NewsTracker Answers for week of Apr 18, 2011

Q: A bomb, packed with nails and ball bearings, killed 12 people and injured about 200 in a Belarus subway station. Where is Belarus?

Circle the area on this map

Q: The attack occurred in the nation's capital of . . .

A. Vilnius

B. Kiev

C. Warsaw

D. Minsk

D. With a population of 1.8 million, Minsk also is the largest city in Belarus. The area near the Svislach and Nemiga rivers was first settled in the 9th century.

Q: Which of its neighbors once ruled Belarus?

A. Lithuania

B. Poland

C. Russia

D. All of the above

D. The territory was incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the 13th century and later became part of the PolishLithuanian Commonwealth. The area became part of Russia when it defeated Poland in 1795.

Q: What is the most commonly spoken language in Belarus?

A. Belarusian

B. Lithuanian

C. Polish

D. Russian

D. Russian is spoken by 62.8 percent of the population, and Belarusian is the language of 36.7 percent.

Q: Belarus gained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. How long did the Soviet Union exist?

A. 99 years

B. 69 years

C. 49 years

D. 39 years

B. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was founded in December 1922, after five years of revolution and civil war. The Tsars ruled Russia for 370 years before the 1917 revolution.