The United States is the top seller of arms and weaponry to other nations. But the gap between the United States and the second-ranking nation is not as great as you might think. We wonder: Over the past five years, which nation was the world’s second-largest arms exporter?
A. China
B. Israel
C. Germany
D. Russia
The world that we are all so familiar with is rapidly changing before our eyes. It’s no longer the case that the richest countries have the largest economies. To see how much the world is changing, ask yourself which of the following statements is true:
A. Indonesia’s economy is larger than the UK’s?
B. Brazil’s economy is larger than France’s?
C. India’s economy is larger than Japan’s?
D. Russia’s economy is larger than Germany’s?
Only two of this year’s 13 Nobel prizewinners were born in the United States. This made 2014 something of an unusual year for the nation that is the largest recipient of Nobel Prizes in the history of the honor. We wonder: Which country has produced the second-most Nobel prizewinners in history?
A. United Kingdom
B. Japan
C. Norway
D. Poland
Poverty is one of the most significant impediments to academic success. However, some nations do a better job than others in overcoming that hurdle. We wonder: Which of the following countries are above the OECD average when it comes to ensuring the academic success of their disadvantaged children?
A. United States
B. Germany
C. Japan
D. Vietnam
The United States spends more on defense than any other nation. With new challenges looming, there is a growing debate over whether it should be higher still. We wonder: How does U.S. defense spending at its highest level under President Obama compare to the peak under Ronald Reagan, when the United States was engaged in an arms race with the Soviet Union?
A. 20% lower
B. About the same
C. 10% higher
D. 30% higher