SOCIETY
An Emerging Society

Which continent will be home to the majority of the world's middle class by 2020?

A. Africa
B. Asia
C. Europe
D. North America

The correct answer is B. By 2020, more than half the world's middle class could be in Asia — and Asian consumers could account for over 40% of global middle-class consumption.

DATA SOURCE: MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL INVESTMENTS

TRADE
Trading with Russia

Who is Russia's largest trade partner?

A. United States
B. India
C. China
D. Germany

The correct answer is C. China surpassed Germany as Russia's largest trading partner in 2009, with $39.5 billion worth of goods and services passing between the two countries..

DATA SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

SOCIETY
World's Longest Lifespan

Which country has the world's longest life expectancy?

A. Japan
B. Switzerland
C. Iceland
D. Australia

The correct answer is A. Today's highest life expectancy at birth is Japan's 83 years. Closely behind Japan are Switzerland, Iceland and Australia at 82 years — and France and Italy at 81 years.

DATA SOURCE: UN POPULATION DIVISION

LABOR
A Growing Workforce

Which major country or world region will have the largest workforce by 2050?

A. India
B. China
C. Africa
D. Indonesia

The correct answer is C. By 2040, Africa will have 1.1 billion people of working age, more than in China or India.

DATA SOURCE: MCKINSEY GLOBAL

TECHNOLOGY
Nobel Women

How many Nobel Prize winners have been women?

A. 15
B. 24
C. 40
D. 67

The correct answer is C. Of the total 813 Nobel Prize winners, just 40 were women. The first woman Nobel Laureate was Marie Curie, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903.

DATA SOURCE: NOBEL FOUNDATION

ENERGY
Renewable Energy Growth

How much energy will come from renewable resources by 2035?

A. 5%
B. 10%
C. 14%
D. 22%

The correct answer is C. In 2007, 10% of the world's energy came from renewable sources, mostly hydropower. By 2035, renewables are forecast to represent just 14%.

DATA SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

ECONOMY
China in the Global Spotlight

Which Chinese city ranks highest in terms of its international image?

A. Shanghai
B. Beijing
C. Nanjing
D. Hangzhou

The correct answer is A. Shanghai is the top Chinese city in terms of its international image. It is followed by Beijing, Chengdu, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Xi'an, Changsha and Kunming.

DATA SOURCE: GALLUP ORGANIZATION

SOCIETY
Hunger Around the World

How many people die every year due to hunger?

A. One million
B. Five million
C. Ten million
D. 14 million

The correct answer is C. Today, as many as ten million people (more than 25,000 per day) die from hunger or hunger-related causes each year. By 2050, if nothing is done, 14 million people (or more than 35,000 per day) will die from hunger or hunger-related causes each year.

DATA SOURCE: WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

SOCIETY
The Youngest Continent

What continent will have the majority of youths by 2050?

A. Asia
B. Africa
C. South America
D. North America

The correct answer is B. By 2050, 33% of the world's under-25 youths will be living in Africa.

DATA SOURCE: BOSTON CONSULTING GROUP

TECHNOLOGY
Banking on the Go

What percentage of mobile-banking customers live in the developing world?

A. 10%
B. 34%
C. 46%
D. 78%

The correct answer is D. The vast majority of all mobile-banking customers — 78%, or 697 million people — are in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. About 10% of U.S. bank consumers use mobile banking, usually to transfer money, make payments or monitor bank accounts.

DATA SOURCE: BERG INSIGHT

TRANSPORTATION
Stuck in a Jam

Which city has the worst traffic jams?

A. Beijing
B. New York
C. Los Angeles
D. Moscow

The correct answer is D. Moscow has the longest-lasting traffic jams, at an average of 2.5 hours. Beijing and Johannesburg follow at 1.6 hours, compared with 1.5 hours for Mexico City, one hour for Los Angeles and London, 0.8 hour for New York and 0.6 hour for Buenos Aires.

DATA SOURCE: IBM

TECHNOLOGY
A Better IT World

What area of the IT industry has the best potential for reductions of CO2 emissions?

A. Server capacity
B. Data and applications
C. Optimizing cooling
D. Energy-efficient equipment

The correct answer is A. The information technology industry accounts for about 2% of global CO2 emissions — about the same as the airline industry. There is potential to reduce IT energy consumption by 75%. This can be done by more efficient use of server capacity (35%), optimizing cooling (20%), more energy-efficient equipment (15%) and reducing data and applications (5%).

DATA SOURCE: T-SYSTEMS

SOCIETY
Indonesia's Growing Wealth

What share of families in Indonesia will be middle class by 2020?

A. 20%
B. 36%
C. 44%
D. 58%

The correct answer is D. The number of Indonesian households with $5,000-15,000 in annual disposable income — a rough gauge for "middle income" — is expected to grow from 36% of the population in 2010 to more than 58% by 2020.

DATA SOURCE: EUROMONITOR

ENERGY
Global Nuclear Power
In which of these countries is the majority of electricity generated from nuclear power?

A. Russia
B. Germany
C. Japan
D. France

The correct answer is D. As of 2009, 75% of France's electricity comes from nuclear power. The share is 29% for Japan, 26% for Germany, 20% for the United States, 18% for the United Kingdom and Russia, and only 2% for India and China.

DATA SOURCE: WORLD NUCLEAR ASSOCIATION

EDUCATION
Publishing Frenzy

Which Asian country published the most science articles in 2009?

A. Japan
B. China
C. India
D. South Korea

The correct answer is B. The Asia-Pacific region increased its global share of published science articles from 13% in the early 1980s to just over 30% in 2009. China is the leader among them, having increased its global share of articles from 0.4% to 11%. Japan is next, accounting for 6.7%, followed by India with 3.4%.

DATA SOURCE: THOMSON REUTERS

SOCIETY
World Travelers

Which country's citizens spent the most on travel in 2009?

A. United States
B. Germany
C. France
D. China

The correct answer is B. In 2009, Germans spent the most on travel. The country of 82 million spent $80 billion on travel. Americans, in second place, spent $73 billion.

DATA SOURCE: UN WORLD TOURISM ORGANIZATION

TRANSPORTATION
Go Car, Go

Which is the most popular car color in North America?

A. Black
B. White
C. Silver
D. Green

The correct answer is B. In 2009, 17.8% of cars sold in North America were white — the most popular color choice. Black was a close second, at 17%. Silver, the global favorite, placed third, with 16.7% of sales.

DATA SOURCE: DUPONT GLOBAL AUTOMOTIVE COLOR POPULARITY REPORT

ECONOMY
Family Burden

Which of these countries has the lowest family debt?

A. United States
B. Japan
C. Germany
D. Italy

The correct answer is D. In Italy, family debt equals 78% of disposable income. In Germany and France, it is 100%. In the U.S. and Japan, it is 130%.

DATA SOURCE: BANK OF ITALY

GEOGRAPHY
The Asian Giant

How much bigger is China's territory compared to Japan's?

A. Same
B. Three times
C. 15 times
D. 26 times

The correct answer is D. China's land territory is 26 times that of Japan, while its population is ten times Japan's.

DATA SOURCE: CHINA DAILY

ECONOMY
Per Capita Incomes

Which country category is expected to have the largest increase in per capita incomes?

A. Most-developed countries
B. Developed countries
C. Developing countries
D. Least-developed countries

The correct answer is C. By 2050, global per capita income is expected to increase by 2.9 times the 2005 level. Income in developing countries will rise by 5.2% per year — compared with just 1.6% annually in developed countries.

DATA SOURCE: WORLD BANK

EDUCATION
Studying Abroad

What percentage of PhDs in the United States are awarded to foreign students?

A. 15%
B. 23%
C. 48%
D. 64%

The correct answer is C. Back in 1966, only 23% of science and engineering PhDs in the United States were awarded to students born outside the country. By 2006, that proportion had increased to 48%.

DATA SOURCE: THE ECONOMIST