Is it a quiz? Or a topical discussion trigger? It's both. High-quality news photographs are the basis of this fast-moving and, sometimes, funny quiz. The pictures and stories can also be used to encourage open discussion, moving to the next question only when conversation falters.
There are two versions of the quiz powerpoint:
A recommended way to use the quiz is to divide a group into two teams, each with a captain. For questions 1 and 2 – the fact questions – allow short conferring among the team, before taking an answer from the captain.
You can use argument question 3 methodically each time or just drop it in randomly to create the right tempo for the group. Ask the team captain to nominate a team member to answer each question. No repeated nominations of the same person. Award points out of ten. Or ask the opposing team to do the scoring and judge, fairly, how well their competitors did. Then open the discussion…
Note
The quiz takes a light-hearted approach. It is meant to be fun as well as educational. However, because it is news-related it refers to events that have badly affected very many people. Try not to lose sight of the people behind the stories, even while enjoying the fun and argument of the quiz.
Round 1
©Info1 What does this photograph show?
a People searching a collection centre for personal belongings recovered from areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami in northern Japan. Correct
b Staff working for a major online retailer picking orders for shipping to customers.
c Schoolteachers checking their store of property confiscated from students.
2 The earthquake caused widespread loss of life and disruption to large areas of the country. Why?
a The quake caused a tidal wave, known as a tsunami, which washed away whole villages and caused dangerously high levels of radiation to leak from a nuclear power plant. Correct
b The quake caused a tsunami which shut down the whole of Japan's coal, gas and oil supply industry.
c The quake and the tsunami badly affected the tourism industry, which Japan is very reliant on.
3 Argument
Some of those evacuated from their homes because of high radiation levels were offered the chance of a brief visit to their old homes. Would you have taken the opportunity? If so, what would you have done? If not, why not?
1 Who are these people and what are they doing?
a Aid agency workers helping displaced people at a camp run by the UN Refugee Agency.
b Youth workers running a weekend course to explain to inner-city young people what mud is.
c Two 70 year olds at their first Glastonbury festival, dancing outside a reggae music tent. Correct
2 Glastonbury organisers publish a suggested packing list for festival goers. Which of these is taken from their advice?
a Take changes of clothes, earplugs, a reusable water bottle, medical information, a torch, a warm sweater, a hat, gloves and a tent. Correct
b Take a gazebo, glass bottles, sky lanterns, a sound system, pet animals and portable laser equipment.
c It's cool to take whatever you want. Possessions are just material objects. And anyway, you can just add anything you don't need to the massive piles of rubbish that are always left.
3 Argument
Enjoyment at festivals can be spoilt by theft or other crimes, health problems or being separated from friends. Do you think such incidents are just bad luck? Or can you prepare in advance to make them less likely? Give an example that supports your opinion.
1 What links these four photographs?
a They all show people in areas affected by conflict having fun. Correct
b They all show young athletes preparing for the 2012 Olympics in London.
c All the people shown think their phones were hacked by tabloid journalists.
Captions
1 Meena Rahmani, 26, set up Afghanistan's first bowling alley in Kabul.
2 The B-Boys, a group of Libyan breakdancers, practise in the capital Tripoli.
3 Local people play in the sea in the Hamarweyne district of Somalia's capital Mogadishu.
4 A child flies a kite at a festival in war-torn Gaza, part of an attempt on a Guinness world record for the largest number of kites flown at once.
2 Which of the following best describes what life is like in an area affected by conflict?
a People try to live their lives as normally as they can, carrying on social and fun activities wherever possible despite the many difficulties. Correct
b The war wipes out all normal life. Surviving the shooting is the only thing that matters.
c Only those actively involved in fighting are affected. Life is normal for civilians.
3 Argument
Look back at the photographs. Which one shows an activity that you think would be easy to continue in a time of conflict? Which one would be most difficult? Give reasons.
1 What does this photograph show?
a One of the shortlisted artworks in this year's Turner prize for contemporary art.
b A volunteer checking how many hedgehogs were unintentionally burnt following this year's bonfire night.
c A passerby taking a photograph of a burnt-out bus on Tottenham High Street in north London following a night of unrest. Correct
2 Many buildings and vehicles were destroyed by fire during the unrest. Why were some of the fires not put out by firefighters?
a The fire service was overstretched. Crews also came under attack, causing risk of injury to firefighters and taking some fire engines off the road. Correct
b A long summer of drought had caused water shortages, so fire brigade hoses didn't work.
c August is normally a quiet month for fires, so that's when most firefighters go on holiday.
3 Argument
Think about the images of the unrest in London and other cities during the summer. Do they give foreigners an accurate idea of what life in the UK is like? Explain your answer.
1 What is the most unusual thing about this picture of football fans at a match?
a No beer bellies.
b No pies.
c No blokes. Correct
2 The picture shows more than 40,000 women and children watching Fenerbahce play a Turkish league game in Istanbul in September. No men over the age of 12 were at the stadium. Why not?
a In Turkey football is regarded as a women's game. Turkish men tend to prefer watching backgammon or lacrosse.
b The football federation imposed a ban on men following violence and a pitch invasion in a previous game. Correct
c Across Turkey, 20 September is celebrated as Men Stay at Home and Bake Baklava Day.
3 Argument
Are women-only groups less aggressive and more law-abiding than groups of men? Give your opinion, yes or no, and be prepared to support it with evidence or logic.
1 What is going on here?
a Volunteers clean up after the traditional end-of-harvest tomato street fight in Buñol, Spain.
b Visitors to a theme park test out the new water ride.
c Soldiers hold onto each other as waters breach a flood defence wall in Thailand's capital Bangkok. Correct
2 In Bangkok, as in other areas at risk of flooding, defences were prepared to halt the flow of water. What were the barriers made of?
a Sandbags. Correct
b Handbags.
c Binbags.
3 Argument
Imagine that you have been advised to leave your home because it is at risk of flooding. Some people prepare to leave, others insist on staying in their homes. What would you do, and why?
1 Who is this man and what is he doing?
a Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, updating his wall while holidaying in east Africa.
b Isaac Mkalia, a part-time teacher and pastoralist in Kenya, using his phone while tending cattle. Correct
c A fashion model posing on a Scottish farm while presenting designer Stella McCartney's latest look.
2 How common are mobile phones in African countries such as Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa?
a Very rare – people in such countries are too poor to afford phones.
b Some usage, but only among the rich and famous and some drug dealers.
c Widespread usage, ranging from everyday social contact to business and health purposes. Also extensively used as a way of transferring money securely. Correct
3 Argument
Is the way that UK media and aid agencies present life in African countries broadly accurate or likely to be distorted? Try to give an example to support your view.
Important legal note
The photographs supplied with this quiz are fully protected by copyright.
A license for educational use for each photograph has been acquired by the education unit of the British Red Cross. This allows schools and other educational organisations to use them freely, without payment, as part of the quiz package. The licence does not extend beyond this use.
This means that anyone wishing to put the images on a website, crop or edit them, or use them in any other way than for the quiz, must first contact the copyright holder and negotiate a licence for the use they require.
Picture agencies take violation of licences very seriously. Some charge punitive damages for unauthorised use of copyright photographs – in some cases up to five times the standard licence fee.
If you are unsure whether your proposed use is acceptable, please contact the copyright holder. The British Red Cross will be unable to assist anyone who violates the terms of the licence.
This quiz was written by PJ White and produced in December 2011.