How closely were you following the pages of the Guadalajara Reporter – and Mexican news in general – this year? Take our New Year quiz and see what kind of news addict you really are. The answers to the questions can be found on page 25.
1. In which city did Pope Benedict XVI stay when he made his first visit to Mexico in March?
a) Mexico City
b) Guadalajara
c) Cancun
d) Guanajuato
2. In March, Mexico’s Supreme Court dismissed French national Florence Cassez’s appeal against a 60-year prison sentence. What crime is she accused of?
a) The murder of her boyfriend
b) Being part of a kidnapping gang
c) Failing to renew her immigration papers
d) Being a member of Los Zetas cartel
3. Former Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid died in April at the age of 77. During which years did he serve?
a) 1982-1988
b) 1958-1964
c) 1976-1982
d) 2000-2006
4. In September 32 inmates escaped from a Coahuila prison. How did they get out?
a) They built a one-mile-long tunnel
b) They hid in laundry baskets to make their escape
c) They dynamited the front entrance and shot their way out
d) They walked calmly out the front gate with the blessing of prison staff
5. Mexico won seven medals in the London Olympics in August. In which sport did this nation win its only gold medal?
a) Diving
b) Soccer
c) Archery
d) Tae-kwon-do
6. For what invention were two Guadalajara scientists feted in October?
a) A driverless car
b) An ergonomic computer keyboard
c) A see-through toaster
d) A one-wheeled motorbike
7. How did members of a Jalisco drug cartel react to the arrest of one of their leaders in March?
a) They firebombed the Governor’s Palace
b) They hijacked Guadalajara’s light train (subway) system
c) They set fire to city buses
d) They gave away 500-peso bills on the Calzada Independencia
8. In June Guadalajara hosted a televised presidential debate for the first time. Where was it held?
a) The Guadalajara Country Club
b) The Nuevo Progreso Bullring
c) Expo Guadalajara
d) The Teatro Degollado
9. Enrique Peña Nieto returned the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) back to power in July’s presidential election after 12 years in opposition. By how many votes did he win the election from second-placed Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador?
a) 45,000
b) 1.5 million
c) 3 million
d) 16 million
10. Which major U.S. multinational closed its doors in Guadalajara this year after four decades?
a) IBM
b) Kodak
c) Hershey’s
d) John Deere
11. Which U.S. film star was the major guest at March’s International Film Festival in Guadalajara?
a) Andy Garcia
b) Leonardo DiCaprio
c) Meryl Streep
d) Dick Van Dyke
12. The Ajijic Chili Cookoff in February was a big success despite having to contend with:
a) Snow
b) An infestation of locusts
c) An earthquake
d) Thunderstorms
13. In February, state and federal authorities announced a multimillion-dollar redevelopment plan for downtown Guadalajara. The project entails the construction of:
a) A Disneyland complex
b) A multi-media, digital ‘city’
c) A NASCAR circuit
d) An inland waterway network
14. Which major international bank was forced to pay fines of 1.4 billion dollars after admitting transferring the funds of drug cartels to U.S. banks?
a) Bank of America
b) Scotiabank
c) UBS
d) HSBC
15. For what reason did more than 120,000 people fill Mexico’s City’s Zocalo in May?
a) To see a speech by Nelson Mandela
b) To see a concert by Paul McCartney
c) To see endurance artist David Blaine hold his breath underwater for 20 minutes
d) To see a free performance by Cirque du Soleil
16. Wal-mart Mexico was in the news in 2012 for what main reason?
a) Record profits
b) Abusing labor laws
c) Accusations of corruption
d) Unfair competition
17. April saw the 20th anniversary of a momentous event in Guadalajara’s history
a) An apparition of the Virgin Mary
b) The assassination of a presidential candidate in the city center
c) The opening of the city’s first subway line
d) A sewer line explosion that killed more than 200 people
18. In June/July Jalisco was rocked by what health scare?
a) Avian flu
b) Tuberculosis
c) Chicken pox
d) An anthrax alert
ANSWERS
1:d; 2:b; 3:a; 4:d; 5:b; 6:a; 7:c; 8:c; 9:c; 10:b; 11:a; 12:d; 13:b; 14:d; 15:b; 16:c; 17:d; 18:a.