Test Your News I.Q.
Normally I run “Test Your News I.Q” quizzes only quarterly. But 2024 has been such a bizarre year – especially since the presidential race heated up – that I think I owe it to readers to provide a chance for you to find out if you’ve actually been paying attention to world events as the election nears. So put on your thinking caps!
1. Most of us have read about the supposed dangers of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) – how, for example, it can be used to imitate a person’s voice to make it seem as though political candidates said things they never said. Which of the things below are actual examples of A.I. being used recently?
a) A company called Skip is marketing MO/GO hiking pants, which use an A.I.-powered motorized exoskeleton on the pant legs designed to give hikers 40% more power to aid in steep ascents or descents.
b) On his Truth social media platform, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image showing himself and Taylor Swift dancing together at a party at his Mar-a-Lago resort, implying her support of his candidacy.
c) An investigation by “Sports Illustrated” uncovered the fact that the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates roster – with the exception of rookie phenom pitcher Paul Skenes – is made up of A.I.- powered automatons salvaged from the deactivated Chuck E. Cheese Munch’s Make Believe Band.
2. Scientists studying Vincent van Gogh’s artwork recently made several amazing discoveries. Which of these did they reveal in a scholarly journal?
a) Vincent didn’t actually cut off a portion of his ear, he merely put a bandage on it to elicit sympathy.
b) The Dutch artist is believed to have revealed an advanced knowledge of airflow and fluid dynamics in his use of swirling brushstrokes in his famous painting, “Starry Night.”
c) The van Gogh estate should sue singer Don McClean for using “Starry Night” as inspiration for his song “Vincent” without permission.
3. More from the field of science! Researchers attempting to chart the Earth’s climate changes over the past 485 million years discovered extreme shifts in highs and lows and temperatures much hotter than had been realized. What caused some near-“mass extinction” events over our planet’s long history?
a) Uncontrolled greenhouse gas emissions from the Slate Stone and Gravel Co., where Fred Flintstone worked in the Mesolithic period, wiped out the towns of Bedrock and Hollyrock 11,000 years ago.
b) Footstomping by fans of the Antediluvian rock band the Pillars of Hercules during a concert in Atlantis caused the island nation to sink beneath the waves of the Atlantic Ocean 12,000 years ago.
c) Rapid and dramatic temperature swings destroyed almost 90% of life on Earth around 250 million years ago.
4. Wisconsin-based spice manufacturer Penzeys is the target of backlash sparked by Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to the chain’s Pittsburgh location almost two weeks ago. Spurred on by Donald Trump and FOX News commentators, Republicans and other conservatives began posting negative reviews of Penzeys on YELP and unsubscribing from the firm’s email list. What has been some other fallout from the incident?
a) The business has been swamped with orders, and far more people signed up for the email newsletter than unsubscribed.
b) In the upcoming movie “Dune 3,” which involves a war for control of the spice that covers the planet Arakis, the last name of hero Paul Atreides will be changed to “Penzey.”
c) Pittsburgh Steelers quarterbacks will begin rubbing Penzeys Aleppo Pepper on their hands in an effort to make opposing players sneeze while attempting to sack them.