This week brought more interrogations. So what did you know, and when did you know it? Take the Brief Quiz, #สิบแปด
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1. What happened to the massive potential of the private sector to boost investments in emerging-market small businesses?
a. It’s failed to materialize so far, but the potential is still there
b. It got diverted to multinationals, large businesses, and corrupt regimes
c. Investors got distracted and moved on to the next shiny thing
d. It was hampered by politicians attacks against the #FakeMissingMiddle
2. What is Japan’s SoftBank doing in India?
a. Low cost financing for electric vehicles fleets
b. Executive team building retreat in Rishikesh
c. Swap deal to keep the Andaman Islands above water
d. Moving headquarters to Bangalore
3. What’s Geneva working on?
a. Return to just a teeny-wee-bit more tax opacity
b. Return the Cologny crowd to America’s Cup glory in 2020
c. Becoming the Silicon Valley of sustainable finance
d. Getting more respect from Zurich
4. What is Singapore’s ride-hailing company Grab’s next move?
a. Financial services for underserved populations
b. Food delivery, under the Grab-a-Bite brand
c. Food delivery, under the Soft-Shell-Grab brand
d. Political consulting under the PowerGrab brand
5. How to understand the future of climate action?
a. Attend the United Nations’ next general assembly meeting, followed by the World Bank’s fall meetings, but also read the Financial Times, ImpactAlpha and a left-wing paper for good measure.
b. Record daily temperatures outside your kitchen window
c. Follow Donald on twitter
d. Follow the money
6. What’s Agenda 2063?
a. An attempt at obfuscating and delaying 2030 goals
b. A French beer brand
c. African initiatives for growth and sustainable development
d. A Star Trek episode
7. What could the low-carbon transition do to the UK?
a. Contribute 13% of the U.K. GDP by 2050
b. Replace the City as a magnet for global millennial talent
c. Improve the environment, just like everywhere else, stop acting like you’re so special
d. Reconcile a hung parliament
8. What happened this week at the United Nations?
a. Ocean Conference
b. Shark Week
c. Launch of UNBROS, a Silicon Valley diversity outreach initiative
d. The cafeteria stopped serving seafood, prompting staff protests
9. Speaking of fish, what’s Vietnam a top producer of?
a. Shark catfish
b. Cat sharkfish
c. Charred catfish
d. It’s all bullfish
10. And finally, what did the National Geographic Society do that’s not necessarily about fish?
a. Why is there a tenth question? There’s usually only nine questions. I hate when you mess with my habits
b. Oh, darling, you creature of habits, it’s to make up for last week’s eight questions
c. There were EIGHT questions last week? That’s so disheartening
d. Ahem, they put $50 mil to work in impact investing, are you happy now?
It’s done, it’s over, you can relax now. Not quite the gaokao, eh? See you next week.
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Answers: 1a, 2a, 3c, 4a, 5d, 6c, 7a (c at a stretch, d for dreamers), 8a, 9d, 10d (if you still had any doubts)
