id int64 0 18.9k | biography stringlengths 151 1.51k | qa listlengths 1 25 |
|---|---|---|
18,399 | Between 1832 and 2002 the currency of Greece was the drachma. After signing the Maastricht Treaty, Greece applied to join the eurozone. The two main convergence criteria were a maximum budget deficit of 3% of GDP and a declining public debt if it stood above 60% of GDP. Greece met the criteria as shown in its 1999 annual public account. On 1 January 2001, Greece joined the eurozone, with the adoption of the euro at the fixed exchange rate ₯340.75 to €1. However, in 2001 the euro only existed electronically, so the physical exchange from drachma to euro only took place on 1 January 2002. This was followed by a ten-year period for eligible exchange of drachma to euro, which ended on 1 March 2012. | [
{
"answer": "drachma",
"question": "What was the currency of Greece until 2002?"
},
{
"answer": "Maastricht Treaty",
"question": "What did Greece sign to apply to join the eurozone?"
},
{
"answer": "two",
"question": "How many convergence criteria were there in the treaty?"
},
{
... |
18,400 | IMF's forecast said that Greece's unemployment rate would hit the highest 14.8 percent in 2012 and decrease to 14.1 in 2014. But in fact, the Greek economy suffered a prolonged high unemployemnt. The unemployment figure was between 9 per cent and 11 per cent in 2009, and it soared to 28 per cent in 2013. In 2015, Greece's jobless rate is around 24 per cent. It is thought that Greece's potential output has been eroded by this prolonged massive unemployment due to the associated hysteresis effects. | [
{
"answer": "14.8 percent",
"question": "What did IMF forecast Greece's unemployment rate to be in 2012?"
},
{
"answer": "9 per cent and 11 per cent",
"question": "What was Greece's unemployment rate between in 2009?"
},
{
"answer": "28 per cent",
"question": "What did Greece's unemp... |
18,401 | Unlike in Westminster style legislatures or as with the Senate Majority Leader, the House Majority Leader's duties and prominence vary depending upon the style and power of the Speaker of the House. Typically, the Speaker does not participate in debate and rarely votes on the floor. In some cases, Majority Leaders have been more influential than the Speaker; notably Tom DeLay who was more prominent than Speaker Dennis Hastert. In addition, Speaker Newt Gingrich delegated to Dick Armey an unprecedented level of authority over scheduling legislation on the House floor. | [
{
"answer": "Typically, the Speaker does not participate in debate",
"question": "Does speaker of the House participate in dbate?"
},
{
"answer": "Majority Leaders have been more influential than the Speaker",
"question": "Are snate majority leaders more influential than Speaker of the house??"
... |
18,402 | The current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, of the United States House of Representatives serves as floor leader of the opposition party, and is the counterpart to the Majority Leader. Unlike the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader is on the ballot for Speaker of the House during the convening of the Congress. If the Minority Leader's party takes control of the House, and the party officers are all re-elected to their seats, the Minority Leader is usually the party's top choice for Speaker for the next Congress, while the Minority Whip is typically in line to become Majority Leader. The Minority Leader usually meets with the Majority Leader and the Speaker to discuss agreements on controversial issues. | [
{
"answer": "Minority Leader is usually the party's top choice for Speaker",
"question": "Who takes over as Speaker if the minority party gains control of the house?"
},
{
"answer": "agreements on controversial issues",
"question": "What meetings do Minority and Majority leaders usually meet to ... |
18,403 | Like the Speaker of the House, the Minority Leaders are typically experienced lawmakers when they win election to this position. When Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, became Minority Leader in the 108th Congress, she had served in the House nearly 20 years and had served as minority whip in the 107th Congress. When her predecessor, Richard Gephardt, D-MO, became minority leader in the 104th House, he had been in the House for almost 20 years, had served as chairman of the Democratic Caucus for four years, had been a 1988 presidential candidate, and had been majority leader from June 1989 until Republicans captured control of the House in the November 1994 elections. Gephardt's predecessor in the minority leadership position was Robert Michel, R-IL, who became GOP Leader in 1981 after spending 24 years in the House. Michel's predecessor, Republican John Rhodes of Arizona, was elected Minority Leader in 1973 after 20 years of House service. | [
{
"answer": "Minority Leaders are typically experienced lawmakers when they win election to this position",
"question": "Are minority leaders usually experienced?"
},
{
"answer": "108th Congress",
"question": "In what congress did Nancy Pelosi bdcome minority leader?"
},
{
"answer": "20 ... |
18,405 | Traditionally, the Speaker is reckoned as the leader of the majority party in the House, with the Majority Leader as second-in-command. For instance, when the Republicans gained the majority in the House after the 2010 elections, Eric Cantor succeeded Boehner as Majority Leader. Despite this, Cantor and his successor, Kevin McCarthy, have been reckoned as the second-ranking Republicans in the House, since Boehner is still reckoned as the leader of the House Republicans. However, there have been some exceptions. The most recent exception to this rule came when Majority Leader Tom DeLay generally overshadowed Speaker Dennis Hastert from 2003 to 2006. In contrast, the Minority Leader is the undisputed leader of the minority party. | [
{
"answer": "Speaker",
"question": "Who is the leader of the majority leader in House?"
},
{
"answer": "Majority Leader",
"question": "What is the title of seconde in command for majority party in congress?"
},
{
"answer": "Majority Leader Tom DeLay",
"question": "Who overshadowed Ho... |
18,406 | When the Majority Leader's party loses control of the House, and if the Speaker and Majority Leader both remain in the leadership hierarchy, convention suggests that they would become the Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively. As the minority party has one less leadership position after losing the speaker's chair, there may be a contest for the remaining leadership positions. Nancy Pelosi is the most recent example of an outgoing Speaker seeking the Minority Leader post to retain the House party leadership, as the Democrats lost control of the House in the 2010 elections. Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi ran successfully for Minority Leader in the 112th Congress. | [
{
"answer": "minority party has one less leadership position",
"question": "Does the minority or majority party have more leadership positions in House?"
},
{
"answer": "Minority Leader",
"question": "What role did Pelosi win in 112th Congress?"
},
{
"answer": "Democrats",
"question"... |
18,407 | From an institutional perspective, the rules of the House assign a number of specific responsibilities to the minority leader. For example, Rule XII, clause 6, grant the minority leader (or his designee) the right to offer a motion to recommit with instructions; Rule II, clause 6, states the Inspector General shall be appointed by joint recommendation of the Speaker, majority leader, and minority leader; and Rule XV, clause 6, provides that the Speaker, after consultation with the minority leader, may place legislation on the Corrections Calendar. The minority leader also has other institutional duties, such as appointing individuals to certain federal entities. | [
{
"answer": "Rule XII, clause 6",
"question": "What rule gives minority leader right to offer motion to recommit with instructions?"
},
{
"answer": "minority leader",
"question": "Who may place legislation on a corrections calendar?"
},
{
"answer": "certain federal entities.",
"quest... |
18,408 | The roles and responsibilities of the minority leader are not well-defined. To a large extent, the functions of the minority leader are defined by tradition and custom. A minority leader from 1931 to 1939, Representative Bertrand Snell, R-N.Y., provided this "job description": "He is spokesman for his party and enunciates its policies. He is required to be alert and vigilant in defense of the minority's rights. It is his function and duty to criticize constructively the policies and programs of the majority, and to this end employ parliamentary tactics and give close attention to all proposed legislation." | [
{
"answer": "are not well-defined",
"question": "Are minority leadership roles specified closely?"
},
{
"answer": "Representative Bertrand Snell",
"question": "What congressman largely specified the job description of minority leader?"
},
{
"answer": "He is spokesman for his party and en... |
18,409 | To a large extent, the minority leader's position is a 20th-century innovation. Prior to this time congressional parties were often relatively disorganized, so it was not always evident who functioned as the opposition floor leader. Decades went by before anything like the modern two-party congressional system emerged on Capitol Hill with official titles for those who were its official leaders. However, from the beginning days of Congress, various House members intermittently assumed the role of "opposition leader." Some scholars suggest that Representative James Madison of Virginia informally functioned as the first "minority leader" because in the First Congress he led the opposition to Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton's fiscal policies. | [
{
"answer": "20th-century",
"question": "When was the minority leader position created? "
},
{
"answer": "not always evident who functioned as the opposition floor leader",
"question": "Why was minority leader position created?"
},
{
"answer": "James Madison",
"question": "Who is som... |
18,410 | During this early period, it was more usual that neither major party grouping (Federalists and Democratic-Republicans) had an official leader. In 1813, for instance, a scholar recounts that the Federalist minority of 36 Members needed a committee of 13 "to represent a party comprising a distinct minority" and "to coordinate the actions of men who were already partisans in the same cause." In 1828, a foreign observer of the House offered this perspective on the absence of formal party leadership on Capitol Hill: | [
{
"answer": "it was more usual that neither major party grouping (Federalists and Democratic-Republicans) had an official leader",
"question": "In the early days who represented party leadership?"
},
{
"answer": "(Federalists and Democratic-Republicans)",
"question": "In early 19th century, what... |
18,411 | Internal party disunity compounded the difficulty of identifying lawmakers who might have informally functioned as a minority leader. For instance, "seven of the fourteen speakership elections from 1834 through 1859 had at least twenty different candidates in the field. Thirty-six competed in 1839, ninety-seven in 1849, ninety-one in 1859, and 138 in 1855." With so many candidates competing for the speakership, it is not at all clear that one of the defeated lawmakers then assumed the mantle of "minority leader." The Democratic minority from 1861 to 1875 was so completely disorganized that they did not "nominate a candidate for Speaker in two of these seven Congresses and nominated no man more than once in the other five. The defeated candidates were not automatically looked to for leadership." | [
{
"answer": "Internal party disunity",
"question": "What made identifying House leadership difficult?"
},
{
"answer": "at least twenty different candidates",
"question": "How many candidates was typical in early fields for speaker?"
},
{
"answer": "two of these seven Congresses",
"qu... |
18,412 | In the judgment of political scientist Randall Ripley, since 1883 "the candidate for Speaker nominated by the minority party has clearly been the Minority Leader." However, this assertion is subject to dispute. On December 3, 1883, the House elected Democrat John G. Carlisle of Kentucky as Speaker. Republicans placed in nomination for the speakership J. Warren Keifer of Ohio, who was Speaker the previous Congress. Clearly, Keifer was not the Republicans' minority leader. He was a discredited leader in part because as Speaker he arbitrarily handed out "choice jobs to close relatives ... all at handsome salaries." Keifer received "the empty honor of the minority nomination. But with it came a sting -- for while this naturally involves the floor leadership, he was deserted by his [partisan] associates and his career as a national figure terminated ingloriously." Representative Thomas Reed, R-ME, who later became Speaker, assumed the de facto role of minority floor leader in Keifer's stead. "[A]lthough Keifer was the minority's candidate for Speaker, Reed became its acknowledged leader, and ever after, so long as he served in the House, remained the most conspicuous member of his party. | [
{
"answer": "arbitrarily handed out \"choice jobs to close relatives ... all at handsome salaries.",
"question": "Why was Keifer discredited/empty leader?"
},
{
"answer": "Randall Ripley",
"question": "Who's contention is it that the minority party candidate is clearly Minority Leader since 1883... |
18,413 | Another scholar contends that the minority leader position emerged even before 1883. On the Democratic side, "there were serious caucus fights for the minority speakership nomination in 1871 and 1873," indicating that the "nomination carried with it some vestige of leadership." Further, when Republicans were in the minority, the party nominated for Speaker a series of prominent lawmakers, including ex-Speaker James Blaine of Maine in 1875, former Appropriations Chairman James A. Garfield of Ohio, in 1876, 1877, and 1879, and ex-Speaker Keifer in 1883. "It is hard to believe that House partisans would place a man in the speakership when in the majority, and nominate him for this office when in the minority, and not look to him for legislative guidance." This was not the case, according to some observers, with respect to ex-Speaker Keifer. | [
{
"answer": "1871 and 1873",
"question": "Prior to 1883 there is evidence that serious caucus fights occured in what years?"
},
{
"answer": "James Blaine",
"question": "What prominent ex-speaker was nominated for minority role in 1875?"
},
{
"answer": "James A. Garfield",
"question":... |
18,414 | In brief, there is disagreement among historical analysts as to the exact time period when the minority leadership emerged officially as a party position. Nonetheless, it seems safe to conclude that the position emerged during the latter part of the 19th century, a period of strong party organization and professional politicians. This era was "marked by strong partisan attachments, resilient patronage-based party organizations, and...high levels of party voting in Congress." Plainly, these were conditions conducive to the establishment of a more highly differentiated House leadership structure. | [
{
"answer": "there is disagreement among historical analysts",
"question": "Is there a consensus about the time that minority leadership officially emerged as a position?"
},
{
"answer": "strong party organization and professional politicians",
"question": "What party characteristics emerged in ... |
18,415 | Second, Democrats have always elevated their minority floor leader to the speakership upon reclaiming majority status. Republicans have not always followed this leadership succession pattern. In 1919, for instance, Republicans bypassed James R. Mann, R-IL, who had been minority leader for eight years, and elected Frederick Gillett, R-MA, to be Speaker. Mann "had angered many Republicans by objecting to their private bills on the floor;" also he was a protégé of autocratic Speaker Joseph Cannon, R-IL (1903–1911), and many Members "suspected that he would try to re-centralize power in his hands if elected Speaker." More recently, although Robert H. Michel was the Minority Leader in 1994 when the Republicans regained control of the House in the 1994 midterm elections, he had already announced his retirement and had little or no involvement in the campaign, including the Contract with America which was unveiled six weeks before voting day. | [
{
"answer": "Democrats",
"question": "Which party has always elevated minority floor leaders to speakership?"
},
{
"answer": "1994",
"question": "What year did Republicans regain control while Rober Michel was Minority Leader?"
},
{
"answer": "objecting to their private bills on the floo... |
18,416 | In the instance when the Presidency and both Houses of Congress are controlled by one party, the Speaker normally assumes a lower profile and defers to the President. For that situation the House Minority Leader can play the role of a de facto "leader of the opposition", often more so than the Senate Minority Leader, due to the more partisan nature of the House and the greater role of leadership. Minority Leaders who have played prominent roles in opposing the incumbent President have included Gerald Ford, Richard Gephardt, Nancy Pelosi, and John Boehner. | [
{
"answer": "Speaker normally assumes a lower profile and defers to the President",
"question": "What is the leadership structure when party controls house and presidency?"
},
{
"answer": "more partisan nature of the House",
"question": "Is the Senate or the House more partisan?"
},
{
"a... |
18,417 | The style and role of any minority leader is influenced by a variety of elements, including personality and contextual factors, such as the size and cohesion of the minority party, whether his or her party controls the White House, the general political climate in the House, and the controversy that is sometimes associated with the legislative agenda. Despite the variability of these factors, there are a number of institutional obligations associated with this position. Many of these assignments or roles are spelled out in the House rule book. Others have devolved upon the position in other ways. To be sure, the minority leader is provided with extra staff resources—beyond those accorded him or her as a Representative—to assist in carrying out diverse leadership functions. Worth emphasis is that there are limits on the institutional role of the minority leader, because the majority party exercises disproportionate influence over the agenda, partisan ratios on committees, staff resources, administrative operations, and the day-to-day schedule and management of floor activities. | [
{
"answer": "minority leader is provided with extra staff resources—beyond those accorded him or her as a Representative",
"question": "How is the minority leader able to accomplish addition demands and tasks?"
},
{
"answer": "personality and contextual factors",
"question": "What influences rol... |
18,418 | In addition, the minority leader has a number of other institutional functions. For instance, the minority leader is sometimes statutorily authorized to appoint individuals to certain federal entities; he or she and the majority leader each name three Members to serve as Private Calendar objectors; he or she is consulted with respect to reconvening the House per the usual formulation of conditional concurrent adjournment resolutions; he or she is a traditional member of the House Office Building Commission; he or she is a member of the United States Capitol Preservation Commission; and he or she may, after consultation with the Speaker, convene an early organizational party caucus or conference. Informally, the minority leader maintains ties with majority party leaders to learn about the schedule and other House matters and forges agreements or understandings with them insofar as feasible. | [
{
"answer": "three",
"question": "How many private calendar objector members does minority leader appoint?"
},
{
"answer": "House Office Building Commission; he or she is a member of the United States Capitol Preservation Commission",
"question": "What 2 commissions is the minority leader a memb... |
18,419 | The minority leader has a number of formal and informal party responsibilities. Formally, the rules of each party specify certain roles and responsibilities for their leader. For example, under Democratic rules for the 106th Congress, the minority leader may call meetings of the Democratic Caucus. He or she is a member of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; names the members of the Democratic Leadership Council; chairs the Policy Committee; and heads the Steering Committee. Examples of other assignments are making "recommendations to the Speaker on all Democratic Members who shall serve as conferees" and nominating party members to the Committees on Rules and House Administration. Republican rules identify generally comparable functions for their top party leader. | [
{
"answer": "Policy Committee",
"question": "According to democratic rules of the 106th congress what committee does minority leader chair?"
},
{
"answer": "Steering Committee",
"question": "According to democratic rules of the 106th congress what committee does minority leader head?"
},
{
... |
18,420 | A party's floor leader, in conjunction with other party leaders, plays an influential role in the formulation of party policy and programs. He is instrumental in guiding legislation favored by his party through the House, or in resisting those programs of the other party that are considered undesirable by his own party. He is instrumental in devising and implementing his party's strategy on the floor with respect to promoting or opposing legislation. He is kept constantly informed as to the status of legislative business and as to the sentiment of his party respecting particular legislation under consideration. Such information is derived in part from the floor leader's contacts with his party's members serving on House committees, and with the members of the party's whip organization. | [
{
"answer": "A party's floor leader",
"question": "Who plays an influential role in the formation of party policy?"
},
{
"answer": "contacts with his party's members serving on House committees, and with the members of the party's whip organization",
"question": "How are floor leaders kept infor... |
18,421 | Provide Campaign Assistance. Minority leaders are typically energetic and aggressive campaigners for partisan incumbents and challengers. There is hardly any major aspect of campaigning that does not engage their attention. For example, they assist in recruiting qualified candidates; they establish "leadership PACs" to raise and distribute funds to House candidates of their party; they try to persuade partisan colleagues not to retire or run for other offices so as to hold down the number of open seats the party would need to defend; they coordinate their campaign activities with congressional and national party campaign committees; they encourage outside groups to back their candidates; they travel around the country to speak on behalf of party candidates; and they encourage incumbent colleagues to make significant financial contributions to the party's campaign committee. "The amount of time that [Minority Leader] Gephardt is putting in to help the DCCC [Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee] is unheard of," noted a Democratic lobbyist."No DCCC chairman has ever had that kind of support." | [
{
"answer": "hardly any major aspect of campaigning that does not engage their attention",
"question": "How much concern do minority leaders have for campaigning?"
},
{
"answer": "travel around the country to speak on behalf of party candidates; and they encourage incumbent colleagues to make signif... |
18,422 | Devise Minority Party Strategies. The minority leader, in consultation with other party colleagues, has a range of strategic options that he or she can employ to advance minority party objectives. The options selected depend on a wide range of circumstances, such as the visibility or significance of the issue and the degree of cohesion within the majority party. For instance, a majority party riven by internal dissension, as occurred during the early 1900s when Progressive and "regular" Republicans were at loggerheads, may provide the minority leader with greater opportunities to achieve his or her priorities than if the majority party exhibited high degrees of party cohesion. Among the variable strategies available to the minority party, which can vary from bill to bill and be used in combination or at different stages of the lawmaking process, are the following: | [
{
"answer": "in consultation with other party colleagues",
"question": "Does minority leader act solely to advance party objectives?"
},
{
"answer": "options selected depend on a wide range of circumstances",
"question": "Does minority leader always employ same strategy for party objectives?"
... |
18,423 | A look at one minority leadership strategy—partisan opposition—may suggest why it might be employed in specific circumstances. The purposes of obstruction are several, such as frustrating the majority party's ability to govern or attracting press and media attention to the alleged ineffectiveness of the majority party. "We know how to delay," remarked Minority Leader Gephardt Dilatory motions to adjourn, appeals of the presiding officer's ruling, or numerous requests for roll call votes are standard time-consuming parliamentary tactics. By stalling action on the majority party's agenda, the minority leader may be able to launch a campaign against a "do-nothing Congress" and convince enough voters to put his party back in charge of the House. To be sure, the minority leader recognizes that "going negative" carries risks and may not be a winning strategy if his party fails to offer policy alternatives that appeal to broad segments of the general public. | [
{
"answer": "frustrating the majority party's ability to govern or attracting press and media attention to the alleged ineffectiveness",
"question": "What is the purpose of Obstruction?"
},
{
"answer": "motions to adjourn, appeals of the presiding officer's ruling, or numerous requests for roll call... |
18,424 | Promote and Publicize the Party's Agenda. An important aim of the minority leader is to develop an electorally attractive agenda of ideas and proposals that unites his or her own House members and that energizes and appeals to core electoral supporters as well as independents and swing voters. Despite the minority leader's restricted ability to set the House's agenda, there are still opportunities for him to raise minority priorities. For example, the minority leader may employ, or threaten to use, discharge petitions to try and bring minority priorities to the floor. If he or she is able to attract the required 218 signatures on a discharge petition by attracting majority party supporters, he or she can force minority initiatives to the floor over the opposition of the majority leadership. As a GOP minority leader once said, the challenges he confronted are to "keep our people together, and to look for votes on the other side." | [
{
"answer": "develop an electorally attractive agenda of ideas and proposals",
"question": "What important aim of minority leader pertaining to elections?"
},
{
"answer": "may employ, or threaten to use, discharge petitions to try and bring minority priorities to the floor.",
"question": "How ca... |
18,425 | Minority leaders may engage in numerous activities to publicize their party's priorities and to criticize the opposition's. For instance, to keep their party colleagues "on message," they insure that partisan colleagues are sent packets of suggested press releases or "talking points" for constituent meetings in their districts; they help to organize "town meetings" in Members' districts around the country to publicize the party's agenda or a specific priority, such as health care or education; they sponsor party "retreats" to discuss issues and assess the party's public image; they create "theme teams" to craft party messages that might be raised during the one-minute, morning hour, or special order period in the House; they conduct surveys of party colleagues to discern their policy preferences; they establish websites that highlight and distribute party images and issues to users; and they organize task forces or issue teams to formulate party programs and to develop strategies for communicating these programs to the public. | [
{
"answer": "\"talking points\" for constituent meetings in their districts; they help to organize \"town meetings\"",
"question": "How do minority leaders keep party priorities publicized?"
},
{
"answer": "issues and assess the party's public image; they create \"theme teams\" to craft party messag... |
18,426 | House minority leaders also hold joint news conferences and consult with their counterparts in the Senate—and with the president if their party controls the White House. The overall objectives are to develop a coordinated communications strategy, to share ideas and information, and to present a united front on issues. Minority leaders also make floor speeches and close debate on major issues before the House; they deliver addresses in diverse forums across the country; and they write books or articles that highlight minority party goals and achievements. They must also be prepared "to debate on the floor, ad lib, no notes, on a moment's notice," remarked Minority Leader Michel. In brief, minority leaders are key strategists in developing and promoting the party's agenda and in outlining ways to neutralize the opposition's arguments and proposals. | [
{
"answer": "counterparts in the Senate—and with the president if their party controls the White House",
"question": "With whom does minority leader consult and participate in news conference?"
},
{
"answer": "develop a coordinated communications strategy, to share ideas and information, and to pres... |
18,428 | When the White House is controlled by the House majority party, then the House minority leader assumes a larger role in formulating alternatives to executive branch initiatives and in acting as a national spokesperson for his or her party. "As Minority Leader during [President Lyndon Johnson's] Democratic administration, my responsibility has been to propose Republican alternatives," said Minority Leader Gerald Ford, R-MI. Greatly outnumbered in the House, Minority Leader Ford devised a political strategy that allowed Republicans to offer their alternatives in a manner that provided them political protection. As Ford explained: | [
{
"answer": "assumes a larger role in formulating alternatives to executive branch initiatives and in acting as a national spokesperson for his or her party",
"question": "What is the difference in role for Minority leader when majority party holds white house?"
},
{
"answer": "propose Republican al... |
18,429 | "We used a technique of laying our program out in general debate," he said. When we got to the amendment phase, we would offer our program as a substitute for the Johnson proposal. If we lost in the Committee of the Whole, then we would usually offer it as a motion to recommit and get a vote on that. And if we lost on the motion to recommit, our Republican members had a choice: They could vote against the Johnson program and say we did our best to come up with a better alternative. Or they could vote for it and make the same argument. Usually we lost; but when you're only 140 out of 435, you don't expect to win many. | [
{
"answer": "offer our program as a substitute",
"question": "What options do minority party have in amendment phase?"
},
{
"answer": "motion to recommit and get a vote on that",
"question": "If minority party loses committ of the whole, then what motion may be filed?"
},
{
"answer": "sa... |
18,430 | Gephardt added that "inclusion and empowerment of the people on the line have to be done to get the best performance" from the minority party. Other techniques for fostering party harmony include the appointment of task forces composed of partisan colleagues with conflicting views to reach consensus on issues; the creation of new leadership positions as a way to reach out and involve a greater diversity of partisans in the leadership structure; and daily meetings in the Leader's office (or at breakfast, lunch, or dinner) to lay out floor strategy or political objectives for the minority party. | [
{
"answer": "appointment of task forces",
"question": "What is a good technique to foster party harmony?"
},
{
"answer": "partisan colleagues with conflicting views",
"question": "What colleagues are best to work with to reach a consensus?"
},
{
"answer": "way to reach out and involve a ... |
18,431 | The Chief Deputy Whip is the primary assistant to the whip, who is the chief vote counter for his or her party. The current chief deputy majority whip is Republican Patrick McHenry. Within the House Republican Conference, the chief deputy whip is the highest appointed position and often a launching pad for future positions in the House Leadership. The House Democratic Conference has multiple chief deputy whips, led by a Senior Chief Deputy Whip, which is the highest appointed position within the House Democratic Caucus. The current senior chief deputy minority whip, John Lewis, has held his post since 1991. | [
{
"answer": "The Chief Deputy Whip",
"question": "Who is the chief vote counter for party?"
},
{
"answer": "Patrick McHenry.",
"question": "Who holds the highest appointed Republican position in House?"
},
{
"answer": "Senior Chief Deputy Whip",
"question": "Who is the leader of chie... |
18,432 | Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. There is a wide-ranging diaspora of around 5 million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry living outside of modern Armenia. The largest Armenian populations today exist in Russia, the United States, France, Georgia, Iran, Ukraine, Lebanon, and Syria. With the exceptions of Iran and the former Soviet states, the present-day Armenian diaspora was formed mainly as a result of the Armenian Genocide. | [
{
"answer": "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic",
"question": "Where do Armenians mostly live besides Armenia?"
},
{
"answer": "around 5 million",
"question": "How many Armenians live outside Armenia and the republic within it?"
},
{
"answer": "Russia, the United States, France, Georgia, Iran, Uk... |
18,433 | Historically, the name Armenian has come to internationally designate this group of people. It was first used by neighbouring countries of ancient Armenia. The earliest attestations of the exonym Armenia date around the 6th century BC. In his trilingual Behistun Inscription dated to 517 BC, Darius I the Great of Persia refers to Urashtu (in Babylonian) as Armina (in Old Persian; Armina ( ) and Harminuya (in Elamite). In Greek, Αρμένιοι "Armenians" is attested from about the same time, perhaps the earliest reference being a fragment attributed to Hecataeus of Miletus (476 BC). Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC. He relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians. | [
{
"answer": "around the 6th century BC",
"question": "How long ago has the term 'Armenia' been used?"
},
{
"answer": "476 BC",
"question": "What is the earliest known use of 'Armenians'?"
},
{
"answer": "Hecataeus of Miletus",
"question": "Who wrote the earliest known use of 'Armenia... |
18,434 | The Armenian Highland lies in the highlands surrounding Mount Ararat, the highest peak of the region. In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of its power), Mitanni (South-Western historical Armenia), and Hayasa-Azzi (1600–1200 BC). Soon after Hayasa-Azzi were Arme-Shupria (1300s–1190 BC), the Nairi (1400–1000 BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu (860–590 BC), who successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people. Under Ashurbanipal (669–627 BC), the Assyrian empire reached the Caucasus Mountains (modern Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan). | [
{
"answer": "Mount Ararat",
"question": "What mountain does Armenia surround?"
},
{
"answer": "the Bronze Age",
"question": "What era was the Hittite Empire in?"
},
{
"answer": "1600–1200 BC",
"question": "When did the Hayasa-Azzi rule?"
},
{
"answer": "1300s–1190 BC",
"q... |
18,435 | Eric P. Hamp in his 2012 Indo-European family tree, groups the Armenian language along with Greek and Ancient Macedonian ("Helleno-Macedonian") in the Pontic Indo-European (also called Helleno-Armenian) subgroup. In Hamp's view the homeland of this subgroup is the northeast coast of the Black Sea and its hinterlands. He assumes that they migrated from there southeast through the Caucasus with the Armenians remaining after Batumi while the pre-Greeks proceeded westwards along the southern coast of the Black Sea. | [
{
"answer": "Pontic Indo-European",
"question": "What subgroup does Hamp put the Armenian language in?"
},
{
"answer": "the northeast coast of the Black Sea and its hinterlands",
"question": "Where does Hamp say the Pontic Indo-European languages originate?"
},
{
"answer": "Greek and Anc... |
18,436 | The first geographical entity that was called Armenia by neighboring peoples (such as by Hecataeus of Miletus and on the Achaemenid Behistun Inscription) was established in the late 6th century BC under the Orontid dynasty within the Achaemenid Persian Empire as part of the latters' territories, and which later became a kingdom. At its zenith (95–65 BC), the state extended from the Caucasus all the way to what is now central Turkey, Lebanon, and northern Iran. The imperial reign of Tigranes the Great is thus the span of time during which Armenia itself conquered areas populated by other peoples. | [
{
"answer": "in the late 6th century BC",
"question": "When was Armenia established?"
},
{
"answer": "the Achaemenid Behistun Inscription",
"question": "What famous inscription mentioned Armenia?"
},
{
"answer": "Orontid dynasty",
"question": "During which dynasty was Armenia establi... |
18,437 | The Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia, itself a branch of the Arsacid dynasty of Parthia, was the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion (it had formerly been adherent to Armenian paganism, which was influenced by Zoroastrianism, while later on adopting a few elements regarding identification of its pantheon with Greco-Roman deities). in the early years of the 4th century, likely AD 301, partly in defiance of the Sassanids it seems. In the late Parthian period, Armenia was a predominantly Zoroastrian-adhering land, but by the Christianisation, previously predominant Zoroastrianism and paganism in Armenia gradually declined. Later on, in order to further strengthen Armenian national identity, Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet, in 405 AD. This event ushered the Golden Age of Armenia, during which many foreign books and manuscripts were translated to Armenian by Mesrop's pupils. Armenia lost its sovereignty again in 428 AD to the rivalling Byzantine and Sassanid Persian empires, until the Muslim conquest of Persia overran also the regions in which Armenians lived. | [
{
"answer": "The Arsacid Kingdom of Armenia",
"question": "What was the first country to make Christianity its official religion?"
},
{
"answer": "Zoroastrianism",
"question": "What religion was Armenian paganism influenced by?"
},
{
"answer": "AD 301",
"question": "When did Armenia ... |
18,438 | In 885 AD the Armenians reestablished themselves as a sovereign kingdom under the leadership of Ashot I of the Bagratid Dynasty. A considerable portion of the Armenian nobility and peasantry fled the Byzantine occupation of Bagratid Armenia in 1045, and the subsequent invasion of the region by Seljuk Turks in 1064. They settled in large numbers in Cilicia, an Anatolian region where Armenians were already established as a minority since Roman times. In 1080, they founded an independent Armenian Principality then Kingdom of Cilicia, which became the focus of Armenian nationalism. The Armenians developed close social, cultural, military, and religious ties with nearby Crusader States, but eventually succumbed to Mamluk invasions. In the next few centuries, Djenghis Khan, Timurids, and the tribal Turkic federations of the Ak Koyunlu and the Kara Koyunlu ruled over the Armenians. | [
{
"answer": "885 AD",
"question": "When did Armenia become a sovereign kingdom?"
},
{
"answer": "Ashot I",
"question": "Under which ruler did Armenia become a sovereign kingdom?"
},
{
"answer": "the Bagratid Dynasty",
"question": "What dynasty was Ashot I part of?"
},
{
"answ... |
18,439 | From the early 16th century, both Western Armenia and Eastern Armenia fell under Iranian Safavid rule. Owing to the century long Turco-Iranian geo-political rivalry that would last in Western Asia, significant parts of the region were frequently fought over between the two rivalling empires. From the mid 16th century with the Peace of Amasya, and decisively from the first half of the 17th century with the Treaty of Zuhab until the first half of the 19th century, Eastern Armenia was ruled by the successive Iranian Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar empires, while Western Armenia remained under Ottoman rule. In the late 1820s, the parts of historic Armenia under Iranian control centering on Yerevan and Lake Sevan (all of Eastern Armenia) were incorporated into the Russian Empire following Iran's forced ceding of the territories after its loss in the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828) and the outcoming Treaty of Turkmenchay. Western Armenia however, remained in Ottoman hands. | [
{
"answer": "1826",
"question": "When did the Russo-Persian War begin?"
},
{
"answer": "1828",
"question": "When did the Russo-Persian War end?"
},
{
"answer": "Treaty of Turkmenchay",
"question": "What treaty ended the Russo-Persian War?"
},
{
"answer": "mid 16th century",
... |
18,440 | Governments of Republic of Turkey since that time have consistently rejected charges of genocide, typically arguing either that those Armenians who died were simply in the way of a war or that killings of Armenians were justified by their individual or collective support for the enemies of the Ottoman Empire. Passage of legislation in various foreign countries condemning the persecution of the Armenians as genocide has often provoked diplomatic conflict. (See Recognition of the Armenian Genocide) | [
{
"answer": "Governments of Republic of Turkey",
"question": "Who says they didn't kill Armenians as genocide, just because they were 'in the way of the war'?"
},
{
"answer": "diplomatic conflict",
"question": "What has happened when other countries condemned Armenian genocide?"
},
{
"an... |
18,441 | Following the breakup of the Russian Empire in the aftermath of World War I for a brief period, from 1918 to 1920, Armenia was an independent republic. In late 1920, the communists came to power following an invasion of Armenia by the Red Army, and in 1922, Armenia became part of the Transcaucasian SFSR of the Soviet Union, later forming the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (1936 to September 21, 1991). In 1991, Armenia declared independence from the USSR and established the second Republic of Armenia. | [
{
"answer": "independent republic",
"question": "What was Armenia's status from 1918 to 1920?"
},
{
"answer": "late 1920",
"question": "When did communists take over Armenia?"
},
{
"answer": "the Red Army",
"question": "Who invaded Armenia in 1920?"
},
{
"answer": "the Transc... |
18,442 | Armenians have had a presence in the Armenian Highland for over four thousand years, since the time when Hayk, the legendary patriarch and founder of the first Armenian nation, led them to victory over Bel of Babylon. Today, with a population of 3.5 million, they not only constitute an overwhelming majority in Armenia, but also in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians in the diaspora informally refer to them as Hayastantsis (Հայաստանցի), meaning those that are from Armenia (that is, those born and raised in Armenia). They, as well as the Armenians of Iran and Russia speak the Eastern dialect of the Armenian language. The country itself is secular as a result of Soviet domination, but most of its citizens identify themselves as Apostolic Armenian Christian. | [
{
"answer": "over four thousand years",
"question": "How long have Armenians lived in the highlands?"
},
{
"answer": "Hayk",
"question": "Who founded the first Armenian nation?"
},
{
"answer": "Bel of Babylon",
"question": "Who did Hayk defeat?"
},
{
"answer": "those that are... |
18,443 | Small Armenian trading and religious communities have existed outside of Armenia for centuries. For example, a community has existed for over a millennium in the Holy Land, and one of the four quarters of the walled Old City of Jerusalem has been called the Armenian Quarter. An Armenian Catholic monastic community of 35 founded in 1717 exists on an island near Venice, Italy. There are also remnants of formerly populous communities in India, Myanmar, Thailand, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt.[citation needed] | [
{
"answer": "one of the four quarters of the walled Old City of Jerusalem",
"question": "What is the Armenian Quarter?"
},
{
"answer": "35",
"question": "How many people live in the Armenian monastery in or near Italy?"
},
{
"answer": "1717",
"question": "When was the Italian Armenia... |
18,444 | Within the diasporan Armenian community, there is an unofficial classification of the different kinds of Armenians. For example, Armenians who originate from Iran are referred to as Parskahay (Պարսկահայ), while Armenians from Lebanon are usually referred to as Lipananahay (Լիբանանահայ). Armenians of the Diaspora are the primary speakers of the Western dialect of the Armenian language. This dialect has considerable differences with Eastern Armenian, but speakers of either of the two variations can usually understand each other. Eastern Armenian in the diaspora is primarily spoken in Iran and European countries such as Ukraine, Russia, and Georgia (where they form a majority in the Samtskhe-Javakheti province). In diverse communities (such as in Canada and the U.S.) where many different kinds of Armenians live together, there is a tendency for the different groups to cluster together. | [
{
"answer": "Armenians who originate from Iran",
"question": "What are Parskahay?"
},
{
"answer": "Armenians from Lebanon",
"question": "What are Lipananahay?"
},
{
"answer": "Western",
"question": "What dialect do most Diaspora Armenians speak?"
},
{
"answer": "considerable ... |
18,445 | Armenia established a Church that still exists independently of both the Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox churches, having become so in 451 AD as a result of its stance regarding the Council of Chalcedon. Today this church is known as the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is a part of the Oriental Orthodox communion, not to be confused with the Eastern Orthodox communion. During its later political eclipses, Armenia depended on the church to preserve and protect its unique identity. The original location of the Armenian Catholicosate is Echmiadzin. However, the continuous upheavals, which characterized the political scenes of Armenia, made the political power move to safer places. The Church center moved as well to different locations together with the political authority. Therefore, it eventually moved to Cilicia as the Holy See of Cilicia. | [
{
"answer": "451 AD",
"question": "When did Armenia's church become independent?"
},
{
"answer": "Armenian Apostolic Church",
"question": "What is Armenia's church called?"
},
{
"answer": "Oriental Orthodox",
"question": "What type of Catholicism is Armenia's church part of?"
},
... |
18,446 | The Armenians collective has, at times, constituted a Christian "island" in a mostly Muslim region. There is, however, a minority of ethnic Armenian Muslims, known as Hamshenis but many Armenians view them as a separate race, while the history of the Jews in Armenia dates back 2,000 years. The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia had close ties to European Crusader States. Later on, the deteriorating situation in the region led the bishops of Armenia to elect a Catholicos in Etchmiadzin, the original seat of the Catholicosate. In 1441, a new Catholicos was elected in Etchmiadzin in the person of Kirakos Virapetsi, while Krikor Moussapegiants preserved his title as Catholicos of Cilicia. Therefore, since 1441, there have been two Catholicosates in the Armenian Church with equal rights and privileges, and with their respective jurisdictions. The primacy of honor of the Catholicosate of Etchmiadzin has always been recognized by the Catholicosate of Cilicia. | [
{
"answer": "Muslim",
"question": "What religion is dominant in the countries surrounding Armenia?"
},
{
"answer": "ethnic Armenian Muslims",
"question": "What are Hamshenis?"
},
{
"answer": "Kirakos Virapetsi",
"question": "Who became Catholicos in Etchmiadzin in 1441?"
},
{
... |
18,447 | While the Armenian Apostolic Church remains the most prominent church in the Armenian community throughout the world, Armenians (especially in the diaspora) subscribe to any number of other Christian denominations. These include the Armenian Catholic Church (which follows its own liturgy but recognizes the Roman Catholic Pope), the Armenian Evangelical Church, which started as a reformation in the Mother church but later broke away, and the Armenian Brotherhood Church, which was born in the Armenian Evangelical Church, but later broke apart from it. There are other numerous Armenian churches belonging to Protestant denominations of all kinds. | [
{
"answer": "Armenian Catholic Church",
"question": "Which Armenian church recognizes the Pope?"
},
{
"answer": "Armenian Evangelical Church",
"question": "What broke away from the Armenian Apostolic Church?"
},
{
"answer": "Armenian Apostolic Church",
"question": "Which Armenian chu... |
18,449 | The first Armenian churches were built between the 4th and 7th century, beginning when Armenia converted to Christianity, and ending with the Arab invasion of Armenia. The early churches were mostly simple basilicas, but some with side apses. By the fifth century the typical cupola cone in the center had become widely used. By the seventh century, centrally planned churches had been built and a more complicated niched buttress and radiating Hrip'simé style had formed. By the time of the Arab invasion, most of what we now know as classical Armenian architecture had formed. | [
{
"answer": "between the 4th and 7th century",
"question": "When were early Armenian Christian churches built?"
},
{
"answer": "4th",
"question": "In which century did Armenia become Christian?"
},
{
"answer": "Hrip'simé",
"question": "What radiating style are some Armenian churches ... |
18,450 | From the 9th to 11th century, Armenian architecture underwent a revival under the patronage of the Bagratid Dynasty with a great deal of building done in the area of Lake Van, this included both traditional styles and new innovations. Ornately carved Armenian Khachkars were developed during this time. Many new cities and churches were built during this time, including a new capital at Lake Van and a new Cathedral on Akdamar Island to match. The Cathedral of Ani was also completed during this dynasty. It was during this time that the first major monasteries, such as Haghpat and Haritchavank were built. This period was ended by the Seljuk invasion. | [
{
"answer": "Seljuk",
"question": "Who invaded Armenia in the 11th century?"
},
{
"answer": "Haghpat and Haritchavank",
"question": "What Armenian monasteries were built in the 11th century?"
},
{
"answer": "From the 9th to 11th century",
"question": "When was there an Armenian archi... |
18,451 | During Soviet rule, Armenian athletes rose to prominence winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan, who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. In football, their most successful team was Yerevan's FC Ararat, which had claimed most of the Soviet championships in the 70s and had also gone to post victories against professional clubs like FC Bayern Munich in the Euro cup. | [
{
"answer": "1952",
"question": "When did Armenia begin winning Olympic medals?"
},
{
"answer": "Helsinki",
"question": "Where were the 1952 Olympics held?"
},
{
"answer": "Yerevan's FC Ararat",
"question": "Which Armenian football team was the most successful?"
},
{
"answer"... |
18,452 | Instruments like the duduk, the dhol, the zurna and the kanun are commonly found in Armenian folk music. Artists such as Sayat Nova are famous due to their influence in the development of Armenian folk music. One of the oldest types of Armenian music is the Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilst under Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well known for his music, for various ballets and the Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet Gayane. | [
{
"answer": "Armenian folk music",
"question": "What kind of music does Sayat Nova play?"
},
{
"answer": "the duduk, the dhol, the zurna and the kanun",
"question": "What instruments are used in Armenian folk music?"
},
{
"answer": "the Armenian chant",
"question": "What kind of Arme... |
18,454 | Carpet-weaving is historically a major traditional profession for the majority of Armenian women, including many Armenian families. Prominent Karabakh carpet weavers there were men too. The oldest extant Armenian carpet from the region, referred to as Artsakh (see also Karabakh carpet) during the medieval era, is from the village of Banants (near Gandzak) and dates to the early 13th century. The first time that the Armenian word for carpet, gorg, was used in historical sources was in a 1242–1243 Armenian inscription on the wall of the Kaptavan Church in Artsakh. | [
{
"answer": "Carpet-weaving",
"question": "What job do many Armenian women traditionally do?"
},
{
"answer": "early 13th century",
"question": "When is the earliest known Armenian carpet from?"
},
{
"answer": "the village of Banants (near Gandzak)",
"question": "Where is the earliest... |
18,455 | Art historian Hravard Hakobyan notes that "Artsakh carpets occupy a special place in the history of Armenian carpet-making." Common themes and patterns found on Armenian carpets were the depiction of dragons and eagles. They were diverse in style, rich in color and ornamental motifs, and were even separated in categories depending on what sort of animals were depicted on them, such as artsvagorgs (eagle-carpets), vishapagorgs (dragon-carpets) and otsagorgs (serpent-carpets). The rug mentioned in the Kaptavan inscriptions is composed of three arches, "covered with vegatative ornaments", and bears an artistic resemblance to the illuminated manuscripts produced in Artsakh. | [
{
"answer": "Art historian",
"question": "What is Hakobyan's career?"
},
{
"answer": "dragons and eagles",
"question": "What creatures are often depicted on Armenian carpets?"
},
{
"answer": "eagle-carpets",
"question": "What are artsvagorgs?"
},
{
"answer": "dragon-carpets",... |
18,456 | Armenians enjoy many different native and foreign foods. Arguably the favorite food is khorovats an Armenian-styled barbecue. Lavash is a very popular Armenian flat bread, and Armenian paklava is a popular dessert made from filo dough. Other famous Armenian foods include the kabob (a skewer of marinated roasted meat and vegetables), various dolmas (minced lamb, or beef meat and rice wrapped in grape leaves, cabbage leaves, or stuffed into hollowed vegetables), and pilaf, a rice dish. Also, ghapama, a rice-stuffed pumpkin dish, and many different salads are popular in Armenian culture. Fruits play a large part in the Armenian diet. Apricots (Prunus armeniaca, also known as Armenian Plum) have been grown in Armenia for centuries and have a reputation for having an especially good flavor. Peaches are popular as well, as are grapes, figs, pomegranates, and melons. Preserves are made from many fruits, including cornelian cherries, young walnuts, sea buckthorn, mulberries, sour cherries, and many others. | [
{
"answer": "an Armenian-styled barbecue",
"question": "What is khorovats?"
},
{
"answer": "Armenian flat bread",
"question": "What is lavash?"
},
{
"answer": "a popular dessert made from filo dough",
"question": "What is paklava?"
},
{
"answer": "a skewer of marinated roaste... |
18,457 | Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group claims a worldwide membership of more than 8.2 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance figures of more than 15 million, and an annual Memorial attendance of more than 19.9 million. Jehovah's Witnesses are directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of elders in Brooklyn, New York, which establishes all doctrines based on its interpretations of the Bible. They prefer to use their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, although their literature occasionally quotes and cites other translations. They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment of God's kingdom over the earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humanity. | [
{
"answer": "millenarian restorationist Christian denomination",
"question": "What are the Jehovah Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "mainstream Christianity",
"question": "What are the beliefs of Jehovah Witnesses distinct from?"
},
{
"answer": "more than 8.2 million",
"question": "How man... |
18,458 | Jehovah's Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and refusing military service and blood transfusions. They consider use of the name Jehovah vital for proper worship. They reject Trinitarianism, inherent immortality of the soul, and hellfire, which they consider to be unscriptural doctrines. They do not observe Christmas, Easter, birthdays or other holidays and customs they consider to have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity. Adherents commonly refer to their body of beliefs as "the truth" and consider themselves to be "in the truth". They consider secular society to be morally corrupt and under the influence of Satan, and most limit their social interaction with non-Witnesses. Congregational disciplinary actions include disfellowshipping, their term for formal expulsion and shunning. Baptized individuals who formally leave are considered disassociated and are also shunned. Disfellowshipped and disassociated individuals may eventually be reinstated if deemed repentant. | [
{
"answer": "their door-to-door preaching",
"question": "What are Jehovah witnesses best known for?"
},
{
"answer": "military service and blood transfusions",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses refuse?"
},
{
"answer": "proper worship",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses consi... |
18,460 | From 1879, Watch Tower supporters gathered as autonomous congregations to study the Bible topically. Thirty congregations were founded, and during 1879 and 1880, Russell visited each to provide the format he recommended for conducting meetings. As congregations continued to form during Russell's ministry, they each remained self-administrative, functioning under the congregationalist style of church governance. In 1881, Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was presided over by William Henry Conley, and in 1884, Charles Taze Russell incorporated the society as a non-profit business to distribute tracts and Bibles. By about 1900, Russell had organized thousands of part- and full-time colporteurs, and was appointing foreign missionaries and establishing branch offices. By the 1910s, Russell's organization maintained nearly a hundred "pilgrims," or traveling preachers. Russell engaged in significant global publishing efforts during his ministry, and by 1912, he was the most distributed Christian author in the United States. | [
{
"answer": "From 1879",
"question": "When did Watch Tower supporters gather as autonomous congregations to study the Bible?"
},
{
"answer": "Thirty",
"question": "How many congregations were founded?"
},
{
"answer": "self-administrative",
"question": "What did the congregations whic... |
18,461 | Russell moved the Watch Tower Society's headquarters to Brooklyn, New York, in 1909, combining printing and corporate offices with a house of worship; volunteers were housed in a nearby residence he named Bethel. He identified the religious movement as "Bible Students," and more formally as the International Bible Students Association. By 1910, about 50,000 people worldwide were associated with the movement and congregations re-elected him annually as their "pastor." Russell died October 31, 1916, at the age of 64 while returning from a ministerial speaking tour. | [
{
"answer": "1909",
"question": "When did Russell move the Society's headquarters to Brooklyn?"
},
{
"answer": "printing and corporate offices with a house of worship",
"question": "What did Russell combine at the headquarters?"
},
{
"answer": "Bethel",
"question": "What was the name... |
18,462 | In January 1917, the Watch Tower Society's legal representative, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, was elected as its next president. His election was disputed, and members of the Board of Directors accused him of acting in an autocratic and secretive manner. The divisions between his supporters and opponents triggered a major turnover of members over the next decade. In June 1917, he released The Finished Mystery as a seventh volume of Russell's Studies in the Scriptures series. The book, published as the posthumous work of Russell, was a compilation of his commentaries on the Bible books of Ezekiel and Revelation, plus numerous additions by Bible Students Clayton Woodworth and George Fisher. It strongly criticized Catholic and Protestant clergy and Christian involvement in the Great War. As a result, Watch Tower Society directors were jailed for sedition under the Espionage Act in 1918 and members were subjected to mob violence; charges against the directors were dropped in 1920. | [
{
"answer": "Joseph Franklin Rutherford",
"question": "Who was elected as the Watch Tower Society's president in January of 1917?"
},
{
"answer": "June 1917,",
"question": "When did Rutherford release The Finished Mystery?"
},
{
"answer": "legal representative",
"question": "What had... |
18,463 | Rutherford centralized organizational control of the Watch Tower Society. In 1919, he instituted the appointment of a director in each congregation, and a year later all members were instructed to report their weekly preaching activity to the Brooklyn headquarters. At an international convention held at Cedar Point, Ohio, in September 1922, a new emphasis was made on house-to-house preaching. Significant changes in doctrine and administration were regularly introduced during Rutherford's twenty-five years as president, including the 1920 announcement that the Jewish patriarchs (such as Abraham and Isaac) would be resurrected in 1925, marking the beginning of Christ's thousand-year Kingdom. Disappointed by the changes, tens of thousands of defections occurred during the first half of Rutherford's tenure, leading to the formation of several Bible Student organizations independent of the Watch Tower Society, most of which still exist. By mid-1919, as many as one in seven of Russell-era Bible Students had ceased their association with the Society, and as many as two-thirds by the end of the 1920s. | [
{
"answer": "Cedar Point, Ohio",
"question": "Where as an international convention held in September of 1922?"
},
{
"answer": "a director",
"question": "What did Rutherford institute the appointment of in each congregation in 1919?"
},
{
"answer": "house-to-house preaching",
"questio... |
18,464 | On July 26, 1931, at a convention in Columbus, Ohio, Rutherford introduced the new name—Jehovah's witnesses—based on Isaiah 43:10: "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen"—which was adopted by resolution. The name was chosen to distinguish his group of Bible Students from other independent groups that had severed ties with the Society, as well as symbolize the instigation of new outlooks and the promotion of fresh evangelizing methods. In 1932, Rutherford eliminated the system of locally elected elders and in 1938, introduced what he called a "theocratic" (literally, God-ruled) organizational system, under which appointments in congregations worldwide were made from the Brooklyn headquarters. | [
{
"answer": "July 26, 1931",
"question": "When did Rutherford introduce the new name for the Society?"
},
{
"answer": "Isaiah 43:10",
"question": "What biblical passage was the name Jehovah's witnesses based on?"
},
{
"answer": "locally elected elders",
"question": "What system did R... |
18,465 | From 1932, it was taught that the "little flock" of 144,000 would not be the only people to survive Armageddon. Rutherford explained that in addition to the 144,000 "anointed" who would be resurrected—or transferred at death—to live in heaven to rule over earth with Christ, a separate class of members, the "great multitude," would live in a paradise restored on earth; from 1935, new converts to the movement were considered part of that class. By the mid-1930s, the timing of the beginning of Christ's presence (Greek: parousía), his enthronement as king, and the start of the "last days" were each moved to 1914. | [
{
"answer": "1932",
"question": "From when was it taught that the little flock would not be the only people to survive Armageddon?"
},
{
"answer": "144,000",
"question": "What was the number of the little flock set at?"
},
{
"answer": "a paradise restored on earth",
"question": "Wher... |
18,466 | Nathan Knorr was appointed as third president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1942. Knorr commissioned a new translation of the Bible, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, the full version of which was released in 1961. He organized large international assemblies, instituted new training programs for members, and expanded missionary activity and branch offices throughout the world. Knorr's presidency was also marked by an increasing use of explicit instructions guiding Witnesses in their lifestyle and conduct, and a greater use of congregational judicial procedures to enforce a strict moral code. | [
{
"answer": "Nathan Knorr",
"question": "Who was appointed as the third president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1942?"
},
{
"answer": "a new translation of the Bible",
"question": "What did Knorr commission?"
},
{
"answer": "in 1961",
"question": "When was the full ve... |
18,467 | From 1966, Witness publications and convention talks built anticipation of the possibility that Christ's thousand-year reign might begin in late 1975 or shortly thereafter. The number of baptisms increased significantly, from about 59,000 in 1966 to more than 297,000 in 1974. By 1975, the number of active members exceeded two million. Membership declined during the late 1970s after expectations for 1975 were proved wrong. Watch Tower Society literature did not state dogmatically that 1975 would definitely mark the end, but in 1980 the Watch Tower Society admitted its responsibility in building up hope regarding that year. | [
{
"answer": "Christ's thousand-year reign",
"question": "From 1966, what did Witness publications and conventions think would happen in late 1975?"
},
{
"answer": "more than 297,000",
"question": "How many baptisms were there in 1974?"
},
{
"answer": "two million",
"question": "How m... |
18,468 | The offices of elder and ministerial servant were restored to Witness congregations in 1972, with appointments made from headquarters (and later, also by branch committees). It was announced that, starting in September 2014, appointments would be made by traveling overseers. In a major organizational overhaul in 1976, the power of the Watch Tower Society president was diminished, with authority for doctrinal and organizational decisions passed to the Governing Body. Since Knorr's death in 1977, the position of president has been occupied by Frederick Franz (1977–1992) and Milton Henschel (1992–2000), both members of the Governing Body, and since 2000 by Don A. Adams, not a member of the Governing Body. In 1995, Jehovah's Witnesses abandoned the idea that Armageddon must occur during the lives of the generation that was alive in 1914 and in 2013 changed their teaching on the "generation". | [
{
"answer": "president",
"question": "In 1976 whose power in Watch Tower Society was diminished?"
},
{
"answer": "1972",
"question": "When was the offices of restored to the Witness congregations?"
},
{
"answer": "1977",
"question": "When did Knorr die? "
},
{
"answer": "trav... |
18,470 | Each congregation has a body of appointed unpaid male elders and ministerial servants. Elders maintain general responsibility for congregational governance, setting meeting times, selecting speakers and conducting meetings, directing the public preaching work, and creating "judicial committees" to investigate and decide disciplinary action for cases involving sexual misconduct or doctrinal breaches. New elders are appointed by a traveling overseer after recommendation by the existing body of elders. Ministerial servants—appointed in a similar manner to elders—fulfill clerical and attendant duties, but may also teach and conduct meetings. Witnesses do not use elder as a title to signify a formal clergy-laity division, though elders may employ ecclesiastical privilege such as confession of sins. | [
{
"answer": "a body of appointed unpaid male elders",
"question": "What does each congregation have?"
},
{
"answer": "Elders",
"question": "Whose responsibility is it to conduct meetings and decide action for cases involving sexual misconduct?"
},
{
"answer": "a traveling overseer",
... |
18,471 | Baptism is a requirement for being considered a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses do not practice infant baptism, and previous baptisms performed by other denominations are not considered valid. Individuals undergoing baptism must affirm publicly that dedication and baptism identify them "as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization," though Witness publications say baptism symbolizes personal dedication to God and not "to a man, work or organization." Their literature emphasizes the need for members to be obedient and loyal to Jehovah and to "his organization,"[note 2] stating that individuals must remain part of it to receive God's favor and to survive Armageddon. | [
{
"answer": "Baptism",
"question": "What is a requirement for being considered a member of Jehovah's Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "previous baptisms",
"question": "What aren't considered valid when performed by other denominations?"
},
{
"answer": "God",
"question": "What do Witness pu... |
18,472 | Jehovah's Witnesses believe their religion is a restoration of first-century Christianity. Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses are established by the Governing Body, which assumes responsibility for interpreting and applying scripture. The Governing Body does not issue any single, comprehensive "statement of faith", but prefers to express its doctrinal position in a variety of ways through publications published by the Watch Tower Society. Their publications teach that doctrinal changes and refinements result from a process of progressive revelation, in which God gradually reveals his will and purpose, and that such enlightenment or "new light" results from the application of reason and study, the guidance of the holy spirit, and direction from Jesus Christ and angels. The Society also teaches that members of the Governing Body are helped by the holy spirit to discern "deep truths", which are then considered by the entire Governing Body before it makes doctrinal decisions. The religion's leadership, while disclaiming divine inspiration and infallibility, is said to provide "divine guidance" through its teachings described as "based on God's Word thus ... not from men, but from Jehovah." | [
{
"answer": "first-century Christianity",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses believe their religion is a restoration of?"
},
{
"answer": "the Governing Body",
"question": "Who establishes the doctrines of the Jehovah Witnesses? "
},
{
"answer": "through publications published by the ... |
18,473 | The entire Protestant canon of scripture is considered the inspired, inerrant word of God. Jehovah's Witnesses consider the Bible to be scientifically and historically accurate and reliable and interpret much of it literally, but accept parts of it as symbolic. They consider the Bible to be the final authority for all their beliefs, although sociologist Andrew Holden's ethnographic study of the religion concluded that pronouncements of the Governing Body, through Watch Tower Society publications, carry almost as much weight as the Bible. Regular personal Bible reading is frequently recommended; Witnesses are discouraged from formulating doctrines and "private ideas" reached through Bible research independent of Watch Tower Society publications, and are cautioned against reading other religious literature. Adherents are told to have "complete confidence" in the leadership, avoid skepticism about what is taught in the Watch Tower Society's literature, and "not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding." The religion makes no provision for members to criticize or contribute to official teachings and all Witnesses must abide by its doctrines and organizational requirements. | [
{
"answer": "The entire Protestant canon",
"question": "What is considered the inspired, inerrant word of God?"
},
{
"answer": "accurate",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses consider the science and history within the Bible to be?"
},
{
"answer": "the Governing Body",
"question":... |
18,474 | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is God's only direct creation, that everything else was created by means of Christ, and that the initial unassisted act of creation uniquely identifies Jesus as God's "only-begotten Son". Jesus served as a redeemer and a ransom sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity. They believe Jesus died on a single upright post rather than the traditional cross. They believe that references in the Bible to the Archangel Michael, Abaddon (Apollyon), and the Word all refer to Jesus. Jesus is considered to be the only intercessor and high priest between God and humanity, and appointed by God as the king and judge of his kingdom. His role as a mediator (referred to in 1 Timothy 2:5) is applied to the 'anointed' class, though the 'other sheep' are said to also benefit from the arrangement. | [
{
"answer": "Jesus",
"question": "Who do Jehovah Witnesses believe is God's only direct creation?"
},
{
"answer": "the sins of humanity",
"question": "What was Jesus a ransom sacrifice to pay for?"
},
{
"answer": "a single upright post",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses believe... |
18,475 | Witnesses believe that a "little flock" go to heaven, but that the hope for life after death for the majority of "other sheep" involves being resurrected by God to a cleansed earth after Armageddon. They interpret Revelation 14:1–5 to mean that the number of Christians going to heaven is limited to exactly 144,000, who will rule with Jesus as kings and priests over earth. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that only they meet scriptural requirements for surviving Armageddon, but that God is the final judge. During Christ's millennial reign, most people who died prior to Armageddon will be resurrected with the prospect of living forever; they will be taught the proper way to worship God to prepare them for their final test at the end of the millennium. | [
{
"answer": "a \"little flock\"",
"question": "Jehovah Witnesses believe who will go to heaven?"
},
{
"answer": "a cleansed earth",
"question": "Where will God resurrected the \"other sheep\" after Armageddon?"
},
{
"answer": "144,000",
"question": "Jehovah Witnesses interrupted Reve... |
18,476 | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's kingdom is a literal government in heaven, ruled by Jesus Christ and 144,000 "spirit-anointed" Christians drawn from the earth, which they associate with Jesus' reference to a "new covenant". The kingdom is viewed as the means by which God will accomplish his original purpose for the earth, transforming it into a paradise without sickness or death. It is said to have been the focal point of Jesus' ministry on earth. They believe the kingdom was established in heaven in 1914, and that Jehovah's Witnesses serve as representatives of the kingdom on earth. | [
{
"answer": "a literal government in heaven",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses believe of God's kingdom?"
},
{
"answer": "144,000 \"spirit-anointed\" Christians",
"question": "Who rules with Jesus Christ in heaven according to Jehovah Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "accomplish his orig... |
18,478 | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ began to rule in heaven as king of God's kingdom in October 1914, and that Satan was subsequently ousted from heaven to the earth, resulting in "woe" to humanity. They believe that Jesus rules invisibly, from heaven, perceived only as a series of "signs". They base this belief on a rendering of the Greek word parousia—usually translated as "coming" when referring to Christ—as "presence". They believe Jesus' presence includes an unknown period beginning with his inauguration as king in heaven in 1914, and ending when he comes to bring a final judgment against humans on earth. They thus depart from the mainstream Christian belief that the "second coming" of Matthew 24 refers to a single moment of arrival on earth to judge humans. | [
{
"answer": "when he comes to bring a final judgment",
"question": "When will Jesus' presence end?"
},
{
"answer": "ousted from heaven",
"question": "What happened to Satan when Jesus started his rule?"
},
{
"answer": "invisibly",
"question": "How do Jehovah Witnesses believe that Je... |
18,480 | Jehovah's Witnesses are perhaps best known for their efforts to spread their beliefs, most notably by visiting people from house to house, distributing literature published by the Watch Tower Society in 700 languages. The objective is to start a regular "Bible study" with any person who is not already a member, with the intention that the student be baptized as a member of the group; Witnesses are advised to consider discontinuing Bible studies with students who show no interest in becoming members. Witnesses are taught they are under a biblical command to engage in public preaching. They are instructed to devote as much time as possible to their ministry and are required to submit an individual monthly "Field Service Report". Baptized members who fail to report a month of preaching are termed "irregular" and may be counseled by elders; those who do not submit reports for six consecutive months are termed "inactive". | [
{
"answer": "their efforts to spread their beliefs",
"question": "What are Jehovah Witnesses probably best known for by outsiders?"
},
{
"answer": "700",
"question": "How many languages is the Watch Tower Society literature published in?"
},
{
"answer": "start a regular \"Bible study\"",... |
18,481 | Divorce is discouraged, and remarriage is forbidden unless a divorce is obtained on the grounds of adultery, which they refer to as "a scriptural divorce". If a divorce is obtained for any other reason, remarriage is considered adulterous unless the prior spouse has died or is since considered to have committed sexual immorality. Extreme physical abuse, willful non-support of one's family, and what the religion terms "absolute endangerment of spirituality" are considered grounds for legal separation. | [
{
"answer": "discouraged",
"question": "What is Jehovah Witnesses' view of divorce?"
},
{
"answer": "adultery",
"question": "What is an acceptable grounds for divorce for a Jehovah Witness?"
},
{
"answer": "adulterous",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses considered remarriage whe... |
18,483 | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible condemns the mixing of religions, on the basis that there can only be one truth from God, and therefore reject interfaith and ecumenical movements. They believe that only their religion represents true Christianity, and that other religions fail to meet all the requirements set by God and will soon be destroyed. Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that it is vital to remain "separate from the world." The Witnesses' literature defines the "world" as "the mass of mankind apart from Jehovah's approved servants" and teach that it is morally contaminated and ruled by Satan. Witnesses are taught that association with "worldly" people presents a "danger" to their faith, and are instructed to minimize social contact with non-members to better maintain their own standards of morality. | [
{
"answer": "can only be one truth from God",
"question": "Why do Jehovah Witnesses believe the Bible condemns mixing of religions?"
},
{
"answer": "\"separate from the world.\"",
"question": "What are Jehovah Witnesses taught it's vital to remain?"
},
{
"answer": "represents true Christ... |
18,484 | Jehovah's Witnesses believe their highest allegiance belongs to God's kingdom, which is viewed as an actual government in heaven, with Christ as king. They remain politically neutral, do not seek public office, and are discouraged from voting, though individual members may participate in uncontroversial community improvement issues. Although they do not take part in politics, they respect the authority of the governments under which they live. They do not celebrate religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter, nor do they observe birthdays, nationalistic holidays, or other celebrations they consider to honor people other than Jesus. They feel that these and many other customs have pagan origins or reflect a nationalistic or political spirit. Their position is that these traditional holidays reflect Satan's control over the world. Witnesses are told that spontaneous giving at other times can help their children to not feel deprived of birthdays or other celebrations. | [
{
"answer": "Christ",
"question": "Who is king of God's kingdom in heaven?"
},
{
"answer": "neutral",
"question": "What do Jehovah Witnesses remain politically?"
},
{
"answer": "voting",
"question": "What are Jehovah Witnesses discouraged from doing?"
},
{
"answer": "they con... |
18,485 | They do not work in industries associated with the military, do not serve in the armed services, and refuse national military service, which in some countries may result in their arrest and imprisonment. They do not salute or pledge allegiance to flags or sing national anthems or patriotic songs. Jehovah's Witnesses see themselves as a worldwide brotherhood that transcends national boundaries and ethnic loyalties. Sociologist Ronald Lawson has suggested the religion's intellectual and organizational isolation, coupled with the intense indoctrination of adherents, rigid internal discipline and considerable persecution, has contributed to the consistency of its sense of urgency in its apocalyptic message. | [
{
"answer": "associated with the military",
"question": "What industries do Jehovah Witnesses avoid working in?"
},
{
"answer": "their arrest and imprisonment",
"question": "What may a Jehovah Witnesses' refusal to serve in the natural military service result in, in some countries?"
},
{
... |
18,486 | Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions, which they consider a violation of God's law based on their interpretation of Acts 15:28, 29 and other scriptures. Since 1961 the willing acceptance of a blood transfusion by an unrepentant member has been grounds for expulsion from the religion. Members are directed to refuse blood transfusions, even in "a life-or-death situation". Jehovah's Witnesses accept non-blood alternatives and other medical procedures in lieu of blood transfusions, and their literature provides information about non-blood medical procedures. | [
{
"answer": "Acts 15:28, 29",
"question": "What biblical passage informs Jehovah Witnesses' refusal of blood transfusions?"
},
{
"answer": "willing acceptance of a blood transfusion",
"question": "What is grounds for expulsion from Jehovah Witnesses, since 1961?"
},
{
"answer": "non-bloo... |
18,487 | Though Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions of whole blood, they may accept some blood plasma fractions at their own discretion. The Watch Tower Society provides pre-formatted durable power of attorney documents prohibiting major blood components, in which members can specify which allowable fractions and treatments they will personally accept. Jehovah's Witnesses have established Hospital Liaison Committees as a cooperative arrangement between individual Jehovah's Witnesses and medical professionals and hospitals. | [
{
"answer": "blood plasma fractions",
"question": "What are Jehovah Witnesses allowed to accept at their discretion? "
},
{
"answer": "major blood components",
"question": "What pre-formatted durable power of attorney documents are provided by the Watch Tower Society to prohibit?"
},
{
"... |
18,488 | As of August 2015, Jehovah's Witnesses report an average of 8.2 million publishers—the term they use for members actively involved in preaching—in 118,016 congregations. In 2015, these reports indicated over 1.93 billion hours spent in preaching and "Bible study" activity. Since the mid-1990s, the number of peak publishers has increased from 4.5 million to 8.2 million. In the same year, they conducted "Bible studies" with over 9.7 million individuals, including those conducted by Witness parents with their children. Jehovah's Witnesses estimate their current worldwide growth rate to be 1.5% per year. | [
{
"answer": "publishers",
"question": "What term do Jehovah's Witnesses use for members actively involved in preaching?"
},
{
"answer": "8.2 million",
"question": "How many publishers did the Jehovah's Witnesses have as of August 2015?"
},
{
"answer": "118,016",
"question": "How many... |
18,489 | The official published membership statistics, such as those mentioned above, include only those who submit reports for their personal ministry; official statistics do not include inactive and disfellowshipped individuals or others who might attend their meetings. As a result, only about half of those who self-identified as Jehovah's Witnesses in independent demographic studies are considered active by the faith itself. The 2008 US Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey found a low retention rate among members of the religion: about 37% of people raised in the religion continued to identify themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses. | [
{
"answer": "those who submit reports for their personal ministry",
"question": "Where do the officially published membership statistics come from?"
},
{
"answer": "active",
"question": "Only about half all Jehovah's Witnesses are actually considered what in the faith itself?"
},
{
"answ... |
18,490 | Sociologist James A. Beckford, in his 1975 study of Jehovah's Witnesses, classified the religion's organizational structure as Totalizing, characterized by an assertive leadership, specific and narrow objectives, control over competing demands on members' time and energy, and control over the quality of new members. Other characteristics of the classification include likelihood of friction with secular authorities, reluctance to co-operate with other religious organizations, a high rate of membership turnover, a low rate of doctrinal change, and strict uniformity of beliefs among members. Beckford identified the religion's chief characteristics as historicism (identifying historical events as relating to the outworking of God's purpose), absolutism (conviction that Jehovah's Witness leaders dispense absolute truth), activism (capacity to motivate members to perform missionary tasks), rationalism (conviction that Witness doctrines have a rational basis devoid of mystery), authoritarianism (rigid presentation of regulations without the opportunity for criticism) and world indifference (rejection of certain secular requirements and medical treatments). | [
{
"answer": "Sociologist",
"question": "What is the profession of James A. Beckford?"
},
{
"answer": "1975",
"question": "When did Beckford study the Jehovah's Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "Totalizing",
"question": "What did Beckford classify the Jehovah's Witnesses organizational stru... |
18,491 | A sociological comparative study by the Pew Research Center found that Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States ranked highest in statistics for getting no further than high school graduation, belief in God, importance of religion in one's life, frequency of religious attendance, frequency of prayers, frequency of Bible reading outside of religious services, belief their prayers are answered, belief that their religion can only be interpreted one way, belief that theirs is the only one true faith leading to eternal life, opposition to abortion, and opposition to homosexuality. In the study, Jehovah's Witnesses ranked lowest in statistics for having earned a graduate degree and interest in politics. | [
{
"answer": "high school graduation",
"question": "Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States ranked highest in people whose education extended no further than what?"
},
{
"answer": "reading",
"question": "Compared to other religions, Jehovah's Witnesses have the highest frequency of doing what wi... |
18,492 | Political and religious animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has at times led to mob action and government oppression in various countries. Their doctrine of political neutrality and their refusal to serve in the military has led to imprisonment of members who refused conscription during World War II and at other times where national service has been compulsory. In 1933, there were approximately 20,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Germany, of whom about 10,000 were later imprisoned. Of those, 2000 were sent to Nazi concentration camps, where they were identified by purple triangles; as many as 1200 died, including 250 who were executed. In Canada, Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps along with political dissidents and people of Chinese and Japanese descent. In the former Soviet Union, about 9,300 Jehovah's Witnesses were deported to Siberia as part of Operation North in April 1951. Their religious activities are currently banned or restricted in some countries, including China, Vietnam and some Islamic states. | [
{
"answer": "Political and religious animosity",
"question": "What has at times led to immense violence against Jehovah's Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "doctrine of political neutrality and their refusal to serve in the military",
"question": "Why have Jehovah's Witnesses sometimes been imprisoned?... |
18,493 | Authors including William Whalen, Shawn Francis Peters and former Witnesses Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Alan Rogerson and William Schnell have claimed the arrests and mob violence in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s were the consequence of what appeared to be a deliberate course of provocation of authorities and other religions by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Whalen, Harrison and Schnell have suggested Rutherford invited and cultivated opposition for publicity purposes in a bid to attract dispossessed members of society, and to convince members that persecution from the outside world was evidence of the truth of their struggle to serve God. Watch Tower Society literature of the period directed that Witnesses should "never seek a controversy" nor resist arrest, but also advised members not to co-operate with police officers or courts that ordered them to stop preaching, and to prefer jail rather than pay fines. | [
{
"answer": "authorities and other religions",
"question": "Who were Jehovah's Witnesses accused of intentionally provoking in the 1930s and 1940s?"
},
{
"answer": "Whalen, Harrison and Schnell",
"question": "What authors have suggested Rutherford invited and cultivated opposition for the purpos... |
18,494 | In the United States, their persistent legal challenges prompted a series of state and federal court rulings that reinforced judicial protections for civil liberties. Among the rights strengthened by Witness court victories in the United States are the protection of religious conduct from federal and state interference, the right to abstain from patriotic rituals and military service, the right of patients to refuse medical treatment, and the right to engage in public discourse. Similar cases in their favor have been heard in Canada. | [
{
"answer": "reinforced judicial protections for civil liberties",
"question": "What did Jehovah's Witnesses persistent legal challenges result in, in the United States?"
},
{
"answer": "federal and state",
"question": "What is religious conduct protected from the interference of?"
},
{
... |
18,495 | Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses are established by the Governing Body. The religion does not tolerate dissent over doctrines and practices; members who openly disagree with the religion's teachings are expelled and shunned. Witness publications strongly discourage followers from questioning doctrine and counsel received from the Governing Body, reasoning that it is to be trusted as part of "God's organization". It also warns members to "avoid independent thinking", claiming such thinking "was introduced by Satan the Devil" and would "cause division". Those who openly disagree with official teachings are condemned as "apostates" who are "mentally diseased". | [
{
"answer": "the Governing Body",
"question": "Who establishes the doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "dissent",
"question": "What do the Jehovah's Witnesses religion not tolerate any of?"
},
{
"answer": "expelled and shunned",
"question": "What happens to members ... |
18,496 | Former members Heather and Gary Botting compare the cultural paradigms of the religion to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four, and Alan Rogerson describes the religion's leadership as totalitarian. Other critics charge that by disparaging individual decision-making, the religion's leaders cultivate a system of unquestioning obedience in which Witnesses abrogate all responsibility and rights over their personal lives. Critics also accuse the religion's leaders of exercising "intellectual dominance" over Witnesses, controlling information and creating "mental isolation", which former Governing Body member Raymond Franz argued were all elements of mind control. | [
{
"answer": "Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four",
"question": "What do former Jehovah's Witnesses members Heath and Gary Botting compare the culture of the religion to?"
},
{
"answer": "Alan Rogerson",
"question": "Who describes the Jehovah's Witnesses' leadership as being totalitarian? "
},
{
... |
18,497 | Sociologist Rodney Stark states that Jehovah's Witness leaders are "not always very democratic" and that members "are expected to conform to rather strict standards," but adds that "enforcement tends to be very informal, sustained by the close bonds of friendship within the group", and that Jehovah's Witnesses see themselves as "part of the power structure rather than subject to it." Sociologist Andrew Holden states that most members who join millenarian movements such as Jehovah's Witnesses have made an informed choice. However, he also states that defectors "are seldom allowed a dignified exit", and describes the administration as autocratic. | [
{
"answer": "Sociologist",
"question": "What profession did Rodney Stark grow up to become?"
},
{
"answer": "\"not always very democratic\"",
"question": "What statement does Stark make about the leaders of the Jehovah's Witnesses?"
},
{
"answer": "\"part of the power structure rather th... |
18,498 | On the other hand, in his study on nine of "the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world", Bible scholar Jason BeDuhn, Professor of Religious Studies at the Northern Arizona University, wrote: “The NW [New World Translation] emerges as the most accurate of the translations compared.” Although the general public and many Bible scholars assume that the differences in the New World Translation are the result of religious bias on the part of its translators, BeDuhn stated: “Most of the differences are due to the greater accuracy of the NW as a literal, conservative translation of the original expressions of the New Testament writers.” He added however that the insertion of the name Jehovah in the New Testament "violate[s] accuracy in favor of denominationally preferred expressions for God". | [
{
"answer": "the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world",
"question": "What is the New World Translation the most accurate translation of?"
},
{
"answer": "religious bias",
"question": "What do many Bible scholars assume the differences in the New World Translation are the resul... |
18,499 | Watch Tower Society publications have claimed that God has used Jehovah's Witnesses (and formerly, the International Bible Students) to declare his will and has provided advance knowledge about Armageddon and the establishment of God's kingdom. Some publications also claimed that God has used Jehovah's Witnesses and the International Bible Students as a modern-day prophet.[note 5] Jehovah's Witnesses' publications have made various predictions about world events they believe were prophesied in the Bible. Failed predictions have led to the alteration or abandonment of some doctrines. Some failed predictions had been presented as "beyond doubt" or "approved by God". | [
{
"answer": "Jehovah's Witnesses",
"question": "Who do Watch Tower Society publications claim God has used?"
},
{
"answer": "world events",
"question": "What have various Jehovah's Witnesses' publications made predictions about?"
},
{
"answer": "to declare his will",
"question": "Wha... |
18,500 | The Watch Tower Society rejects accusations that it is a false prophet, stating that its teachings are not inspired or infallible, and that it has not claimed its predictions were "the words of Jehovah." George D. Chryssides has suggested that with the exception of statements about 1914, 1925 and 1975, the changing views and dates of the Jehovah's Witnesses are largely attributable to changed understandings of biblical chronology than to failed predictions. Chryssides further states, "it is therefore simplistic and naïve to view the Witnesses as a group that continues to set a single end-date that fails and then devise a new one, as many counter-cultists do." However, sociologist Andrew Holden states that since the foundation of the movement around 140 years ago, "Witnesses have maintained that we are living on the precipice of the end of time." | [
{
"answer": "biblical chronology",
"question": "What does George D. Chryssides suggest the changing views and dates of the Jehovah's Witnesses can be attributed to changed understandings of?"
},
{
"answer": "that it is a false prophet",
"question": "What accusations does the Watch Tower Society ... |
18,501 | Jehovah's Witnesses have been accused of having policies and culture that help to conceal cases of sexual abuse within the organization. The religion has been criticized for its "two witness rule" for church discipline, based on its application of scriptures at Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:15-17, which requires sexual abuse to be substantiated by secondary evidence if the accused person denies any wrongdoing. In cases where corroboration is lacking, the Watch Tower Society's instruction is that "the elders will leave the matter in Jehovah's hands". A former member of the church’s headquarters staff, Barbara Anderson, says the policy effectively requires that there be another witness to an act of molestation, "which is an impossibility". Anderson says the policies "protect pedophiles rather than protect the children." Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that they have a strong policy to protect children, adding that the best way to protect children is by educating parents; they also state that they do not sponsor activities that separate children from parents. | [
{
"answer": "sexual abuse",
"question": "What are Jehovah's Witnesses accused of concealing within their organization?"
},
{
"answer": "Jehovah's",
"question": "Whose hands should elders leave allegations of sexual abuse in when the accused person denies wrongdoing?"
},
{
"answer": "pedo... |
18,502 | The religion's failure to report abuse allegations to authorities has also been criticized. The Watch Tower Society's policy is that elders inform authorities when required by law to do so, but otherwise leave that action up to the victim and his or her family. The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that of 1006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse identified by the Jehovah's Witnesses within their organization since 1950, "not one was reported by the church to secular authorities." William Bowen, a former Jehovah's Witness elder who established the Silentlambs organization to assist sex abuse victims within the religion, has claimed Witness leaders discourage followers from reporting incidents of sexual misconduct to authorities, and other critics claim the organization is reluctant to alert authorities in order to protect its "crime-free" reputation. In court cases in the United Kingdom and the United States the Watch Tower Society has been found to have been negligent in its failure to protect children from known sex offenders within the congregation and the Society has settled other child abuse lawsuits out of court, reportedly paying as much as $780,000 to one plaintiff without admitting wrongdoing. | [
{
"answer": "abuse allegations",
"question": "What has the Jehovah's Witnesses failure to report to authorities been criticized? "
},
{
"answer": "not one",
"question": "Of the 1006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse identified by Jehovah's Witnesses within their organization since 1950,... |
18,503 | Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (/ˈaɪzənˌhaʊ.ər/ EYE-zən-HOW-ər; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American politician and general who served as the 34th President of the United States from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army during World War II and served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. He was responsible for planning and supervising the invasion of North Africa in Operation Torch in 1942–43 and the successful invasion of France and Germany in 1944–45 from the Western Front. In 1951, he became the first Supreme Commander of NATO. | [
{
"answer": "Ike",
"question": "What was Eisenhower's nickname?"
},
{
"answer": "David",
"question": "What was the middle name of Dwight Eisenhower?"
},
{
"answer": "1953",
"question": "In what year did Eisenhower's presidency begin?"
},
{
"answer": "Supreme Commander of the ... |
18,504 | Eisenhower's main goals in office were to keep pressure on the Soviet Union and reduce federal deficits. In the first year of his presidency, he threatened the use of nuclear weapons in an effort to conclude the Korean War; his New Look policy of nuclear deterrence prioritized inexpensive nuclear weapons while reducing funding for conventional military forces. He ordered coups in Iran and Guatemala. Eisenhower refused to give major aid to help France in Vietnam. He gave strong financial support to the new nation of South Vietnam. Congress agreed to his request in 1955 for the Formosa Resolution, which obliged the U.S. to militarily support the pro-Western Republic of China in Taiwan and continue the isolation of the People's Republic of China. | [
{
"answer": "keep pressure on the Soviet Union",
"question": "Along with reducing the federal deficit, what was Eisenhower's main policy priority as president?"
},
{
"answer": "nuclear weapons",
"question": "What did Eisenhower threaten to use to end the Korean War?"
},
{
"answer": "Iran... |
18,505 | After the Soviet Union launched the world's first artificial satellite in 1957, Eisenhower authorized the establishment of NASA, which led to the space race. During the Suez Crisis of 1956, Eisenhower condemned the Israeli, British and French invasion of Egypt, and forced them to withdraw. He also condemned the Soviet invasion during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 but took no action. In 1958, Eisenhower sent 15,000 U.S. troops to Lebanon to prevent the pro-Western government from falling to a Nasser-inspired revolution. Near the end of his term, his efforts to set up a summit meeting with the Soviets collapsed because of the U-2 incident. In his January 17, 1961 farewell address to the nation, Eisenhower expressed his concerns about the dangers of massive military spending, particularly deficit spending and government contracts to private military manufacturers, and coined the term "military–industrial complex". | [
{
"answer": "British and French",
"question": "Along with Israel, what countries' armies invaded Egypt in 1956?"
},
{
"answer": "1957",
"question": "In what year did the Soviets launch humanity's first artificial satellite?"
},
{
"answer": "NASA",
"question": "What organization did E... |
18,506 | On the domestic front, he covertly opposed Joseph McCarthy and contributed to the end of McCarthyism by openly invoking the modern expanded version of executive privilege. He otherwise left most political activity to his Vice President, Richard Nixon. He was a moderate conservative who continued New Deal agencies and expanded Social Security. He also launched the Interstate Highway System, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the establishment of strong science education via the National Defense Education Act, and encouraged peaceful use of nuclear power via amendments to the Atomic Energy Act. | [
{
"answer": "McCarthyism",
"question": "Why political movement was named for Joseph McCarthy?"
},
{
"answer": "executive privilege",
"question": "What political theory did Eisenhower use to oppose McCarthy?"
},
{
"answer": "Nixon",
"question": "Who served as Eisenhower's vice preside... |
18,507 | His parents set aside specific times at breakfast and at dinner for daily family Bible reading. Chores were regularly assigned and rotated among all the children, and misbehavior was met with unequivocal discipline, usually from David. His mother, previously a member (with David) of the River Brethren sect of the Mennonites, joined the International Bible Students Association, later known as Jehovah's Witnesses. The Eisenhower home served as the local meeting hall from 1896 to 1915, though Eisenhower never joined the International Bible Students. His later decision to attend West Point saddened his mother, who felt that warfare was "rather wicked," but she did not overrule him. While speaking of himself in 1948, Eisenhower said he was "one of the most deeply religious men I know" though unattached to any "sect or organization". He was baptized in the Presbyterian Church in 1953. | [
{
"answer": "Bible",
"question": "What book did Eisenhower's parents read every day?"
},
{
"answer": "River Brethren",
"question": "What Mennonite sect did Eisenhower's mother initially belong to?"
},
{
"answer": "Jehovah's Witnesses",
"question": "What is another name for the Intern... |
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