"A Test for Excellence" is a partnership between 8 News Now and our Community Pride Partners, NV Energy, and the Findlay Automotive Group, the Clark County School District School-Community Partnership Program, and Southwest Airlines. This partnership provides an avenue for developing critical thinking and encouraging students to keep up-to-date on current events.
Middle school students are asked to read and watch the daily news. Each week, they are given a quiz on current events from the previous week. At the end of six weeks, schools form teams of their top students to compete against other middle schools in a final competition. During the final competition, teams take a written 75-point test and compete against each other in a verbal round. The top team with the highest combined score travels to Sea World San Diego for the day.
Test for Excellence Quiz #6 Bonus Questions: Wednesday, April 19
- Which of the following countries is digging a new tunnel, possibly for conducting a nuclear test?
- Japan
- Afghanistan
- Saudi Arabia
- North Korea
- Which former U.S. senator is facing charges for campaign finance allegations that occurred during his presidential candidate campaign in 2008?
- John Edward
- John Ensign
- John McCain
- none of the above
- Which of the following charter schools in Las Vegas will receive state funding for six more years after a signed contract from the Clark County School Board
- Discovery Charter School
- 100 Academy of Excellence
- Rainbow Dreams Academy
- Renaissance Academy
Test for Excellence Quiz #5 Bonus Questions: Wednesday, March 28
- Which NASCAR race driver won the Food City 500 race at the Bristol Motor Speedway?
- Matt Kenseth
- Brad Keselowski
- Mark Martin
- Clint Bowyer
- An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 recently hit Mexico City, which has been of the strongest to hit the city since the earthquake in which of the following years?
- Which of the following fast food chains chose to stop using meat containing the controversial filler known as "pink slime" in its food?
- Taco Bell
- Wendys
- Burger King
- McDonald's
Test for Excellence Quiz #4 Bonus Questions: Wednesday, March 21
- Which of the following teams defeated UNLV in the first round of the NCAA tournament this past week?
- Colorado
- Baylor
- Iowa State
- Boise State
- James Cameron, Hollywood director, is planning an ocean dive in a on-man submarine in the South Pacific. Which of the following movies did James Cameron direct?
- "The Notebook"
- "Courageous"
- "The Titanic"
- "Transformers"
- Which of the following Republican presidential nomination candidates recently held fundraising events in New York to help raise money for his campaign?
- Rick Santorum
- Mitt Romney
- Newt Gingrich
- Ron Paul
Test for Excellence Quiz #3 Bonus Questions: Wednesday, March 14
- Which of the following teams defeated UNLV in the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament?
- San Diego State
- New Mexico
- Colorado State
- Boise State
- Iran is currently running thousands of centrifuges enriching which of the following chemical elements that could produce a nuclear weapon?
- Plutonium
- Iridium
- Uranium
- For which of the following NFL teams did defensive coordinator Gregg Williams offer bounties this past season for knocking opponents out of games?
- Houston Texans
- Miami Dolphins
- Washington Redskins
- New Orleans Saints
Test for Excellence Quiz #2 Bonus Questions: Wednesday, March 7
- Which of the following actresses won an Academy Award for best actress in the movie, "The Iron Lady" at the 84th Academy Awards? (Hint)
- Angelina Jolie
- Meryl Streep
- Michelle Williams
- Kathy Bates
- Which of the following NASCAR drivers vehicle crashed into the back of a safety truck filled with jet fuel, causing a large fire during the Daytona 500 race? (Hint)
- Jimmie Johnson
- Matt Kenseth
- Juan Pablo Montoya
- Marcos Ambrose
- Which of the following entertainers will perform his "Loberace" show in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood beginning in August?
- Cee Lo Green
- Cedric the Entertainer
- Donnie Osmond
- Elton John
Test for Excellence Quiz #1 Bonus Questions: Wednesday, February 29th
- Nevada first lady, Kathleen Sandoval, works for which of the following nonprofit charitable organizations? (Hint Here)
- Boys & Girls Club of Nevada
- Children's Cabinet
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada
- Family Counseling Service of Northern Nevada
- Which local utility company lost more than $25 million in the last earnings quarter of 2011?
(Hint Here)
- Las Vegas Valley Water District
- Nevada Energy
- Southwest Gas
- Republic Services
- The price of oil soared to a nine-month high after officials from which of the following countries stopped crude exports to Britain and France?
- Afghanistan
- Iraq
- Iran
- Israel
