Week of September 16 - September 17

Question 1

One corporation is ending its era of “no questions asked” returns after many people abused the policy to earn money at the company’s expense. Which industry is this company a part of?

Answer 1

Sporting-goods retailing

Question 2

At a base 15 miles outside of Tehran, Iran’s Military Guard Corps is training Syrian troops. What is the name of this camp?

Answer 2

Amir Al-Momenin, or Commander of the Faithful

Question 3

After Summers withdrew his candidacy, the person currently holding which post is now the leading candidate?

Answer 3

Fed’s current vice-chairwoman (Janet Yellen)

Question 4

When do the new health-insurance exchanges open for enrollment & when do the offered plans go into effect?

Answer 4

October 1 & January 1

Question 5

A House GOP bill proposes food-stamp cuts of $40 billion over 10 years due to the high cost of $80 million over the last fiscal year. How many Americans received food stamps in 2012?

Answer 5

48 million

Question 6

The pace of home sales has decreased in the past few months. What are the two major causes of this?

Answer 6

Higher prices and rising mortgage rates

Question 7

Three days of flooding have hit a certain state hard, leading the President to send in FEMA and declare a state of emergency. Which 2 major cities are threatened?

Answer 7

Denver & Boulder

Question 8

Recently, the Pakistani Taliban have attacked Pakistani army officers and made more demands that need to be met before they come to the table for peace talks. Name one of these conditions.

Answer 8

Release the Taliban prisoners & withdraw the army from the insurgents’ strongholds

Question 9

Philippine troops have killed 51 Muslim rebels and captured many others. This standoff has caused fears to re-emerge regarding the stability of which region of the Philippines?

Answer 9

Mindanao

Question 10

A tunnel collapse in a mine in Afghanistan killed 27 workers. The president of the country offered his condolences. What is his name?

Answer 10

Hamid Karzai

Question 11

The UK looked to be one of the allies that the US would have if strikes were carried out against Syria’s government. What stopped the UK from giving support?

Answer 11

A Parliamentary vote against participation in a bombing strike

Question 12

Mr. Hun Sen has been the Prime Minister of Cambodia for years. His political party is accused of voter fraud in order to keep the parliamentary majority. What is the name of his party?

Answer 12

Cambodian People’s Party

Question 13

Brazil’s Eike Batista was a thriving entrepreneur until one of the largest wealth collapses in history. He had many companies, but gave them all three-letter names ending in X. What did the X signify?

Answer 13

Multiplication of wealth

Question 14

There has been a push lately for drugs for cancers that are determined genetically. Which genetic mutation that interferes with the DNA repair process is tied to ovarian and breast cancers?

Answer 14

BRCA

Question 15

Microsoft is holding an analyst day in order to examine its finances. This meeting is to be held at their headquarters. Where is this located?

Answer 15

Redmond, Washington

Question 16

NBC has a new television series, “Dracula” inspired by Vlad the Impaler. The season will consist of a different number of shows than most common US series. How many episodes will there be?

Answer 16

10

Question 17

Monday, September 16 was the 5th anniversary of the bankruptcy of what company?

Answer 17

Lehman Brothers

Question 18

Spain and Italy are lobbying to their respective governments to change accounting policies. They want to do this in order to, on paper, have a larger what?

Answer 18

Capital cushion

Question 19

From June 30 to August 3, there was a drop of 6.3% in national household consumption of this, due to cooler weather. What is this good?

Answer 19

Electricity

Question 20

Through what medium has Angelo Mozilo continued to donate to charity despite his involvement in Countrywide Financial Corporation’s failure?

Answer 20

family foundation (Phyllis and Angelo R. Mozillo Family Foundation)

Question 21

Who are Yellen’s largest groups of supporters for her nomination to lead the Fed?

Answer 21

Democrats & economists

Question 22

In New Zealand, a jet pack has been in stages of development for 30 years. What is the Martin Jetpack’s method of propulsion?

Answer 22

Gas powered twin-ducted fans

Question 23

China became the world’s factory during the 1980s and continued through the 2000s. What was the average annual economic growth for China during this period?

Answer 23

10%

Question 24

Gunman Aaron Alexis targeted the building that houses the Naval Sea Systems Command during his attack. What is the building called?

Answer 24

Building 197

Question 25

An Israeli court struck down a law that gives automatic 3 year prison terms for illegal immigrants. This ruling most benefits Africans. Where do the majority of them sneak in from?

Answer 25

Sinai Peninsula (Egypt)

Question 26

The demand for television series and writers is up more than ever before. Why is this?

Answer 26

Because of an increased number of outlets (cable, broadcasting, Netflix, etc.)

Question 27

Alcoa, an aluminum smelting company, was forced to close down its plant in its namesake town in what state?

Answer 27

Tennessee

Question 28

An early forecast predicts the holiday shopping season will be the worst since 2009. What company measures store traffic in over 60,000 locations worldwide and expects retail sales in Nov. and Dec. to increase by 2.4% from the last year?

Answer 28

ShopperTrak

Question 29

Treasury yields have been on the rise, with the yield for 10 year treasury notes increasing 1.25 percentage points in the past 5 months. Over the 55 years before the recession, what was the difference between the yield of a 10-year note and the inflation rate?

Answer 29

2 percentage points

Question 30

The Fed’s bond-buying program has kept interest rates low, raised stock prices, and altered the currency market. How much does this program cost a month?

Answer 30

$85 billion

Question 31

Kids face multiple injuries in sports. One of these is a temporary injury caused when head or neck jerk to the side, causing shoulder to be pulled in opposite directions. What is this called?

Answer 31

A stinger

Question 32

Insomnia can cause us to have more difficulty focusing on jobs at hand, although not necessarily by decreasing performance. What percentage of adults in the US suffer from insomnia?

Answer 32

10 to 15%