NewsTracker Answers for week of May 22, 2017

Q: Saudi Arabia was the first stop on the first overseas trip by President Trump, who received a warm reception from the Saudis in spite of his harsh anti-Muslim statements in the past. Where is Saudi Arabia?

Circle the area on this map

Q: During his presidential campaign, Trump proposed banning Muslims entering the United States and said “I think Islam hates us.” Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam and home of its two holiest sites Mecca and . . .

A. Jerusalem

B. Karbala

C. Medina

D. Najaf

C. Mecca is considered the holiest site in Islam and is the birthplace of prophet Muhammad, while his resting place in Medina is the second holiest site. Jerusalem in Israel is the third holiest site for all Muslims while Karbala an Najaf in Iraq are also holy to Shia Muslims.

Q: The president signed a deal to sell $110 billion in American weapons to the Saudis, a move that triggered concerns among his hosts at the second stop on his trip . . .

A. Iran

B. Israel

C. Italy

D. Vatican City

B. A senior Israeli cabinet minister called Saudi Arabia “a hostile country” and said the arms deal was “definitely something that should trouble us.” The schedule for Trump’s trip included his visit to Saudi Arabia, followed by Israel, Vatican City, Brussels for a NATO summit and Sicily for a meeting of the Group of Seven major industrial nations.

Q: Trump called on the Muslim world to confront “the crisis of Islamic extremism” at a Saudi-sponsored summit conference of about 50 Muslim nations. Which large Islamic nation was excluded from the summit?

A. Iran

B. Iraq

C. Tunisia

D. United Arab Emirates

A. Saudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim leaders see Shia Muslim Iran as their chief rival. The Sunni and Shia sects of Islam have been battling each other since the death of the prophet Muhammad in 632. The dispute began with a rivalry over who would be his successor.

Q: In his speech, Trump called for international isolation of Iran, which he accused of fueling "sectarian conflict and terror.” He spoke in the Saudi capital . . .

A. Abu Dhabi 

B. Baghdad

C. Cairo

D. Riyadh

D. Riyadh is the capital and most populous city of Saudi Arabia. It has a population of 6.5 million people compared with Iran’s capital city of Tehran with a population of 9 million people. Iran and Saudi Arabia face each other across the Persian Gulf, a major source and of oil and a key artery for transporting it.