The Krait (Gail Collins), in tandem with The Cobra (Maureen Dowd) on the NY Fishwrap's Op-Ed page, has taken on the mantle of the Op-Ed Quizmaster since the departure from the Op-Ed page and this earthly paradise by William Safire (1929-2009). Safire, an Op-Ed columnist for the NY Fishwrap from 1973 until 2005, regularly contributed current events quizzes to the Op-Ed page. This blog featured his last quiz (2009) and it can be viewed here. It'e the end of the spring term and pop quizzes abound and this blog is no exception. If this is (fair & balanced) educational terrorism, so be it.
[x NY Fishwrap]
The Spring Quiz
By The Krait (Gail Collins)
Tag Cloud of the following article
[Answer-Key below.]
I. Match that quote:
1. “He got the position himself. I didn’t get it for him.”
A. Donald Trump, on Donald Jr.’s job as an executive vice president at the Trump Organization.
B. Wisconsin lobbyist whose college-dropout son was named to an important state job and then given a promotion and 26 percent raise two months later.
C. Hosni Mubarak on how son Gamal rose to be general secretary of the Egyptian government’s policy committee.
D. Queen Elizabeth on naming Prince William the Duke of Cambridge.
*****
2. “Frankly, my toilets don’t work in my house, and I blame you.”
A. Participant in a “This Old House” episode.
B. Participant in an “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” episode.
C. Participant in a “Selling New York” episode.
D. Senator Rand Paul to Department of Energy official during a hearing on energy efficiency standards.
*****
3. “There’s no question, at times in my life, partially driven by how passionately I felt about this country, that I worked far too hard and things happened in my life that were not appropriate.”
A. General Stanley McChrystal on his interview with Rolling Stone.
B. Newt Gingrich on adultery.
C. Bernie Madoff on his Ponzi scheme.
D. Retiring Senator John Ensign in his farewell address.
*****
4. “We will carry on this struggle until in God’s good time, with all His power and might, He steps forth to the rescue and liberation of our God-given American liberty.”
A. Abraham Lincoln on the Civil War.
B. Mayor Walter Maddox of tornado-ravaged Tuscaloosa, AL.
C. Gen. David Petraeus, addressing the troops in Iraq.
D. Representative Steve King (R-IA) on repealing the health care reform act.
*****
II. Match the governor:
5. Aide: “He likes a cold room.”
6. “So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior, I’m telling you, you’re not my brother, and you’re not my sister.”
7. “I went to work at 11 years old. I became governor. It’s not a big deal. Work doesn’t hurt anybody.”
8. “I do chase women, like the prime minister of Italy, but that’s about it.”
A. Paul LePage of Maine.
B. Robert Bentley of Alabama.
C. Andrew Cuomo of New York.
D. Arne Moltis (O.K., he’s only a gubernatorial candidate) of West Virginia.
*****
III. Match the Republican presidential hopefuls:
9. Newt Gingrich
10. Mitt Romney
11. Mitch Daniels
12. Tim Pawlenty
13. Mike Huckabee
14. Michele Bachmann
15. Ron Paul
16. Herman CainA. Criticized President Obama for doing exactly what he demanded Obama do about Libya.
B. Latest book tells about a joke he pulled on a man who had just been fitted for a new hearing aid, by “moving my lips as if I were talking but without saying anything so he’d think something was wrong.”
C. Latest book fails to mention that he once drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the roof of the car.
D. Told a New Hampshire audience: “You’re the state where the shot was heard around the world in Lexington and Concord.”
E. Attacked Superman for encouraging “this whole globalist trend.”
F. Recently debated a Barack Obama impersonator on Fox.
G. Recently said only an “insane person” would like to run for president.
H. Promised to discriminate against Muslims if elected.
*****
EXTRA CREDIT: Match the state with the bill proposed in the current legislative session:
17. Undertake a study on whether the state should create its own currency in case the Federal Reserve breaks down.
18. Make it a state crime to hire an undocumented worker, except for jobs like nannies, housekeepers or lawn mowers.
19. Make the state a coal company “sanctuary” exempt from federal environmental laws.
20. Declare global warming is “beneficial to the welfare and business climate” of the state.
21. Require every adult in the state to own a gun.
A. Kentucky
B. Montana
C. Tennessee
D. South Dakota
E. Texas Ω
Answer-Key: I: 1-B 2-D 3-B 4-D; II: 5-C 6-B 7-A 8-D; III: 9-A 10-C 11-G 12-B 13-E 14-D 15-F 16-H; Extra Credit: 17-C 18-E 19-A 20-B 21-D
[Gail Collins joined the New York Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board and later as an op-ed columnist. In 2001 she became the first woman ever appointed editor of the Times editorial page. At the beginning of 2007, she took a leave in order to complete America's Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines. Collins returned to the Times as a columnist in July 2007. Collins has a BA (journalism) from Marquette University and an MA (government) from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.]
Copyright © 2011 The New York Times Company
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Sapper's (Fair & Balanced) Rants & Raves by Neil Sapper is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Based on a work at sapper.blogspot.com. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available here.
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