1. On Sept. 27, a federal judge approved the unconditional release of John Hinckley Jr., the man who was institutionalized after he attempted and failed to assassinate which U.S. president?
a. George W. Bush
b. Bill Clinton
c. Jimmy Carter
d. Ronald Reagan
2. A team of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into what happened in an Amtrak derailment that has left three dead and seven hospitalized on Sept. 25. In which U.S. state did the accident occur?
a. Colorado
b. Montana
c. Wyoming
d. South Dakota
3. Republicans were likely to vote against a spending bill on Sept. 27 that would raise the debt ceiling as the deadline approaches that could trigger a government shutdown. When is the deadline to approve the spending bill before a shutdown?
a. Sept. 30
b. Oct. 31
c. Nov. 1
d. Dec. 31
4. Which of these countries has just voted to legalize same-sex marriage, one of the last countries in Western Europe to do so?
a. Belgium
b. Denmark
c. Switzerland
d. Portugal
5. Nintendo has recently announced an animated feature film based on their iconic Super Mario Bros. characters. What Marvel star has been announced as the voice of Mario?
a. Chris Evans
b. Chris Pratt
c. Mark Ruffalo
d. Tom Holland
Answers:
1. The correct answer is D, Ronald Reagan. According to NPR, Hinckley was found in 1982 to be not guilty by reason of insanity and has spent more than three decades at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. President Reagan and three others were wounded in Hinckley’s assassination attempt outside of a D.C. hotel in 1981.
2. The correct answer is B, Montana. According to the Associated Press, a train was carrying about 141 passengers and 16 crew members when it was derailed three miles west of Joplin, Montana. The precise cause of the accident is still unclear.
3. The correct answer is A, Sept. 30. According to the Washington Post, this is the day that the government’s fiscal year ends. New government funds must be approved by then, or the government will shut down, potentially triggering an immediate economic recession.
4. The correct answer is C, Switzerland. According to NBC News, the measure passed with the approval of more than half of all voters in each of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, or states. The country has also voted to allow same-sex couples to adopt children and use sperm banks.
5. The correct answer is B, Chris Pratt. According to the Washington Post, the cast will include Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach and Jack Black as Bowser. The film will be released in theaters December 2022.
