NewsTracker Answers for week of May 24, 2021

Q: Uruguay has been investing in digital education for years, providing a laptop or tablet computer to every child. Its investment paid off with a successful distance learning program during the coronavirus pandemic. Where is Uruguay?

Circle the area on this map


Q: Uruguay’s education system was better prepared for the pandemic than most other countries in the region and many wealthier nations. The small country is sandwiched between South America’s two largest nations. Which nation is the continent’s largest?

A. Argentina

B. Brazil

C. Chile

D. Ecuador


B. Brazil covers an area of 3,287,956 square miles compared with the 1,073,500 square miles of Argentina, the second largest South American country. Uruguay’s 68,000 square miles are bordered to the north and northeast by Brazil, to the west and southwest by Argentina and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast.


Q: Besides being the first nation to give every primary student their own computer, Uruguay provides free education for students from age 4 through the university post-graduate level. How does Uruguay compare with the United States on its level of spending on education?

A. Spends more

B. Spends less

C. Spends same


C. Both Uruguay and the United States spend 5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on education. Uruguay’s home-bound students received digital schoolbooks with science experiments, homework in the form of quizzes or games, interactive video conferences, personalized exercises and chats with teachers to clear up any questions


Q: Uruguay is poorer than the United States with a GDP per person of $21,561 compared with $62,530 in the U.S. Which nation has more income inequality?

A. United States

B. Uruguay


A. According to the CIA World Factbook, income is just slightly more evenly distributed in Uruguay than in the United States.


Q: Uruguay gained its independence in 1828 after fighting …

A. Argentina

B. Brazil

C. Spain

D. All of the above


D. Uruguayans first revolted against Spanish colonial rule in 1811 and then broke away from the new nation of Argentina. They then fought off invading troops from Portugal and Brazil. Over the years, Argentina and Brazil have maintained major influence over Uruguay, South America’s second smallest nation.