Weekly Quiz: Falls, Forced Disappearances, and the False Face of Albertan Identity

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const title = "Weekly Quiz: Falls, Forced Disappearances, and the False Face of Albertan Identity"; const date = "March 21, 2026"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/FEA_Al-Asar_Art_02-1536x1024.jpg", title: "Where Do the Disappeared Go?", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/where-do-the-disappeared-go/", question: "Enforced disappearance is not limited to a single country. Human rights organizations track cases worldwide, documenting decades of missing people across regions affected by repression, conflict, and organized crime. According to Amnesty International, approximately how many people globally were registered as missing or disappeared between 1962 and 2023?", options: [ "About 23,000", "About 65,000", "About 114,000", "About 270,000", ], answer: "About 114,000", correct: "Enforced disappearance is a global phenomenon. Security agencies use it systematically to suppress political dissent and target activists and journalists in authoritarian states such as Iran. It’s widespread in countries experiencing conflict and armed struggle, including Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Russia, and Ukraine, and among organized-crime groups in Latin America and Mexico. In 2023, Mexico recorded more than 12,000 such disappearances. An Amnesty International report noted that, around the world, 114,004 people were registered as missing or disappeared between 1962 and 2023.", incorrect: "Enforced disappearance is a global phenomenon. Security agencies use it systematically to suppress political dissent and target activists and journalists in authoritarian states such as Iran. It’s widespread in countries experiencing conflict and armed struggle, including Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Russia, and Ukraine, and among organized-crime groups in Latin America and Mexico. In 2023, Mexico recorded more than 12,000 such disappearances. An Amnesty International report noted that, around the world, 114,004 people were registered as missing or disappeared between 1962 and 2023.", }, { title: "Alberta’s Separatists Are Chasing a Total Cowboy Fantasy", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/albertas-separatists-are-chasing-a-total-cowboy-fantasy/", question: "The stereotypical idea of the “real” Albertan is often tied to images of rural ruggedness. However, demographic data paints a different picture of where most people actually live. Approximately what percentage of Albertans live in urban areas?", options: [ "55 percent", "68 percent", "75 percent", "82 percent", ], answer: "82 percent", correct: "The demographics of Alberta don’t fit the cliché. About 82 percent of Albertans live in an urban setting, which is similar to (read: not distinct from) the national average. It is also similar to countries like France, Korea, and Norway. Indeed, Alberta is much more urban than the world average (where about 55 percent live in cities), and its population is also broadly similar to the rest of Canada in terms of diversity, with roughly a quarter belonging to what Statistics Canada calls “racialized groups.” Beyond being highly urban and culturally diverse, Alberta is a province filled with citizens who welcome immigrants, who feel strongly about staying in Canada, and (mostly) support marginalized and vulnerable communities.", incorrect: "The demographics of Alberta don’t fit the cliché. About 82 percent of Albertans live in an urban setting, which is similar to (read: not distinct from) the national average. It is also similar to countries like France, Korea, and Norway. Indeed, Alberta is much more urban than the world average (where about 55 percent live in cities), and its population is also broadly similar to the rest of Canada in terms of diversity, with roughly a quarter belonging to what Statistics Canada calls “racialized groups.” Beyond being highly urban and culturally diverse, Alberta is a province filled with citizens who welcome immigrants, who feel strongly about staying in Canada, and (mostly) support marginalized and vulnerable communities.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_DontFall_MAR26.jpg", title: "What I Learned from Breaking My Pelvis for the Second Time", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/what-i-learned-from-breaking-my-pelvis-for-the-second-time/ ", question: "Falls are often dismissed as minor accidents, but public health data suggests they are far more dangerous than many people assume. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), which cause of death ranks just above falling among unintentional injuries?", options: [ "Drowning", "Traffic accidents", "Electrocution", "Fires", ], answer: "Traffic accidents", correct: "The WHO estimates only traffic accidents top falling as the cause of death from an unintentional injury. We all know the nightmare scenario: Granny falls in her kitchen, nobody finds her for three days, she is admitted to hospital for surgery and develops an antibiotic-resistant infection. By the time she is discharged several months later, she is deemed too frail to live alone. Her family places her in a “safe” institution that soothes their anxiety but robs her of independence, speeds her decline into fractious dementia, and results in many more hospitalizations at a huge cost to the already overburdened health care system.", incorrect: "The WHO estimates only traffic accidents top falling as the cause of death from an unintentional injury. We all know the nightmare scenario: Granny falls in her kitchen, nobody finds her for three days, she is admitted to hospital for surgery and develops an antibiotic-resistant infection. By the time she is discharged several months later, she is deemed too frail to live alone. Her family places her in a “safe” institution that soothes their anxiety but robs her of independence, speeds her decline into fractious dementia, and results in many more hospitalizations at a huge cost to the already overburdened health care system.", }, { title: "How to Say No—and Feel Good about It", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/how-to-say-no-and-feel-good-about-it/", question: "Saying yes too often can feel productive in the moment, but it may come at a cost to our long-term priorities. In his book, The Happiness Files, social scientist Arthur C. Brooks links our proclivity for overcommitting to “hyperbolic discounting.” What does this concept describe?", options: [ "Our difficulty with accurately predicting how long tasks will take", "Our discomfort with disappointing others or setting boundaries", "Our inclination to underestimate the effects of burnout", "Our tendency to prioritize short-term rewards and accomplishments over more important long-term goals", ], answer: "Our tendency to prioritize short-term rewards and accomplishments over more important long-term goals", correct: "Brooks frames hyperbolic discounting as our tendency to value short-term rewards and accomplishments over more important long-term goals. We want to decorate for holidays, join book clubs, volunteer for pizza lunch, and take on that extra work project to look good in front of our boss. The problem is that our days fill up and our big-picture priorities don’t get the attention they deserve. Hustle culture also plays a role (“I’m busy” is an inescapable reality but also, let’s be honest, a bit of a humble brag).", incorrect: "Brooks frames hyperbolic discounting as our tendency to value short-term rewards and accomplishments over more important long-term goals. We want to decorate for holidays, join book clubs, volunteer for pizza lunch, and take on that extra work project to look good in front of our boss. The problem is that our days fill up and our big-picture priorities don’t get the attention they deserve. Hustle culture also plays a role (“I’m busy” is an inescapable reality but also, let’s be honest, a bit of a humble brag).", }, ];