NewsTracker Answers for week of Sep. 11, 2017

Q: Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms in a century, devastated islands across the Caribbean Sea as it plowed toward Florida. Where is the Caribbean Sea?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Irma left at least 22 people dead and thousands homeless across the Caribbean. Where did the Caribbean Sea get its name?

A. Christian saint

B. Mayan god

C. Native American people

D. Region in Spain


C. The name "Caribbean" derives from the Caribs, one of the region's dominant Native American groups at the time of European contact during the late 15th century. The Caribbean Sea covers more than 1 million square miles and has the world's second biggest barrier reef. But, warming seas are threatening the reef as well as powering strong hurricanes.


Q: As Irma roared into the Caribbean, which of these U.S. islands was the first to be hit by the hurricane?

A. Key West

B. Saint Thomas

C. Siesta Key

D. Treasure Island


B. Irma was a Category 5 hurricane with winds up to 185 mph when it hit the U.S. Virgin Islands, ripping the roof off of a hospital on the island of Saint Thomas. Days later when it hit Key West, Florida, Irma had dropped to still very dangerous Category 4 storm with top winds of about 130 mph. Florida’s Siesta Key and Treasure Island are farther north on the Gulf Coast.


Q: Saint Thomas and the rest of the Virgin Islands are part of the Leeward Islands, which were the first to suffer Irma’s wrath. What does leeward mean?

A. Downwind

B. Upwind

C. Windless

D. Windswept


A. The name Leeward Islands dates from the day of sailing ships. In sailing terminology, "windward" means towards the source of the wind, or upwind. "Leeward" is the opposite direction, or downwind. The prevailing winds in the area blow from the southeast out of a group called the Windward Islands.


Q: The Leeward and Windward Islands make up the Lesser Antilles group of smaller islands in the West Indies. After hitting the Virgin Islands, Irma headed west toward the Caribbean’s largest islands in the Greater Antilles. Which of these islands in the Greater Antilles is the smallest?

A. Cuba

B. Hispaniola

C. Jamaica

D. Puerto Rico


D. The U.S. island of Puerto Rico is the fourth largest island in the Caribbean. The largest island is Cuba, followed by Hispaniola and Jamaica. Hispaniola contains the nations of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Britain’s Cayman Islands also are in the Greater Antilles but much smaller than the rest of the group which has about 90% of the land area and people in the Caribbean.