Everybody enjoys quizzes. Everyone's doing them, too -- from The New Yorker to ABC News to Media General's Washing ton bureau. Here's another one to help distract you from the day's grim tidings. Answers appear at the end. No peeking. (1)Craig Bieber is

(a) A personal-injury attorney

(b) The substitute host for late-night comic Jimmy Kimmel

(c) Campaign manager for Richmond mayoral candidate Bill Pantele

(d) A write-in candidate for the Petersburg School Board

(2)Who said, "Sometimes you've got to rise above your principles and do what's right"?

(a) Former Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe, in an appearance before government students at Cosby High School

(b) Sarah Palin

(c) "Saturday Night Live" Palin impersonator Tina Fey

(d) Joe Biden

(e) Recently deceased former State Sen. William Fears

(3)Which Richmond mayoral candidate's campaign signs feature a bridge motif?

(a) Dwight Jones

(b) Robert Grey

(c) Bill Pantele

(d) Lawrence Williams

(e) Paul Goldman

(4)Which current political candidate describes himself as a "radical centrist"?

(a) Jim Gilmore

(b) Robert Grey

(c) Dwight Jones

(d) Mark Warner

(5)Which candidate recently described himself as "a lovable guy"?

(a) John McCain

(b) Paul Goldman

(c) Jim Gilmore

(d) Joe Biden

(6)A maker of equipment for which sport has announced a new product named after Sarah Palin?

(a) Archery

(b) Hunting

(c) Hockey

(d) Paintball

(e) Dog-sledding

(7)While campaigning for governor, current senatorial candidate Mark Warner made which of the following statements?

(a) "Let me set the record straight; I will not raise taxes"

(b) "The fact is, I will not raise taxes. My plan states it. I've said it throughout the campaign"

(c) "I will not raise taxes! I will not raise taxes! I will not raise taxes!"

(d) All of the above

(8)As governor, Mark Warner raised taxes by which amount?

(a) $70 million

(b) $1.4 billion

(c) $7 billion

(d) $700 billion

(9)Complete this quote by Joe McCain, John's brother, at an appearance in Loudoun a few days ago: "I've lived here for at least 10 years and before that about every third duty I was in either Arlington or Alexandria, up in ----------."

(a) Communist country

(b) La-la land

(c) Yankee-occupied territory

(d) That stinking hellhole

(10)Who recently "endorsed" Sarah Palin by commenting, "Well I got my six-pack in the car. I am a true American like Sarah, so we're good"?

(a) Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens

(b) Virginia Democratic "Bubba coordinator" David "Mudcat" Saunders

(c) Spencer Pratt, who appears on the MTV show "The Hills" with girlfriend Heidi Montag

(d) Joe McCain

(11)Ana Gamonal is

(a) The college student and son of a Democratic state legislator in Tennessee who recently was indicted for hacking into Sarah Palin's Yahoo! e-mail account;

(b) The communications director for Jim Gilmore who was suspended after trying to get on a Warner e-mail list under false pretenses

(c) An anti-nuclear protester arrested along with Paxus Calta and several others opposed to a third reactor at Dominion's North Anna generating station

(d) A community organizer in Chicago with ties to Barack Obama

(12)Comedian Sandra Bernhard recently was dropped as headliner for a women's-shelter benefit after she did what?

(a) Called Sarah Palin "the epitome of the male fantasy of the sexy Puritan"

(b) Said marriage is "a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers"

(c) Said she'd like to punch Barack Obama in the face for not going after John McCain more tenaciously

(d) Joked that if Sarah Palin ever visited New York she would be "gang-raped by my big black brothers"

. . .

Answers: 1-c; 2-e; 3-b; 4-d; 5-c; 6-a; 7-d; 8-b; 9-a; 10-c; 11-b; 12-d.

My thoughts do not aim for your assent -- just place them alongside your own reflections for a while.

--Robert Nozick.
Contact A. Barton Hinkle at (804) 649-6627 or bhinkle@timesdispatch.com.