Weekly Quiz: Guantánamo Bay, Affordable Housing, and the Gig Economy

1 2 const title = "Guantánamo Bay, Affordable Housing, and the Gig Economy "; const date = "May 24, 2025"; const data = [ { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/Shepard_GuantanamoBay-1800-1536x1025.jpg", title: "I’ve Visited Guantánamo 28 Times as a Reporter. It Still Defies Belief", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/guantanamo-bay/", question: "Since assuming office, US president Donald Trump has been making good on his promise to send “high threat” migrants to Guantánamo Bay. How much money did Rhode Island senator Jack Reed estimate the Trump administration had spent in the first month of their migrant mission?", options: [ "$15 million (US)", "$27 million (US)", "$40 million (US)", "$48 million (US)", ], answer: "$40 million (US)", correct: "On the evening of February 4, Trump sent the first C-17 plane carrying “high-threat” migrants to Guantánamo. The first 180 migrants were detained for about two weeks and then deported to Venezuela, without trial or hearings, as alleged gang members, stirring talk among legislators about the troubling logistics and astronomical costs of the administration’s plan. Senator Reed, who toured the facility as part of a delegation of five senators, told the New York Times that Trump’s migrant mission cost approximately $40 million (US) in its first month. “It is obvious that Guantánamo Bay is a likely illegal and certainly illogical location to detain immigrants,” the senators said in a statement. “Its use is seemingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny.", incorrect: "On the evening of February 4, Trump sent the first C-17 plane carrying “high-threat” migrants to Guantánamo. The first 180 migrants were detained for about two weeks and then deported to Venezuela, without trial or hearings, as alleged gang members, stirring talk among legislators about the troubling logistics and astronomical costs of the administration’s plan. Senator Reed, who toured the facility as part of a delegation of five senators, told the New York Times that Trump’s migrant mission cost approximately $40 million (US) in its first month. “It is obvious that Guantánamo Bay is a likely illegal and certainly illogical location to detain immigrants,” the senators said in a statement. “Its use is seemingly designed to undermine due process and evade legal scrutiny.", }, { title: "Mark Carney Promised Affordable Housing. Now Comes the Impossible Part", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/mark-carney-housing/", question: "Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised to make housing affordable for Canadians by stabilizing prices and growing incomes. How long do experts like Mike Moffat argue it would take for wages to “catch up” with “flat” housing prices in some parts of Canada?", options: [ "10–20 years", "20–30 years", "30–40 years", "40–50 years", ], answer: "40–50 years", correct: "Moffat and other experts argue that it would take four or five decades in some parts of the country for wages to “catch up” with “flat” housing prices. “That’s the long run,” writes journalist David Moscrop, “and you know what Keynes said about the long run: in it, we’re all dead. People want homes now. Not when they’re dead.” First-time buyers, whether younger or older, won’t be happy with a plan that requires them to wait decades to enter the market.", incorrect: "Moffat and other experts argue that it would take four or five decades in some parts of the country for wages to “catch up” with “flat” housing prices. “That’s the long run,” writes journalist David Moscrop, “and you know what Keynes said about the long run: in it, we’re all dead. People want homes now. Not when they’re dead.” First-time buyers, whether younger or older, won’t be happy with a plan that requires them to wait decades to enter the market.", }, { image: "https://walrus-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/img/WEB_LookMaNoHands_MAY25.gif", title: "How to Make a Living as a Writer", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/how-to-make-a-living-as-a-writer/", question: "From researching American horse-racing laws to crafting choose-your-own-adventure erotica, writer Gabrielle Drolet has taken on a million different jobs to keep her afloat as a freelancer. What does Drolet say is the key to finding success in the gig economy?", options: [ "Investing in a professional website to showcase your portfolio", "Building a network of industry connections who know how badly you’d like work", "Staying on top of your invoices and keeping your rate competitive", "Hiring an agent that connects you with relevant opportunities", ], answer: "Building a network of industry connections who know how badly you’d like work", correct: "Drolet’s work is a map of overlapping gigs and contracts. Many of her jobs are ones she didn’t know existed until she started doing them. It’s the way she’s gotten most of her roles: through an acquaintance who heard she was looking for work. “This is key to success in freelancing,” writes Drolet. "You just need to build a roster of industry connections who know how desperate you are.", incorrect: "Drolet’s work is a map of overlapping gigs and contracts. Many of her jobs are ones she didn’t know existed until she started doing them. It’s the way she’s gotten most of her roles: through an acquaintance who heard she was looking for work. “This is key to success in freelancing,” writes Drolet. "You just need to build a roster of industry connections who know how desperate you are.", }, { title: "Crisis or Reform: The Choice Facing Canada’s New Parliament", url: "https://thewalrus.ca/canadian-democracy-needs-a-reset-fast/", question: "In his book, The Crisis of Canadian Democracy, journalist Andrew Coyne expresses skepticism about the transformative power of a new parliament. What is the main reason why Coyne doubts their ability to implement meaningful electoral reforms?", options: [ "The Constitution prohibits the implementation of major structural changes without royal assent", "The majority of Canadian voters are risk-averse and want to preserve the status quo", "The system can be changed only by people elected under the existing system", "Partisan infighting has prevented cross-party consensus building", ], answer: "The system can be changed only by people elected under the existing system", correct: "Coyne notes that there is a big, self-reinforcing loop affecting Canadian democracy: the system can be changed only by those who were elected under the existing system. The prime minister’s powers cannot be reduced without the prime minister’s consent. MPs dare not bring their leader to heel so long as they are under the leader’s heel. Before you can regulate the parties’ chaotic internal elections, the parties would have to enact the regulations. Reform of our electoral system requires the approval of those who benefit from the status quo. And so on. “We are bound, it seems, by an iron ring of self-interest, an infinite cycle of inertia,” writes Coyne. Is there any hope of breaking out of this?", incorrect: "Coyne notes that there is a big, self-reinforcing loop affecting Canadian democracy: the system can be changed only by those who were elected under the existing system. The prime minister’s powers cannot be reduced without the prime minister’s consent. MPs dare not bring their leader to heel so long as they are under the leader’s heel. Before you can regulate the parties’ chaotic internal elections, the parties would have to enact the regulations. Reform of our electoral system requires the approval of those who benefit from the status quo. And so on. “We are bound, it seems, by an iron ring of self-interest, an infinite cycle of inertia,” writes Coyne. Is there any hope of breaking out of this?", }, ]; The post Weekly Quiz: Guantánamo Bay, Affordable Housing, and the Gig Economy first appeared on The Walrus.