[ MUSIC ] >> KELSEY: Hi, and welcome to KET's "News Quiz"!

I'm your host, Kelsey Starks.

Hope you're all enjoying some warmer temperatures.

Well let's get started today with a Challenge Question that takes us into the historical space race.

What country first launched a human into space?

Now this flight happened 60 years ago, in April 1961.

At the time, this country was a union that spanned northern Europe and Asia.

That union has since split apart and is now numerous smaller, individual countries.

Here's one more hint -- their space travelers are known as cosmonauts.

Can you think of it?

What country first launched a human into space?

That answer, after the news.

Well, in our news today, U.S. President Joe Biden delivered his first address to a joint session of Congress on April 28th.

A limited number of U.S.

Senators and Representatives were on hand to listen inside the House chambers, within the U.S. Capitol.

Thanks to COVID rules, only 200 people were allowed to attend the address.

The speech marked President Biden's first 100 days as the nation's leader and made history from the beginning.

The president acknowledged our first female vice president, Kamala Harris, who sat behind President Biden during his speech.

The presidential address included more information about his plans to improve America's infrastructure - that's our roadways, buildings and connectivity.

But he also spoke about plans that would offer free preschool for families with young children and free tuition for some community college programs.

President Biden believes the plans will provide jobs, getting Americans back to work after a year of uncertainty.

There may be upcoming changes in the U.S House of Representatives thanks to results of our latest census.

A census is a count of the people who live in a country.

It also tells things about those people like their backgrounds, and how they live - in an apartment or a house, for instance.

The U.S. conducts a census every 4 years.

The government uses these numbers to make some very important decisions.

Fire and police station locations are often determined by these.

And, the number of congressional representatives is also affected.

The state of Texas and a few others will gain some political ground thanks to this latest count.

Since 2010, the massive southern state has gained nearly 4 million residents.

That will give Texas an additional two representatives in the U.S. Congress.

Meanwhile, California is losing congressional seat.

Their population is growing more slowly than other states.

Now, in case you were wondering?

The overall outcome of this census shows that the U.S. population includes 331,449,281 people.

You can count on the first part of today's Quiz.

Questions 1 and 2 are all about that presidential address.

Back to the news.

Just as the weather is warming up, you may be able to take off those masks to enjoy time outdoors!

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, here in the U.S. has eased its restrictions about mask wearing after several in-depth studies.

Those studies found that the spread of the COVID-19 virus is mainly happening indoors.

So, the new CDC guidelines say those who are vaccinated do not need to wear masks outdoors unless they are in a large crowd of strangers.

More than half of U.S. adults have had at least one COVID-19 vaccine.

The CDC hopes the vaccinations and new mask guidelines can be followed by more positive steps on the road back to normal.

Well from outer space, NASA's little Mars helicopter is soaring into the record books.

Since performing the first powered flight by an aircraft on on another planet, Ingenuity made a second, higher, flight a few days later.

Now these aren't flight's that circle the planet, these are flights that last just a few minutes in the thin Martian atmosphere.

Still, each flight is an amazing feat with proof in the pictures that are being sent back to NASA's Mission Control.

Up to three more test flights are in store for the helicopter.

Each one will take the little drone higher above Mars's surface with more complicated acrobatics.

Back here on Earth, IKEA is tackling waste and recycling with new ideas for their popular furniture.

IKEA is the world's largest furniture seller.

The Swedish company designs ready-to-assemble furniture and accessories.

The company's new efforts are underway in a small Swedish town.

A shopping mall in the town has combined a recycling center with shops that only sell second-hand goods.

Six monthsago, IKEA opened a store at the mall where they refurbish IKEA products.

And the items are already put together so there is no assembly required!

Most pieces can just be cleaned and polished before being re-sold.

Others take a little work to fix scratches or broken parts.

Rhe items are very popular and most sell very quickly.

Well let's quickly move into the second part of today's Quiz.

Question 5 has us breathing easier.

Back to the news with a look at wildlife now.

First we head to Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe.

It's the second largest country in Europe, next to Russia.

And, Ukraine used to be part of Russia when it was known as the USSR or Soviet Union.

One scientist has spent the past past 20 years studying wildlife in a place known as the exclusion zone.

That's an area of Chernobyl, Ukraine where a terrible nuclear disaster happened in 1986.

There is still very little human activity in the exclusion zone, but the scientist has found that animals like moose, deer and boar aren't critically affected by higher levels of radiation that remain there.

Because humans aren't there, he says it's a unique opportunity to see animals return and natural habitats return.

And on the island of Cyprus, environmental scientists are interested in the deserted buffer zone that sits between the Greek and Turkish governed parts of the island.

Cyprus is an island nation in the Mediterranean Sea.

Part of it belongs to Greece and the other belongs to Turkey.

Two biologists, in particular, are studying flora and fauna.

One is from the Greek half of the island, the other, from the Turkish half.

But in the buffer zone, the politics are put aside, all to benefit the environment.

Since the area was abandoned in 1974, long-horned sheep and many other animals and rare plants have grown there.

The environmental scientists hope their governments can work together to keep at least part of the area protected for nature's sake.

And, you may not realize it, but zoo and aquarium animals also need annual physical exams.

And yes, that means even the snakes.

At the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts, Wilson, the anaconda, got her checkup.

Veterinarians, biologists and aquarists took a look at the massive reptile.

Aquarists are people who manage aquariums and usually care for aquatic animals.

Anacondas are some of the longest and heaviest snakes in the world.

Their natural habitat is in South America.

Although Wilson is not venomous, she still has four rows of teeth and is very strong.

Happily she got a clean bill of health!

And happily here's the final part of today's Quiz.

Take a little breather now and let that Quiz buzz settle.

In today's Extra Credit Report, we've got another kind of buzz for you.

European beekeepers hope their work will help re-grow these helpful creatures.

German researchers recently got an inside look at the life of European honeybees inside the hive.

They placed cameras into honeycomb cells and captured video of a queen bee laying her eggs, larvae being fed by worker bees, pollen storage and other amazing bee activities.

Most of the world's flowering plants and lots of our food sources rely on pollination from insects like the bees.

Beekeepers in Italy will probably be watching that video.

A project in Milan called Alveari Urbanif includes a population of a million bees living in designer hives.

The hives are in boxes specially designed for them by local artists.

They are placed around the city.

And keepers are enlisting help.

Bee-keeping classes begin soon!

Well remember to answer our Opinion Question.

It's your chance to evaluate News Quiz.

Jeremiah and Alyzah from Providence Elementary's 6th Grade in Webster County, Kentucky jumped right in with their thoughts.

Jeremiah gives us "...a 10 out of 10.

Keep doing what you're doing!!"

Alright, thanks!

And Alyzah adds, ..you can learn many things and answer questions and have fun while learning information.

...and it's nice to learn things about other countries."

We agree.

Well what are your thoughts?

How would you evaluate News Quiz?

Be sure to give us reasons for your thoughts and any examples that might have influenced your answer for this year.

Email your letters to us at: NewsQuiz@ket.org.

Or use the form at KET.org/newsquiz.

Be sure to include your name, grade, school, and teacher's name in your response!

Well now it's time to get a look at today's answers!

We're going to orbit back to that Challenge Question, where Russia is the answer.

You could have also answered USSR, or SOVIET UNION.

Russia was part of the Soviet Union when Yuri Gagarin was launched into space.

The cosmonaut was the first to orbit the earth.

His flight lasted almost two hours.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of his flight, 500 Russian drones took to the skies creating the shape of the rocket used by Yuri Gagarin.

Pretty cool!

Here are the rest of today's answers.

Finally today, Captain America is teaching kids and Brazil about the importance of mask wearing And hand sanitizing.

Military Police Sergeant Everaldo Pinto bought the superhero costume to play with his kids.

During the pandemic, he sent messages on social media to encourage other children and families.

Now he dons the costume, takes his motorbike and and spreads the message in person.

Thanks Cap!

That wraps it up for us.

We will see you here next week for more News Quiz!

Bye!

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