The Week to Week News Quiz for Friday 8/9/13

If you're reading one of the few remaining newspapers left in this country, you should do pretty well on this news quiz.

Here are some random but real hints: They hotfooted it out of there; he promises to keep the 30-year mortgage system, however; his predecessor looked into his heart and saw gold; and it's amazing what gets stuck to those seats. Answers are at the bottom of the quiz.

1. Why have 1,500 people fled their homes in Southern California?
a. A wildfire
b. A neighborhood lockdown due to a police search for escaped convicts
c. The homes are being raised to build a new Tesla factory
d. The bank foreclosed on their homes

2. What did scientists unveil on Monday, at a cost of $325,000?
a. The bill to the government for a physics convention in Las Vegas
b. A self-aware robot
c. A lab-grown meat hamburger
d. An iPhone-powered motorcycle

3. BART hasn't been the only big strike threat in the Bay Area; what other group resolved its labor dispute this week?
a. United Brotherhood of Technology Investors
b. AC Transit
c. MUNI drivers
d. Port of Oakland Pilots Association

4. President Obama outlined his plan on Tuesday to remove what from the American economy?
a. The U.S. Congress
b. Saudi Arabia
c. The Federal Reserve
d. Mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

5. Why did the Republican National Committee threaten to pull cooperation with CNN and NBC during the next primary debates?
a. The RNC wanted to work with channels that drew higher ratings
b. CNN and NBC were demanding too much money to air the debates
c. It objected to those companies producing films about Hillary Clinton
d. The RNC complained that the two networks did not have enough Hispanic viewers

6. MLB handed down its ruling on Yankees star Alex Rodriguez for his involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. What was the ruling?
a. He was absolved of all charges
b. The MLB said, "Who are we to judge?"
c. He was banned for life
d. He was suspended for 211 games

7. Why did TV weatherman Al Roker miss appearing on one of his shows?
a. He overslept
b. He was fired while driving to work
c. He was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs
d. He was on strike demanding more money

8. Who jilted Russian President Vladimir Putin by cancelling a meeting they had scheduled for next month?
a. Pope Francis
b. President Barack Obama
c. Senator John McCain
d. Dennis Rodman

9. Who purchased the Washington Post this week?
a. Silvio Berlusconi
b. Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos
c. Rupert Murdoch
d. Time Warner

10. What issue is causing criticism of Russia's upcoming hosting of the Olympics?
a. Russia's use of performance-enhancing drugs on its athletes
b. Russia's internet surveillance and spying activities
c. Russia's granting of temporary asylum to Edward Snowden
d. Russia's anti-gay discrimination

BONUS. On Wednesday, where were authorities called in to dispose of a dead shark's carcass?
a. A North Korean beach where the carcass had washed up during a video shoot for Kim Jong-Un
b. Martha's Vineyard
c. The New York Yankees clubhouse
d. A New York City subway car

The news and the quizzes don't stop there! Join us for our next live Week to Week political commentary program with a news quiz at The Commonwealth Club on August 19 in San Francisco, featuring Huffington Post's Robin Wilkey, the San Francisco Chronicle's C.W. Nevius, and San Francisco magazine's Melissa Griffin.

ANSWERS: 1) a. 2) c. 3) b. 4) d. 5) c. 6) d. 7) a. 8) b. 9) b. 10) d. BONUS) d.

EXPLANATIONS OF THE HINTS: They hotfooted it out of there: Residents fled an out-of-control wildfire; he promises to keep the 30-year mortgage system, however: Some Republicans are calling for letting the market determine if 30-year mortgages are worthwhile after Fannie and Freddie are dispensed with, but Obama wants to keep the long-term mortgage model; his predecessor looked into his heart and saw gold: George W. Bush thought Putin was worth talking to; and it's amazing what gets stuck to those seats: In the subway's defense, it was a very small shark found underneath one of the seats. Still.