| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| During this person’s twenties, they were involved with the militant group Comando de Libertação [[lee-behr-tah-SAO]] Nacional, which resulted in a three-year imprisonment for a charge of subversion. This person served as the chair of Petrobras from 2003 to 2010, and simultaneously was Lula da Silva’s chief of staff from 2005 to 2010. This person democratized electricity access in her country through the Luz Para Todos program. For the point, name this first female Brazilian president, who was in office from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office in 2016. | Dilma Rousseff (or Dilma Vana Rousseff) |
| This man won the first season of a version of a show known as The Pyramid that was broadcast on Pink TV. With Zoran Zaev and another prime minister, this man signed an agreement creating a Mini Schengen Zone. Standing at 6 foot 6 inches in height, this leader succeeded Tomislav Nikolić [[NEE-koh-litch]] in his current post, and this man's country hosted a summit in Novi Sad that declared the Open Balkan policy. Once serving as Minister of Information under Slobodan Milosevic [[mee-LOH-seh-vitch]], for the point, who is this current president of Serbia? | Aleksandar Vučić [[WOO-chitch]] (be very lenient on pronunciation) |
| This journalist wrote Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qaeda's Newest Center in 2003 about the emergence of terrorism in Southeast Asia. In 2012, this journalist co-founded Rappler, an online news website which frequently criticizes government corruption in the Philippines, fights misinformation, and documents the Philippine drug war. For the point, name this journalist who, with Dmitry Muratov [[MYOO-rah-toff]], was the joint winner of the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize, the first Filipino Nobel Laureate. | Maria Ressa (or Maria Angelita Ressa) |
| A special television program called The Giving of Love was broadcast in the aftermath of this event, which led to the creation of the Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign. The Jin Mao Tower was evacuated, but over 69,000 people died during this event. One trillion renminbi were dedicated to rebuilding efforts in areas affected by this event that resulted in major damage to highways in Wenchuan. Occurring in 2008 along the Yingxiu- Beichuan fault, for the point, what was this natural disaster, often named for a province with capital at Chengdu? | 2008 Sichuan earthquake (accept Wènchuān dà dìzhèn; accept Great Wenchuan earthquake; accept Great Sichuan earthquake) |
| In this year, Slobodan Milošević [[mee-LOH-sheh-vitch]], former president of Serbia, was put on trial in front of the UN War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. During this year, Jiang Zemin retired as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and was replaced by Hu Jintao. This year was marked by Timor-Leste’s independence from Indonesia and its entry into the United Nations. For the point, name this year in which the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah. | |
| The winner of the second season of this show wrote about a set of ten leadership principles from his time in the military titled Take Command. A competitor on this show, who later went on to write the memoir Unhinged after being removed from her post in the Office of Public Liaison, was Omarosa Manigault Newman. The first episode of the first season of this show was titled "Meet the Billionaire." Immortalizing the words "you're fired," for the point, what is this business-themed reality TV show, originally starring Donald Trump? | The Apprentice (do not accept or prompt on "Celebrity Apprentice") |
| A screenplay by this man served as the inspiration for an Oliver Hermanus film focusing on a bureaucrat's last days in 1950s London titled Living. Wistan fends off a group of ogres and kills Sir Gawain in a work by this author set after the death of King Arthur. In that work, a form of selective memory loss is experienced by such characters as Axl and Beatrice. In 2010, a musical adaptation was made of a work by this author set at the residence of a Nazi supporter, Lord Darlington. For the point, name this British Nobel Laureate and author of The Buried Giant and The Remains of the Day. | Kazuo Ishiguro |
| The largest city in this province hosted both the 2019 FIBA Basketball Cup and the 2010 Asian Games. In addition to Beijing and Shanghai, a city in this province is home to one of the three main stock exchanges of Mainland China. Huizhou is located in this province, where rises in demand for manufacturing have led to labor shortages in the Pearl River Delta that this province shares with two special administrative regions. Containing Shenzhen, for the point, what is this province of South China containing Guangzhou? | Guangdong (accept Canton; accept Kwangtung) |
| This justice wrote the majority opinion in a case arising from the unveiling of a banner at a high school that read "BONG HITS 4 JESUS." This author of that opinion in Morse v. Frederick also authored another majority opinion ruling against the warrantless search and seizure of cell phones during traffic stops as well the one for Shelby County v. Holder. Becoming a member of the Court in 2005, this man rose to his current post after the retirement of William Rehnquist. For the point, name this current Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. | John Roberts (or John Glover Roberts, Jr.) |
| One author from this modern-day country had his play The Art of Asking retracted from the Comédie-Française due to his support for Serbian extremists. A member of this country's Communist Party wrote The Piano Teacher, which earned him the 2004 Nobel Prize in Literature. A goalkeeper provides an allegorical representation of uncertainty in a novel by this country's Peter Handke [[HAHN-kuh]], which was adapted by Wim Wenders into a film depicting American influence on West Germany. For the point, name this Central European country whose novelists often write about Vienna. | Republic of Austria (accept Republik Oesterreich) |
| A satirical parody of those advocating this goal is the Tabarnia movement. In 2014, a declaration regarding this goal was declared unconstitutional by one country's Constitutional Court, while a "right to decide" clause notably was not. The ERC and Popular Unity Candidacy are among the parties that support this cause advocated by Carles Puigdemont [[KAR-less POOD-zah-mohn]] and Oriol Junqueras [[jooh-KEH-rahs]]. In 2017, protests took place in La Rambla after the arrest of advocates of this cause. For the point, name this movement, seeking independence of a region containing Barcelona. | Catalan independence (accept Independentismo catalán; accept Independentisme català; or Catalonian independence; accept clear-knowlege equivalents) |
| During this event, the MRTV station's broadcast signal was cut off, and interest groups behind the Union Solidarity and Development Party's poor electoral showing came to power. Live footage of this event was captured to the sounds of the song "Ampun Bang Jago" in a viral video of Khing Hnin Wai demonstrating an aerobics routine. Myint Swe was named acting president by the Tatmadaw after this event. For the point, identify this event in which the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's [[SOO-CHEES]] government. | 2021 Coup in Burma (or 2021 Coup in Myanmar; accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |
| In connection with this event, Dean Baquet [[bah-KEH]] claimed, "We live in different press worlds" to explain the publication of a backpack photograph. Salman Ramadan Abedi carried out this attack, after which local gurdwaras provided shelter to victims. Over 14,000 people were in attendance at the central venue of this event, which occurred during the Dangerous Woman Tour of Ariana Grande. Resulting in 23 deaths, for the point, what was this terrorist attack on a venue in the U.K.'s second-largest city? | Manchester Arena Bombing (accept clear-knowledge equivalents) |
| The man who revealed these documents claimed that "the scale of the injustices they described" led him to inform Bastian Obermayer of SZ. Totaling over 11 million in number, these documents were created by Mossack Fonseca and include attorney-client details of the central individuals. Mauricio Macri and the son of Margaret Thatcher are listed in these documents, whose leak was described by Edward Snowden as the largest "in the history of data journalism." For the point, name these papers with information about offshore entities. | Panama Papers (accept Papeles de Panamá) |
| This politician claimed, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man, not CHEAT the man" in a tweet that he published on January 6. Along with Doctor Oz, this man was asked by Joe Biden to step down from his post on the President's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. "Fatherless homes" were notably criticized by this man, who published a video claiming that one state was "on [his] mind" before launching a campaign against Raphael Warnock. For the point, name this former NFL running back and Trumpist Republican who is currently running for a Senate seat in Georgia. | Herschel Walker |
| Though not Jean Baudrillard [[boh-dree-YARD]], this man analyzed 9/11 through the lens of postmodernism in his work Welcome to the Desert of the Real. This thinker claimed that communism presents a solution to the titular event in his 2020 book Pandemic! COVID-19 Shakes the World. This man supports a political party in his home country called Levica [[leh-VEE-suh]], which translates to "The Left." In a debate titled "Happiness: Capitalism vs. Marxism," this man represented the latter side against a Canadian psychology professor. For the point, name this “Elvis of cultural theory,” a contemporary Slovenian philosopher. | Slavoj Žižek [[SLAH-voh ZHEE-zhek]] (be lenient on pronunciation) |
| Thomas Hazlett wrote a work titled The Fallacy of [this concept]. A $15,000 fine levied in the Madison River case is often seen as an early enforcement of this concept and involved a service called Vonage. A rollback on a 2015 "Open Order" attempted to curb the influence of the FCC on this concept, which attempts to prevent discrimination by ISPs. A 2010 MetroPCS deal to allow for unlimited YouTube was often seen as a violation of this concept. For the point, name this concept in which all Internet data is treated equally. | Net neutrality (accept Network neutrality; accept The Fallacy of Net Neutrality) |
| In 2018, Mahathir Mohamad cancelled more than $22 billion worth of projects that were to occur as part of this project before supporting it a year later. A component of one man's "Major Country Diplomacy," this program is described as a means "to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a brighter future." A railway connection between Mombasa and Nairobi was built as part of this program which notably places emphasis on Africa. With a name inspired by a Central Asian trade route, for the point, what is this initiative, characterized by heavy foreign investment by China? | Belt and Road Initiative (accept BRI; accept B&R; accept One Belt One Road; accept OBOR) |
| The developments of post-World War One cinema in this country were the subject of a work titled Being [this country]. A religious leader who claimed to have been Sabbatai Zevi's reincarnation served as the inspiration of a novel from this country titled The Book of Jacob, written by the 2018 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. 2015 marks the year of the death of an author who wrote a trilogy titled for a city in this country that included Dog Years and a work focusing on Oskar Matzerath. For the point, name this country which provided the setting of Günter Grass's Danzig Trilogy. | Republic of Poland (or Rzeczpospolita Polska; accept Being Poland) |
| A group of 150 lecturers at this university made a collective statement claiming that a certain decision “undermines us all." A similar effort regarding an object created in the likeness of Edward Colson contributed to efforts in South Africa aiming to tear down this university's statue of an alumnus of its Oriel College. That aforementioned campaign regarding this university often included the slogan "Rhodes Must Fall." For the point, name this prestigious university in the United Kingdom that rivals Cambridge. | University of Oxford (accept Oxford University) |
| This man's government came under scrutiny for the supposed leniency of a fifteen- day suspension given after a protestor was beaten in the Benalla affair. The Penelopegate scandal helped this man obtain his current office, before which he served as Minister of Economics, Industry, and Digital Affairs. Officially a Co-Prince of Andorra, this man's prime minister is Édouard Philippe, who had previously represented a constituency of the Seine- Maritime. Succeeding François Hollande, for the point, who is this current French president? | Emmanuel Macron (or Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron) |
| Numerous minorities in this country have coalesced under the Movement for Rights and Freedoms Party. More than 80 percent of the distribution of print media in this country is controlled by a group led by Delyan Peevski, one of its non-Russian oligarchs. The town of Pernik is home to the largest iteration of a celebration in this country, where men dress up in animal skins, wearing masks resembling monsters. Home to the Kukeri Festival, for the point, what is this Balkan country to the south of Romania with capital at Sofia? | Republic of Bulgaria (or Republika Bulgaria) |
| For playing two clips of this man speaking, Lindsay Shepherd was disciplined for allegedly creating a "toxic climate" during a communications class. This man launched a YouTube series against a bill that aimed to foster "gender identity and expression" known as Bill C-16. A call to "Make friends with people who want the best for you" is among the titular 12 Rules for Life published by this holder of a doctorate from McGill University. A noted critic of political correctness, for the point, who is this popular conservative Canadian clinical psychologist? | Jordan Peterson (or Jordan Bernt Peterson) |
| With Denmark, this country initiated a campaign against fossil fuels known as BOGA, or the "Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance." After severing its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, this country received China's assistance in building a $100 million stadium in its capital's Parque Metropolitano La Sabana. Óscar Arias served as president of this most-visited country by tourists in Central America. Inhabited by ticos, for the point, what is this country, south of Nicaragua, with a name meaning "Rich Coast”? | Republic of Costa Rica (accept República de Costa Rica) |
| The Treasury's planning for the possibility of one form of this process occurred during Operation Yellowhammer. By the terms of the TEU, this process was started when one nation made use of Article 50. Participation in the single market continued after this event which, due to a 2020 treaty's signing, avoided the no-deal variety. David Cameron resigned after a referendum voted in support of this event, leading to the election of Theresa May. For the point, name this event in which a country decided to leave a certain group of nations. | Brexit (accept Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and similar answers; accept UK or Great Britain in place of United Kingdom; accept clear- knowledge equivalents) |
| During the negotiations for this agreement, 1,500 prisoners were released as part of a March 10 decree that included the condition that said prisoners would not continue fighting. Among the stipulations of this agreement was the closure of five bases and a reduction from 13,000 to 8,600 troops within 135 days. Zalmay Khalilzad helped negotiate this deal, signed in Doha in 2020. Contributing to an August 15, 2021 national seizure of Kabul, for the point, what was this agreement, signed between a Western nation and an organization that currently holds power in Afghanistan? | US–Taliban deal (accept synonymous wording; accept American Withdrawal from Afghanistan; accept Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan; accept Doha Agreement before "Doha" is mentioned; accept United States, USA, or America in place of US; accept Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in place of Taliban before mentioned) |
| In a speech given in this country, one man claimed that he “almost perished because [he] had to pretend for eighteen months that we were governing." Profanity was notably used in that 2006 speech before this country's Socialist Party's Congress. The term "Christian illiberal democracy" was used to describe the government of a leader of this country, from which Central European University relocated. The Fidesz [[fee-DESH] party holds power in this country, currently led by Viktor Orban. For the point, name this country where Magyars live in cities like Budapest. | Hungary (accept Magyarország) |
| The Supreme Court case Bucklew v. Precythe found that these people needed to determine whether an alternative to one practice meets certain criteria to avoid a particular procedure. The term "undercaste" is used in a book by Michelle Alexander focusing on the condition of these people "in the Age of Colorblindness." It’s not a racial group, but Pecos, Texas is home to the largest private location that houses these people, who were the subject of the book The New Jim Crow. For the point, name these people who are subject to incarceration. | Prisoners (accept the Incarcerated before mentioned; accept Convicts and other synonyms; accept answers relating to prisoners among specific people groups; prompt on "criminal (s)”) |
| In 2015, this city launched the first underwater storage system of compressed air energy, which was known as Hydrostor. After representing Ward 2 in Etobicoke [[eh-TOH- bih-koke]] North as city councilor, a mayor of this city was embroiled in a scandal in which he was recorded using a glass pipe to smoke crack cocaine. The 2018 Danforth shooting occurred in this city for which John Tory succeeded Rob Ford as mayor. This city is where the Lieutenant Governor of a province containing Scarborough and Mississauga resides. For the point, name this largest city in Ontario. | Toronto |
| After 9/11, Edward Egan returned to New York, allowing this man to replace him at the Synod of Bishops. This man worked as a bouncer and a janitor before joining the Society of Jesus in 1958. This man's 2015 encyclical, Laudato si', was published in nine languages, including Latin, to highlight the contribution consumerism has made toward global warming. For the point, name this incumbent pope of the Catholic Church, known for his progressive policies. | Pope Francis (accept Jorge Mario Bergoglio) |
| On the eve of this year, the United States returned the Panama Canal to Panama, after controlling it for 75 years. In this year, Hillary Clinton was elected as a US Senator from New York, becoming the first sitting First Lady to win an election. For the point, name this year in which the U.S. Supreme Court voted to end the recount in Bush v. Gore, effectively making George W. Bush the 43rd president of the United States. |