The 2017 Quiz on News-to-Be

1. In 2017, the most interesting political figure not named Trump will be:

A. California Governor Jerry Brown, for the 42nd year in a row

B. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, as she tries to make Goldman Sachs a four-letter word.

C. Incoming Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, who still knows how to make a deal

D. Kellyanne Conway, Trump adviser

2. When it comes to his conflicts of interest, Donald Trump will make no changes to his business practices because:

A. His lawyers say the law doesn’t require him to

B. Americans don’t really care

C. The Trump kids cannot afford to buy his interests in the family partnerships

D. Congress won’t let him write off capital-gains taxes, as it has for other public servants

3. Rex Tillerson’s nomination as Secretary of State will:

A. Slip by, because Democrats try to pick off two or three of Trump’s nominees rather than concentrating on one

B. Fail, because both parties want a scalp for the Russian email-hacking scandal

C. Drag on for weeks because of the constant interruptions by climate-change protesters dressed as sick polar bears

D. Be eclipsed by the hearings for Energy Secretary designate Rick Perry, who once believed (but famously could not recall in a televised debate) that he wanted to abolish the department

4. The decade-long boom in Miami condo sales will:

A. End as water levels rise and buyers bid only on higher floors

B. Go bust as Chinese and Brazilian money moves offshore

C. Deflate as buyers flock to Havana for cheaper alternatives

D. Climb once more as Puerto Ricans fleeing the debt-ridden island continue to move to the mainland

5. U.S. car sales will level off at least 16 million units in 2017, thanks largely to:

A. Seven-year car loans

B. Seven-year car warranties

C. Uber

D. Gasoline prices staying below $3 a gallon

6. The most likely headline in religion will be:

A. Relations between the Vatican and China thaw, and China in turn recognizes the Catholic Church’s authority to name its own bishops

B. Anti-abortion groups successfully push Congress to strip Planned Parenthood’s government funding

C. The Dalai Lama meets with President Trump in the Oval Office

D. Billy Graham invites Trump to visit him at his home in Montreat, N.C.

7. The big news from the Korean Peninsula will be:

A. Third-generation dictator Kim Jong Un announces Pyongyang has successfully put a nuke atop an ICBM

B. Pyongyang test-fires an ICBM into the eastern Pacific

C. Political corruption in South Korea hobbles Washington’s efforts to constrain the Hermit Kingdom

D. Hard-partying Kim Jong Un dies in a car accident; Pyongyang accuses Seoul, Washington of assassination

8. The most dramatic change in domestic policy under Trump will be:

A. Rolling back Obama’s many climate and clean-energy initiatives

B. Opening more public land and offshore tracts to oil and gas drilling

C. The repeal and replacement of Obamacare

D. The enactment of a new corporate and personal-income tax framework

9. The standout sports performance of 2017 will belong to:

A. Serena Williams, who breaks Steffi Graf’s Grand Slam singles title record by winning her 23rd major at the Australian Open

B. The Dallas Cowboys, who win Super Bowl LI with two rookies: quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott

C. The Golden State Warriors, who avenge their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals by defeating LeBron James’ Cavs in seven games

D. The Chicago Cubs repeat as World Series champions, and the good times roll at Wrigley

EDITORS’ PREDICTIONS: 1. C; 2. B; 3. A; 4. A; 5. D; 6. B; 7. B; 8. A; 9. A