Correct answer: Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought the Sri Lankan government for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of the island.

Background: The Sri Lankan civil war lasted from 1983 to 2009.

• Sudan: Sudan had different conflicts and groups.
• Ethiopia: Ethiopia had different conflicts and groups.
• India: India was not the LTTE’s homeland, although it was involved in the conflict for a time.

Did you know? The war ended in May 2009 with the defeat of the LTTE.

Memory trick: Tamil Tigers = Sri Lanka.

Correct answer: Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, with about 2.7 million square kilometres, is the largest Muslim-majority country by area.

Background: Kazakhstan is the ninth-largest country in the world.

• Indonesia: Indonesia is the largest Muslim country by population, not by area.
• Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is large, but smaller in area than Kazakhstan.
• Morocco: Morocco is much smaller in area.

Did you know? Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population.

Memory trick: Area → Kazakhstan; population → Indonesia.

Correct answer: All of these. Terrorism is generally described as political violence aimed at civilians in order to create fear.

Background: There is no single, universally accepted legal definition of terrorism.

• Political violence: Political violence is one part of the definition.
• Civilian targeting: Targeting civilians is one part of the definition.
• Fear creation: Creating fear is one part of the definition.

Did you know? The word “terror” comes from the Latin terrere, meaning “to frighten”.

Memory trick: Terrorism = violence + civilians + fear.

Correct answer: Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan does not border Afghanistan; Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan lie between them.

Background: Afghanistan is landlocked and has six neighbours.

• China: China shares a short border with Afghanistan through the Wakhan Corridor.
• Tajikistan: Tajikistan shares a border with Afghanistan.
• Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan shares a border with Afghanistan.

Did you know? The six neighbours are Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and China.

Memory trick: Kazakhstan is a step further north, past Uzbekistan.

Correct answer: Greece. Athens, Greece, hosted the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Background: The 2004 Games brought the Olympics back to Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games.

• London: London hosted the Games in 2012.
• China: China (Beijing) hosted the Games in 2008.
• France: France (Paris) hosted the Games in 1900, 1924, and 2024.

Did you know? The first modern Olympics were also held in Athens, in 1896.

Memory trick: 2004 Athens = Greece.

Correct answer: Shia Muslims. The Fatimids were an Ismaili Shia dynasty that founded Cairo in 969 CE.

Background: The Fatimids claimed descent from Fatima, the Prophet’s (PBUH) daughter, which is where their name comes from.

• Sunni Muslims: The Fatimids were not Sunni; Sunni rule returned to Egypt under Saladin’s Ayyubids.
• Moderate Muslims: The Fatimids were Shia Muslims, not simply “moderate Muslims”.
• None of these: “None of these” is incorrect because Shia Muslims is correct.

Did you know? Al-Azhar Mosque was founded under the Fatimids around 970 CE and later became a great centre of Sunni learning.

Memory trick: Fatimid = Fatima’s descendants = Shia (Ismaili).

Correct answer: 538. The Electoral College has 538 votes: 435 for the House seats, 100 for the Senate seats, and 3 for Washington, D.C.

Background: A candidate needs a majority of 270 electoral votes to become President.

• 238: 238 is far fewer than the total.
• 340: 340 is fewer than the total.
• 450: 450 is fewer than the total.

Did you know? Maine and Nebraska divide their electoral votes by district instead of giving them all to one candidate.

Memory trick: 270 to win out of 538.

Correct answer: Marina Beach. Marina Beach in Chennai, about 13 km long, is widely described as the second-longest urban beach in the world.

Background: Marina Beach runs along the Bay of Bengal coast of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu.

• Kunthukal Beach: Kunthukal Beach is not known for this title.
• Ariyaman Beach: Ariyaman Beach is not known for this title.
• None of these: “None of these” is incorrect because Marina Beach is correct.

Did you know? It is a popular public place with statues of famous Tamil figures along its promenade.

Memory trick: Marina = Chennai.

Correct answer: 21 Dec. New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, where the summer solstice and the longest day fall around 21 December.

Background: The seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere because the Earth’s axis is tilted.

• 21 June: 21 June is the shortest day in New Zealand (winter solstice).
• 22 March: 22 March is near the equinox, when day and night are almost equal.
• 7 Oct: 7 October is not a solstice or equinox date.

Did you know? In the northern hemisphere the longest day falls around 21 June.

Memory trick: Down under: longest day in December.