Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

The curtain on the 2008 US presidential election finally rose last month as John McCain and Barack Obama were formally nominated as candidates of the two major parties. This may be one of the hardest decisions voters have to make between two appealing candidates.

The big question for voters, as they face both an economic downturn and international threats, is: who will they elect? A young first-term senator promising change and new ideas, or a longtime senator with strong military experience and a reputation as a maverick ?

American voters have never seen a candidate quite like Obama. He has a white mother from theprefix = st1 /USand a black father fromKenyawho left the family when Obama was very young. He spent part of his youth inIndonesia.

His supporters say Obama's childhood gives him the advantage to repair the recent damage done toAmerica's image abroad. His opponents focus on his inexperience, noting he hasn't finished his first term in the Senate.

However, McCain has a very different life story.

He grew up in a Navy family and was a pilot during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. When Obama was in kindergarten in Indonesia, McCain's plane was shot down overVietnamand he became a prisoner of war. McCain could have been released if he _ Americabut he refused and so was held for five years.

So in the end, the election may hinge on (...) several factors that are hard to judge: Will Obama's race matter to a significant number of voters? Will working-class whites who tended to support his primary opponent, Hillary Clinton, vote for Obama? And perhaps most important of all, will swing voters be more drawn to Obama's vision or to McCain's experience?

Whatever happens, one thing is clear: Whoever walks into the White House on January 20, 2009, will find enormous challenges waiting for him in the Oval Office, both at home and abroad.

1. What war was McCain in?
2. Was he in the army?
3. What was his job?
4. Were any of his family in the military?
5. What branch?
6. What happened to McCain while over there?
7. Did he have a choice in what happened to him?
8. What was Obama doing at this time?
9. Who did Obama defeat in the primary?
10. Which segment of the population were on her side?
11. Is the election expected to be an easy choice for most voters?
12. Is that because both candidates are disliked so much?
13. Is the economy humming along during this election?
14. Is the U.S. safe from international threats during this time?
15. What is Obama promising the people?
16. Is he in the Senate or House?
17. Has he served many terms?
18. Is McCain in the senate or house?
19. Is McCain's reputation one of timidness and caution?
20. When will the new President take the oath of office?

Numbered answers:

A: 1. Vietnam War
2. no
3. pilot
4. yes
5. the Navy
6. his plane was shot down and he became a prisoner of war
7. yes
8. attending kindergarten in Indonesia
9. Hillary Clinton
10. working-class whites
11. no
12. no
13. no
14. no
15. change and new ideas
16. the senate
17. no
18. senate
19. no
20. January 20

Answer the questions at the end based on the text.

(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal must get past big-serving home hope Andy Roddick to have a shot at his first title in 11 months at the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.

The Spanish fourth seed crushed No. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France 6-3 6-2 on Wednesday night to move into the semifinals of the ATP Tour event, which has already seen top-ranked Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray fall by the wayside.

Sixth seed Roddick is hoping to repeat his 2004 victory, with the American in similarly dominant form as he dispatched Nadal's 33rd-seeded compatriot Nicolas Almagro 6-3 6-3.

Nadal, twice a losing finalist in the southern American city, also reached the last four at Indian Wells two weeks ago on his return from a knee injury.

"When you play against Andy, it always is a big challenge," he told the ATP Tour Web site.

"His serve, and he's a very good competitor. He's a winner. Gonna be a very tough match, no? I think I have to play my best tennis to try to win."

Roddick, who has not dropped a set so far, will take on a player who will return to No. 3 in the world rankings next week following defending champion Murray's second-round exit.

He reached the final at Indian Wells before losing to Nadal's conqueror Ivan Ljubicic, and was also a semifinalist in Miami in 2008.

"Sometimes when you're not playing well, everything feels a little bit forced. When you play a lot of matches and play a high level, it feels like everything kind of slows down a little bit," he told the ATP site.

1. What seed is Roddick?
2. What victory does he want to duplicate?
3. Who must get past him in order to have a shot at the title?
4. Where does he have the opportunity to win that title?
5. In which City?
6. How many top ranked players have already fallen out of the running?
7. Who are they?
8. Who did Roddick defeat in his 2004 match?
9. Who says that Roddick will be a big challenge?
10. What part of Andy's playing does he find particularly difficult to surmount?
11. Who else was a semifinalist in 2008?
12. In what city?

Numbered answers:

A:
1. Sixth
2. 2004
3. Rafael Nadal
4. at the Sony Ericsson Open
5. Miami
6. three
7. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray
8. Nicolas Almagro
9. Nadal
10. His serve
11. Ivan Ljubicic
12. Miami