Powell: How well do you know your presidential candidates? A pre-election day quiz

Vice President Kamala Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris

She could make history by becoming the first woman elected president of the United States. What do you know about her? Test your knowledge with this short, fun quiz.

1. Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, Calif., but she graduated from high school in this city:

A: Los Angeles
B: Phoenix
C: Montreal, Quebec, Canada 
D: Kingston, Jamaica

Answer: C. After briefly attending a French language primary school in 1981, Harris graduated from Westmount High School in Quebec.

2. Harris, who celebrated her 60th birthday Oct. 20, was given the name “Kamala” to reflect her mother’s Indian roots. It means …

A: Waterfall
B: Lotus
C: Fire bringer
D: Circle of light

Answer: B. It is also another name for the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.

3. As vice president, Harris has broken the most ties in U.S. Senate history, casting the deciding vote 33 times. The previous record of 31 was set by …

A: John C. Calhoun
B: John Adams
C: Lyndon Johnson
D: Al Gore

Answer: A. Calhoun served as vice president from 1825 to 1832 under Presidents John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.

4. Harris married attorney Douglas Emhoff in 2014 and is stepmother to Ella and Cole Emhoff. Their nickname for their stepmom is …. 

A: Mama Mia
B: ‘Cool One’
C: The Vice Parent
D: Momala

Answer: D. “I was already hooked on Doug,” Harris told Elle magazine, “but I believe it was Cole and Ella who reeled me in.”

5. Which of the following is not a “first” for Harris? 

A: First woman vice president
B: First Black vice president
C: California’s first woman U.S. senator 
D: First Black woman elected a California district attorney

Answer: C. Dianne Feinstein was elected California’s first woman U.S. senator in 1992.

6. As a 13-year-old in Canada, Harris organized a protest. What was the cause?

A: Banning her school from assigning homework
B: Lowering the voting age
C: Allowing pets on city buses
D: Letting kids play on the lawn at their apartment building

Answer: D. Kamala and her sister, Maya, were upset by the apartment’s policy, so they held a protest on the site. It worked, the ban was ended, and Maya remains a close political adviser.

7. If Kamala Harris wins on Nov. 5, she will be the first sitting vice president to be elected president since …

A: Lyndon Johnson
B: Gerald Ford
C: Richard Nixon
D: George H.W. Bush

Answer: D. Only four serving vice presidents have been elected president: John Adams in 1796; Thomas Jefferson in 1800; Martin Van Buren in 1836; and George H.W. Bush in 1988.

Editor’s note: J. Mark Powell is a novelist, former TV journalist and diehard history buff. Have a historical mystery that needs solving? A forgotten moment worth remembering? Send it to him at HolyCow@insidesources.com

Former President Donald Trump

Former President Donald Trump

He may be the most famous man in the world, but how much do you really know about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump? Test your knowledge with this short, fun quiz.

1. Trump is the second president born in New York City. Who was the first?

A: Martin Van Buren
B: Chester A. Arthur
C: Theodore Roosevelt
D: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Answer: C. His branch of the Roosevelt family had lived in Manhattan for two centuries by the time Teddy came along in 1858.

2. A confirmed germophobe, developer Trump didn’t use which essential businessman’s accessory?

A: Cell phone
B: Briefcase
C: Laptop computer
D: Rolodex

Answer: B. Trump refused to carry a briefcase. He also has difficulty shaking hands because of the potential for spreading germs.

3. “The Apprentice” made Trump a TV celebrity, but he made many cameo appearances before that. Which of the following shows did Trump appear on?

A: Sex and the City
B: The Nanny
C: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
D: Days of Our Lives

Answer: Trick question — he appeared in all of them and in the movies “Home Alone 2,” “Two Weeks Notice” and “Zoolander.”

4. Trump’s father was a native-born New Yorker, but his mother immigrated to the United States from what country?

A: Scotland
B: Ireland
C: England
D: Australia

Answer: A. At age 17, Mary Anne MacLeod immigrated from Scotland to the United States with $50, working as a maid in New York City.

5. Despite owning several labels that market it, Trump is not a customer himself. Which product does he avoid?

A: Tobacco 
B: Alcohol
C: Trans-fat foods
D: Caffeine

Answer: B. Trump is a teetotaler (as is President Biden).

6. According to his 1987 book “The Art of the Deal,” Trump considered attending the University of Southern California to study for what profession?

A: Fashion designer
B: Plastic surgeon
C: Film producer or studio executive
D: Surfing instructor 

Answer: C. According to the book, Trump briefly toyed with the idea of working in Hollywood but instead opted for the real estate business because he felt he could make more money there.

7. Upon entering office in 2017, Trump became the third president to not take the presidential salary. Who were the other two?

A: Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant
B: Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt
C: Millard Fillmore and Benjamin Harrison
D: Herbert Hoover and John F. Kennedy

Answer: D. Republican Hoover and Democrat Kennedy declined the pay (accepting only a token $1 yearly) because they were millionaires. Republican Trump did likewise because he was a billionaire.