbie Bosanek
b) Nixon's secretary, Rosemary Woods
c) The racehorse, Secretariat
d) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
9. The NFL's Jets announced their intentions to use newly acquired Tim Tebow in what role?
a) Punt kicker
b) Starting quarterback
c) Running back
d) Personal protector on the punt team
10. The United States government is preparing for possible attacks on the anniversary of what event?
a) The death of Osama bin Laden
b) The beginning of the Syrian uprising
c) The opening of the Golden Gate Bridge on May 27
d) The final episode of Hannah Montana
Is that still not enough news for you? Join us for each of our Week to Week news commentary programs at The Commonwealth Club's San Francisco auditorium; our next program is Friday, April 27, and then on Monday, May 14, when our panel will include Huffington Post San Francisco Editor Carly Schwartz. See the Week to Week website for additional event dates, audio, and more.
ANSWERS: 1) c. 2) b. 3) d. 4) a. 5) a. 6) d. 7) c. 8) d. 9) d. 10) a.