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Welcome to The Globe and Mail’s business and investing news quiz. Each week, join us to test your knowledge of the stories making the headlines. Our business reporters come up with the questions, and you can show us what you know.

Take our quiz below to test your recall for the week ending July 21.


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1Inflation fell to 2.8 per cent in June. When was the last time the rate was this low?
a. June, 2020
b. May, 2021
c. March, 2021
d. March, 2020

c. March, 2021. The annual inflation rate in Canada has eased to its lowest level since early 2021. That puts the figure within the Bank of Canada’s target range of 1 per cent to 3 per cent.

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2While overall inflation is down, grocery prices rose 9.1 per cent yet again, with prices for one food item jumping a stunning 30 per cent over the previous month. Was it:
a. Avocados
b. Grapes
c. Chicken
d. Pineapple

b. Grapes Statistics Canada said the 30-per-cent month-over-month price increase for grapes meant fresh fruit prices rose 10.4 per cent in June from the year before, compared with an annual increase of 5.7 per cent in May.

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3Canada’s Competition Commissioner has accused Cineplex of “deceptive marketing practices” to sell tickets. What is the alleged deception?
a. Consumers can’t buy tickets online at advertised prices because there is a mandatory $1.50 online booking fee.
b. Consumers who purchased tickets for Barbie were forced to also purchase tickets for Oppenheimer.
c. Consumers who bought tickets online received false notices of winning a prize.
d. Consumers can’t buy tickets online without signing up for a Cineplex e-mail newsletter.

a. The $1.50 online booking fee. The Competition Commissioner argues the fee constitutes “price dripping,” a deceptive practice where customers are drawn into a purchase without full disclosure of the final cost.

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4A car is stolen every ___ minutes in Canada, on average.
a. 6 minutes
b. 60 minutes
c. 20 minutes
d. 15 minutes

a. 6 minutes According to a 2023 report from the Canadian Finance and Leasing Association, a vehicle is stolen every six minutes in Canada. Vehicle-theft insurance claims have spiked to $1-billion in 2022 from $700-million in 2021.

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5YouTube increased the cost of their U.S. premium subscription. How much is YouTube Premium now per month?
a. $1.99 per month
b. $13.99 per month
c. $3.99 per month
d. $32.99 per month

b. $13.99 per month After the price hike, YouTube Premium plan will cost $13.99 a month in the U.S., up $2 from before.

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6ATM operator Perativ Holdings Ltd. filed for creditor protection, citing a decline in consumers’ use of cash. How much did the volume of cash transactions decline between 2016 and 2021?
a. 18 per cent
b. 33 per cent
c. 55 per cent
d. 62 per cent

d. 62 per cent. According to a 2022 report by Payments Canada, the volume of cash transactions fell by 62 per cent between 2016 and 2021.

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7Two hotly anticipated – but wildly different movies – premiere this weekend. How much do experts think Barbie and Oppenheimer will pull in at the box office on opening weekend?
a. US$50-million
b. US$100-million
c. US$10-million
d. US$130-million

d. US$130-millionForecasts show Barbie could open above US$90-million in North America. Oppenheimer meanwhile is tracking in the US$40-million range.

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8Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing had what impact on its worldwide subscriber count?
a. Subscriptions sank by about two million
b. Subscriptions stayed roughly the same
c. Subscriptions rose by nearly six million
d. Subscriptions declined by about two million

c. Nearly six million. The streaming service added 5.9 million subscribers during the April-June period, according to numbers they released Wednesday. Netflix now boasts 238.4 million worldwide subscribers. However, the company’s stock fell 9 per cent on Thursday after the video-streaming pioneer’s lacklustre revenue increase.

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9What is a home equity line of credit (HELOC)?
a. An uninsured line of credit used to purchase a home
b. A secured line of credit that uses equity in your home to borrow money
c. A secured line of credit that uses equity in your home for insurance
d. Any line of credit used for home purchases

b. A secured line of credit that uses equity in your home to borrow money

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10What is the lowest available insured variable mortgage rate this week?
a. 5.4 per cent
b. 5.6 per cent
c. 5.9 per cent
d. 6.1 per cent

c. 5.9 per cent. The lowest nationally available insured variable-rate mortgage as of July 20 was 5.90 per cent, according to columnist Robert McLister. HSBC offered a rate of 6.40 per cent for uninsured variable-rate mortgages.

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11 What is the asking price for this house? This Forest Hill home in Toronto is 4,660 square feet. The house can host receptions and charity events for up to 100 people. Guests are welcomed by ivy that climbs the red-brick walls of the 2 1/2-storey house.
a. $2,295,000
b. $7,295,000
c. $7,895,000
d. $9,295,000

b. $7,295,000The asking price is $7,295,000, and the house has annual property taxes of $20,582.00.

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