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2000s News Quiz | Turning Points in World Affairs, Technology and Sport

1 / 100.0s

Problem 1

In September 2000, leaders from more than 150 countries gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York and adopted a document setting out values, principles and goals for international cooperation in the twenty-first century.

Which document was adopted at the United Nations Millennium Summit?

View explanation

The United Nations Millennium Declaration was adopted at the Millennium Summit on September 8, 2000. It set a direction for international cooperation on peace, development, human rights and other priorities. Agenda 21 was adopted in 1992, the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 and the 2030 Agenda in 2015.

Problem 2

On July 1, 2002, the Rome Statute entered into force. It is the founding treaty of a permanent institution that addresses individual criminal responsibility for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes within its jurisdiction.

Which institution has the Rome Statute as its legal foundation?

View explanation

The Rome Statute is the founding treaty of the International Criminal Court and entered into force on July 1, 2002. The ICC addresses individual criminal responsibility for serious international crimes. The ICJ, despite its similar name, is a UN court that primarily hears legal disputes between states.

Problem 3

The Human Genome Project announced an “essentially complete” human genome sequence in 2003. In 2022, however, researchers published the “first truly complete” human genome sequence.

Which explanation best shows why the two announcements are not contradictory?

View explanation

The 2003 result was an essentially complete reference that read most of the human genome to a high standard using the technology available then, but gaps remained in repetitive regions. The 2022 result used newer methods to fill those gaps; it did not negate the importance of the 2003 milestone.

Problem 4

The December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated coastal communities across a vast area. At the time, no region-wide tsunami warning system covered the Indian Ocean.

Which international measure was advanced in response to this disaster?

View explanation

An intergovernmental framework for the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System was established under UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in 2005. It links monitoring, warnings and evacuation preparedness to reduce harm; it cannot stop earthquakes or guarantee that all damage will be eliminated.

Problem 5

A service launched in 2005 expanded the opportunity for ordinary people with a camera and an Internet connection to upload video and share it with viewers around the world.

Which form of communication did YouTube help popularize?

View explanation

YouTube began in 2005 as a place where ordinary users could upload their own videos and share them widely online. Its significance lay in enabling users to become publishers themselves, rather than only watching programs distributed by established broadcasters.

Problem 6

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union defined a planet in the Solar System as a body that orbits the Sun, is nearly round under its own gravity and has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit.

Why was Pluto classified as a dwarf planet?

View explanation

Pluto orbits the Sun and is nearly round under its own gravity, but it does not meet the planetary requirement of clearing the neighborhood around its orbit. The IAU therefore classified it as a dwarf planet in 2006. Pluto neither stopped orbiting the Sun nor became a moon.

Problem 7

In January 2007, Apple announced the original iPhone with a multi-touch display, describing it as three products combined in one device.

Which three functions formed that combination?

View explanation

Apple presented the original iPhone as a mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls and an Internet communications device for functions such as email and the Web. Its defining idea was to combine those established functions in one multi-touch device.

Problem 8

In 2008, Bear Stearns was acquired with central-bank assistance. In September, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy, and the following day the Federal Reserve provided support to AIG.

Which conclusion is best supported by this record?

View explanation

The three institutions did not receive the same response. Bear Stearns was acquired with Federal Reserve assistance, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy and the Federal Reserve supported AIG. Recognizing those differences avoids the inaccurate claim that every financial firm was rescued in the same way.

Problem 9

At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Japan's delegation won nine gold medals.

In which team sport did Japan win a gold medal?

View explanation

Japan's women's softball team, including pitcher Yukiko Ueno, won gold at Beijing 2008. The women's football team finished fourth, while the baseball and women's volleyball teams did not win medals, making softball the team-sport gold in this list.

Problem 10

In June 2009, the WHO raised the alert for influenza A(H1N1) to phase 6 and announced that a pandemic had begun. In the same statement, it assessed the pandemic's global severity at that time as moderate.

Why can the descriptions “pandemic” and “moderate” both be accurate?

View explanation

The move to phase 6 in 2009 was based on sustained community transmission across more than one WHO region—a measure of geographical spread. Pandemic did not automatically mean the highest fatality level, and the WHO separately assessed global severity at that time as moderate.