Illustration of an office being emptied, with a 401(k) document left behind in a desk drawer

Imagezoo/Getty Images

Weekly News Quiz

Brush up on the biggest news stories of the past week

Randy Lilleston

Published February 10, 2022

8 Questions

Weekly News Quiz

[ {
  "question" : "We recently published an article analyzing taxes in various states. For a couple in their 50s, making $70,000 in total wages and owning a $300,000 home, which of these states has the highest total state tax bill?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "California",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Florida",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Illinois",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The couple would pay $10,176 in total state taxes — more than twice that of second-place California, at $5,038. The calculation includes income, sales and property taxes.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "True or false? The Internal Revenue Service is implementing a plan to allow taxpayers to verify their identities on its website via facial recognition technology.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "True",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "False",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The IRS was implementing such a plan but has backed away after criticism from lawmakers and privacy advocates.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Carole King is a famous songwriter. John Williams is a famous composer. We wrote about each one when they had milestone birthdays. Who's older?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Carole King",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "John Williams",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Williams just turned 90 and King just turned 80.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "A recent Stanford-led study suggests that methane leaking from gas-burning stoves in the U.S. has the same impact on the environment as the carbon dioxide emitted from this many gasoline-powered cars.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "100,000",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "250,000",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "375,000",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "500,000",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "The 2022 Academy Awards nominations were recently announced. Three performers over 50 were nominated for best actor in a leading role. Which one of these wasn't?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Denzel Washington",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Marvin Suggs",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Will Smith",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Javier Bardem",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Smith, 53, is the ninth person to be nominated for actor and producer Oscars in the same film for his work in \"King Richard.\"",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "On Feb. 7, this country announced it will open its borders Feb. 21 to foreign travelers who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Australia",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "New Zealand",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Thailand",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Singapore",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Australia often has required even returning residents to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks upon arrival.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "How much money was in the approximately 24 million 401(k) accounts left behind at previous employers as of May 2021, according to a study we recently cited?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "$420 billion",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "$810 billion",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "$1.35 trillion",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "$1.82 trillion",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The average balance in those accounts was $55,400, the study reported.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "According to a recent AARP survey, what percentage of people 50 and older who have been able to work from home during the pandemic would prefer to continue to do so?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "34%",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "51%",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "66%",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "77%",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The survey found that proximity to a planned retirement age may have played a bigger role in the decision-making of older adults.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

Quiz Progress

0 Correct

0 Incorrect

get help and give help through AARP Community Connections

Caption for quiz image

Credit for quiz image

NEED A HINT?

CLOSE HINT

CORRECT

INCORRECT

Answer:

Weekly News Quiz

0 Correct

0 Incorrect

Score:

Take last week's news quiz, and discover ways to earn points with AARP Rewards.

Oops...something went wrong. Please log out and log back in to continue.

Randy Lilleston is the home page editor for aarp.org. He previously served as editor-in-chief for business news publisher Industry Dive and was a senior digital editor for NPR, USA Today and CNN.