Critical Minerals in Africa
Which of the following reasons explains why rare earth metals are considered “rare?”
A. They are scarce
B. They are difficult to find and expensive to extract
C. They are highly reactive and degrade quickly
D. They are used in limited industries
What is the challenge between Nigeria and Niger regarding the border between them?
A. Smuggling in Nigeria
B. The presence of uranium in the region
C. The campaign for the annexation of Fernando Po
D. It splits the Hausa, Fulani, and other ethnic groups
The three US states that trade the most with Mexico are:
A. Arizona, California, Texas
B. California, Michigan, Texas
C. New York, Florida, Texas
D. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
Which computer scientist coined the term “artificial intelligence” in 1965?
A. Alan Turing
B. John McCarthy
C. Marvin Minsky
D. Thomas Hudson
Which country’s King, Queen, and Prime Minister were called “murderers” and hit by objects thrown by those protesting the response to deadly November floods?
A. Sweden
B. Spain
C. Thailand
D. Malaysia
What is the main source of demand for lithium?
A. Electric vehicles
B. Cell phones
C. Digital cameras
D. Medical devices
The 1947 partition of India into the Republic of India and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
A. Led to an unprecedented mass migration and refugee crisis.
B. Was peaceful and orderly.
C. Resulted in Muslim-dominant and Sikh-dominant regions in Pakistan.
D. Came after the British enabled the Indian independence movement.
The Mexican sparkling water Topo Chico initially got a foothold in the US due to:
A. Mexican immigrants bringing the drink with them
B. Coca-Cola buying the company
C. A big marketing budget for border states
D. Distribution networks first set up for other beverages
In 1956, the first artificial intelligence program was presented at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence. It was called:
A. Artificial Theorist
B. The Logic Theorist
C. The Open Experient
D. The Programmable Experiment
In September 2024, the San Marino men’s soccer team won for the first time ever in an official match against another country. Which was it?
A. Andorra
B. Liechtenstein
C. Malta
D. Monaco
How many rare earth elements exist?
A. 16
B. 17
C. 18
D. 19
Russia’s progress in the war against Ukraine suggests that it has the ability to achieve some of Putin’s key aims. Which of the following is one of the aims Russia can achieve?
A. Prevent postwar Ukraine from posing a military threat to Russia.
B. Transform Ukraine into a friendly vassal state
C. Acceleration of security into a multipolar system in which Russia plays a role.
D. Regather lands in eastern Ukraine that Moscow regards as historically Russian.
In 2022, the US granted legal permanent residency to over 1 million individuals. What percentage of these were asylum-seekers?
A. Nearly 60%
B. Nearly 30%
C. Nearly 5%
D. Nearly 3%
In September 2024, OpenAI released a model designed to spend more time thinking before it responds to complex tasks and difficult problems called:
A. o1
B. 1o1
C. 1.o
D. 1oo
Which country formally applied to join the BRICS bloc in September 2024?
A. Venezuela
B. Mongolia
C. South Africa
D. Turkey
The industrial practice of refining raw materials for their eventual use in products and goods is known as what?
A. Processing
B. Extracting
C. Filtering
D. Smelting
As a result of the Berlin West-African Conference of 1884-1885 the European colonial powers divided Africa using political boundaries. These:
A. Were based on areas controlled by various European powers
B. Emphasized the natural evolution of states in the continent
C. Focused on tribal affinity and linguistic considerations
D. Were drawn with African collaboration
According to US-Mexico Foundation Chairman Emilio Cadena, what is one of the challenges to the “North American Way?”
A. People not seeing strategic relevance to further integration
B. US foreign policy concentrating too much on North America
C. Weak Mexican relations with Latin America
D. Canada becoming too dominant in foreign policy
The U.S. is concerned with where and how certain technologies spread across borders, especially to strategic competitors. All of these efforts have been made to address this issue, EXCEPT:
A. Bureau of Industry and Security restrictions
B. CHIPS and Science Act
C. Export Control Reform Act
D. Secure Technology restrictions
Which influential Turkish Muslim scholar and preacher died in the US in October 2024?
A. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
B. Abdullah Gül
C. Fethullah Gülen
D. Ali Ünal
During the 2010 Senkaku Islands crisis, the Peoples Republic of China significantly reduced the supply of rare earth elements to which of the following countries, causing serious supply chain issues?
A. United States
B. Japan
C. South Korea
D. Vietnam
In 1994, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia agreed to the Budapest Referendum. What was one of its major points?
A. Permitting Russia to use Ukraine as a transit country for its gas.
B. Respecting Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty.
C. Ukraine being considered for membership in the European Union.
D. Ukraine retaining the nuclear arsenal inherited from the Soviet Union.
In the “What’s Going On” conversation held in February 2024, the Mexican and Canadian Ambassadors, but not the US Ambassador, mentioned the issue of:
A. Energy policy
B. Indigenous policy
C. Immigration policy
D. Technology policy
This encryption machine was patented in 1923 by a German engineer and 40,000 were in use by 1945:
A. Electronic machine
B. Enigma machine
C. Radar machine
D. Transfusion machine
Albania’s Prime Minister created a sovereign enclave for the “Bekhtishi Order” in September 2024. The Order dates back to the 13th Century and is made up of:
A. Buddhist monks
B. Islamic Sufis
C. Jewish mystics
D. Orthodox nuns