Welcome to The Diplomat‘s weekly quiz.
Each week, we will curate a list of 10 questions on recent events in the Asia-Pacific region (with occasional historical questions thrown in for variety).
These questions will cover all the topics we cover here at The Diplomat, including the politics, economics, security, culture, and history of the vast Asia-Pacific region.
Rest assured, the answers to each question come straight from our pages. Usually, the answer to any given quiz question will be found in a recent article we’ve run. So, as long as you keep up with The Diplomat, you should be on your way to an easy 100 percent score on each of these quizzes.
You’ll get to see your score and the average score across all our readers at the end of the quiz.
Well? What are you waiting for? Have a go at our quiz and find out just how well you know the Asia-Pacific this week.
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Question 1 of 10
1. Question
Which country will dispatch a helicopter carrier to join an exercise with the U.S., Japanese, and British navies in the Western Pacific later this year?
Correct
France will send one its Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to the Western Pacific later this year for military drills with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, and the U.S. Navy.
According to a source who spoke to Reuters about the drills, the “amphibious exercise will send a clear message to China.”
Incorrect
France will send one its Mistral-class amphibious assault ships to the Western Pacific later this year for military drills with the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, and the U.S. Navy.
According to a source who spoke to Reuters about the drills, the “amphibious exercise will send a clear message to China.”
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Question 2 of 10
2. Question
A military exercise between the United States and which other Asian country ended on March 23?
Correct
Incorrect
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Question 3 of 10
3. Question
What kind of missile test did North Korea carry out in early March?
Correct
Incorrect
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Question 4 of 10
4. Question
What is notable about the Whanganui River on New Zealand’s North Island?
Correct
The Whanganui River on New Zealand’s North Island has long been considered sacred by the Maori people of the region. Now, a settlement that has ended a historic struggle and has sparked widespread celebrations has given the river an extremely unique status.
The river, which is considered to be an ancestor by the Maori people, has been granted legal status and can now be represented in court. It will be represented by two guardians on behalf of the tribe and the crown.
“I know the initial inclination of some people will say it’s pretty strange to give a natural resource a legal personality,” said New Zealand’s Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson.
“But it’s no stranger than family trusts, or companies or incorporated societies.”
Incorrect
The Whanganui River on New Zealand’s North Island has long been considered sacred by the Maori people of the region. Now, a settlement that has ended a historic struggle and has sparked widespread celebrations has given the river an extremely unique status.
The river, which is considered to be an ancestor by the Maori people, has been granted legal status and can now be represented in court. It will be represented by two guardians on behalf of the tribe and the crown.
“I know the initial inclination of some people will say it’s pretty strange to give a natural resource a legal personality,” said New Zealand’s Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson.
“But it’s no stranger than family trusts, or companies or incorporated societies.”
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Question 5 of 10
5. Question
What is Wat Phra Dhammakaya?
Correct
Last month was the Thai military government’s chance to really shine; to make good on its promise to arrest the disgraced former abbot of the country’s embattled Buddhist sect, and prove it was more than bluff and bluster.
Around 4,000 police and special investigation officers had surrounded Wat Phra Dhammakaya — a 400-hectare complex shaped like a flying saucer outside Bangkok — for three weeks, blocking anyone one from entering while also restricting delivery of food and medical supplies.
Incorrect
Last month was the Thai military government’s chance to really shine; to make good on its promise to arrest the disgraced former abbot of the country’s embattled Buddhist sect, and prove it was more than bluff and bluster.
Around 4,000 police and special investigation officers had surrounded Wat Phra Dhammakaya — a 400-hectare complex shaped like a flying saucer outside Bangkok — for three weeks, blocking anyone one from entering while also restricting delivery of food and medical supplies.
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Question 6 of 10
6. Question
Which countries did Chinese Premier Li Keqiang visit in late-March?
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Incorrect
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Question 7 of 10
7. Question
Per the latest United Nations Human Development Report, which Central Asian state has the highest human development index score?
Correct
In numerous international metrics systems, the states of Central Asia often trend together toward the lower rungs of the rankings. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, for instance, sees all five Central Asian states come in among the bottom third globally. Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, meanwhile, sees only Kyrgyzstan land within the top 100 nations, and only North Korea and Eritrea scoring worse than Turkmenistan.
As such, for those looking for some silver linings from the region, last week’s release of the UN’s Human Development Report, ranking jurisdictions by Human Development Index (HDI), was a welcome round of (relatively) good news for Central Asia. Melding a HDI score from a handful of metrics — average life expectancy, mean years of schooling, etc. — the latest report, which looks at data from 2015, places Central Asian developments in a far less deleterious light than rankings elsewhere.
Leading the Central Asian contingent in the rankings, unsurprisingly, is Kazakhstan. For the second year in a row, the UN has tabbed Kazakhstan as a country with a High Human Development, with the country coming in at 56th, tying with EU-member Bulgaria and landing just ahead of the Bahamas and Malaysia.
Incorrect
In numerous international metrics systems, the states of Central Asia often trend together toward the lower rungs of the rankings. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, for instance, sees all five Central Asian states come in among the bottom third globally. Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index, meanwhile, sees only Kyrgyzstan land within the top 100 nations, and only North Korea and Eritrea scoring worse than Turkmenistan.
As such, for those looking for some silver linings from the region, last week’s release of the UN’s Human Development Report, ranking jurisdictions by Human Development Index (HDI), was a welcome round of (relatively) good news for Central Asia. Melding a HDI score from a handful of metrics — average life expectancy, mean years of schooling, etc. — the latest report, which looks at data from 2015, places Central Asian developments in a far less deleterious light than rankings elsewhere.
Leading the Central Asian contingent in the rankings, unsurprisingly, is Kazakhstan. For the second year in a row, the UN has tabbed Kazakhstan as a country with a High Human Development, with the country coming in at 56th, tying with EU-member Bulgaria and landing just ahead of the Bahamas and Malaysia.
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Question 8 of 10
8. Question
Which of the following statements about the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship the JS Izumo is not true?
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Incorrect
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Question 9 of 10
9. Question
Who is Yogi Adityanath?
Correct
On Saturday, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tapped Yogi Adityanath to take over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more than 200 million people. The party’s decision comes a week after the BJP and Modi saw their most significant electoral victory since 2014, with a dominant sweep of state assemblies in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and alliance government formation in Goa and Manipur.
Adityanath, who has consistently advocated the transformation of India into an overt Hindu nation and away from its post-colonial secularist roots, has a record of religiously charged controversial statements pitting Hindus against Muslims in India.
Incorrect
On Saturday, India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) tapped Yogi Adityanath to take over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more than 200 million people. The party’s decision comes a week after the BJP and Modi saw their most significant electoral victory since 2014, with a dominant sweep of state assemblies in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and alliance government formation in Goa and Manipur.
Adityanath, who has consistently advocated the transformation of India into an overt Hindu nation and away from its post-colonial secularist roots, has a record of religiously charged controversial statements pitting Hindus against Muslims in India.
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Question 10 of 10
10. Question
Which head of state is on a trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia in late-March 2017?
Correct
Over the weekend, French President Francois Hollande kicked off a Southeast Asian tour that will see him visit Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia in quick succession.
Hollande’s ASEAN tour began Sunday with the first leg in Singapore. Singapore and France already enjoy a broad-based relationship that covers a range of fields including trade, defense, and education and research. France has provided the city-state’s air force with space to train at Cazaux Air Base for nearly two decades, and as of last year was Singapore’s second-largest trading partner within the European Union. The two sides had further elevated their ties to a strategic partnership back in 2012.
Incorrect
Over the weekend, French President Francois Hollande kicked off a Southeast Asian tour that will see him visit Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia in quick succession.
Hollande’s ASEAN tour began Sunday with the first leg in Singapore. Singapore and France already enjoy a broad-based relationship that covers a range of fields including trade, defense, and education and research. France has provided the city-state’s air force with space to train at Cazaux Air Base for nearly two decades, and as of last year was Singapore’s second-largest trading partner within the European Union. The two sides had further elevated their ties to a strategic partnership back in 2012.