Politics quiz: 20 questions for the political events of 2020

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Undoubtedly, COVID-19 is the key word of 2020, which has affected almost every part of the world, with many events postponed or canceled. Politics is not an exception, but the virus failed in silencing it — the political symphony is still playing.

CGTN reviewed 20 major political events that happened throughout the year. Take the quiz to see how much you know before checking the answers at the end of the article.

January

1. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in an airstrike in Iraq, was ______.

A. An Iranian major general

B. A nuclear scientist

C. An ambassador

D. A spy

On January 3, a U.S. airstrike on Baghdad's international airport killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis among others. The Pentagon confirmed the airstrike, saying U.S. President Donald Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani.

2.Who won the 2020 leadership election in Taiwan?

A. Sandra Yu

B. James Soong Chu-yu

C. Chang San-cheng

D. Tsai Ing-wen

Elections for Taiwan's leader and legislative body were held concurrently on January 11.

Tsai Ing-wen, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), and her running mate Lai Ching-te won Taiwan's leadership election and among the 113 seats in the island's legislature, the DPP garnered 61 seats while the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party got 38.

Will Taiwan elections bring new opportunities for cross-Strait ties?

Anti-Brexit protesters in front of Downing Street in London, UK, January 8, 2020. /Reuters

3. Britons voted in favor of Brexit in what year?

A. 2020

B. 2019

C. 2016

D. 2018

The United Kingdom officially left the European Union at the end of the January, making the country the first to leave the 28-member bloc since 1973. On June 23, 2016, about 17.4 million Britons voted in favor of Brexit, triggering political and market turmoil in the UK.

February

4. Former South Korean President Lee Muyung-bak was convicted of set of corruption charges, including bribery and embezzlement in connection with his brother's auto parts company DAS. How many years was his sentence?

A. 15

B. 16

C. 17

D. 20

At the second hearing on February 19, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Lee Myung-bak, who served as the country's head of state from early 2008 to 2012, to 17 years in prison and a fine of 13 billion won ($11 million). The Seoul High Court also decided to lift Lee's bail, taking him back to custody. In March 2019, Lee was released on bail on health concerns.

March

5. How much money did the G20 decide to contribute to global fight against COVID-19?

A. $5 trillion

B. $20 trillion

C. $1 trillion

D. $5 million

The G20 Extraordinary Virtual Leaders' Summit on COVID-19 via video link in Beijing, China, March 26, 2020. /Xinhua

The G20 countries agreed to inject over $5 trillion into the global economy as part of targeted fiscal policy, economic measures and guarantee schemes to counteract the social, economic and financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. Who was the first major world leader confirmed to have COVID-19?

A. Jair Bolsonaro

B. Boris Johnson

C. Alexander Lukashenko

D. Donald Trump

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tested positive for coronavirus at the end of March. He confirmed the test result on Twitter and continued to lead the government's response to the virus while in self-isolation.

How are world leaders living through COVID-19?

April

7. How long was Wuhan, the former epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China, under lockdown?

A. Five weeks

B. Two months

C. 72 days

D. 76 days

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks at Huoshenshan Hospital after arriving in Wuhan, China, March 10, 2020. /Xinhua

On March 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to resolutely fight for a victory in the war against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) during his inspection in the outbreak epicenter Wuhan, of central China's Hubei Province. On April 8, the city ended its 76 days of lockdown and reopened.

Read more:

76 days in Wuhan: The dawn is at hand

How Xi Jinping leads China's war against COVID-19

Xi Jinping's key words on COVID-19: People, response and confidence

8. The U.S. announced it would halt funding to the ______ on April 14.

A. World Health Organization (WHO)

B. UN Human Rights Council

C. NATO

D. Open Skies Treaty

U.S. President Donald Trump instructed his administration to halt funding to the WHO over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, saying the WHO had "failed in its basic duty and it must be held accountable."

May

9. What did the Black man George Floyd shout before he was killed by the police?

A. "Help!"

B. "It hurts!"

C. "Please, I can't breathe!"

D. "No!"

George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for several minute as Floyd pleaded for his life and other officers watched on. His death prompted waves of angry and sometimes violent protests in cities across the U.S. and around the world.

People light candles at a growing memorial to victims of police violence, including George Floyd, inside what is being called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle, June 11, 2020. /AP

How do Americans view George Floyd's killing, protests and Trump's response?

June

10. The People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region was passed by China's top legislature on June ______ .

A. 30

B. 1

C. 4

D. 20

Chinese lawmakers voted unanimously to adopt national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on June 30, a "resolute" effort taken by the central government that makes secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces illegal.

Nine key questions on national security legislation for HKSAR answered

11. Which of the following about China-India border dispute is false?

A. The Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the actual control line

B. The border rift already appeared as early as April

C. To ease the tension, China and India held a commander-level meeting on June 6

D. Indian soldiers' first intrusion in the China-controlled Galwan Valley on June 15

Despite 2020 marking 70 years of diplomatic ties between China and India, the border tension heightened again in June. Troops from the world's two most populous countries engaged in a physical clash in the Galwan Valley on June 15 with casualties reported — the first time in decades that the border dispute turned deadly.

Read more:

Why India-China border clashes matter

Will new border clash impact China-India 70-year relationship?

Border dispute should not define China-India long-term relationship

Patrolling along the barbed-wire fence in Paju near the border with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Republic of Korea (ROK), June 15, 2020. /AP

12. The destroyed inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong was opened in ______ to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.

A. 2010

B. 2019

C. 2018

D. 2017

The inter-Korean liaison office in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) border city of Kaesong was blown up at 2:49 p.m. local time on June 16. An explosion was heard and smoke was seen rising from a joint industrial complex in the city. The liaison office was opened in September 2018 to facilitate inter-Korean exchange and cooperation amid the reconciliatory mood created by summit talks between the leaders on both sides.

July

13. The United States on July 21 ordered China to close its consulate in ______ within 72 hours, escalating tensions between the two countries.

A. Washington, D.C.

B. Houston, Texas

C. New York City, NY

D. Chicago, IL

The U.S. abruptly asked China to close its Consulate General in Houston in 72 hours starting July 21. The move, according to U.S. State Department was to "protect Americans' intellectual property and private information." The unilateral announcement escalated tensions between China and the U.S. to an unprecedented level.

Criticism from intl. experts on Houston consulate closure

August

14. The then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned due to ______.

A. Personal reasons

B. Economic reasons

C. Political reasons

D. Health reasons

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the country's longest-serving leader, announced at a press conference that he decided to step down due to health reasons. The 65-year-old politician battled ulcerative colitis disease for years, and two recent hospital visits within a week had fanned questions on whether he could stay in the job until the end of his term as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), and hence, prime minister, in September 2021.

September

15. Azerbaijan and Armenia clashed over in the Nagorno-Karabakh region on September 27. The fighting was the worst since a ______ that killed about 30,000 people and ended with a ceasefire that has been violated repeatedly.

A. 1991-94 war

B. 1991-93 war

C. 1990-93 war

D. 1991-95 war

On September 27, conflict broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement and taking the lead in launching a military offensive. Subsequently, both countries declared a state of war. Armenia announced a general mobilization. Azerbaijan announced partial mobilization. To this day, the two countries still hold different opinions about each other's and their own war losses and combat progress.

Yoshihide Suga, new president of Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), gestures before a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, September 14, 2020. /Xinhua

16. How old is the new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga?

A. 68

B. 71

C. 72

D. 65

Yoshihide Suga took office as Japan's newly elected prime minister on September 16, forming a Cabinet of familiar faces as he pledged to stay the course set by his predecessor Shinzo Abe. At his first news conference as prime minister, Suga said the immediate focus would be reviving the battered economy while keeping the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

He has pledged to pursue many of Abe's programs, including his signature "Abenomics" economic strategy, and forge ahead with structural reforms, including deregulation and streamlining bureaucracy.

In The Spotlight: From farmer's boy to Tokyo pinnacle: The rise of Yoshihide Suga

October

17. China has been elected to the Human Rights Council ______ times.

A. Five

B. Six

C. Two

D. Four

China on October 13 was elected as a member of the Human Rights Council for the term 2021-2023 in the election held at the 75th United Nations General Assembly. China was previously elected to the Human Rights Council in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2020.

Read more:

Does China care about human rights?

18. Which of the following about China's five-year plans is false?

A. The first five-year plan started in 1954

B. The year 2020 is the last year of the 13th Five-Year Plan

C. The plan period (2021-2025) will mark the first five years of China's new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country.

D. The five-year plan is a major feature of China's governance system

The 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded its fifth plenary session in Beijing on October 29 with the release of a communique. The 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035 are the key topics of the communique.

Graphics: 'Development' tops communique of 19th CPC Central Committee's 5th plenum

The roadmap of China's 14th Five-Year Plan

November

19. President-elect Joe Biden, who will be ______ when he is sworn in, will be the oldest president elected in the U.S. Trump, now 74, previously set the record when he took office at the age of 70.

A. 71

B. 72

C. 75

D. 78

U.S. Democrat Joe Biden was declared winner of the U.S. presidency on November 8 after claiming victory in both Pennsylvania and Nevada. President Donald Trump – becoming the first one-term president since George H. W. Bush at the start of the 1990s.

President-elect Joe Biden stands with his nominees for his national security team at his transition headquarters in the Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., November 24, 2020. /Reuters

In comparison to other recent presidential victors, Biden's Electoral College vote total was less than both of Barack Obama's wins (332 in 2012 and 365 in 2008) but more than both of George W. Bush's (286 in 2004 and 271 in 2000).

Read more:

U.S. Election 2020

December

20. Chinese President Xi Jinping said China would become a carbon-neutral country by 2060 in September, and vowed further commitments for the year ______ at the Climate Ambition Summit held on December 12.

A. 2060

B. 2050

C. 2040

D. 2030

Heads of state and government from over 70 countries took part in the virtual Climate Ambition Summit – hosted by Britain, France, Italy, Chile and the United Nations – and announced greater efforts in cutting the greenhouse gas emissions that fuel global warming. China said it would lower its carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by over 65 percent from the 2005 level, increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to around 25 percent, increase the forest stock volume by 6 billion cubic meters from the 2005 level, and bring its total installed capacity of wind and solar power to over 1.2 billion kilowatts for 2030 at the summit.

Climate Ambition Summit: world leaders look for new momentum

Correct answers:

Questions 1-5: A,D,C,C,A

Questions 6-10: B,D,A,C,A

Questions 11-15: D,C,B,D,A

Questions 16-20: B,A,A,D,D

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