How closely were you following the pages of the Guadalajara Reporter – and Mexican and international news in general – last year? Take our New Year quiz and see what kind of news addict you are.
The answers to the questions can be found at the end of the quiz. Score above 15 and you can truly call yourself well informed. For three bonus points, name the individuals shown in the photographs that appear after the questions, all of whom made the headlines in 2014 and feature in the quiz.
1. Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron won an Oscar in January for which feature film?
A. Nebraska
B. American Hustle
C. 12 Years a Slave
D. Gravity
2. In February the Winter Olympic Games were held where?
A. Denver, Colorado
B. Nagano, Japan
C. Sochi, Russia
D. Gothenburg, Sweden
3. In March authorities apprehended Mexico’s most wanted drug kingpin, known as “El Chapo.” What is his real name?
A. Mario Molina Mancera
B. Joaquin Guzman
C. Enrique Peña Nieto
D. Carlos Hank Gonzalez
4. In March a plane with 239 people on board disappeared over the Gulf of Thailand. What number was the flight?
A. Cathay Pacific 350
B. Malaysia Airlines 390
C. Malaysia Airlines 370
D. Malaysia Airlines 17
5. In April the Lake Chapala Society started a new joint program with Mexican authorities so expat residents could do what?
A. Report crimes
B. Register pets
C. Purchase groceries
D. Pay taxes
6. In May the state of Jalisco enacted tough animal cruelty laws for the first time after what atrocity?
A. A circus elephant dies in the ring.
B. A man burns eight puppies to death.
C. A calandria horse suffers a heart attack during a ride.
D. A man cooks his cat in a microwave oven.
7. Which of Guadalajara’s most well-known landmarks was destroyed by a fire in May?
A. The Corona Market
B. The Government Palace
C. The San Juan de Dios Market
D. Expo Guadalajara
8. In June King Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicated in favor of his son, who ascended the Spanish throne as who?
A. King Felipe VI
B. King Alfonso X
C. King Guillermo III
D. King Larry I
9. In June Chapala city hall took delivery of what?
A. 200 new bikes for a bike-share program
B. 55,000 unpaid parking tickets
C. A helicopter for the mayor’s exclusive use
D. 10 artworks by Jose Clemente Orozco donated by his granddaughter
10. The soccer World Cup was held in Brazil in July. Who were the winners?
A. Brazil
B. Mexico
C. Argentina
D. Germany
11. In July Pope Francis surprised many people by announcing what?
A. That he was prepared to discuss celibacy of priests
B. That women could enter the priesthood
C. That he would not judge priests for their sexual orientation
D. That global warming is a load of nonsense
12. In August millions of dead fish washed up in which lake?
A. Lake Chapala
B. Lake Michigan
C. Lake Cajititlan
D. Lake Titicaca
13. What substantial reform did President Enrique Peña Nieto enact in August?
A. The death penalty for drug kingpins and kidnappers
B. Reelection of presidents for second six-year terms
C. Full autonomy for the indigenous peoples of Chiapas
D. The opening of the oil industry to private investment
14. In September Mexico is shocked by the disappearance of 43 students from a teachers training college in the state of Guerrero. Where is the school?
A. Acapulco
B. Apatzingan
C. Guadalajara
D. Ayotzinapa
15. Which monster storm battered the Pacific Coast in September, causing extensive damage in Baja California?
A. Oprah
B. Olga
C. Odile
D. Oliver
16. In September Jalisco federal legislator Gabriel Gomez Michel was murdered after being abducted in broad daylight where?
A. In his car on the Guadalajara beltway (periferico)
B. Inside a Soriana supermarket
C. Outside the presidential palace in Mexico City
D. At Guadalajara International Airport
17. Citizens in Jalisco took part in a non-binding vote in September to test public opinion on what?
A. Relaxing marijuana laws
B. Allowing foreigners to vote in municipal elections
C. Banning bullfighting
D. Reducing the age of criminal responsibility to 14
18. Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta took the law into his own hands in October, astonishing everyone with what action?
A. Making a citizen’s arrest of a well-known drug dealer
B. Climbing and dismantling a controversial telecommunications tower
C. Issuing a ticket to an illegally parked vehicle outside city hall
D. Firing his entire cabinet after an important memo was leaked to the press
19. Mexico’s First Lady, Angelica Rivera, became embroiled in scandal in November over the purchase of what item?
A. A diamond tiara
B. A Great Dane
C. A Ferrari automobile
D. A luxury mansion
20. In December, U.S. President Barack Obama reestablished diplomatic ties with which nation?
A. North Korea
B. Iran
C. Cuba
D. Taiwan
ANSWERS
1:D, 2:C, 3:B, 4:C, 5:A, 6:B, 7:A, 8:A, 9:B, 10:D, 11:C, 12:C, 13:D, 14:D, 15:C, 16:A, 17:A, 18:B, 19:D, 20:C
Photographs: 1. Mexico’s First Lady Angelica Rivera 2. Drug kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman 3. Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta.