Quiz of the week, 8-14 August 2020

1. Who did Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden announce as his running mate for vice president this week?

a. Senator Bernie Sanders b. Senator Elizabeth Warren  c. Senator Kamala Harris  d. Senator Amy Klobuchar

2. Which country announced this week it had granted public use for a Covid-19 vaccine?

a. United States  b. China  c. Russia  d. Germany

3. The UK fell into its deepest recession on record in the second quarter of 2020, with gross domestic product falling by how much?

a. 13%  b. 20%  c. 25%  d. 15%

4. The UK announced this week arrivals from which additional three countries would have to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival?

a. France, Spain, Malta  b. The Netherlands, Spain, Malta  c. France, Spain, Portugal  d. France, the Netherlands, Malta 

5. A post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and Japan was thrown off course this week after international trade secretary Liz Truss requested better terms for which British food?

a. Bacon  b. Stilton  c. Crumpets  d. Jam 

6. Which actor topped Forbes’s list of highest-paid actors, having made around £67m in the fiscal year ending June 2020?

a. Mark Wahlberg  B. Ryan Reynolds  c. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson  d. Ben Affleck

7. A pair of trainers worn by legendary basketball player Michael Jordan fetched how much at an online auction this week?

a. $250,000 b. $850,000 c. $415,000 d. $615,000

8. What country saw an oil spill contaminate two of its environmentally protected marine ecosystems and a marine park reserve this week?

a. Mauritius  b. Madagascar  c. Sri Lanka  d. Maldives

9. Which eastern European country was plunged into crisis this week due to election fraud?

a. Lithuania  b. Belarus  c. Latvia  d. Estonia

10. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, is set for a dividend payment of how much after his fund management firm made it through the emerging markets wobble?

a. £500,000 b. £350,000 c. £800,000 d. £950,000

Answers

1. c. Senator Kamala Harris.

2. c. Russia. President Vladimir Putin revealed Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, has been granted public use. He has faced criticism for it as the drug is still in the testing phase. 

3. b. 20%. GDP shrank by a fifth quarter-on-quarter, with widespread contractions across all sectors. It suffered a bigger slump than any other major European economy. 

4. d. France, the Netherlands, Malta. 

5. b. Stilton. Truss is holding out for a better deal for British food, with a focus on attempts to boost sales of blue cheese in Japan.

6. c. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. 

7. d. $615,000. The Nike Air Jordan 1 Highs were worn by the Chicago Bulls star in an exhibition game in 1985 when Jordan famously dunked the basketball so hard it shattered the glass blackboard. 

8. a. Mauritius. 

9. b. Belarus. Protesters took to the streets in violent demonstrations against President Alexander Lukashenko after he claimed a landslide victory over opponent Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in an election that the European Union and the US said was neither free nor fair.  

10. c. £800,000. Somerset Capital Management reported profits of £14.9m for the year to March, says The Times.