NewsTracker Answers for week of Oct. 06, 2008

Q: Lawmakers' anger over tainted milk from China triggered an attack last week that sent Taiwan's health minister to the hospital. Where in the world is Taiwan?

Circle the area on this map

Q: What nation claims ownership of Taiwan?

A. China

B. Japan

C. Great Britain

D. United States

A. Chinese nationalists fled to the island in 1949 after Communists defeated them and took control of China's mainland. The island has been ruled independently since that time, but China claims sovereignty over Taiwan

Q: Despite nearly 60 years of bitter dispute over control of the island, China has replaced the United States as Taiwan's largest export market. Which nation is Taiwan's largest source of imports?

A. China

B. Japan

C. Great Britain

D. United States

B. While Taiwan imports more from Japan, China is its second-largest source of goods. The milk tainted with the chemical melamine came from dairies in China, where it sickened 50,000 children.

Q: Where does Taiwan get most of ts arms?

A. China

B. Japan

C. Great Britain

D. United States

D. The United States, which supported the nationalists in China's Civil War, is the main weapons supplier to the island. The U.S. said last week it was selling $6 billion in weapons to Taiwan, a move expected to anger the Chinese.

Q: Which nation ruled Taiwan until 1945?

A. China

B. Japan

C. Great Britain

D. United States

B. Imperial Japan defeated the Chinese to take possession of Taiwan in 1895. The Japanese ruled the island until their defeat in World War II.