NewsTracker Answers for week of Nov. 29, 2010

Q: Tens of thousands of people marched to protest the Irish government's austerity program, which would raise taxes and cut public spending. Where is Ireland?

Circle the area on this map

Q: Leaders of the march in the capital of the Irish Republic said the protest was the first of many planned demonstrations. What is the capital of the Republic of Ireland?

A. Limerick

B. Belfast

C. Liverpool

D. Dublin

D. Founded about 841 as a Viking settlement, Dublin has an urban population of over 1 million people and is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast.

Q: Protesters marched to Dublin's General Post Office, site of a nationalist uprising in 1916. Who were Irish protesting against in 1916?

A. Americans

B. British

C. Canadians

D. Dutch

B. The Easter Rising in 1916 was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland.

Q: Ireland is separated from Great Britain by . . .

A. English Channel

B. British Sea

C. Irish Sea

D. North Sea

C. Ireland, Great Britain and more than 6,000 smaller islands comprise what is known as the British Isles. The two main islands are separated by the Irish Sea and North Channel. The Irish government does not use the term British Isles because of objections over the association of the word British with Ireland

Q: The austerity program is designed to cut the Irish Republic's government deficit, exacerbated by the rescue of the country's banks. Which of these nations has a greater public debt as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)?

A. Australia

B. Britain

C. China

D. United States

B. Ireland's public debt is 64.8 percent of its GDP, while in Britain, or the United Kingdom, it is 68.2 percent.