TRIVIA QUIZ : Those who--for whatever reason--may not be of clear head this New Year’s morning might want to have the questions read out loud . . . but not too loud.

Each year brings a string of major news events--happenings like superpower summits, papal visits and political corruption cases--that grab the attention of the world. But each year also brings smaller blips on life’s radar screen, evanescent events that may burn brightly but turn out to be as brief as a firefly’s light.

Here are 40 questions about a few of the events from 1987’s Orange County news that you may have forgotten. Get 35 or more right and you can proceed directly to a seat on the Board of Supervisors. People who answer fewer than 10 correctly must move to L.A.

Go ahead, test your memory.

1. In a year that did not bring great joy to most TV evangelists, even the Rev. Robert H. Schuller had problems. A former employee disclosed that Schuller sent a fund-raising letter with a picture of him at what famous tourist site that he had not actually visited at the time the letter was sent:

a. The Eiffel Tower.

b. Knott’s Berry Farm.

c. Jim and Tammy Bakker’s Heritage U.S.A.

d. The Great Wall of China.

2. The concert at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa was called “Cowboys for Indians.” Inside were Willie Nelson and many other performers just singing their hearts out. Outside were protesters including Assemblyman Gil Ferguson (R-Newport Beach) chanting their hearts out. They opposed the concert on the ground that it raised money for an American Indian convicted of killing two FBI agents. The name of the beneficiary was:

a. Leonard Peltier.

b. Jay Silverheels.

c. Chief Dan George.

d. Crazy Horse.

3. County officials began talking in January about the likely need to lay off county workers because of budget problems. As the months wore on, the numbers increased, decreased, increased and decreased again. The final number of county workers laid off was:

a. 269.

b. 235.

c. 210.

d. 0.

4. In one of the biggest local sports stories of the year, Capistrano Valley High School football coach Dick Enright lost his job. What modern convenience played a key role in this incident?

a. Car phone.

b. Videotape machine.

c. Cable TV.

d. Food processor.

5. Who did NOT conduct a slowdown or a strike this year?

a. Orange County sheriff’s deputies.

b. The Matterhorn climbers at Disneyland.

c. Santa Ana police.

d. Los Angeles Rams.

6. Soil tests at a Westminster housing tract built above an abandoned toxic waste dump showed the presence of all the following materials except one. Which one?

a. Kerosene.

b. Benzene.

c. Toluene.

d. Xylene.

7. Which of these county rock bands broke up in 1987?

a. Doggy Style.

b. El Grupo Sexo.

c. The James Harman Band.

d. The Nick Pyzow Band.

8. Which of the following did NOT occur at John Wayne Airport this year?

a. The combination to a lock on a fence barring entry to the field was given out to two people simply because they asked for it.

b. A plane that had flown too close to President Reagan’s helicopter landed, and the pilot was arrested.

c. A just-married couple from Huntington Beach who partied on their cross-country flight were arrested upon landing on charges of assault and lewd conduct.

d. The design for the expanded airport was unveiled to much criticism from county architects.

9. A ballot initiative in Cypress revolved around development of a once-popular facility that had been closed. The facility was:

a. A natatorium.

b. A golf course.

c. A race track.

d. A garbage dump.

10. What Newport Beach company emerged from bankruptcy yesterday, New Year’s Eve? (12/31/87)

a. Smith & Wesson.

b. Smith Bros.

c. Smith International

d. Smith Corona.

11. What was poured on Rams coach John Robinson as he walked from the field after a 21-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings?

a. Beer.

b. Champagne.

c. Water.

d. Gatorade.

12. The state estimates that the cleanup of the McColl toxic waste site in Fullerton will be completed by:

a. 1988.

b. 1995.

c. 2007.

d. Someday.

13. Who won a ruling from an Orange County Superior Court arbitrator that an agreement giving her exclusive rights to sell “freshly baked muffins” at the Fashion Island shopping mall in Newport Beach had been breached?

a. Famous Amos.

b. Nancy Feil.

c. Harriett Wieder.

d. Mrs. Fields.

14. Residents of what exclusive community successfully pressured a developer to reinstate the lifetime memberships in their community’s swank country club?

a. Coto de Caza.

b. Orange Park Acres.

c. Anaheim Hills.

d. Mission Viejo.

15. Willie Wisely set a record for the longest time spent in Orange County Jail--6 1/2 years--before being sentenced Dec. 28 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Which of the following was NOT true of his tenure behind bars in Santa Ana:

a. He sued the county so he could keep receiving Playboy magazine.

b. He passed the State Bar of California’s examination.

c. He secretly married a woman acting as his law clerk.

d. He occupied an eight-man cell by himself despite jail overcrowding.

16. An Irvine Little League team reached the Little League World Series’ championship in Williamsport, Pa., only to be trounced by Taiwan. But the North Irvine Bobby Sox Minors won their national softball championship for 11- and 12-year-old girls by beating a team from Hawaii. Where did that tournament take place?

a. Honolulu.

b. Williamsport.

c. Buena Park.

d. Cooperstown, N.Y.

17. In one of the federal government’s most important contract awards of the year, the Huntington Beach unit of McDonnell Douglas received a $2 billion contract to work on what federal project?

a. Hoover Dam.

b. Space station.

c. Century Freeway.

d. Super collider.

18. Which financially strapped city considered legalizing gambling and did drop its police and fire departments to cut costs?

a. Newport Beach.

b. Stanton.

c. Villa Park.

d. Huntington Beach.

19. Name the county jurist appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian to the state Supreme Court in February.

a. Rose Bird.

b. Judge Wapner.

c. John A. Arguelles.

d. Malcolm Lucas.

20. Pacific Symphony conductor Keith Clark came under fire in 1987 for allegedly:

a. Refusing to delegate authority.

b. Adding John Cale compositions to the repertoire.

c. Firing women.

d. Missing rehearsals.

21. Bruce Nestande resigned in January as a county supervisor. Many people made it known to Gov. George Deukmejian that they would like to be appointed to the job. Who got it?

a. Kenneth Hahn.

b. Gaddi Vasquez.

c. Ralph Clark.

d. Don Sutton.

22. Which job had the governor’s appointee NOT held before being named supervisor?

a. Orange police officer.

b. Aide to governor.

c. Disneyland tour guide.

d. Supervisor’s aide.

23. This city is believed to have the largest homeless population in the county, yet it was one of just five eligible local governments in the nation that declined to apply for emergency federal housing grants, while 322 cities and counties across the country did apply. Which city is it?

a. Garden Grove.

b. Santa Ana.

c. Irvine.

d. San Juan Capistrano.

24. Although talk show host Wally George testified at an Orange County trial that a female executive of KDOC-TV in Anaheim sought his affections, a lawyer said it was George who was doing the seeking. The lawyer introduced as evidence a note allegedly written by George saying the woman should marry George in the national interest and bearing the phony signature of whom?

a. Gen. John Singlaub.

b. Ronald Reagan.

c. Mikhail Gorbachev.

d. John Wayne.

25. Richard M. Nixon, the only man to resign the presidency, was born in one county city and established the Western White House in another. The two cities battled for the Nixon library. Which city won?

a. Yorba Linda.

b. San Clemente.

c. La Habra.

d. Newport Beach.

26. Gov. George Deukmejian nominated Rep. Daniel Lungren (R-Long Beach), whose district includes part of Orange County, as the next state treasurer. Lungren’s father once acted as which of the following?

a. President Eisenhower’s caddy.

b. President Nixon’s doctor.

c. President Ford’s ski instructor.

d. President Reagan’s philosophy teacher.

27. This is one of the world’s largest helicopters, and 45 of them are based in Orange County. It was in the news this year because of accidents and groundings by the Marine Corps. The name of this helicopter is:

a. CH-46 Sea Knight.

b. Ah-1T Sea Cobra.

c. CH-53E Super Stallion.

d. HU-1N Huey.

28. The Newport Harbor Art Museum board of directors selected which architect to design its new $20 million building?

a. Renzo Piano.

b. I.M. Pei.

c. Armadillo Suspuglio.

d. Alberto Giacometti.

29. Villa Park has the highest median household income in the county. How much is it?

a. $147,829.

b. $73,445.

c. $44,247.

d. $19,935.22.

30. The city with the county’s lowest median income--$23,973--is?

a. Fountain Valley.

b. Seal Beach.

c. Costa Mesa.

d. Anaheim.

31. Irvine applied for $496,000 in federal money to convert what kind of building into a shelter for the homeless?

a. A National Guard armory.

b. A pizza factory.

c. An animal shelter.

d. A bowling alley.

32. A Huntington Beach man was fined $850 and ordered to write a 1,000-word essay because during 1986 he:

a. Picked strawberries out of season.

b. Reloaded his gun in a car-pool lane on the freeway.

c. Punched an umpire at his son’s Little League game.

d. Painted his garage door chartreuse in Irvine.

33. Controversy arose in Laguna Beach, leading to a major recall movement against the school board, over what well-known athlete?

a. Charles White.

b. Cedric Hardman.

c. Eric Dickerson.

d. John Candelaria.

34. A leader of the proposed slow-growth initiative in the county is Tom Rogers, who is a former head of the county branch of what group?

a. Greenpeace.

b. The Republican party.

c. The Democratic Party.

d. Disneyland Employees Alumni Assn.

35. The Sixth Orange County Annual Survey, conducted by UC Irvine’s Public Policy Research Organization, found that county residents consider what their biggest problem?

a. Brie that is not runny.

b. Traffic.

c. Smog.

d. Weak surf.

36. The survey also found that on average a household in the county gives what percentage of its income to charitable causes?

a. 10 percent.

b. 5 percent.

c. 2.5 percent.

d. Less than 1 percent.

37. The county’s state Assembly delegation and congressional delegation are made up entirely of Republicans. All but one of the state senators are also Republican. Who is it?

a. Bruce Sumner.

b. Marian Bergeson.

c. Cecil Green.

d. John Schmitz.

38. What was the latest date in 1987 in which the California Angels had sole possession of first place?

a. Oct. 8.

b. Aug. 5.

c. May 7.

d. April 15.

39. Which world-class ballerina danced in Costa Mesa to benefit the Childrens Hospital of Orange County?

a. Cynthia Gregory.

b. Gelsey Kirkland.

c. Martine Van Hamel.

d. Suzanne Farrell.

40. What food maker shut down its Anaheim plant after more than a half-century of operations?

a. Dolly Madison.

b. Marie Callender.

c. Laura Scudder.

d. Mrs. Fields.

Quiz Answers

1. d.

2. a.

3. d.

4. b.

5. b.

6. a.

7. b.

8. c.

9. b.

10. c.

11. c.

12. c.

13. b.

14. a.

15. b.

16. c.

17. b.

18. b.

19. c.

20. a.

21. b.

22. c.

23. b.

24. b.

25. a.

26. b.

27. c.

28. a.

29. b.

30. b.

31. c.

32. c.

33. b.

34. b.

35. b.

36. d.

37. c.

38. c.

39. a.

40. c.

Answers to photos:

Left to right: Talk show host Wally George, embroiled in a KDOC lawsuit; Nancy Feil, who won the right to make muffins in a store at Fashion Island; Pacific Symphony conductor Keith Clark; and County Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez.