2010 Business Quiz

By Scott J. Wilson, Los Angeles Times

Dec. 31, 2010 12 AM PT

1. In January, the Justice Department approved Ticketmaster’s merger with what company?

a) Live Nation

b) Concerts USA

c) AEG

d) House of Blues

FOR THE RECORD:
Business quiz: A question in the 2010 Business Quiz in the Dec. 31 Business section incorrectly said that Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Mark Hurd was fired in August amid accusations of sexual harassment and falsified expense reports. Hurd resigned from Hewlett-Packard.

2. The healthcare overhaul passed in March does all of the following except:

a) Requires most Americans to have health insurance by 2014

b) Bars insurers from rejecting applicants based on health status

c) Bans annual limits on health insurance claims

d) Creates a government health insurance plan

3. In March, after a dispute over censorship, Google shut down its search engine in what country?

a) North Korea

b) China

c) Cuba

d) Iran

4. Which automaker agreed to pay nearly $50 million in fines related to safety problems in its vehicles?

a) Ford

b) General Motors

c) Volkswagen

d) Toyota

5. In May, what company surpassed Microsoft to become the world’s biggest technology company by stock market value?

a) Google

b) Apple

c) Facebook

d) Hewlett-Packard

6. The “flash crash” of May 6 — in which the Dow Jones industrial average dropped more than 700 points in just 15 minutes — was triggered by what?

a) A change in the prime rate

b) A disappointing report on employment

c) An unusually large “sell” order placed by a single firm

d) A computer malfunction

7. European countries and the International Monetary Fund agreed in May to bail out what financially foundering nation?

a) Ireland

b) Spain

c) Greece

d) Italy

8. In an attempt to stop oil leaking from its Gulf of Mexico well, BP tried all of these techniques except:

a) “Top kill”

b) “Static kill”

c) “Bottom kill”

d) “Side kill”

9. Apple CEO Steve Jobs publicly apologized in July for an antenna problem with which product?

a) iPhone 4

b) iPad

c) iTouch

d) iChing

10. Which 2010 movie made the most at the U.S. box office?

a) “Toy Story 3”

b) “Alice in Wonderland”

c) “Iron Man 2”

d) “Inception”

11. Regulators approved United Airlines’ merger with what competitor?

a) Delta

b) Southwest

c) Continental

d) American

12. Hewlett-Packard CEO Mark Hurd, fired in August amid accusations of sexual harassment and falsifying expense reports, was quickly hired as co-president of what company? [For the record: Hurd was not fired but resigned from Hewlett-Packard.]

a) Intel

b) Sun Microsystems

c) IBM

d) Oracle

13. After a public outcry, which health insurance company was forced to scale back plans for rate increases of up to 39% in California?

a) Wellcare of California

b) Anthem Blue Cross

c) Athena Health Point

d) Blue Shield

14. Whom did President Obama name to launch the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau?

a) David Vladeck

b) Elizabeth Warren

c) Isaac Fair

d) Ralph Nader

15. Some lenders temporarily halted foreclosures after disclosures that employees had signed thousands of documents without reading them. What were those employees nicknamed?

a) Auto-signers

b) Signbots

c) Robo-signers

d) Auto-stampers

16. Angelo R. Mozilo agreed to pay a record fine as part of a $73-million settlement of a government fraud lawsuit related to the near-collapse of what lender he co-founded?

a) Countrywide Financial

b) IndyMac Bank

c) New Century Financial

d) Bailey Building and Loan

17. In November, what entity announced a plan to spur the faltering U.S. economy by pumping $600 billion into the financial system?

a) Congress

b) Department of the Treasury

c) The Federal Reserve

d) The city of Bell

18. A little over a year after emerging from bankruptcy, what major company was relaunched as a public company in November, raising more than $20 billion in an initial public offering?

a) Chrysler

b) Tribune

c) Circuit City

d) General Motors

19. What Hollywood movie studio filed for bankruptcy protection in November?

a) Paramount

b) Universal

c) MGM

d) Columbia Pictures

20. What technology company executive was portrayed in the movie “The Social Network” and named Time’s Person of the Year?

a) Larry Ellison

b) Sergey Brin