question: Southern California, often abbreviated SoCal, is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises California's southernmost 10 counties. The region is traditionally described as "eight counties", based on demographics and economic ties: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. The more extensive 10-county definition, including Kern and San Luis Obispo counties, is also used based on historical political divisions. Southern California is a major economic center for the state of California and the United States.

The 8- and 10-county definitions are not used for the greater Southern California Megaregion, one of the 11 megaregions of the United States. The megaregion's area is more expansive, extending east into Las Vegas, Nevada, and south across the Mexican border into Tijuana.

Southern California includes the heavily built-up urban area stretching along the Pacific coast from Ventura, through the Greater Los Angeles Area and the Inland Empire, and down to Greater San Diego. Southern California's population encompasses seven metropolitan areas, or MSAs: the Los Angeles metropolitan area, consisting of Los Angeles and Orange counties; the Inland Empire, consisting of Riverside and San Bernardino counties; the San Diego metropolitan area; the OxnardThousand OaksVentura metropolitan area; the Santa Barbara metro area; the San Luis Obispo metropolitan area; and the El Centro area. Out of these, three are heavy populated areas: the Los Angeles area with over 12 million inhabitants, the Riverside-San Bernardino area with over four million inhabitants, and the San Diego area with over 3 million inhabitants. For CSA metropolitan purposes, the five counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura are all combined to make up the Greater Los Angeles Area with over 17.5 million people. With over 22 million people, southern California contains roughly 60 percent of California's population.
1. How many counties make up the focus area?
2. Name all the counties starting with a consonant.
3. Which are the two remaining?
4. SoCal's population includes how many metro areas?
5. Which is one area?
6. Which counties make up that area?
7. What is another MSA?
8. How many counties is it made up of?
9. Which is one?
10. And the other?
11. Which counties make up the Greater LA area?
12. What is the population in that area?
13. What percent of the Cali population is that?
****
answer: 1. eight
2. Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Ventura.
3. Imperial and Orange
4. seven
5. the Los Angeles metropolitan area
6. Los Angeles and Orange
7. the Inland Empire
8. two
9. Riverside
10. San Bernardino
11. Los Angeles and Orange
12. over 17.5 million
13. roughly 60 percent

question: (PEOPLE.com) -- For nearly three years, the hit TLC show "Toddlers & Tiaras" has captured the drama behind the scenes in the world of child beauty pageants.

The tantrums were extreme, and the pre-show prep of spray tanning and eyebrow waxing seemed perhaps premature for little kids.

But in the last few weeks, as footage of 3- and 4-year-olds dressed in overly adult costumes (like Dolly Parton, complete with padded breasts, or Julia Roberts's streetwalker from "Pretty Woman") hit the airwaves, viewers and pageant skeptics have been expressing horror at an industry that is now accused of "sexualizing" young girls.

"Little girls are supposed to play with dolls, not be dolls," New York-based licensed clinical social worker Mark Sichel tells PEOPLE in its new issue.

He adds that the extremes parents go to in order to prepare their children for competition -- using padding, fake hair, flippers (faux teeth) and spray tans -- "causes the children tremendous confusion, wondering why they are not okay without those things."

Now devoted pageant moms are speaking out in their own defense. Wendy Dickey, who dressed her daughter Paisley, 3, as Julia Roberts, tells PEOPLE the look was "tasteful and funny." Still, "If I knew there would be a reaction like this, I never would have used it," Dickey says. "Next time, she'll be dressed as an angel."

And Juana Myers, whose daughter MaKenzie has been featured on Tiaras, says unfair scrutiny has been placed on the pageant industry. "If this were a sport, no one would question it," she says. "This is her sport."
1. What's the main topic?
2. In which format?
3. In what channel?
4. Is the show somwat overboard?
5. How so?
6. Who were the participants?
7. Did they impersonate anyone?
8. Who?
9. In what character?
10. Did audience took it okay?
11. Why?
12. Who said that?
13. Who is he?
14. Where did he commented that?
15. Was he worried about the kids?
16. Why?
17. Like what?
18. Was there any responses from other side?
19. Who were they?
20. Any specific person?
****
answer: 1. child beauty pageants
2. a tv show
3. TLC
4. yes
5. tantrums were extreme
6. 3- and 4-year-olds
7. yes
8. Dolly Parton
9. Julia Roberts's streetwalker from "Pretty Woman"
10. no
11. Little girls are supposed to play with dolls
12. Mark Sichel
13. a social worker
14. in PEOPLE
15. yes
16. it confuses them
17. wondering why they are not okay without those things
18. yes
19. pageant moms
20. Juana Myers

question: (CNN) -- Mohamed Morsi is an American-educated engineer who vows to stand for democracy, women's rights, and peaceful relations with Israel if he wins the Egyptian presidency.

He's also an Islamist figure who has argued for barring women from the Egyptian presidency and called Israeli leaders "vampires" and "killers." One analyst describes him as an "icon" of those seeking an "extreme agenda."

As Morsi, 60, battles to win the presidency, questions surround how much of a hard line he would take, and what direction he would steer the country.

Morsi leads the Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood -- the most powerful political movement in the new Egyptian government, controlling about half of parliament.

His party notes that he was arrested several times under President Hosni Mubarak's regime for protesting "repressive measures and oppressive practices," as well as "rigged elections." At one point he spent seven months in jail.

Analysts say Morsi is focusing his campaign on appealing to the broadest possible audience.

But he "represents the older, more conservative wing of the Brotherhood and openly endorses a strict Islamic vision," Isobel Coleman of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote in a column for CNN.com.

"A vote for Mohamed Morsi will consolidate the Brotherhood's political influence, which could translate into a constitution with weaker provisions for protection of minority and women's rights."

A slogan associated with his campaign, "Islam is the solution," is sparking concerns Morsi could introduce a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy.

He told CNN he has no such plans. His party seeks "an executive branch that represents the people's true will and implements their public interests," Morsi told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
1. Who is the engineer the article is about?
2. Where did she attend school?
3. What political office was he working toward?
4. Of what country?
5. Were his political view extreme?
6. How old was he?
7. What political group did he belong to?
****
answer:
1. Mohamed Morsi
2. America
3. the presidency
4. Egypt
5. possibly
6. 60
7. the Freedom and Justice Party