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July Fourth Weekend Quiz

I. Know your states:

A) Which of the following did NOT happen in Arizona this year?

1. Senator John McCain claimed illegal immigrants were deliberately causing fatal car crashes on Arizona highways.

2. Gov. Jan Brewer claimed illegal immigrants were beheading people and leaving the corpses in the desert.

3. Strapped for cash, the state sold its public buildings, including the Capitol.

4. State Legislature voted to require all schoolchildren to be able to recite the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

B) Which of the following did NOT happen in South Carolina this year?

1. Two Republican consultants claimed they had had sex with the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

2. Gov. Mark “Appalachian Trail” Sanford announced that he is reuniting with his ex-wife and becoming a Sikh.

3. Lieutenant governor compared government assistance to the poor with feeding stray animals.

4. Winner of Democratic Senate primary turned out to be an unemployed man facing felony charges who had never campaigned.

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II. Know your Congress:

A) Which of the following did NOT happen in the Senate this year?

1. Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama held up confirmation votes on more than 70 Obama administration appointees because he wanted two defense contracts for his home state.

2. Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky held up the confirmation of the deputy U.S. trade representative out of pique over a Canadian law banning the sale of flavored tobacco.

3. Harry Reid, the majority leader, accidentally voted No on health care bill.

4. Senate dining room had all-shrimp menu in support of gulf fishermen.

5. Republicans invoked a rule prohibiting committee meetings from running past 2 p.m.

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III. Match the lovebirds:

A) “We had several drinks. We went to dinner. We went to a couple of bars. ... It just happened.”

B) “Nobody likes that, but it may be one of the tough-love things that has to happen.”

C) “Not only did I grope him, I tickled him until he couldn’t breathe and four guys jumped on top of me.”

D) “Yes, they’re both available!”

E) “I’m actually a little nervous.”

1. Representative Eric Massa, describing his 50th birthday party with office aides.

2. Newly elected Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts, introducing his unmarried daughters to the crowd.

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Gail CollinsCredit...Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

3. Glenn Beck on his first meeting with new Fox commentator, Sarah Palin.

4. Rand Paul, the Kentucky gubernatorial candidate, on why he opposes extending unemployment benefits.

5. South Carolina Republican political consultant, claiming he had a one-night stand with a candidate for governor.

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IV. Match the apologies:

A) “I simply misremembered it wrong.”

B) “I have made mistakes, and I am sorry.”

C) “If anything I said this morning has been misconstrued ... I want to apologize for that misconstruction.”

D) “I made an insensitive comment.”

1. Representative Joe Barton, a Texas Republican, on his apology to BP for President Obama’s “shakedown.”

2. Mark Kirk, a Senate candidate in Illinois, on war record.

3. Richard Blumenthal, a Senate candidate in Connecticut, on war record.

4. Louisiana state representative who called a black campaign volunteer “Buckwheat.”

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V. Who said the following?

A. “That’s gonna leave a mark.”

1. Representative Anthony Weiner after being gored in the hand by a goat at a press conference opposing mohair goat subsidies.

2. BP executive, examining oil-soaked pelicans.

3. The House minority leader, John Boehner, describing a recent tanning bed accident.

B. “We care about the small people.”

1. BP chairman stressing his company’s commitment to oil spill victims.

2. Basketball star LeBron James, on his attachment to the fans in Cleveland.

3. Vice President Joe Biden, announcing a new jobs program for short unemployed workers.

C. “So yesterday.”

1. John McCain on his previous opposition to fence-building as a solution to the illegal immigration problem.

2. Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, urging reporters to get over the whole Appalachian Trail business

3. Carly Fiorina, Senate candidate in California, on Barbara Boxer’s hair.

D. “I am an outsider.”

1. Jeff Greene, a Florida billionaire and Senate candidate.

2. Linda McMahon, a multimillionaire yacht-owner and Senate candidate in Connecticut.

3. Tom Foley, a multimillionaire yacht-owner and former ambassador who is the Republican candidate for governor of Connecticut.

4. All of the above.

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ANSWERS: I: A-4, B-2; II: A-4; III: A-5, B-4, C-1, D-2, E-3; IV: A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4; V: A-1, B-1, C-3, D-4.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 19 of the New York edition with the headline: July Fourth Weekend Quiz. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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