Hey, winter's over. Think of this quiz as a current-events spring fling:
1. The Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Lindsey Graham, opened the much-awaited hearing with Attorney General William Barr by saying he:
A. Commended Barr for trying to "look on the bright side of life." B. Would be shocked if any of his fellow Republicans tried to change the subject to Hillary Clinton's emails. C. Hadn't quite finished reading the Mueller report himself.
2. Barr said he had come to think of the Mueller report as:
A. "Sort of like 'Remembrance of Things Past' without the French people." B. "Just this thing I paged through during the basketball playoffs." C. "My baby."
3. Trump declined to talk to Mueller investigators but did submit written answers to questions. On more than 30 occasions, he said only:
A. "Details belong to the dumbbells." B. He didn't remember. C. "Let me think and send you a tweet."
4. Beto O'Rourke snagged a cover story in Vanity Fair in which he declared that when it comes to running for president:
A. "I'm just born to be in it." B. "I really don't deserve all this attention yet." C. "It's more fun than campaigning against Ted Cruz."
5. Pete Buttigieg taught himself Norwegian because he wanted to:
A. Raise campaign funds from his city's extensive Norwegian community. B. Read the work of the novelist Erlend Loe in the original language. C. Depress his friends.
6. Discovering a radio interviewer was Swiss, Cory Booker admitted he could not "even say 'Swiss cheese' in Swiss." It was a little controversial because:
A. There's no such language as Swiss. B. Ever since Buttigieg got into the race, candidates are trying to pretend they're multilingual. C. Booker was on his way to a fundraising lunch hosted by managers of a Swiss hedge fund in New Jersey.
7. Bernie Sanders says he would like to see the profits from "Avengers: Endgame" go to:
A. Films that don't run over three hours. B. Better pay for Disney workers. C. A sequel in which the Marvel heroes hook up with the gang from "Game of Thrones" to socialize health care.
8. During a CNN town hall, Sanders staunchly stood up for the idea that even the most nefarious prison inmate should have the right to vote. Pressed on the same question, Kamala Harris said:
A. "Damn straight." B. "Hell no." C. "We should have that conversation."
9. Discussing whether Joe Biden was too old to run for president, Donald Trump, 72, said about himself:
A. "I'm a young, vibrant man." B. "If I look good, it's because of my vegan diet." C. "I went into business so early, I had to ratchet up my age to get loans. Actually, I'm only 57."
10. At a Wisconsin rally, Trump talked about the idea of moving immigrants at the border to sanctuary cities and said he was:
A. "Sorry people misinterpreted it as a threat." B. "Just kidding." C. "Proud to tell you that was actually my sick idea."
11. Unauthorized immigrants employed at a Trump golf course told The Washington Post they were made to:
A. Move to a sanctuary city. B. Work overtime without pay. C. Wear MAGA hats in the lunchroom.
12. During his testimony before Congress, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen said the president thinks Donald Trump Jr. has:
A. A real chance of carrying on the family banner to a second Trump presidency. B. "A great look with that new beard." C. "The worst judgment of anyone in the world."
13. Taking on social issues, Ivanka Trump said Americans:
A. Don't like a guaranteed minimum wage because they "want to work for what they get." B. Don't like guaranteed health care because "they don't want their doctors to have to fill out a lot of paperwork." C. Don't like Social Security because "they want to think of their later years as a time of adventure."
ANSWERS: 1-C; 2-C; 3-B; 4-A; 5-B; 6-A; 7-B; 8-C; 9-A; 10-C; 11-B; 12-C; 13-A
The New York Times