The Slate News Quiz is always on the hard side, but in a respectful salute to the great city of Boston, I made sure this week's quiz is wicked hahd. But if you paid attention to the news, you're going to do OK. (Unless you paid attention to the news on CNN, that is. In that case, all bets are off.)

Question 1 of 12

In a new survey on American attitudes toward gun control, which of these was the only item found to be more popular than background checks?

Ice cream had a 93 percent approval rating, but every other item was favored by considerably fewer Americans than the 90 percent that support at least some form of background checks.

Question 2 of 12

After Monday's Boston Marathon bombing, NBC reported that many runners, having just finished a 26.2-mile race, ran an additional two miles to get where?

Question 3 of 12

Who became a grandfather for the first time on Saturday, when Mila Hager was born in New York?

Mila is the first child of Jenna Bush and her husband, former White House aide Henry Hager.

Question 4 of 12

According to the United Nations, 50,000 refugees fled renewed fighting this week in what war-torn region?

Question 5 of 12

Mark Sanford, running for Congress in South Carolina, has been charged with trespassing at his ex-wife's house. Sanford says he had to sneak in, or else his son would have had to do what alone?

Question 6 of 12

The streets of what world capital were full all week of the sound of banging pots and pans?

Hugo Chávez's political heir, Nicolás Maduro, asked his followers to shoot off enough firecrackers to drown out his cookware-banging opponents.

Question 7 of 12

Of the about 170 Boston Marathon attack victims taken to local hospitals with injuries, how many were later pronounced dead?

Despite many critical wounds, all those not killed in the first moments of the explosions have survived, thanks largely to the disaster response procedures at eight nearby hospitals.

Question 8 of 12

What posthumous compliment was given to Holocaust diarist Anne Frank last Friday in Amsterdam?

Question 9 of 12

For what unusual reason did officials in Saudi Arabia deport three Abu Dhabi men attending a cultural festival in Riyadh?

"Commission members feared female visitors could fall for them," reported an Arab news daily.

Question 10 of 12

What alleged fatal slip helped lead to the arrest Wednesday of a Mississippi man in connection with the ricin-laced letters recently received in Washington?

The suspect's name is Paul Kevin Curtis, and the letters were signed, "I am KC and I approve this message."

Question 11 of 12

Who confused fans this week by claiming to be a "mother-father gentleman"?

That's the hook from the Korean rapper's follow-up to "Gangnam Style," which has already racked up well over 100 million YouTube views.

Question 12 of 12

A surprising infestation has hit southern Florida, with more than a thousand of what new, rat-size invaders being caught every week?

The snails carry meningitis and eat almost everything in their path—but, luckily, they do it very, very slowly.

You got 8 out of 12 answers correct in 20 minutes 30 seconds.