Weekly Quiz: Academic Overload, Student Journalists, and Stress Signals

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const title = "Weekly Quiz: Academic Overload, Student Journalists, and Stress Signals"; const date = "December 20, 2025"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_Q26A-NickHune-Brown_NOV25-1536x1024.jpg", title: "If Chatbots Can Replace Writers, It’s Because We Made Writing Replaceable", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/if-chatbots-can-replace-writers-its-because-we-made-writing-replaceable/ ", question: "As universities increasingly reward volume over depth, academic publishing now operates at an industrial scale. As of 2022, approximately how many academic journal articles were being published worldwide each year?", options: [ "About 500,000", "About 1 million", "More than 5 million", "More than 15 million", ], answer: "More than 5 million", correct: "The push to establish objective metrics has led to a catastrophic overproduction of journal articles. More than 5 million are published a year, as of 2022 (up 22 percent from 2018), and yet as far back as 2007, researchers found that 50 percent of articles were read only by the author and their editors.", incorrect: "The push to establish objective metrics has led to a catastrophic overproduction of journal articles. More than 5 million are published a year, as of 2022 (up 22 percent from 2018), and yet as far back as 2007, researchers found that 50 percent of articles were read only by the author and their editors.", }, { title: "When It Matters Most, Student Journalists Are Showing Up", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/when-it-matters-most-student-journalists-are-showing-up/", question: "Student journalists at Carleton University uncovered a discrepancy between official statements and campus actions regarding protest prevention. What did their reporting reveal about the fencing of the campus quad?", options: [ "The fencing was installed after a previous protest caused property damage.", "The fencing was erected to prevent a possible encampment.", "The fencing was planned months earlier as part of larger renovations.", "The fencing was requested by student unions concerned about safety.", ], answer: "The fencing was erected to prevent a possible encampment.", correct: "In September 2024, student journalists Elissa Mendes and Cassandra Bellefeuille, writing for Carleton University’s student newspaper, the Charlatan, broke significant news: the university had fenced off the campus quad to prevent an encampment from being set up, contrary to the president’s initial claims that it was installed for maintenance reasons. According to Mendes and Bellefeuille, the fencing was put up on April 29, the same day the pro-Palestine encampment began at the University of Ottawa. Their story quotes the Carleton University president addressing a senate meeting that fall, saying, “I make no apologies for having taken that decision. The possibility of an encampment at our campus was a real one at that time,” and that an encampment on campus would have been “dangerous” for both protesters and community members.", incorrect: "In September 2024, student journalists Elissa Mendes and Cassandra Bellefeuille, writing for Carleton University’s student newspaper, the Charlatan, broke significant news: the university had fenced off the campus quad to prevent an encampment from being set up, contrary to the president’s initial claims that it was installed for maintenance reasons. According to Mendes and Bellefeuille, the fencing was put up on April 29, the same day the pro-Palestine encampment began at the University of Ottawa. Their story quotes the Carleton University president addressing a senate meeting that fall, saying, “I make no apologies for having taken that decision. The possibility of an encampment at our campus was a real one at that time,” and that an encampment on campus would have been “dangerous” for both protesters and community members.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_YearEndPolls_DEC25-1536x1024.jpg", title: "The Numbers Behind Poilievre’s Leadership Dilemma", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/the-numbers-behind-poilievres-leadership-dilemma/", question: "While Mark Carney maintains a solid approval rating in much of the country, one region stands out as a warning sign for the Liberal coalition, especially given its importance to recent electoral gains. Which province shows a net-zero approval rating for Carney, raising alarms for Liberal strategists?", options: [ "Alberta", "Quebec", "British Columbia", "Saskatchewan", ], answer: "British Columbia", correct: "Late-year data suggests Carney personally remains the one holding things together, as his own numbers outshine those of his party. The picture is more challenging in British Columbia—where the Liberals won a healthy twenty seats in April. Last month, a Leger poll had Carney’s approval at a net +11 in the province, but these numbers have fallen since: 46 percent approve of the Carney government while just as many disapprove. A net-zero approval in a province so central to Liberal gains should set off alarm bells at party headquarters.", incorrect: "Late-year data suggests Carney personally remains the one holding things together, as his own numbers outshine those of his party. The picture is more challenging in British Columbia—where the Liberals won a healthy twenty seats in April. Last month, a Leger poll had Carney’s approval at a net +11 in the province, but these numbers have fallen since: 46 percent approve of the Carney government while just as many disapprove. A net-zero approval in a province so central to Liberal gains should set off alarm bells at party headquarters.", }, { title: "Is Everyone Else Grinding Their Teeth Too?", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/is-everyone-else-grinding-their-teeth-too/", question: " Jaw pain isn’t always driven by stress alone. Certain widely prescribed medications can unintentionally affect muscle movement. Which class of medication is linked to increased jaw clenching or teeth grinding?", options: [ "Beta blockers", "Opioid painkillers", "Benzodiazepines", "Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors", ], answer: "Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors", correct: "A 2024 report found that more than 16 percent of Canadians had received antidepressants from community pharmacies the previous year. One class of those antidepressants is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which work by keeping serotonin available in the brain: instead of the serotonin being reabsorbed by nerve cells, as it normally would, the medicine blocks this reabsorption and keeps the neurotransmitter active for longer, resulting in a better mood. These medications can be crucial for the people who take them to show up at work, complete day-to-day tasks, and care for themselves and their families. But recent studies suggest that these antidepressants may also increase jaw clenching or grinding. This could be because serotonin affects the way we regulate our movements. Dentists warn that this isn’t a reason to stop taking an SSRI, but that it’s at least worth a conversation with the clinician who prescribed it.", incorrect: "A 2024 report found that more than 16 percent of Canadians had received antidepressants from community pharmacies the previous year. One class of those antidepressants is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which work by keeping serotonin available in the brain: instead of the serotonin being reabsorbed by nerve cells, as it normally would, the medicine blocks this reabsorption and keeps the neurotransmitter active for longer, resulting in a better mood. These medications can be crucial for the people who take them to show up at work, complete day-to-day tasks, and care for themselves and their families. But recent studies suggest that these antidepressants may also increase jaw clenching or grinding. This could be because serotonin affects the way we regulate our movements. Dentists warn that this isn’t a reason to stop taking an SSRI, but that it’s at least worth a conversation with the clinician who prescribed it.", }, ];