NewsTracker Answers for week of May 31, 2021

Q: Chinese authorities reportedly are testing a camera system that uses artificial intelligence to reveal emotion on the Uyghurs in the province of Xinjiang. Where is China?

Circle the area on this map


Q: A software engineer told the BBC that he installed the system “similar to a lie detector but far more advanced technology" in Xinjiang police stations. He said the subjects faced "pre-judgement without any credible evidence.” Uyghurs are ...

A. Ethnic minority

B. Mostly Muslim

C. Being imprisoned

D. All of the above


D. Xinjiang in northwest China is home to 12 million Uyghurs a Turkic ethnic group originating in central and east Asia. It is estimated that more than a million members of the mostly Muslim minority group have been locked up in “re-education camps” under a government crackdown.


Q: Uyghurs are one of 56 ethnic groups recognized by China’s government. Which is the dominant ethnic group in the country?

A. Han

B. Manchu

C. Mongol

D. Zhuang


A. Han Chinese not only account for 91.6% of China’s population they also are the world’s largest ethnic group, an estimated 1.4 billion people making up about 18% of the global population. The Han trace their roots back 9,000 years to farmers along the Yellow River in northern China. Over the millennia, the Han people spread and absorbed other ethnic groups in China.


Q: Xinjiang is believed to be one of the most surveilled areas in the world, and Chinese authorities say heavy control of Uyghurs is necessary because of the threat of separatist violence. Most Uyghurs are Muslim, while most of China’s people are ...

A. Buddhist

B. Christian

C. Hindu

D. Unaffiliated


D. China officially espouses state atheism and 52% of its people are not members of any religion. Folk religion is practiced by about 22%; followed by Buddhist at 18%, Christian at 5% and Muslim at 1.8%.


Q: China is estimated to be home to half of the world's almost 800 million surveillance cameras, and it uses other technologies to track its people. Uyghurs can be detained if authorities catch them without a . . .

A. Bar code tattoo

B. Cell phone

C. GPS bracelet

D. Implanted microchip


B. Uyghurs routinely have to provide DNA samples to local officials, undergo digital scans and most have to download a government phone app, which gathers data including contact lists and text messages. The cell phones also are used to track where people go and who they meet. “They feel like there's no escape," said one U.S. researcher.