Pop Quiz Disasters, naturally

Natural accidents . . . quakes . . . hurricanes . . . floods . . . tsunamis . . . here's a quiz on them. Thanks to the staff of the Free Library's Parkway Central for helping us ensure accuracy.

1.

Which was larger in magnitude, the May 12 quake in eastern Sichuan province, China, or the 1906 San Francisco earthquake?

2.

The Sichuan quake is estimated at between 7.8 and 7.9 magnitude. This is classified as a "major" quake. How many such quakes happen somewhere in the world, on average, each year?

a. 1-5 times.

b. 6-10 times.

c. 11-15 times.

d. 16-20 times.

e. 20-25 times.

3.

"Hurricane season" starts in two weeks, on June 1, and ends Nov. 30. How many "named storms," on average, form in that period in the Atlantic basin (Florida, Gulf of Mexico, etc.) each year?

a. 1-3.

b. 3-7.

c. 8-11.

d. 12-15.

3a.

And how many "named storms" are being predicted for this year?

4.

Does the eye of a hurricane have higher pressure than the walls and rest of the storm, or lower?

5.

In Genesis, Noah tests to see if the flood is over by sending out a dove. Before he sends out the dove (a couple of times), he sends out another bird that goes "to and fro" until the waters are dried up. What bird is it?

6.

Apropos of nothing, the Social Security Administration list of favorite U.S. baby names for 2007 are out, and for the 12th year running, Emily was the most popular girl's name. The boy's name has been No. 1 since 1999. What is it?

a. Michael.

b. Matthew.

c. Jacob.

d. Ethan.

e. Joshua.

7.

Can you surf a tsunami?

8.

This is both a literal term and a metaphor related to our topic. The Merriam-Webster defines it as "a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors." What is this two-word term? (Think: 1997 book, 2000 movie.)

9.

The

Jeopardy!

answer to this question would be "Nargis." What is the question?

Answers: C6