San Diego — Designated Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge is the former governor of which state?

a. Idaho

b. Kansas

c. Pennsylvania

d. Maryland

2. On November 25, 2002, the San Diego City Council approved reinstating red-light cameras. The previous fines for running a red light at camera sites was $271. What will the new fines be when the cameras begin operating in April?

a. the same

b. $324

c. $300

d. $197

3. When the San Diego City Council recently rejected an offer from the Chargers to conduct private talks about their lease with the city, which four councilmembers voted to talk with the Chargers?

a. Atkins, Inzunza, Frye, and Murphy

b. Zucchet, Atkins, Murphy, and Lewis

c. Peters, Murphy, Zucchet, and Inzunza

d. Lewis, Murphy, Peters, and Inzunza

4. Which U.S. bank announced a deal in December to pay $1.6 billion for 25 percent of Mexico's third largest bank, Grupo Financiero Santander Serfin?

a. Bank of America

b. Wells Fargo

c. Chase Manhattan Bank

d. Union Bank

5. During a recent U.S. Supreme Court session in which First Amendment rights and cross burning were debated, reporters took note that one justice who usually remains silent during arguments asked several pointed questions. Which justice was it?

a. Steven Breyer

b. Clarence Thomas

c. Ruth Bader Ginsberg

d. John Paul Stevens

6. Former senate majority leader Trent Lott came under intense criticism and eventually resigned his leadership post because of his recent remarks supporting Strom Thurmond's presidential campaign for the segregationist "Dixiecrat" Party. What year did Thurmond run for president?

a. 1952

b. 1944

c. 1948

d. 1956

7. Who is the current president of Afghanistan?

a. Hamid Karzai

b. Burhanuddin Rabani

c. Ahmed Ghotekhu

d. Mohammed Karzi-Al Hassan

8. Next to California, which state has the most Democrats in its statewide elective offices?

a. Minnesota

b. Louisiana

c. Massachusetts

d. West Virginia

9. Which two teams played in the first Holiday Bowl game in 1978?

a. Navy and BYU

b. BYU and SMU

c. Navy and Air Force

d. SDSU and Ohio State

10. President Bush announced in December that the U.S. would have a missile-defense system in place by what year?

a. 2004

b. 2006

c. 2008

d. 2003

11. The UN Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission is headed by Hans Blix. Blix is a native of what country?

a. the Netherlands

b. Luxembourg

c. Sweden

d. Belgium

12. Smallpox is which of the following?

a. bacteria

b. virus

c. fungus

d. prion

13. What is the projected complication rate for the newly released smallpox vaccines?

a. 200 complications and 2 deaths per million

b. 100 complications and 1 death per million

c. 50 complications and 5 deaths per million

d. 15 complications and 1 death per million

14. Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon recently announced his belief that Iraq was stockpiling chemical and biological weapons in which nearby country?

a. Lebanon

b. Jordan

c. Syria

d. Egypt

15. Declassified documents reveal that President Nixon issued a secret worldwide nuclear alert in October of 1969. His objective was to scare the Soviet Union into forcing concessions from what country?

a. Cambodia

b. North Vietnam

c. Laos

d. South Vietnam

16. Which of the following TV shows was not in the Nielsen ratings' top ten during Christmas week?

a. Law and Order

b. Survivor

c. 60 Minutes

d. Friends

17. San Diego State made one Holiday Bowl appearance in 1986, losing to Iowa 39-38. The head coach of the Aztecs was which of the following men?

a. Denny Stolz

b. Doug Scovil

c. Al Luginbill

d. Claude Gilbert

18. Which of the following was the top-selling toy for Christmas in 2002?

a. Micropet

b. Harry Potter's Chamber of Secrets

c. Lingerie Barbie

d. Barbie Rapunzel

19. What is the 2003 budget deficit projected by California's Legislative Analysts office?

a. $18 billion

b. $21 billion

c. $35 billion

d. $100 billion

20. World oil prices hit a two-year high in December, largely because of which of the following factors?

a. tensions in the Middle East

b. maintenance slowdowns on the Alaska pipeline

c. threats from al-Qaeda to blow up tankers

d. political and economic strife in Venezuela

ANSWERS:

1. c

2. b

3. d

4. a

5. b

6. c

7. a

8. d

9. a

10. a

11. c

12. b

13. d

14. c

15. b

16. c

17. a

18. d

19. c

20. d