What in the World?

This week in FP’s international news quiz: India celebrates Independence Day, Brazil’s election season kicks off, and Australian political secrets are unleashed.

By , a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.
Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a crowd
Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a crowd
Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a crowd from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the celebrations to mark India's Independence Day in New Delhi on Aug. 15. MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images

Are you a voracious Foreign Policy reader? Test your knowledge of this week’s global goings-on with our news quiz!

Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.

Are you a voracious Foreign Policy reader? Test your knowledge of this week’s global goings-on with our news quiz!


1. This week marked the anniversary of which 2021 government takeover?

FP editor in chief Ravi Agrawal spoke with FP columnist Lynne O’Donnell and South Asia Brief writer Michael Kugelman about the state of Afghan society one year later.


2. On Tuesday, former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was revealed to have secretly assumed a slew of cabinet positions while in office, with some of his ministers unaware that they were sharing their titles with him.

Which of the following departments was Morrison not appointed to lead during this period?


3. A delegation of five U.S. lawmakers followed in the footsteps of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week and visited which nation?

Figuring out how to prevent a war between the United States and China over Taiwan is far more important than figuring out how to win one, FP’s Howard W. French writes.


4. Author Salman Rushdie is recovering from a stabbing last week at a public event in New York. Rushdie has received many death threats since Iran’s supreme leader issued a fatwa against him in 1989—over which of his novels?


5. Who was declared the winner of last week’s Kenyan presidential election, with his opponent disputing the final tally?

Several members of the electoral commission refused to endorse the result, and Odinga continues to contest Ruto’s victory.


6. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a major Independence Day speech this week. In what year did India gain its independence from Britain?

As India marks 75 years of independence, the country should return to its founding ideals, Salil Tripathi writes.


7. Brazil’s presidential election campaign formally began this week. Which Workers’ Party candidate is challenging incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro?


8. The United Kingdom this week became the first country to approve a vaccine booster shot targeting which COVID-19 variant?


9. While the world’s humans have spent recent years navigating pandemic-related lockdowns, the German town of Walldorf recently implemented another kind of lockdown—on cats. This week, the cats were once again allowed outdoors after three months of restrictions, enforced by an up to $50,000 fine on their owners, to protect an endangered bird species.

How many birds are outdoor cats estimated to kill each year in the United States alone?


10. Officials announced this week that tourists visiting which remote spot will soon have high-speed internet access throughout their journey?

You scored

It’s a big world out there! Brush up on global goings-on by subscribing to Morning Brief, Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter.

You scored

Great job! Now, dig deeper by subscribing to Foreign Policy’s one-stop regional newsletters: Africa Brief, China Brief, Latin America Brief, and South Asia Brief.

You scored

Perfection! You’re a pro who needs the in-depth insights offered in Situation Report, our newsletter on national security and defense.


Have feedback? Email whatintheworld@foreignpolicy.com to let me know your thoughts.

Nina Goldman is a deputy copy editor at Foreign Policy.

Join the Conversation

Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.

Already a subscriber? .

Join the Conversation

Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.

Not your account?

Join the Conversation

Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.

You are commenting as .

More from Foreign Policy

Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler walks by a State Department Seal from a scene in The Diplomat, a new Netflix show about the foreign service.

At Long Last, the Foreign Service Gets the Netflix Treatment

Keri Russell gets Drexel furniture but no Senate confirmation hearing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron speak in the garden of the governor of Guangdong's residence in Guangzhou, China, on April 7.

How Macron Is Blocking EU Strategy on Russia and China

As a strategic consensus emerges in Europe, France is in the way.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.
Chinese President Jiang Zemin greets U.S. President George W. Bush prior to a meeting of APEC leaders in 2001.

What the Bush-Obama China Memos Reveal

Newly declassified documents contain important lessons for U.S. China policy.

A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.
A girl stands atop a destroyed Russian tank.

Russia’s Boom Business Goes Bust

Moscow’s arms exports have fallen to levels not seen since the Soviet Union’s collapse.