2021 Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A traveler observing the 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption on La Palma would have been in territory belonging to which country?
Spain
Italy
Portugal
Greece
2. News reports showed the container ship Ever Given wedged across a major trade route in March 2021. Which waterway was blocked?
Panama Canal
Kiel Canal
Suez Canal
Corinth Canal
3. The television series “Squid Game” became an international phenomenon in 2021. In which country was it produced?
Japan
Thailand
South Korea
Singapore
4. Who became chancellor of Germany in December 2021, succeeding Angela Merkel?
Christian Lindner
Frank-Walter Steinmeier
Armin Laschet
Olaf Scholz
5. At the start of 2021, the United Kingdom left the European single market and customs union. A shipment crossing from France into England was therefore entering the external customs boundary of which organization?
NATO
The European Union
The eurozone
The United Nations
6. On January 6, 2021, proceedings at the U.S. Capitol were interrupted. What constitutional process was Congress conducting?
Confirming a new Supreme Court justice
Voting on a presidential impeachment article
Counting and certifying Electoral College votes
Approving the annual federal budget
7. Which two journalists shared the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize for defending freedom of expression?
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein
Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov
Jamal Khashoggi and Anna Politkovskaya
Christiane Amanpour and Anderson Cooper
8. COP26 brought world leaders together in 2021 to discuss climate change. Which city hosted the summit?
Paris
Madrid
Dubai
Glasgow
9. A football fan watched the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 final at Wembley in July 2021. Which national team defeated England to win the tournament?
Italy
France
Spain
Portugal
10. Who won the 2021 Formula One World Drivers' Championship?
Lewis Hamilton
Valtteri Bottas
Sergio Pérez
Max Verstappen
11. In 2021, the World Health Organization recommended the first vaccine for widespread use against which disease?
Malaria
Tuberculosis
Dengue fever
HIV/AIDS
12. When Barbados changed its constitutional status in November 2021, what did it become?
A republic with a president as head of state
A newly independent state outside the Commonwealth
An overseas territory of the United States
A federation with Trinidad and Tobago
13. The rock band Måneskin won the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest while representing which country?
Finland
France
Switzerland
Italy
14. The Summer Olympics delayed from 2020 were finally held in 2021. Which city hosted them?
Beijing
Rio de Janeiro
Tokyo
Paris
15. A scientist planning to study very distant galaxies using infrared light would have welcomed the December 2021 launch of which observatory?
Hubble Space Telescope
James Webb Space Telescope
Chandra X-ray Observatory
Kepler Space Telescope
16. Which NASA rover landed in Mars's Jezero Crater in February 2021?
Curiosity
Perseverance
Opportunity
Spirit