Here are the answers to our January quiz on key news topics, plus some additional background information.

1. Who is Michael Wolff?

Answer: b

Additional notes: Wolff is the author of the upcoming book about Trumps first year in office. It is sending shock waves through the administration.

2. What is Canada’s jobless rate?

Answer: a

Additional notes: The jobless rate fell to 5.7% in December, the lowest since 1976. Since September Canada has added 193,400 jobs.

3. Which team won gold in the world junior hockey championships?

Answer: b

Additional notes: Canada won gold, Sweden Silver, US Bronze.

4. What percentage of homes in the Greater Vancouver area are assessed at over $1 million?

Answer: d

Additional notes: Based on an analysis of prices on July 1, 2017 73% of detached houses were assessed for $1 million or more.

5. Where are the 2018 Winter Olympics being held?

Answer: b

Additional notes: Pyeongchang, South Korea, will host the 2018 games starting in February. North Korea has agreed to participate.

6. What country is the 26th to legalize same-sex marriages?

Answer: d

Additional notes: At the stroke of midnight on January 9 Australia had dozens of same sex couples exchange wedding vows as the law came into place.

7. Which grocery chain is offering $25 gift cards to customers to compensate for having fixed the price of bread for the past 14 years?

Answer: b

Additional notes: Loblaws and all its subsidiaries are offering the gift card program. To receive the gift card consumers have to give personal information, such as address and date of birth. This kind of information is worth way more than $25 to the retailer. This is not a settlement offer for a class action suit that is before the courts, but a goodwill gesture that will return much more to the company than its investment.

8. Which province raised its minimum wage to $14/hour on January 1, 2018?

Answer: b

Additional notes: Ontario raised its minimum wage from $11.60 to $14 and it will go to $15 January 1, 2018. Alberta is set to increase to $15/hour in October 2018.

9. What is one of the most unlikely places on earth to have received a 40cm snowfall?

Answer: c

Additional notes: The desert received snow for the third time in 40 years.

10. Canada and the US are co-hosting a summit in Vancouver. Why?

Answer: b

Additional notes: They are discussing sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear arms program. China and Russia are not invited and China is key to economic sanctions. This summit may cause China to be very angry.

11. What is at the end of a rainbow?

Answer: d

Additional notes: Scientists discovered a crow-sized bird-like dinosaur with colourful feathers that lived 161 million years ago. They named it Caihong, the mandarin word for rainbow. So in reality, there is a bird-like dinosaur at the end of the rainbow but in fable there is a pot of gold and/or a leprechaun.

12. Who is Alexa?

Answer: B

Additional notes: Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant and this will be added to some Toyota and Lexus cars next year.

Click here to view questions.