Great Decisions
Which Democratic Representative proposed a tax on commercial space travel in July 2021, stating that "Just as normal Americans pay taxes when they buy airline tickets, billionaires who fly into space to product nothing of scientific value should do the same, and then some"?
A. Sylvia R. Garcia of Texas
B. Bennie Gordon Thompson of Mississippi
C. Susan Ellen Lofgren of California
D. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon
In response to Ethiopia's costly war in Tigray, which European country cut off its military loan to Ethiopia in August 2011?
A. Italy
B. Germany
C. France
D. Hungary
The G7 Leaders' Summit in Germany issued a declaration that included the following goals to "make progress towards an equitable world", EXCEPT:
A. Make progress towards gender equality
B. Increase global food and nutrition security
C. Uphold human rights and international labor standards
D. Combat the creation of digital ecosystems as they pose threats to data security and respect for human rights
Russian President Vladimir Putin has used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse...
A. To arrest opposition figures
B. To introduce policies aimed at refashioning a multifaith democracy
C. To win an election in August
D. To increase his dominance in Europe and Central Asia
Under NATO rules, how many members must agree to admit Ukraine?
A. 15
B. 20
C. 25
D. 30
Which event ended the space race between Russia and the United States in the 20th century?
A. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
B. In 1963, the U.S. becomes the first country to land humans on the moon
C. In 1975, the Apollo-Soyuz mission launches
D. In 1998, the U.S. and Russia began building the International Space Station
What countries sourced three-quarters of food aid of the World Food Program (WFP) to Ethiopia?
A. The United States of America and the United Kingdom
B. France and Germany
C. China and Canada
D. Russia and Ukraine
In what way does Colombia's coffee supply chain differ fro other coffee chains?
A. Harvesting is shorter, more intensive periods resulting in one harvest per year
B. Farmers sell directly to processors
C. Farmers work in cooperatives, processing half of the coffee beans before selling
D. Harvesting occurs year-round resulting in two harvest per year
According to Latinobarometro, what percentage of Latin America's population is dissatisfied with democracy?
A. 45%
B. 50%
C. 65%
D. 70%
In the 2022 Brazil presidential elections, which two candidates were the frontrunners?
A. Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva and Ciro Gomes
B. Jair Bosonaro and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva
C. Jair Bosonaro and Simone Tebet
D. Ciro Gomes and Simone Tebet
How has China focused on commercial space exploration?
A. Focused more on a market model
B. Focused more on an oversight model
C. Launched Takianouats into space
D. Built its own space station, albeit smaller than the International Space Station
What was the reason for Ethiopian men queuing up outside the Russian Embassy in Addis Ababa a few months after the invasion of Ukraine?
A. It was to protest Russia's aggression towards Ukraine
B. They wanted to fight with Russian soldiers in Ukraine
C. They asked for help with food aid
D. None of the above
Due to shortages, Italian clothing company Benetton increased manufacturing in Serbia, Croatia, Turkey, Tunisia, and Egypt and cut it in Asia. It is an example of ___________.
A. Regionalization
B. Overhauling
C. Nearshoring
D. Reshoring
What regime is found in 9 out of 10 African countries that are facing the most acute food insecurity?
A. Democracy
B. Autocratic or semi-authoritarian
C. Monarchy
D. None of the above
During President Xi Jinping's opening speech of the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) defended THIS Covid strategy, stating that the strict control measures had "protected people's lives and health"?
A. Xi's Decree
B. Zero-Covid
C. Wuhan Resistance
D. People's Lockdown
According to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, how is India proving itself as a space superpower?
A. The capability to launch independently into spaceK
B. Sending an orbiter to the moon and the launching of several satellites
C. Testing an anti-satellite weapon that killed one of India's own satellites
D. Successfully sending a Mars orbiter in 2014, to be followed by a second Mars orbiter in 2030
Which multinational grouping was perceived as a weak diplomatic partner of Ethiopia in comparison to the U.S.?
A. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
B. European Union (EU)
C. Eurasian Economic Union (EEU)
D. Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN)
According to the 2022 Council of Economic Advisers report, why are supply chains currently "efficient but brittle - vulnerable to breaking down"?
A. Outsourcing, offshoring, and insufficient investment
B. Nearsourcing, trade embargo, and competitive practices
C. Just-in-time practice, labor shortages, and transportation jams
D. Geopolitical tensions, raising climate concerns, and reshoring
Under Biden, the U.S. government successfully ran for a seat on _________, which Trump had abandoned.
A. UNICEF
B. The UN Human Rights Council
C. WHO
D. World Food Program
What event cased G7 leaders to call an urgent meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky on October 11, 2022?
A. More than 80 Russian missiles rocked Ukraine cities
B. The taking of Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant by Russian forces
C. the annexation by Russia of Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions
D. The finding of mass graves in the city of Lyman
In the hunt for extraterrestrial life, which billionaire is sending transmitting devices to Alpha Centauri, the star system closest to Earth?
A. Naveem Jain
B. Elon Musk
C. Richard Branson
D. Yuri Miliner
Which country, a U.S. NATO ally, is providing drones despite strong pushback from the U.S. during the conflict in Tigray?
A. United Arab Emirates
B. Albania
C. Turkey
D. Germany
The pandemic caused many U.S. -based companies to rethink the "just-in-time" manufacturing approach and instead:
A. Shift gears to "just-in-case" global value chains
B. Build extended storage facilities and keep a full inventory
C. Greater domestic manufacturing capability through nearshoring and onshoring
D. Increase American labor share, decreasing automated production lines
As of 2022, _______ nations are autocratizing. The largest number of nations in 50 years.
A. 62
B. 50
C. 42
D. 33
A. U.S. military and the South Korean Coast Guard kicked off large-scale combined exercises in the West Sea
B. North Korean cargo ship "intruded" over the de facto inter-Korean maritime boundary
C. The North Korean military fired around 10 artillery shells off the western coast from Jangsan Cape
D. A South Korean helicopter entered an area north of the Civilian Control Line to transport an emergency patient