Here are the answers to our quiz on key news topics from January, plus some additional background information.
1. Canada’s official languages commissioner is urging which province to establish an office of Anglophone affairs:
Answer: c
Additional notes: The federal language commissioner, Graham Fraser, is urging Quebec officials to do more to support the province’s 600,000 Anglophones.
2. What Canadian location is being warned to be prepared for a tsunami?
Answer: b
Additional notes: Scientists say that Vancouver Island will be hit by a giant tsunami (tidal wave) from an earthquake expected any time off the coast.
3. It is RRSP season in Canada. Why?
Answer: a
Additional notes: Each tax year Canadians have 60 days into the following year to contribute to their RRSP and use the tax deduction for the previous year.
4. What large retail chain will be closing its 133 stores in Canada?
Answer: c
Additional notes: Target announced it is projecting a loss of 2.3 billion dollars since it opened in Canada in 2013. Competitors Canadian Tire, Loblaws and Walmart are all looking to grab a share of their market.
5. Cold weather alerts are generally put in place when the temperature is expected to drop below -15C. Why?
Answer: b
Additional notes: Most large cities will open community centres, buy hotel rooms or take some other emergency measure to ensure homeless people have a place to go on very cold nights when it is not safe to be outside.
6. What is the current rate of inflation in Canada?
Answer: b
Additional notes: This is largely due to the effect of plunging oil prices.
7. King Abdullah died this month. What country was he king of?
Answer: c
Additional notes: He will be succeeded by his half brother, who is thought likely to maintain his policies, pumping out oil to put pressure on world competition
8. How does the falling Canadian dollar affect the NHL (National Hockey League) and particularly its Canadian teams?
Answer: d
Additional notes: The NHL does better overall when the Canadian dollar is upwards of 90 cents US. And recent history suggests the standings of Canadian teams suffer when the Canadian dollar is lower.
9. What is the #twirlgate referring to?
Answer: a
Additional notes: After a reporter asked Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard to twirl for a picture when she moved to the fourth round of the Australian open, fans and critics erupted on social media and dubbed it twirlgate.
10. Where do Canadian advertisers spend most of their dollars?
Answer: d
Additional notes: After 20 years, digital is now outranking the other media. It rose by 177% in mobile advertising this past year and 53% in online video advertising.
11. Researchers have created a metal surface that is superhydrophobic. The benefit of this is:
Answer: d
Additional notes: The new invention has a better surface than Teflon in repelling water.
12. Skeletons were found in a Greek Tomb, believed to date back to Alexander the Great. Since it appears that the tomb was for someone important, whose are archaeologists speculating it is?
Answer: a
Additional notes: Speculations that it is Olympia’s, because it is suspected to be the tomb of a female, and that she was likely killed by enemies of Alexander the Great after his death.
13. “Skater, artist, visionary, genius.” Who was described in these words?
Answer: c
Additional notes: Toller Cranston held national championships in figure skating from 1971 to 1976. Regarded as a trailblazer in the development of the sport, he won a bronze metal for Canada in the 1976 Olympics and he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1977. When he retired from skating he turned his vision, art and genius towards painting. He died Saturday January 24, 2015 at age 65.
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