So, just how news savvy are you?
It’s time to test your knowledge of the past week’s news — and maybe learn a few things along the way.
You’ll be graded at the end. So please keep your eyes on your own paper. Or tablet.
1. Thursday marked the end of a harsh hurricane season. How many hurricanes did we have in the Atlantic this year?
A.8 B. 10 C. 12 D. Um, there’s still a debris pile in my driveway
The answer: B. That’s about twice the average and more than twice what was predicted in the pre-season forecasts … or, as I like to call them, the pre-season shots in the dark.
2. Florida legislators are talking about ending what centuryold tradition?
A. Fundraisers right before the legislative session begins
B. Accepting floral arrangements from lobbyists on opening day
C. Letting special interests fund their travel and dining bills through committee donations
D. Daylight saving time
Answer: D. They’re fans of the other three. But Sarasota Republican Sen. Greg Steube wants Florida to join Hawaii and Arizona as the only U.S. states that don’t follow the time rollback tradition.
3. An Arkansas couple that loves the Orlando-based Olive Garden restaurant chain announced they are naming their new baby what?
A. Oliver Garden B. Olivia Garton C. Olivier Gardin D. I’d-love-me-a Garmin
Answer B. Good thing the couple wasn’t smitten with Fuddruckers.
4. In the wake of multiple bear interactions — and at least one dead dog — residents of The Springs subdivision in Seminole County are contemplating what?
A. Setting traps B. Buying bear-proof trash cans C. Pushing for a bear hunt D. Publishing a bear-meat cookbook
Answer: B. The Springs residents are listening to state wildlife officials who say cans are 97 percent effective at deterring bears when everyone in a neighborhood uses them. (New Jersey, by the way, does both C and D. Seriously. The state’s cookbook includes recipes for barbecued bear ribs and black bear osso bucco.)
5. On Wednesday, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said “It’s been 51 days, and it’s time for Seminole Heights to have a good night’s rest.” What prompted him to say that?
A. Power in the neighborhood was finally restored
B. Floodwaters there finally receded
C. A suspected serial killer was finally arrested
D. The Bucs finally won against a tough team
Answer: C. Authorities say the break in the case came after McDonald’s employee Howell Emanuel Donaldson III asked a co-worker to do him a favor and hold his gun for him.
6. The Associated Press found out that Florida taxpayers have paid how much to settle sexual harassment and hostile work complaints against state workers over the past 30 years?
A. $3 million B. $8 million C. $11 million D. $15 million
Answer: C. More than half the 300-plus cases involved employees in the Department of Corrections.
7. Cape Canaveral will soon be the launch site for the satellite portion of a next-generation missiledefense system. What is the name of the satellite set to launch from our eastern coast?
A. GEO Flight 4 B. Global Protector 4 C. Shield System 4 D. The Fantastic 4
Answer: A. GEO, by the way, stands for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit … though it could also stand Ginormously Expensive Object, since this single rocket costs more than $1 billion.
8. As a member of Florida’s Constitution Revision Commission, state
Sen. Tom Lee wants to ban what in Florida?
A. Greyhound racing B. Online escort services C. Plastic bags D. Lottery sales
Answer: A. Lee argues greyhound racing is outdated and inhumane. As a side note: While some places have banned plastic bags, Florida legislators passed a law preventing local communities here from doing so. Yes, they put a ban on bans … which state Sen. Linda Stewart now wants to un-ban.
9. Last week, the Sentinel’s front desk alerted me that a package I had left for a reader had never been picked up. How long had the package been down there?
A. 2 days B. 2 weeks C. 2 months D. 2 years
Answer: D. And it was actually 2 years and six months. It’s a good thing it wasn’t a puppy or transplant organ.
So how did you do? If you got 1-3 right: A lump of coal for you. 4-6: Give yourself a stocking stuffer. 7-9: I have gifts for you. They’ll be at the front desk.