1. Sochi, Russia is situated along the shore of the (a) Caspian Sea; (b) Black Sea; (c) Volga River; (d) body of water known as Lake Baikal; (e) Aral Sea
2. Close to Sochi are the (a) Caucasian Mountains; (b) Aral Mountains; (c) Atlas Mountains; (d) Alps; (e) Appenine Mountains
3. The deepest lake in the world is (a) Lake Superior; (b) Lake Baikal; (c) Lake Tahoe; (d) Lake Of The Woods; (e) Possum Kingdom Lake
4. The largest body of water in the world with no connection to any ocean is (a) Lake Erie; (b) the Caspian Sea; (c) Lake Baikal; (d) Lake Okeechobee; (e) the Black Sea
5. The largest lake completely within the 48 U.S. states is (a) Lake Superior; (b) Lake Michigan; (c) the Great Salt Lake; (d) Lake Okeechobee; (e) Lake Tahoe
6. Which of those in number 5 is the second largest? a, b, c, d, or e.
7. The recent spill of coal ash into the Dan River occurred in (a) Tennessee; (b) Virginia; (c) Kentucky; (d) North Carolina; (e) Ohio
8. One entire state is experiencing the worst drought since the 1800s. It is (a) California; ( b) Utah; (c) Arizona; (d) Oklahoma; (e) New Mexico
9. Fracking for oil and natural gas into the Eagle Ford shale formation is reportedly causing serious air pollution problems. In what state is the shale formation? (a) Pennsylvania; (b) Colorado; (c) Wyoming; (d) Texas; (e) Idaho
10. Two former Seals were found dead in a cabin of the ship Maersk Alabama by port authorities in (a) South Africa; (b) Kenya; (c) the Seychelles; (d) Australia; (e) Somalia
11. The cause of death of the above was initially believed to be from (a) suicide; (b) homicide; (c) drug overdose; (d) heart failure; (e) fatigue
12. The facial images of which of the following is not carved on the face of Mount Rushmore? (a) Theodore Roosevelt; (b) Franklin D. Roosevelt; (c) George Washington; (d) Abraham Lincoln; (e) Thomas Jefferson
13. The prehistoric Tethys Sea separated most of Gondwanaland from its northern neighbor called (a) Asioamerica; (b) Eurasia; (c) Ameroasia; (d) Laurasia; (e) Eurussia
14. The country notorious for slaughtering porpoises for human food consumption is (a) Japan; (b) Cuba; (c) India; (d) Norway; (e) the Netherlands
15. Zoo officials in which of the above were criticized for killing a healthy two-year-old giraffe with a gun?
16. The decline in shark populations is believed to be the result of what country’s residents fondness of shark-fin soup? (a) Finland; (b) Thailand; (c) Saudi Arabia; (d) China; (e) Ireland
17. Where do most Atlantic blue-fin tuna breed? (a) Gulf of Mexico; (b) mid-Atlantic Ocean; (c) Mediterranean Sea; (d) Chesapeake Bay; (e) in all of those places
18. One parrot supplements its diet with carrion and the flesh of living sheep. It inhabits mountainous areas of what country? (a) Mongolia; (b) New Zealand; (c) Ecuador; (d) Nepal; (e) North Korea
19. What inhabitant of the water around Australia is capable of killing a human with its sting? (a) stingray; (b) box jellyfish; (c) crown of thorns; (d) all those listed; (e) two of those listed
20. If Alabama’s legislature voted to place an amendment on the ballot to allow the voters to vote “yes” or “no” on a lottery, can the governor veto such a measure? (a) he can; (b) he can not
Answers: 1,b; 2,a; 3,b; 4,b; 5,b; 6,d; 7,d; 8,e; 9,d; 10,c; 11,c; 12,b; 13,d; 14,a; 15,e; 16,d; 17,a; 18,b; 19,e; 20,b.
Scoring: 16-20 correct, very good; 13-15 correct, acceptable; 9-12 correct, average; 5-8 correct, play too many computer games; below 5, must be a cave-dweller.
Bob Mount is a Professor Emeritus with the Dept of Zoology and Entomology, Auburn University. He is also chairman of the Opelika Order of Geezers, well-known local think tank and political clearing house. He writes about birds, snakes, turtles, bugs and assorted conservation topics.