Current Events Quiz, January 19, 2024

According to the current results, how many of the state’s 99 counties did Donald Trump win in the Iowa caucuses?

• 45

• 77

• 98

• 23

• 99

Answer explanation

It’s 98. The current tally shows that Trump lost Johnson County, Iowa’s bluest, to Nikki Haley by a single vote. Overall, Trump’s nearly 30-point margin of victory set a record for a contested Republican caucus in the state.

Which Republican presidential candidate finished fourth in the Iowa caucuses and subsequently dropped out of the race?

• Chris Christie

• Asa Hutchinson

• Ron DeSantis

• Ryan Binkley

• Vivek Ramaswamy

Answer explanation

It’s Ramaswamy, the self-funded biotech entrepreneur, who then endorsed Donald Trump. Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor, finished sixth and suspended his campaign. Christie, the former New Jersey governor, dropped out before the caucuses. Binkley, a businessman and pastor, finished fifth.

Donald Trump spent part of his week in a New York courtroom, taking part in a trial to determine his penalty for defaming whom?

• The former prosecutor Preet Bharara

• The producer Mark Burnett

• The writer E. Jean Carroll

• The entrepreneur Mark Cuban

• The comedian Kathy Griffin

Answer explanation

It’s Carroll. She accused Trump of rape in 2019 and already won one civil case in which a jury found that Trump had sexually abused and defamed her. In the new trial, Carroll is seeking at least $10 million in damages.

The U.S. and Britain recently launched strikes on military sites in Yemen, which officials said were in retaliation for the Houthi militia’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea. What does the militia say it wants?

• To expand Yemen’s civil war

• To deter illegal fishing vessels

• To end Israel’s siege on Gaza

• To divert ships toward Yemen

• To loot ships carrying weapons

Answer explanation

The group has portrayed its campaign as a battle to force Israel to end its siege of Gaza, although many of its targets have had no clear connection to Israel. The U.S. and U.K. airstrikes have not deterred the Houthis. Instead, the group has expanded its list of declared targets to include American and British interests in the region.

Iran fired missiles this week on nearby countries, after a terrorist attack killed dozens within its borders. Which three of the following countries did Iran hit?

• Iraq

• Israel

• Syria

• Pakistan

• Yemen

Answer explanation

Iran struck targets in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Pakistan and Syria. Iranian officials said they were going after militants they accused of being behind recent attacks that killed 84 people at a memorial procession for a revered Iranian military leader. The missile strikes raised fears that upheaval in the Middle East could spiral out of control. The next day, Pakistan retaliated.

Taiwan recently picked a new president, in an election shaped in part by the island’s relationship with China. Who won?

• Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang, who favored closer ties with China

• Ko Wen-ji of the Taiwan People's Party, a third-party candidate

• Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, who pledged to defend Taiwan's identity

• Tsai Ing-wen, of the Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan's current president

• Xi Jinping, the president of China

Answer explanation

It’s Lai of the Democratic Progressive Party, the center-left party that has governed Taiwan for the past eight years and has historically favored independence from China. The election of Lai, the current vice president, may worsen Taiwan’s relationship with Beijing.

At the Emmy Awards this week, who won the best actress in a comedy award for her work on the sitcom “Abbott Elementary”?

• Ayo Edebiri

• Quinta Brunson

• Aubrey Plaza

• Bella Ramsey

• Sarah Snook

Answer explanation

It’s Brunson, who is also the creator and writer of "Abbott Elementary." She is the first Black woman to win the award since 1981. See the full list of Emmy winners.

China released new population data this week. It showed that the number of births in the country has fallen for seven straight years, despite the end of which policy in 2015?

• A ban on surrogacy

• A policy limiting families to one child

• A ban on abortions after six weeks

• A strict ban on immigration

• A policy outlawing overseas adoptions

Answer explanation

Despite the end of China’s one-child policy, the birthrate continues to fall. China has more older people than anywhere else in the world, and many young women view the government’s efforts to push them toward motherhood as regressive.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a proposed $3.8 billion merger between which two companies?

• Amazon and Hulu

• Comcast and Mint Mobile

• Ford and Rivian Motors

• JetBlue and Spirit Airlines

• Microsoft and Activision Blizzard

Answer explanation

The judge blocked JetBlue’s proposed acquisition of Spirit. The judge sided with the Department of Justice, which had opposed the deal, arguing that the reduced competition would harm travelers.

Bobi, a Portuguese Rafeiro do Alentejo, was named as the world’s oldest dog last year, but his title was put on hold this week amid widespread doubts. How old did Bobi’s owners claim him to be?

• 41 years old

• 35 years old

• 31 years old

• 29 years old

• 50 years old

Answer explanation

Bobi’s owners said he was 31. The Guinness World Book of Records announced that it was conducting a formal investigation into the record after veterinarians expressed skepticism.