Q: The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A), London, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The V&A is located in the Brompton district of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in an area that has become known as "Albertopolis" because of its association with Prince Albert, the Albert Memorial and the major cultural institutions with which he was associated. These include the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Royal Albert Hall. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Like other national British museums, entrance to the museum has been free since 2001.

The V&A covers 12.5 acres (51,000 m2) and 145 galleries. Its collection spans 5,000 years of art, from ancient times to the present day, from the cultures of Europe, North America, Asia and North Africa. The holdings of ceramics, glass, textiles, costumes, silver, ironwork, jewellery, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints and printmaking, drawings and photographs are among the largest and most comprehensive in the world. The museum owns the world's largest collection of post-classical sculpture, with the holdings of Italian Renaissance items being the largest outside Italy. The departments of Asia include art from South Asia, China, Japan, Korea and the Islamic world. The East Asian collections are among the best in Europe, with particular strengths in ceramics and metalwork, while the Islamic collection is amongst the largest in the Western world. Overall, it is one of the largest museums in the world.

1. London
2. The Victoria and Albert Museum
3. Yes
4. unknown
5. 1852
6. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
7. 12.5
8. 145
9. 5000
10. Yes
11. Asia
12. Yes
13. Islamic
14. Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
15. No
16. 2001

Numbered questions:
1. Where is the V&A?
2. What's it stand for?
3. Is it big?
4. Who founded it?
5. When?
6. Who was it named after?
7. How many acres does it cover?
8. How many galleries does it have?
9. And how many years of art does it cover?
10. Does it contain any artwork from ancient times?
11. Which department has stuff from the Islamic world?
12. Are the East Asian collections any good?
13. Which collection is amongst the largest in the Western World?
14. Who sponsors the museum as a whole?
15. Does it cost money to enter the museum?
16. How long as it been free?

Q: (CNN)His voice, his posture and his threats are menacingly familiar.

The black-clad ISIS militant shown in a video demanding a $200 million ransom to spare the lives of two Japanese citizens looks and sounds similar to the man who has appeared in at least five previous hostage videos.

The knife-wielding masked man with a London accent, nicknamed "Jihadi John," has issued threats and overseen the beheadings of American and British captives.

"You now have 72 hours to pressure your government in making a wise decision, by paying the $200 million to save the lives of your citizens," the man in the video that appeared Tuesday says in comments addressed to Japanese citizens. "Otherwise, this knife will become your nightmare."

Q&A: Harsh realities of kidnappings, ransom

The amount of money is the same as that recently pledged by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in humanitarian aid to Middle East countries that are affected by ISIS' bloody campaign in Iraq and Syria.

Japan believes the deadline arrives Friday at 12:50 a.m. ET. And Chief Cabinet Minister Yoshihide Suga said Wednesday the country will do its best to communicate with ISIS through a third-party nation.

But mystery and confusion still surround the identity of Jihadi John.

U.S. and British officials have said they believe they know who he is, but they haven't disclosed the information publicly.

That could be because Western intelligence agencies believe they have more to gain from keeping quiet, says Aki Peritz, a former CIA officer.

"They can put pressure on his family, put pressure on his friends," he told CNN. "Maybe they have a line to him. Maybe they know who his cousins are who are going to Syria who can identify him. However, if you publicly tell everybody who he is, his real identity, then maybe he'll go to ground and he'll disappear."

1. Jihadi John
2. 72 hours
3. pressure your government
4. $200 million
5. two
6. Japan
7. five
8. hostage
9. ISIS
10. knife
11. Shinzo
12. Abe
13. Middle East countries
14. Two
15. Friday
16. 12:50
17. Yoshihide
18. Suga
19. they believe they know who he
20. U.S. and British officials

Numbered questions:
1. who had a accent ?
2. how much time did he give ?
3. to do what ?
4. how much ramson ?
5. hoe manu lives were at stake ?
6. from where ?
7. how many videos did he make before ?
8. of what kind ?
9. what is john group called ?
10. what will become a bad dream ?
11. who is the prime minister ?
12. last name ?
13. overseeing aid what areas where ?
14. how many countrys are in danger ?
15. when is the deadline ?
16. what time ?
17. who is the chief minister ?
18. last name ?
19. does anyone beleive ibn his wearabouts ?
20. who ?

Q: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate was called to order for 11 seconds on Wednesday as the last political scuffle of the year between the White House and the Democratic-led Congress played out.

Democratic senators will hold short "pro forma" sessions over the holiday break to prevent recess appointments.

Nearly all the senators left the Capitol for the Christmas holiday last week, but Democrats are keeping the Senate in session to block President Bush from making any recess appointments -- a constitutional mechanism that allows the president, during congressional recesses, to fill top government posts for up to one year without Senate confirmation.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, opened and then immediately gaveled the Senate session to a close. He spent 57 seconds in the chamber.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, announced December 19 that he would keep the Senate open with a series of "pro forma" sessions through mid-January.

Talks had just broken down with the White House on a deal that would have allowed the president to make dozens of those appointments if he agreed not to appoint one controversial official, Steven Bradbury, as the permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.

Bush declined to accept the Democrats' offer, and Reid refused to approve Bradbury because of concerns about his involvement in crafting legal opinions for the administration on interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects.

Similar sessions were conducted over the Thanksgiving recess.

Webb also did the duty Friday, but he won't be the only senator tasked with presiding over the shortened sessions. Other Democrats -- including Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Chuck Schumer of New York -- will share the duty. E-mail to a friend

1. to block President Bush from making any recess appointments
2. a constitutional mechanism
3. that allows the president, during congressional recesses, to fill top government posts
4. Bradbury
5. permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department
6. Six
7. Virginia
8. 57 seconds
9. pro forma
10. Senate Majority Leader
11. Nevada
12. Thanksgiving
13. No
14. December 19
15. through mid-January
16. Friday
17. Chuck Schumer
18. Louisiana
19. not appoint one controversial official
20. No

Numbered questions:
1. why are democrats keeping the Seante in session?
2. what are they?
3. to do what?
4. who did Reid refuse to approve?
5. what job did Bush want him to have?
6. how many senators were planning to help Webb?
7. which state does Webb represent
8. how long was his session?
9. what are these sessions called?
10. what job does Reid have?
11. where is he based?
12. what holiday were they breaking for?
13. were all senators still in the Capitol?
14. when did Reid announce the sessions?
15. until when?
16. Webb had taken the wednesday session, what other one was he planning?
17. which New York Senator was going to help?
18. Where is Mary Landrieu from?
19. what did the democrats want Bush to do?
20. did Bush agree?