Junior/Senior Current Events

Round 2

1. Science/ Technology

An announcement was made in July. Physicists said that they had discovered a new subatomic particle, a key to understanding why there is diversity and life in the universe. The particle was discovered through work by the Center for Nuclear Research using the Large Hadron Collider. What is the par-ticle named? A. Higgs bosonB. Newton ionC. Einstein neutronD. Rolf particle.

Question One

A. Higgs Boson

2. National News

On September 10, 2012, more than 26,000 teach-ers and support staff of a large public school sys-tem went on strike over pay, benefits, evaluations, and job security. Over 350,000 students received a extra week of vacation before the union and the administration reached an agreement. Where is this school system?

A. New York City, NYB. Los Angeles CAC. Chicago, ILD. Seattle, WA

Question Two

C. Chicago, IL

3. People in the News

This woman died in July after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was the first American woman in space and was later appointed to the commission that investigated the Challenger accident. Who was she?

A. Kathleen SullivanB. Christa McAuliffeC. Peggy WhitsonD. Sally Ride

Question Three

D. Sally Ride

4. International News

The French people chose this man to replace Nicholas Sarkozy as president in May. The man is a Socialist Party leader who ran on a program opposing the German austerity program for the European Union. Who is he?

A. Francois Mitterand B. Charles DegaulleC. Francois HollandeD. Jacque Chirac

Question Four

C. Francois Hollande

5. People in the News

This past summer, TV lost one of its most famous icons when the “World’s Oldest Teenager” died at age 82. This man’s career began with a show called American Bandstand. It was a groundbreaking show that represented teenagers and their interests. In his later years, he was a fixture on New Year’s Eve TV, famous for counting down the ball drop in Times Square. Who was this man?

A. Andy GriffithB. Dick ClarkC. Ed SullivanD. Don Knotts

Question Five

B. Dick Clark

6. Sports

This Olympian from South Africa was one of the heroes of the London games. His nickname is “Blade Runner.” He was the first amputee athlete to compete in the Olympics. Who is he?

A. Usain BoltB. Yohan BlakeC. Jesse OwensD. Oscar Pittorius

Question Six

D. Oscar Pittorius

7. National News

Amid great controversy, this Supreme Court justice cast the tie-breaking vote to decide whether the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was legal. Writing the majority opinion for the case, he was able to give both sides concessions to claim a win. Who is he?

A. Justice Anthony KennedyB. Chief Justice John RobertsC. Justice Antonin ScaliaD. Justice Elena Kagan

Question Seven

B. Chief Justice John Roberts

8. International News

A terrorist plot or a reaction to a highly partisan film about Muhammad or both led to an attack on this African country’s U.S. consulate. Four Americans died, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. Where did this attack occur?

A. Benghazi, LibyaB. Cairo, EgyptC. Algiers, AlgeriaD. Tunis, Tunisia

Question Eight

A. Benghazi, Libya

9. People in the News

This man, wearing only a space suit to protect him, became the first person ever to break the sound barrier with just his body. He skydived out of a capsule teetering at the edge of space, 24 miles up, and fell to Earth at 833.9 miles per hour. He also set a new world record for jumping from the highest place ever. Who is he?

A. Richard BransomB. Criss AngelC. David BlaineD. Felix Baumgartner

Question Nine

D. Felix Baumgartner

10. International News

This past June, Egypt elected a new president, a civilian leader. He won in a very tight race, repre-senting a political party called the Muslim Brother-hood. This election was historic because it was the first time Egyptians got to vote for their leader in the country’s roughly 5,000 year history. Who is he?

A. Hosni MubarakB. Gamal Abdel NasserC. Mohamed MorsiD. Anwar Sadat

Question Ten

C. Mohamed Morsi

Business News

Extra Question

Book publishers struggle to find profits in the digital age. In late October, Penguin made an announcement that it will merge with another company. This merger will further narrow the book business to a handful of big publishers. What company is merging with Penguin?

A. Random HouseB. AmazonC. HarcourtD. Avalon Books

Extra Question

A. Random House