Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the U.S. this week, bringing destructive winds and life-threatening storm surges. Which state did not issue an emergency declaration for the storm?

• Alabama

• Florida

• Georgia

• North Carolina

Answer explanation

It’s Alabama. Officials in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina issued emergency declarations for the storm, which killed at least two people. But the damage inflicted by Idalia could have been far worse.

What region along the Gulf Coast did Hurricane Idalia hit the hardest?

• The Big Bend

• The Big Sur

• The Emerald Coast

• The Gold Coast

Answer explanation

It’s the Big Bend, loosely defined as the area where the north-south portion of the Florida peninsula curves toward the east-west portion of the Panhandle. Hurricane Idalia is the first major storm to pummel Florida this season.

The president of Spain’s soccer federation refused to resign this week, despite pressure from the organization and prosecutors’ opening an investigation into his conduct. What caused the outrage?

• He didn't attend the Women's World Cup champtionships

• He embezzled federation funds

• He insulted the king of Spain

• He kissed a female player on the lips

Answer explanation

The soccer federation president, Luis Rubiales, kissed Jennifer Hermoso, a star forward, after Spain won the women’s World Cup. Rubiales initially apologized for kissing Hermoso, before backtracking and defending his actions, saying the kiss was consensual.

A gunman killed three Black people in what police are treating as a racially motivated hate crime in which Florida city?

• Fort Lauderdale

• Jacksonville

• Miami

• Orlando

Answer explanation

It was Jacksonville. The gunman, using an AR-15-style rifle that had swastika markings, shot to death two shoppers and an employee in a Dollar General store before killing himself.

Gina Raimondo met with top Chinese officials this week to express the U.S. business community’s concern that China was “uninvestable.” What is her title?

• Chief financial officer of Microsoft

• U.S. secretary of commerce

• U.S. secretary of state

• U.S. ambassador to China

Answer explanation

She is the secretary of commerce. Raimondo’s visit is part of an effort by the Biden administration to stop a long deterioration in the U.S. relationship with China and restore communications. She is the fourth senior official in the Biden administration to travel to China in three months.

Ugandan prosecutors have lodged charges of “aggravated homosexuality” against a 20-year-old man. Which is the potential maximum penalty he faces?

• Corporal punishment

• Death

• A fine

• A year in prison

Answer explanation

Anyone convicted of “aggravated homosexuality” — a term defined as acts of same-sex relations with children or disabled people, those carried out under threat or while someone is unconscious — can be sentenced to death under a law signed in May in the country.

A federal judge this week set a trial date in the Justice Department’s prosecution of Donald Trump on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. Which date did the judge pick?

• March 4, 2024

• November 4, 2024

• September 4, 2025

• January 21, 2028

Answer explanation

Judge Tanya Chutkan set the trial for March 4, rebuffing Trump’s proposal to delay it until 2026.

An artist became known as an important pioneer of abstract painting in 2018. Now, historians are questioning whether she really painted her work. Who is the artist?

• Berthe Morisot

• Hilma af Klint

• Mary Cassatt

• Yayoi Kusama

Answer explanation

She’s Hilma af Klint. Several scholars have suggested that some of her pictures may have been painted by a spiritualist collective, working with the Swedish painter toward a common goal.

In her second elite meet following a two-year hiatus, Simone Biles competed in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. How did she fare in in the all-around competition?

• She did not medal in the all-around competition

• She withdrew with an injury

• She won the all-around bronze medal

• She won the all-around gold medal

Answer explanation

Biles broke a 90-year record on Sunday by becoming the first American gymnast to win eight national all-around titles. At 26, she is the oldest woman to ever win the event. Her sole bronze medal came on bars.

A Times investigation found that U.S. _____________ have fallen over the past 40 years, in part because of improved pumping technology and climate change. Fill in the blank.

• Inflation rates

• I.Q.s

• Groundwater levels

• Oil production

Answer explanation

It’s groundwater levels. Overuse has drained the underground rock layers that store groundwater, known as aquifers, imperiling crops and drinking water.