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gq: Spectre has received mixed reviews, with many reviewers either giving the film highly positive or highly negative feedback. Many critics praised the film's opening scene, action sequences, stuntwork, cinematography and performances from the cast. In some early reviews, the film received favourable comparisons with its predecessor, Skyfall. Rotten Tomatoes sampled 274 reviews and judged 64% of the critiques to be positive, saying that the film "nudges Daniel Craig's rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it's admittedly reliant on established 007 formula." On Metacritic, the film has a rating of 60 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. | Question: What percentage of Spectre reviews did Rotten Tomatoes find to be in favor of the film? Question: What percentage of review on Rotten Tomatoes were positive? Question: What was Metacritics score for Spectre? Question: What was the movie's rating on Metacritic? Question: How many individual ratings contributed to Metacritics score? Question: Who did CinemaScore ask for input on the film? |
gq: Prior to its UK release, Spectre mostly received positive reviews. Mark Kermode, writing in The Guardian, gave the film four out of five stars, observing that the film did not live up to the standard set by Skyfall, but was able to tap into audience expectations. Writing in the same publication, Peter Bradshaw gave the film a full five stars, calling it "inventive, intelligent and complex", and singling out Craig's performance as the film's highlight. In another five star review, The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin described Spectre as "a swaggering show of confidence'", lauding it as "a feat of pure cinematic necromancy." In an otherwise positive, but overall less enthusiastic review, IGN's Chris Tilly considered Spectre "solid if unspectacular", and gave the film a 7.2 score (out of a possible 10), saying that "the film falls frustratingly short of greatness." | Question: What score did Mark Kermode give Spectre? Question: How many stars did Mark Kermode of the Guardian aware Spectre prior to its release? Question: Who gave Spectre a perfect rating in The Daily Telegraph? Question: A writer for which publication rated the film 7.2/10? |
gq: Critical appraisal of the film was mixed in the United States. In a lukewarm review for RogerEbert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, describing Spectre as inconsistent and unable to capitalise on its potential. Kenneth Turan, reviewing the film for Los Angeles Times, concluded that Spectre "comes off as exhausted and uninspired". Manohla Dargis of The New York Times panned the film as having "nothing surprising" and sacrificing its originality for the sake of box office returns. Forbes' Scott Mendelson also heavily criticised the film, denouncing Spectre as "the worst 007 movie in 30 years". Darren Franich of Entertainment Weekly viewed Spectre as "an overreaction to our current blockbuster moment", aspiring "to be a serialized sequel" and proving "itself as a Saga". While noting that "[n]othing that happens in Spectre holds up to even minor logical scrutiny", he had "come not to bury Spectre, but to weirdly praise it. Because the final act of the movie is so strange, so willfully obtuse, that it deserves extra attention." In a positive review Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, describing "The 24th movie about the British MI6 agent with a license to kill is party time for Bond fans, a fierce, funny, gorgeously produced valentine to the longest-running franchise in movies". Other positive reviews from Mick LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle, gave it a perfect 100 score, stating: “One of the great satisfactions of Spectre is that, in addition to all the stirring action, and all the timely references to a secret organization out to steal everyone’s personal information, we get to believe in Bond as a person.” Stephen Whitty from the New York Daily News, gave it an 80 grade, saying: “Craig is cruelly efficient. Dave Bautista makes a good, Oddjob-like assassin. And while Lea Seydoux doesn’t leave a huge impression as this film’s “Bond girl,” perhaps it’s because we’ve already met — far too briefly — the hypnotic Monica Bellucci, as the first real “Bond woman” since Diana Rigg.” Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times, gave it a 75 grade. He stated: “This is the 24th Bond film and it ranks solidly in the middle of the all-time rankings, which means it’s still a slick, beautifully photographed, action-packed, international thriller with a number of wonderfully, ludicrously entertaining set pieces, a sprinkling of dry wit, myriad gorgeous women and a classic psycho-villain who is clearly out of his mind but seems to like it that way.” Michael Phillips over at the Chicago Tribune, gave it a 75 grade. He stated: “For all its workmanlike devotion to out-of-control helicopters, “Spectre” works best when everyone’s on the ground, doing his or her job, driving expensive fast cars heedlessly, detonating the occasional wisecrack, enjoying themselves and their beautiful clothes.” Guy Lodge from Variety, gave it a 70 score, stating: “What’s missing is the unexpected emotional urgency of “Skyfall,” as the film sustains its predecessor’s nostalgia kick with a less sentimental bent.” | Question: Which journalist considered Spectre the worst James Bond movie in three decades? Question: Which writer for the San Francisco Chronicle awarded Spectre with a perfect score? Question: What score did the writer from the Chicago Tribune give to Spectre? Question: The reviewer from Variety compares Spectre to which other Bond movie? |
gq: Christopher Orr, writing in The Atlantic, also criticised the film, saying that Spectre "backslides on virtually every [aspect]". Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer called Craig's performance "Bored, James Bored." Alyssa Rosenberg, writing for The Washington Post, stated that the film turned into "a disappointingly conventional Bond film." | Question: Which Atlantic writer gave a negative review of Spectre? Question: What adjective did Lawrence Toppman use to describe Craig's portrayal of James Bond? Question: What was the catch phrase Lawrence Toppman of the Charlotte Observer used for the film? Question: What publication does Alyssa Rosenberg write for? |
gq: In India, it was reported that the Indian Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) censored kissing scenes featuring Monica Bellucci, Daniel Craig, and Léa Seydoux. They also muted all profanity. This prompted criticism of the board online, especially on Twitter. | Question: Whic organization is responsible for filtering movie content in India? Question: Which social media site was used for complaining about the Indian censoring? |
gq: A sequel to Spectre will begin development in spring 2016. Sam Mendes has stated he will not return to direct the next 007 film. Christoph Waltz has signed on for two more films in the series, but his return depends on whether or not Craig will again portray Bond. | Question: When will work being on the follow-up to Spectre? Question: When will the sequel to Spectre being development? Question: Christoph Waltz's appearance in future Bond movies is contingent on the appearance of which other actor? |
gq: The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan earthquake, measured at 8.0 Ms and 7.9 Mw, and occurred at 02:28:01 PM China Standard Time at epicenter (06:28:01 UTC) on May 12 in Sichuan province, killed 69,197 people and left 18,222 missing. | Question: In what year did the earthquake in Sichuan occur? Question: What year did the Sichuan earthquake take place? Question: What was the earthquake named? Question: What did the quake measure? Question: What time of the day did the quake happen? Question: What day did the earthquake occur? Question: How many people were killed as a result? Question: How many people died? |
gq: It is also known as the Wenchuan earthquake (Chinese: 汶川大地震; pinyin: Wènchuān dà dìzhèn; literally: "Great Wenchuan earthquake"), after the location of the earthquake's epicenter, Wenchuan County, Sichuan. The epicenter was 80 kilometres (50 mi) west-northwest of Chengdu, the provincial capital, with a focal depth of 19 km (12 mi). The earthquake was also felt in nearby countries and as far away as both Beijing and Shanghai—1,500 km (930 mi) and 1,700 km (1,060 mi) away—where office buildings swayed with the tremor. Strong aftershocks, some exceeding magnitude 6, continued to hit the area even months after the main quake, causing new casualties and damage. | Question: What is another name for the earthquake in Sichuan? Question: Where was the epicenter of the earthquake? Question: How far was it from Chengdu? Question: What was the focal depth of the earthquake? Question: What was the focal depth of the quake? Question: Which far away cities in other countries could feel the earthquake? Question: How long after the earthquake were aftershocks felt? |
gq: Official figures (as of July 21, 2008 12:00 CST) stated that 69,197 were confirmed dead, including 68,636 in Sichuan province, and 374,176 injured, with 18,222 listed as missing. The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless, though the number could be as high as 11 million. Approximately 15 million people lived in the affected area. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people, and the strongest in the country since the 1950 Chayu earthquake, which registered at 8.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. It is the 21st deadliest earthquake of all time. On November 6, 2008, the central government announced that it would spend 1 trillion RMB (about US $146.5 billion) over the next three years to rebuild areas ravaged by the earthquake, as part of the Chinese economic stimulus program. | Question: How many people were confirmed dead? Question: How many people were confirmed dead only in the Sichuan province? Question: How many people died in Sichuan Province? Question: How many were injured in Sichuan? Question: How many people are listed as missing? Question: How many people were left homeless because of the earthquake? Question: How many people are homeless because of the quake? Question: How high could the homeless number possibly go? Question: How many people lived in the affected area? Question: How much money was dedicated to rebuild ravaged areas? |
gq: The earthquake had a magnitude of 8.0 Ms and 7.9 Mw. The epicenter was in Wenchuan County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, 80 km west/northwest of the provincial capital of Chengdu, with its main tremor occurring at 14:28:01.42 China Standard Time (06:28:01.42 UTC), on May 12, 2008 lasting for around 2 minutes, in the quake almost 80% of buildings were destroyed. | Question: What was the magnitude of the earthquake? Question: Where was the epicenter? Question: How long did the earthquake last? Question: How long did the main tremor last? Question: What percentage of buildings were destroyed during the quake? Question: What percentage of buildings were destroyed? |
gq: According to a study by the China Earthquake Administration (CEA), the earthquake occurred along the Longmenshan fault, a thrust structure along the border of the Indo-Australian Plate and Eurasian Plate. Seismic activities concentrated on its mid-fracture (known as Yingxiu-Beichuan fracture). The rupture lasted close to 120 sec, with the majority of energy released in the first 80 sec. Starting from Wenchuan, the rupture propagated at an average speed of 3.1 kilometers per second 49° toward north east, rupturing a total of about 300 km. Maximum displacement amounted to 9 meters. The focus was deeper than 10 km. | Question: On what fault did the earthquake occur? Question: Along what fault line did the quake happen? Question: Where is the Longmenshan fault located? Question: On which fracture did the quake focus? Question: How long did the rupture last? Question: When wasmost of the energy released during the initial eruption? Question: What was the most displacement caused by the earthquake? Question: How deep was the focus of the earthquake? |
gq: Malaysia-based Yazhou Zhoukan conducted an interview with former researcher at the China Seismological Bureau Geng Qingguo (耿庆国), in which Geng claimed that a confidential written report was sent to the State Seismological Bureau on April 30, 2008, warning about the possible occurrence of a significant earthquake in Ngawa Prefecture region of Sichuan around May 8, with a range of 10 days before or after the quake. Geng, while acknowledging that earthquake prediction was broadly considered problematic by the scientific community, believed that "the bigger the earthquake, the easier it is to predict." Geng had long attempted to establish a correlation between the occurrence of droughts and earthquakes; Premier Zhou Enlai reportedly took an interest in Geng's work. Geng's drought-earthquake correlation theory was first released in 1972, and said to have successfully predicted the 1975 Haicheng and 1976 Tangshan earthquakes. The same Yazhou Zhoukan article pointed out the inherent difficulties associated with predicting earthquakes. In response, an official with the Seismological Bureau stated that "earthquake prediction is widely acknowledged around the world to be difficult from a scientific standpoint." The official also denied that the Seismological Bureau had received reports predicting the earthquake. | Question: What did researcher Geng Qingguo say was sent to the State Seismological Bureau? Question: When was the confidential written report sent to the State Seismological Bureau? Question: What did this report warn about? Question: What was the predicted time of the quake? Question: What did Geng long try to establish as a relationship with earthquakes? Question: When was Geng's drought-earthquake correlation theory released? Question: What did an official with the Seismological Bureau deny receiving? |
gq: In a United States Geological Survey (USGS) study, preliminary rupture models of the earthquake indicated displacement of up to 9 meters along a fault approximately 240 km long by 20 km deep. The earthquake generated deformations of the surface greater than 3 meters and increased the stress (and probability of occurrence of future events) at the northeastern and southwestern ends of the fault. On May 20, USGS seismologist Tom Parsons warned that there is "high risk" of a major M>7 aftershock over the next weeks or months. | Question: How large was the displacement? Question: What did the United States Geological Survey show as the amount of displacement? Question: How long was the fault where the quake occurred? Question: How deep is the fault? Question: Where on the fault is the possibility of future earthquakes increased? Question: Who warned of possible seismic activity in the area beforehand? Question: What did Tom Parsons consider as the risk factor for strong future quakes? |
gq: Japanese seismologist Yuji Yagi at the University of Tsukuba said that the earthquake occurred in two stages: "The 155-mile Longmenshan Fault tore in two sections, the first one ripping about seven yards, followed by a second one that sheared four yards." His data also showed that the earthquake lasted about two minutes and released 30 times the energy of the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995 in Japan, which killed over 6,000 people. He pointed out that the shallowness of the epicenter and the density of population greatly increased the severity of the earthquake. Teruyuki Kato, a seismologist at the University of Tokyo, said that the seismic waves of the quake traveled a long distance without losing their power because of the firmness of the terrain in central China. According to reports from Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, the earthquake tremors lasted for "about two or three minutes". | Question: How did Yuji Yagi say the quake happened? Question: What fault tore in two places? Question: How much greater was the energy of this quake than that released in the earthquake of 1995 in Japan? Question: How many people were killed in the Hanshin earthquake? Question: Besides the population density, what else contributed to the severity of the quake? Question: Why did the seismic waves travel so far? |
gq: Between 64 and 104 major aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4.0 to 6.1, were recorded within 72 hours of the main quake. According to Chinese official counts, "by 12:00 CST, November 6, 2008 there had been 42,719 total aftershocks, of which 246 ranged from 4.0 MS to 4.9 MS, 34 from 5.0 MS to 5.9 MS, and 8 from 6.0 Ms to 6.4 MS; the strongest aftershock measured 6.4 MS." The latest aftershock exceeding M6 occurred on August 5, 2008. | Question: How many aftershocks were there? Question: How many aftershocks were there within 72 hours? Question: When were the aftershocks recorded? Question: What do the Chinese say is the total number of shocks after the quake? Question: How many shocks ranged from 4.0 MS to 4.9 MS? Question: What did the strongest aftershock measure? Question: When did the latest magnitude 6 aftershock occur? Question: At what date did the most recent aftershock above 6 MS occur? |
gq: (The Ms 6.1 earthquake on August 30, 2008 in southern Sichuan was not part of this series because it was caused by a different fault. See 2008 Panzhihua earthquake for details.) | Question: What was the magnitude of the southern Sichuan quake? Question: When did this earthquake occur? Question: Where did this earthquake occur? Question: Where was the August 30, 2008 quake? Question: Why was it not included in the series? Question: Where should you look for more details? Question: What earthquake happened in southern Sichuan? |
gq: The map of earthquake intensity published by CEA after surveying 500,000 km2 of the affected area shows a maximum liedu of XI on the China Seismic Intensity Scale (CSIS), described as "very destructive" on the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) from which CSIS drew reference. (USGS, using the Modified Mercalli intensity scale (CC), also placed maximum intensity at XI, "very disastrous".) Two south-west-north-east stripes of liedu XI are centered around Yingxiu, Wenchuan (the town closest to the epicenter of the main quake) and Beichuan (the town repeatedly struck by strong aftershocks including one registering MS 6.1 on Aug 1, 2008), both in Sichuan Province, occupying a total of 2,419 km2. The Yingxiu liedu-XI zone is about 66 km long and 20 km wide along Wenchuan–Dujiangyan–Pengzhou; the Beichuan liedu-XI zone is about 82 km long and 15 km wide along An County–Beichuan–Pingwu. The area with liedu X (comparable to X on EMS, "destructive" and X on MM, "disastrous") spans 3,144 km2. The area affected by earthquakes exceeding liedu VI totals 440,442 km2, occupying an oval 936 km long and 596 km wide, spanning three provinces and one autonomous region. | Question: Who published the map of the earthquakes intensity? Question: What was the intensity scaled at? Question: What does the China Seismic Intensity Scale call the earthquake? Question: How did the USGS rate the earthquake? Question: What town was closest to the main epicenter? |
gq: The Longmen Shan Fault System is situated in the eastern border of the Tibetan Plateau and contains several faults. This earthquake ruptured at least two imbricate structures in Longmen Shan Fault System, i.e. the Beichuan Fault and the Guanxian–Anxian Fault. In the epicentral area, the average slip in Beichuan Fault was about 3.5 metres (11 ft) vertical, 3.5 metres (11 ft) horizontal-parallel to the fault, and 4.8 metres (16 ft) horizontal-perpendicular to the fault. In the area about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of the epicenter, the surface slip on Beichuan Fault was almost purely dextral strike-slip up to about 3 metres (9.8 ft), while the average slip in Guanxian–Anxian Fault was about 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) vertical and 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in) horizontal. | Question: Where are the Beichuan and Guanxian-Anxian Faults? Question: Where is the Longmenshan Fault located? Question: Where is the Longmen shan fault located? Question: What is the average slip in the Beichuan Fault? Question: What was the average vertical slip in the Beichaun Fault? Question: What was the horizontal slippage in the Beichuan Fault at the epicenter? Question: What was the horizontal slippage perpendicular to the fault? Question: How large was the slip 30 km northeast of the fault? Question: What was the vertical average slip on the Guanxian-Anxian fault? Question: What was the horizontal average slip on the Guanxian-Anxian fault? |
gq: Office buildings in Shanghai's financial district, including the Jin Mao Tower and the Hong Kong New World Tower, were evacuated. A receptionist at the Tibet Hotel in Chengdu said things were "calm" after the hotel evacuated its guests. Meanwhile, workers at a Ford plant in Sichuan were evacuated for about 10 minutes. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport was shut down, and the control tower and regional radar control evacuated. One SilkAir flight was diverted and landed in Kunming as a result. Cathay Pacific delayed both legs of its quadruple daily Hong Kong to London route due to this disruption in air traffic services. Chengdu Shuangliu Airport reopened later on the evening of May 12, offering limited service as the airport began to be used as a staging area for relief operations. | Question: Where were office buildings evacuated? Question: How did a receptionist describe the atmosphere after the evacuation? Question: What happened to office buildings in Shanghai? Question: How long were workers in Ford Plant evacuated for? Question: Which airport was shut down? Question: Which airport was shut down? Question: Why were flights delayed and diverted? Question: When did the airport re-open? Question: What were they using the airport to stage for? |
gq: Reporters in Chengdu said they saw cracks on walls of some residential buildings in the downtown areas, but no buildings collapsed. Many Beijing office towers were evacuated, including the building housing the media offices for the organizers of the 2008 Summer Olympics. None of the Olympic venues were damaged. Meanwhile, a cargo train carrying 13 petrol tanks derailed in Hui County, Gansu, and caught on fire after the rail was distorted. | Question: Where did the reporters say they saw cracks on walls of some buildings? Question: What was reported in Chengdu? Question: Where were office towers evacuated? Question: What was evacuated in Beijing? Question: What part of the Olympic area was not damaged? Question: Where did a cargo train derail as a result? Question: Where did a cargo train derail? Question: What happened to the cargo train? Question: Why did the train catch fire? |
gq: All of the highways into Wenchuan, and others throughout the province, were damaged, resulting in delayed arrival of the rescue troops. In Beichuan County, 80% of the buildings collapsed according to Xinhua News. In the city of Shifang, the collapse of two chemical plants led to leakage of some 80 tons of liquid ammonia, with hundreds of people reported buried. In the city of Dujiangyan, south-east of the epicenter, a whole school collapsed with 900 students buried and fewer than 60 survived. The Juyuan Middle School, where many teenagers were buried, was excavated by civilians and cranes. Dujiangyan is home of the Dujiangyan Irrigation System, an ancient water diversion project which is still in use and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The project's famous Fish Mouth was cracked but not severely damaged otherwise. | Question: How many highways leading into Wenchuan were damaged? Question: What highways into Wenchuan were damaged? Question: What did the damaged roadways cause to the rescue operations? Question: What percentage of building collapsed in Beichuan? Question: How many of the buildings in Beichuan collapsed? Question: What leaked liquid ammonia in Shifang? Question: Where did two chemical plants collapse? Question: How many of the 900 students buried in a Dujiangyan school collapse survived? Question: How many students out of the 900 in the school, survived the collapse? |
gq: Both the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange suspended trading of companies based in southwestern China. Copper rose over speculations that production in southwestern China may be affected, and oil prices dropped over speculations that demand from China would fall. | Question: Besides the Shanghai Stock Exchange, what other exchange suspended trading of southwestern China stock? Question: What did the Shanghai Stock Exchange do? Question: Where were the exchanges based? Question: Where were companies located that had their stock trading suspended? Question: What metal rose in value? Question: What metal rose due to speculation? Question: What natural resource dropped in value? |
gq: Immediately after the earthquake event, mobile and terrestrial telecommunications were cut to the affected and surrounding area, with all internet capabilities cut to the Sichuan area too. Elements of telecommunications were restored by the government piece by piece over the next number of months as the situation in the Sichuan province gradually improved. Eventually, a handful of major news and media websites were made accessible online in the region, albeit with dramatically pared back webpages. | Question: What kinds of telecommunications were cut? Question: What was cut after the earthquake? Question: What capabilities were cut to the entire Sichuan area? Question: Where were the internet cut? Question: Who restored communications over a period of months? Question: How long did it take for these capabilities to be restored? Question: What services were finally online again? Question: What internet services were decreased in the area? |
gq: China Mobile had more than 2,300 base stations suspended due to power disruption or severe telecommunication traffic congestion. Half of the wireless communications were lost in the Sichuan province. China Unicom's service in Wenchuan and four nearby counties was cut off, with more than 700 towers suspended. | Question: How many base stations did China Mobile have suspended? Question: How many China Mobile base stations stopped working? Question: Besides power disruption, what caused telecommunications to be suspended? Question: How many wireless communications failed in Sichuan? Question: Whose service in Wenchuan was cut off? Question: How many Unicom towers were suspended? Question: How many of China Unicom's towers were cut? |
gq: Initially, officials were unable to contact the Wolong National Nature Reserve, home to around 280 giant pandas. However, the Foreign Ministry later said that a group of 31 British tourists visiting the Wolong Panda Reserve in the quake-hit area returned safe and uninjured to Chengdu. Nonetheless, the well-being of an even greater number of pandas in the neighbouring panda reserves remained unknown. Five security guards at the reserve were killed by the earthquake. Six pandas escaped after their enclosures were damaged. By May 20, two pandas at the reserve were found to be injured, while the search continued for another two adult pandas that went missing after the quake. By May 28, 2008, one panda was still missing. The missing panda was later found dead under the rubble of an enclosure. Nine-year-old Mao Mao, a mother of five at the breeding center, was discovered on Monday, her body crushed by a wall in her enclosure. Panda keepers and other workers placed her remains in a small wooden crate and buried her outside the breeding centre. | Question: What place could officials not contact? Question: What nature center was cutoff? Question: How many pandas live at the Reserve? Question: How many pandas were injured? Question: How many British visitors to the Reserve left unharmed? Question: How many pandas escaped the reserve? Question: What famous panda was killed under the rubble? Question: How many security guards died at the reserve? |
gq: The Zipingpu Hydropower Plant (simplified Chinese: 紫坪铺水库; traditional Chinese: 紫坪鋪水庫) located 20 km east of the epicenter was damaged. A recent inspection indicated that the damage was less severe than initially feared, and it remains structurally stable and safe. The Tulong reservoir upstream is in danger of collapse. About 2,000 troops have been allocated to Zipingpu, trying to release the pressure through spillway. In total, 391 dams, most of them small, were reported damaged by the quake. | Question: What power plant was damaged by the earthquake? Question: What power plant was damaged? Question: How far away was the plant located from the epicenter? Question: How near to the epicenter was the power plant? Question: What has a recent inspection found about the damage to the power plant? Question: What might possibly collapse upstream from the power plant? Question: How many troops were allocated to Zipingpu? Question: How many dams were damaged? Question: What is the total number of dams damaged? |
gq: According to Chinese state officials, the quake caused 69,180 known deaths including 68,636 in Sichuan province; 18,498 people are listed as missing, and 374,176 injured, but these figures may further increase as more reports come in.[dated info] This estimate includes 158 earthquake relief workers who were killed in landslides as they tried to repair roads. | Question: How many deaths were reported? Question: What is the total tally of known deaths caused by the earthquake? Question: How many deaths were reported only in the Sichuan province? Question: How many died in Sichuan? Question: How many people were listed as missing? Question: What is the number of missing persons? Question: How many people were injured? Question: How many people were injured? Question: How many earthquake relief workers were killed? Question: What were the 158 relief workers doing when they were killed? |
gq: One rescue team reported only 2,300 survivors from the town of Yingxiu in Wenchuan County, out of a total population of about 9,000. 3,000 to 5,000 people were killed in Beichuan County, Sichuan alone; in the same location, 10,000 people were injured and 80% of the buildings were destroyed. The old county seat of Beichuan was abandoned and preserved as part of the Beichuan Earthquake Museum. Eight schools were toppled in Dujiangyan. A 56-year-old was killed in Dujiangyan during a rescue attempt on the Lingyanshan Ropeway, where due to the earthquake 11 tourists from Taiwan had been trapped inside cable cars since May 13. A 4-year-old boy named Zhu Shaowei (traditional Chinese: 朱紹維; simplified Chinese: 朱绍维; pinyin: Zhū Shàowéi) was also killed in Mianzhu City when a house collapsed on him and another was reported missing. | Question: How many survivors were there from Yingxiu? Question: How many survivors were there in the town of Yingxiu? Question: Where is Yingxiu located? Question: What was the previous population of Yingxiu? Question: How many people in total lived in Yingxiu? Question: How many people were killed in Beichuan County? Question: How many residents were killed in Beichuan County? Question: How many people were injured in Beichuan County? Question: How large was the number of injured in Beichuan County? Question: What is the number of schools that collapsed in Dujiangyan? |
gq: Experts point out that the earthquake hit an area that has been largely neglected and untouched by China's economic rise. Health care is poor in inland areas such as Sichuan, highlighting the widening gap between prosperous urban dwellers and struggling rural people. Vice Minister of Health Gao Qiang told reporters in Beijing that the "public health care system in China is insufficient." The Vice Minister of Health also suggested that the government would pick up the costs of care to earthquake victims, many of whom have little or no insurance: "The government should be responsible for providing medical treatment to them," he said. | Question: How economically forward has this area been? Question: What is poor about inland areas such as Sichuan? Question: Where is health care poor in China? Question: Who was the Vice Minister of Health? Question: What did Gao Qiang tell reporters in Beijing? Question: What did the Vice Minster of Health call the public health system in China? Question: What should the government of China be responsible for providing to earthquake survivors? |
gq: In terms of school casualties, thousands of school children died due to shoddy construction. In Mianyang City, seven schools collapsed, burying at least 1,700 people. At least 7,000 school buildings throughout the province collapsed. Another 700 students were buried in a school in Hanwang. At least 600 students and staff died at Juyuan Elementary School. Up to 1,300 children and teachers died at Beichuan Middle School. | Question: How many school children died due to shoddy construction? Question: What caused the deaths of many school children? Question: How many schools collapsed in Mianyang City? Question: How many schools collapsed in Mianyang City Question: How many people were buried in the collapsed schools? Question: How many people were buried under rubble in Mianyang City? Question: How many students were buried in a school in Hanwang? Question: How many school buildings collapsed in the province? Question: How many school buildings fell in the entire province? Question: How many were killed at the Juyuan Elementary School? |
gq: Details of school casualties had been under non-governmental investigation since December 2008 by volunteers including artist and architect Ai Weiwei, who had been constantly posting updates on his blog since March 2009. The official tally of students killed in the earthquake was not released until May 7, 2009, almost a year after the earthquake. According to the state-run Xinhua news agency, the earthquake killed 5,335 students and left another 546 children disabled. In the aftermath of the earthquake, the Chinese government declared that parents who had lost their only children would get free treatment from fertility clinics to reverse vasectomies and tubal ligations conducted by family planning authorities. | Question: When did an investigation occur under school casualties? Question: Who kept a blog about the school deaths? Question: When was the official tally of students killed in the earthquake released? Question: What date were the official numbers of students killed in the earthquake released? Question: How many students were killed in Xinhua? Question: What is the total of school children killed? Question: How many students were disabled in Xinhua? Question: How many children are disabled? Question: Where did the Chinese government decide that parents who had lost children could go for free treatment? |
gq: The earthquake left at least 5 million people without housing, although the number could be as high as 11 million. Millions of livestock and a significant amount of agriculture were also destroyed, including 12.5 million animals, mainly birds. In the Sichuan province a million pigs died out of 60 million total. Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide reported official estimates of insurers' losses at US$1 billion from the earthquake; estimated total damages exceed US$20 billion. It values Chengdu, at the time having an urban population of 4.5 million people, at around US$115 billion, with only a small portion covered by insurance. | Question: Because of the earthquake, how many people did not have housing? Question: How many people were left without housing? Question: How many people could be potentially without housing? Question: How many people might actually be homeless? Question: How many pigs died in Sichuan? Question: How many animals were killed? Question: How much livestock was lost? Question: How many pigs died from the earthquake in Sichuan ? |
gq: Reginald DesRoches, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Tech, pointed out that the massive damage of properties and houses in the earthquake area was because China did not create an adequate seismic design code until after the devastating 1976 Tangshan earthquake. DesRoches said: "If the buildings were older and built prior to that 1976 earthquake, chances are they weren't built for adequate earthquake forces." | Question: Who was a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Georgia Tech? Question: What is the profession of Reginald DesRoches? Question: When did China create a seismic design code for building? Question: What catastrophe inspired them to make a building design code/ |
gq: In the days following the disaster, an international reconnaissance team of engineers was dispatched to the region to make a detailed preliminary survey of damaged buildings. Their findings show a variety of reasons why many constructions failed to withstand the earthquake. | Question: What happened days following the disaster? Question: After the quake what kind of international team was sent to the area? Question: What did the team of engineers do? Question: What was the team sent to China to make? Question: What did their findings show? Question: What kind of reasons do their findings show? |
gq: News reports indicate that the poorer, rural villages were hardest hit. Swaminathan Krishnan, assistant professor of civil engineering and geophysics at the California Institute of Technology said: "the earthquake occurred in the rural part of China. Presumably, many of the buildings were just built; they were not designed, so to speak." Swaminathan Krishnan further added: "There are very strong building codes in China, which take care of earthquake issues and seismic design issues. But many of these buildings presumably were quite old and probably were not built with any regulations overseeing them." | Question: What areas were the hardest hit? Question: Who was an assistant professor of civil engineering and geophysics at the California Institute of Technology? Question: What part of China did the earthquake occur in? Question: What did Swaminathan Krishnan mean when he said the buildings were just built? Question: What manner of building codes are there in China? Question: What were many of these old buildings built without? |
gq: Even with the five largest cities in Sichuan suffering only minor damage from the quake, some estimates of the economic loss run higher than US$75 billion, making the earthquake one of the costliest natural disasters in Chinese history. | Question: Which cities in Sichuan had minor damage? Question: What damage did the major Sichuan cities have? Question: What is an estimate of losses to economics? Question: What is an estimate of the economic loss from the quake? Question: Whose is this one of the costliest disasters in history of? |
gq: Strong aftershocks continued to strike even months after the main quake. On May 25, an aftershock of 6.0 Mw (6.4 Ms according to CEA) hit northeast of the original earthquake's epicenter, in Qingchuan County, Sichuan, causing eight deaths, 1000 injuries, and destroying thousands of buildings. On May 27, two aftershocks, one 5.2 Mw in Qingchuan County and one 5.7 Mw in Ningqiang County, Shaanxi, led to the collapse of more than 420,000 homes and injured 63 people. The same area suffered two more aftershocks of 5.6 and 6.0 Ms (5.8 and 5.5 Mw, respectively, according to USGS) on July 23, resulting in 1 death, 6 serious injuries, collapse of hundreds of homes and damaging kilometers of highways. Pingwu County and Beichuan County, Sichuan, also northeast of Wenchuan and close to the epicenter of a 7.2 Ms earthquake in 1976, suffered a 6.1 Ms aftershock (5.7 Mw according to USGS) on August 1; it caused 2 deaths, 345 injuries, collapse of 707 homes, damages to over 1,000 homes, and blocked 25 kilometres (16 mi) of country roads. As late as August 5, yet another aftershock of 6.1 Ms (6.2 Mw according to USGS) hit Qingchuan, Sichuan, causing 1 death, 32 injuries, telecommunication interruptions, and widespread hill slides blocking roads in the area including a national highway. | Question: How strong was the May 25 aftershock in Qingchuan county? Question: How many people were injured in the May 25 aftershock? Question: How many homes were destroyed because of the May 27 aftershocks? Question: How many buildings collapsed as a result of the May 27th aftershocks? Question: During the May 27 aftershock, how many people were injured? Question: Where was the aftershock of August 5 that caused widespread hill slides? |
gq: Executive vice governor Wei Hong confirmed on November 21, 2008 that more than 90,000 people in total were dead or missing in the earthquake. He stated that 200,000 homes had been rebuilt, and 685,000 were under reconstruction, but 1.94 million households were still without permanent shelter. 1,300 schools had been reconstructed, with initial relocation of 25 townships, including Beichuan and Wenchuan, two of the most devastated areas. The government spent $441 billion on relief and reconstruction efforts. | Question: Who was the executive vice governor? Question: Who spoke about the dead and missing people on November 21, 2008? Question: How many people did Wei Hong say were dead or missing? Question: How many homes were rebuilt? Question: How many homes had been rebuilt? Question: How many houses were still under construction? Question: How many homes were left without permanent shelter? Question: How many families were still without permanent homes? Question: How many schools were reconstructed? |
gq: General Secretary and President Hu Jintao announced that the disaster response would be rapid. Just 90 minutes after the earthquake, Premier Wen Jiabao, who has an academic background in geomechanics, flew to the earthquake area to oversee the rescue work. Soon afterward, the Ministry of Health said that it had sent ten emergency medical teams to Wenchuan County. On the same day, the Chengdu Military Region Command dispatched 50,000 troops and armed police to help with disaster relief work in Wenchuan County. However, due to the rough terrain and close proximity of the quake's epicenter, the soldiers found it very difficult to get help to the rural regions of the province. | Question: How soon after the earthquake was Premier Wen Jiabao on his way to the area? Question: Who flew to the earthquake area 90 minutes after it hit? Question: What was Premier Wen Jiabao's background in? Question: What did Jiabao oversee in the region? Question: How many medical teams were sent to Wenchuan county? Question: How many troops were dispatched by the Chengdu military? Question: How many troops were sent to the area for relief work? Question: Besides the rough terrain, why was it difficult to get to the area? |
gq: The National Disaster Relief Commission initiated a "Level II emergency contingency plan", which covers the most serious class of natural disasters. The plan rose to Level I at 22:15 CST, May 12. | Question: What department initiated the emergency contingency plan? Question: What did the National Disaster Relief Commission initiate? Question: What level alert was instated for the quake? Question: What level was the disaster set at 22:15 CST, May 12? Question: What does a Level II emergency contingency plan cover? Question: What class of disasters is a level II emergency? Question: When did the plan rise to Level I? |
gq: An earthquake emergency relief team of 184 people (consisting of 12 people from the State Seismological Bureau, 150 from the Beijing Military Area Command, and 22 from the Armed Police General Hospital) left Beijing from Nanyuan Airport late May 12 in two military transport planes to travel to Wenchuan County. | Question: What kind of team left Beijing to go to Wenchuan? Question: How many people were in the earthquake emergency relief team? Question: How many people comprised the relief team? Question: How many of the relief team were from the State Seismological Bureau? Question: How many of the team were from the military? Question: How many soldiers were from the Beijing Military? Question: How many of the team were from the police? Question: Where did 22 of the relief team come from? Question: How did the relief team travel to Wenchuan county? |
gq: In the China Digital Times an article reports a close analysis by an alleged Chinese construction engineer known online as “Book Blade” (书剑子), who stated: | Question: Where was an article reported about the scandal? Question: What did the China Digital Times report? Question: Who was the construction engineer known as? Question: What was the name of the person who published a report in the China Digital Times? |
gq: On Children's Day, June 1, 2008, many parents went to the rubble of schools to mourn for their children. The surviving children, who were mostly living in relief centres, performed ceremonies marking the special day, but also acknowledging the earthquake. | Question: What was June 1, 2008 called? Question: When is Children's Day? Question: Where did parents go to mourn their children? Question: Where were most of the surviving children? Question: Where were surviving children living? Question: What did these children do on that day? |
gq: Central State-owned enterprises have accumulatively donated more than $48.6 million. China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec donated 10 million yuan each to the disaster area. | Question: How much did central state-owned enterprises donate? Question: How much have Central state enterprises donated? Question: How much did China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec donate? Question: How much did China National Petroleum and Sinopec donate? |
gq: On May 16 China stated it had also received $457 million in donated money and goods for rescue efforts so far, including $83 million from 19 countries and four international organizations. Saudi Arabia was the largest aid donor to China, providing close to €40,000,000 in financial assistance, and an additional €8,000,000 worth of relief materials. | Question: How much did China receive in donated money and goods? Question: How much money was donated from foreign sources? Question: How many countries donated? Question: How many international organizations donated? Question: How many international organizations made donations? Question: What country was the largest aid donor to China? Question: What country was the largest aid donor to China? Question: How much financial assistance did Saudi Arabia give China? |
gq: In 2008, State Council established a counterpart support plan (《汶川地震灾后恢复重建对口支援方案》). The plan is to arrange 19 eastern and central province and municipalitie to help 18 counties, on "one province to one affected county" basis. The plan spanned 3 years, and cost no less than one percent of the province or municipality's budget. | Question: What did the State Council establish in 2008? Question: What did the state council set up in 2008? Question: What is the basis for this plan? Question: How long did the plan last? Question: How long is the plan due to last? Question: What is the cost per province's budget? |
gq: An article in Science suggested that the construction and filling of the Zipingpu Dam may have triggered the earthquake. The chief engineer of the Sichuan Geology and Mineral Bureau said that the sudden shift of a huge quantity of water into the region could have relaxed the tension between the two sides of the fault, allowing them to move apart, and could have increased the direct pressure on it, causing a violent rupture. The effect was "25 times more" than a year's worth of natural stress from tectonic movement. The government had disregarded warnings about so many large-scale dam projects in a seismically active area. Researchers have been denied access to seismological and geological data to examine the cause of the quake further. | Question: What structure did an article contemplate could have caused the quake? Question: What was concluded about the construction? Question: What was the affect of the dam on the stresses in that area? Question: Who disregarded warnings about dams in the area? Question: What type of area is Sichuan? Question: What have researchers been denied? |
gq: The earthquake also provided opportunities for researchers to retrofit data in order to model future earthquake predictions. Using data from the Intermagnet Lanzhou geomagnetic observatory, geologists Lazo Pekevski from the Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in Macedonia and Strachimir Mavrodiev from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences attempted to establish a "time prediction method" through collecting statistics on geomagnetism with tidal gravitational potential. Using this method, they were said to have predicted the time of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake with an accuracy of ±1 day. The same study, however, acknowledges the limitation of earthquake prediction models, and does not mention that the location of the quake could be accurately predicted. | Question: What did the earthquake allow? Question: What did they try to establish? Question: What did they collect to use in this method? Question: What did the professors predict? |
gq: In a press conference held by the State Council Information Office the day after the earthquake, geologist Zhang Xiaodong, deputy director of CEA's Seismic Monitoring Network Center, restated that earthquake prediction was a global issue, in the sense that no proven methods exist, and that no prediction notification was received before the earthquake. Seismologist Gary Gibson of Monash University in Australia told Deutsche Presse-Agentur that he also did not see anything that could be regarded as having 'predicted' the earthquake's occurrence. | Question: What was stated in the press conference? Question: What kind of issue is earthquake prediction? Question: What do many geologists believe about earthquake prediction? Question: What was received before the quake occurred? Question: What did seismologist Gary Gibson have to say about the prediction of the quake? |
gq: In 2002, Chinese geologist Chen Xuezhong published a Seismic Risk Analysis study in which he came to the conclusion that beginning with 2003, attention should be paid to the possibility of an earthquake with a magnitude of over 7.0 occurring in Sichuan region. He based his study on statistical correlation. That Sichuan is a seismically active area has been discussed for years prior to the quake, though few studies point to a specific date and time. | Question: When was a Seismic Risk Analysis published? Question: In what year did Chen Xuezhong publish an earthquake study? Question: Who published the Seismic Risk Analysis? Question: Who published a Seismic Risk Analysis Study? Question: What strength did he predict the next quake in Sichuan to be? |
gq: The earthquake was the worst to strike the Sichuan area in over 30 years. Following the quake, experts and the general public sought information on whether or not the earthquake could have been predicted in advance, and whether or not studying statistics related to the quake could result in better prediction of earthquakes in the future. Earthquake prediction is not yet established science; there was no consensus within the scientific community that earthquake "prediction" is possible. | Question: How long had it been since an earthquake of similar magnitude? Question: How long since the Sichuan area has had a severe quake? Question: People wanted to know if the study of what math could produce better predictions? Question: What is not an established science? Question: Does the scientific community agree that earthquake prediction is possible? |
gq: Many rescue teams, including that of the Taipei Fire Department from Taiwan, were reported ready to join the rescue effort in Sichuan as early as Wednesday. However, the Red Cross Society of China said that (on May 13) "it was inconvenient currently due to the traffic problem to the hardest hit areas closest to the epicenter." The Red Cross Society of China also stated that the disaster areas need tents, medical supplies, drinking water and food; however it recommended donating cash instead of other items, as it had not been possible to reach roads that were completely damaged or places that were blocked off by landslides. Landslides continuously threatened the progress of a search and rescue group of 80 men, each carrying about 40 kg of relief supplies, from a motorized infantry brigade under commander Yang Wenyao, as they tried to reach the ethnically Tibetan village of Sier at a height of 4000 m above sea level in Pingwu county. The extreme terrain conditions precluded the use of helicopter evacuation, and over 300 of the Tibetan villagers were stranded in their demolished village for five days without food and water before the rescue group finally arrived to help the injured and stranded villagers down the mountain. | Question: What department was ready to join the rescue effort by Wednesday? Question: What was the reason that many rescue teams could not join the relief efforts? Question: What action did the Red Cross recommend ? Question: What problem continued to stop rescue teams from reaching affected areas? Question: Where were the soldiers under commander Yang Wenyao trying to go? Question: How many Tibetan villagers were stranded? |
gq: Persistent heavy rain and landslides in Wenchuan County and the nearby area badly affected rescue efforts. At the start of rescue operations on May 12, 20 helicopters were deployed for the delivery of food, water, and emergency aid, and also the evacuation of the injured and reconnaissance of quake-stricken areas. By 17:37 CST on May 13, a total of over 15,600 troops and militia reservists from the Chengdu Military Region had joined the rescue force in the heavily affected areas. A commander reported from Yingxiu Town, Wenchuan, that around 3,000 survivors were found, while the status of the other inhabitants (around 9,000) remained unclear. The 1,300 rescuers reached the epicenter, and 300 pioneer troops reached the seat of Wenchuan at about 23:30 CST. By 12:17 CST, May 14, 2008, communication in the seat of Wenchuan was partly revived. On the afternoon of May 14, 15 Special Operations Troops, along with relief supplies and communications gear, parachuted into inaccessible Mao County, northeast of Wenchuan. | Question: What were the biggest difficulties in reaching affected areas? Question: What natural disasters were occurring in Wenchuan County? Question: How many helicopters were deployed? Question: How many helicopters were sent to deliver aid to the affected areas? Question: How many militia reservists joined in on rescue efforts? Question: How many troops parachuted into Mao County? Question: By May 13, how many troops had been added to the rescue efforts? Question: How many survivors were found? Question: How people were reported to be survivors in Yingxiu Town? Question: How many persons were still unaccounted for in Yingxiu? |
gq: By May 15, Premier Wen Jiabao ordered the deployment of an additional 90 helicopters, of which 60 were to be provided by the PLAAF, and 30 were to be provided by the civil aviation industry, bringing the total of number of aircraft deployed in relief operations by the air force, army, and civil aviation to over 150, resulting in the largest non-combat airlifting operation in People's Liberation Army history. | Question: What did Premier Wen Jiabao order? Question: How many helicopters were provided by the PLAAF? Question: How many helicopters came from the PLAAF? Question: How many helicopter were to be provided by the civil aviation industry? Question: Who provided the other 30 helicopters? Question: How many aircraft were there in total? Question: What is the total number of aircraft used in the relief operation? Question: What kind of operation did this massing of aircraft produce? |
gq: Beijing accepted the aid of the Tzu Chi Foundation from Taiwan late on May 13. Tzu Chi was the first force from outside the People's Republic of China to join the rescue effort. China stated it would gratefully accept international help to cope with the quake. | Question: What Foundation wanted to aid Beijing? Question: What was the first group from outside China to join in the relief operation? Question: Where was the foundation based? Question: When did Beijing agree to aid from Taiwan? Question: What did China say they would accept? Question: What did China need help for? |
gq: A direct chartered cargo flight was made by China Airlines from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport sending some 100 tons of relief supplies donated by the Tzu Chi Foundation and the Red Cross Society of Taiwan to the affected areas. Approval from mainland Chinese authorities was sought, and the chartered flight departed Taipei at 17:00 CST, May 15 and arrived in Chengdu by 20:30 CST. A rescue team from the Red Cross in Taiwan was also scheduled to depart Taipei on a Mandarin Airlines direct chartered flight to Chengdu at 15:00 CST on May 16. | Question: How did the move the relief supplies from Taiwan to the stricken area? Question: Who made a direct chartered cargo flight? Question: From what airport did the chartered flight leave? Question: Where did the chartered flight from Taiwan land? Question: Where did the Red Cross team from Taiwan land? Question: What date did the cargo flight leave? Question: What Red Cross team left Taipei on May 16 Question: When did a rescue team depart? |
gq: On May 16, rescue groups from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Russia and Taiwan arrived to join the rescue effort. The United States shared some of its satellite images of the quake-stricken areas with Chinese authorities. During the weekend, the US sent into China two U.S. Air Force C-17's carrying supplies, which included tents and generators. Xinhua reported 135,000 Chinese troops and medics were involved in the rescue effort across 58 counties and cities. | Question: When did groups from South Korea, Japan, and others arrive in China? Question: What did the US share? Question: What did the U.S. share with China? Question: Who did the US share the satellite images with? Question: What was included in the the Air Force C-17 supplies? Question: How many Chinese troops were involved in the rescue efforts? Question: How many Chinese troops and medics were involved in the relief efforts? |
gq: The Internet was extensively used for passing information to aid rescue and recovery efforts. For example, the official news agency Xinhua set up an online rescue request center in order to find the blind spots of disaster recovery. After knowing that rescue helicopters had trouble landing into the epicenter area in Wenchuan, a student proposed a landing spot online and it was chosen as the first touchdown place for the helicopters[not in citation given]. Volunteers also set up several websites to help store contact information for victims and evacuees. On May 31, a rescue helicopter carrying earthquake survivors and crew members crashed in fog and turbulence in Wenchuan county. No-one survived. | Question: What was extensively used to pass information to aid rescue and recovery efforts? Question: What was used as a communications aid in the relief efforts? Question: Who set up an online site to focus on blind spots in recovery? Question: What did the Xinhua news agency set up? Question: What was the purpose of this online rescue request center? Question: Where did rescue helicopters have trouble landing? Question: What person suggested a landing spot for helicopters near the epicenter? Question: What kind of information were websites set up to store? Question: On what date did a rescue helicopter crash with no survivors? |
gq: On May 12, 2009, China marked the first anniversary of the quake with a moment of silence as people across the nation remembered the dead. The government also opened access to the sealed ruins of the Beichuan county seat for three days, after which it will be frozen in time as a state earthquake relic museum, to remind people of the terrible disaster. There were also several concerts across the country to raise money for the survivors of the quake. | Question: What was done for the anniversary? Question: What did China do to mark the first anniversary of the quake? Question: Where did the government open access to? Question: How long was it opened for? Question: What will the Beichuan county seat be used for? Question: What is the Beichuan museum meant to remind people of? Question: What kind of event were given to raise money for quake survivors? |
gq: Following the earthquake, donations were made by people from all over mainland China, with booths set up in schools, at banks, and around gas stations. People also donated blood, resulting in according to Xinhua long line-ups in most major Chinese cities. Many donated through text messaging on mobile phones to accounts set up by China Unicom and China Mobile By May 16, the Chinese government had allocated a total of $772 million for earthquake relief so far, up sharply from $159 million from May 14. | Question: After the quake, people from where in China made donations? Question: What were the Chinese setting up to take in donations? Question: What caused long lines in most major cities? Question: What was also donated? Question: How did a lot of people donate using mobile phones? Question: What companies received the money? Question: How much had the Chinese government designated by May 16? |
gq: The Red Cross Society of China flew 557 tents and 2,500 quilts valued at 788,000 yuan (US$113,000) to Wenchuan County. The Amity Foundation already began relief work in the region and has earmarked US$143,000 for disaster relief. The Sichuan Ministry of Civil Affairs said that they have provided 30,000 tents for those left homeless. | Question: What group took tents and quilts to Wenchuan county? Question: How many tents were flown to the region? Question: How many quilts were flown to the region? Question: How much were both supplies worth? Question: What county were the supplies flown to? Question: What foundation had already begun relief work in the area? Question: How much has the Amity Foundation designated for disaster relief? Question: How many tents did the Sichuan Ministry provide for the homeless? Question: How many tents did the Sichuan Ministry of Affairs provide? Question: What were all these tents and quilts for? |
gq: The central government estimates that over 7,000 inadequately engineered schoolrooms collapsed in the earthquake. Chinese citizens have since invented a catch phrase: "tofu-dregs schoolhouses" (Chinese: 豆腐渣校舍), to mock both the quality and the quantity of these inferior constructions that killed so many school children. Due to the one-child policy, many families lost their only child when schools in the region collapsed during the earthquake. Consequently, Sichuan provincial and local officials have lifted the restriction for families whose only child was either killed or severely injured in the disaster. So-called "illegal children" under 18 years of age may be registered as legal replacements for their dead siblings; if the dead child was illegal, no further outstanding fines would apply. Reimbursement would not, however, be offered for fines that were already levied. | Question: What are the estimations of how many schoolrooms collapsed? Question: How many schoolrooms collapsed in the quake? Question: Why did so many schools collapse during the earthquake? Question: What catch-phrase was invented as a result of collapsed schools? Question: What has the citizenry started calling these type of schools? Question: What can illegal children be registered as in place of their dead siblings? |
gq: On the evening of May 18, CCTV-1 hosted a special four-hour program called The Giving of Love (simplified Chinese: 爱的奉献; traditional Chinese: 愛的奉獻), hosted by regulars from the CCTV New Year's Gala and round-the-clock coverage anchor Bai Yansong. It was attended by a wide range of entertainment, literary, business and political figures from mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan. Donations of the evening totalled 1.5 billion Chinese Yuan (~US$208 million). Of the donations, CCTV gave the biggest corporate contribution at ¥50 million. Almost at the same time in Taiwan, a similarly themed programme was on air hosted by the sitting president Ma Ying-jeou. In June, Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan, who donated $1.57 million to the victims, made a music video alongside other artists entitled "Promise"; the song was composed by Andy Lau. The Artistes 512 Fund Raising Campaign, an 8-hour fundraising marathon, was held on June 1 in Hong Kong; it was attended by some 200 Sinosphere musicians and celebrities. In Singapore, MediaCorp Channel 8 hosted a 'live' programme 让爱川流不息 to raise funds for the victims. | Question: What company gave the most? Question: What did CCTV-1 host on the evening of May 18th? Question: What was the program that CCTV-1 hosted? Question: Who was the show hosted by? Question: How large were the donations from the program? Question: What did the donations total for the program? Question: How much did Jackie Chan donate to support? Question: How much did actor Jackie Chan donate? Question: What was the name of the music video that Jackie Chan made for the event? Question: What was the name of Chan's music video? |
gq: Rescue efforts performed by the Chinese government were praised by western media, especially in comparison with Myanmar's blockage of foreign aid during Cyclone Nargis, as well as China's previous performance during the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. China's openness during the media coverage of the Sichuan earthquake led a professor at the Peking University to say, “This is the first time [that] the Chinese media has lived up to international standards”. Los Angeles Times praised China's media coverage of the quake of being "democratic". | Question: What did Myanmar block after Cyclone Nargis? Question: In which previous catastrophe not live up to international standards? Question: What did a professor at the Peking University say about the handling of the earthquake? Question: What did a Peking professor say about Chinese media coverage? Question: Who praised Chinese media coverage as being democratic? |
gq: As a result of the magnitude 7.9 earthquake and the many strong aftershocks, many rivers became blocked by large landslides, which resulted in the formation of "quake lakes" behind the blockages; these massive amounts of water were pooling up at a very high rate behind the natural landslide dams and it was feared that the blockages would eventually crumble under the weight of the ever-increasing water mass, potentially endangering the lives of millions of people living downstream. As of May 27, 2008, 34 lakes had formed due to earthquake debris blocking and damming rivers, and it was estimated that 28 of them were still of potential danger to the local people. Entire villages had to be evacuated because of the resultant flooding. | Question: What was the magnitude of the Sichuan earthquake? Question: What blocked many of the area's rivers? Question: What formed behind blockages? Question: What formed behind the blocked rivers? Question: How many quake lakes formed? Question: By May 27, how many earthquake lakes had formed up behind landslide debris? Question: How many of the lakes were a danger to people? Question: What had to be evacuated due to potential flooding? |
gq: The most precarious of these quake-lakes was the one located in the extremely difficult terrain at Mount Tangjia in Beichuan County, Sichuan, accessible only by foot or air; an Mi-26T heavy lift helicopter belonging to the China Flying Dragon Special Aviation Company was used to bring heavy earthmoving tractors to the affected location. This operation was coupled with the work done by PLAAF Mi-17 helicopters bringing in PLA engineering corps, explosive specialists and other personnel to join 1,200 soldiers who arrived on site by foot. Five tons of fuel to operate the machinery was airlifted to the site, where a sluice was constructed to allow the safe discharge of the bottlenecked water. Downstream, more than 200,000 people were evacuated from Mianyang by June 1 in anticipation of the dam bursting. | Question: Where was the most precarious quake lake located? Question: Where was the worst of the quake lakes located? Question: Where is Mount Tangjia? Question: How could you only get to this quake lake? Question: What machinery was airlifted into the location? Question: How many soldiers had to travel to the area by foot? Question: How many people were evacuated downstream? Question: What was the fear that caused 200,000 people to be evacuated from Mianyang? |
gq: The State Council declared a three-day period of national mourning for the quake victims starting from May 19, 2008; the PRC's National Flag and Regional Flags of Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions flown at half mast. It was the first time that a national mourning period had been declared for something other than the death of a state leader, and many have called it the biggest display of mourning since the death of Mao Zedong. At 14:28 CST on May 19, 2008, a week after the earthquake, the Chinese public held a moment of silence. People stood silent for three minutes while air defense, police and fire sirens, and the horns of vehicles, vessels and trains sounded. Cars and trucks on Beijing's roads also came to a halt. People spontaneously burst into cheering "Zhongguo jiayou!" (Let's go, China!) and "Sichuan jiayou" (Let's go, Sichuan!) afterwards. | Question: Who declared the mourning period? Question: How long was the national mourning for the quake victims to last? Question: What did the State Council declare a period of? Question: When did the Chinese hold a moment of silence? Question: This was the biggest display of mourning since the death of who? Question: What came to a halt during the moment of silence? |
gq: The Ningbo Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic torch relay announced that the relay, scheduled to take place in Ningbo during national morning, would be suspended for the duration of the mourning period. The route of the torch through the country was scaled down, and there was a minute of silence when the next leg started in city of Ruijin, Jiangxi on the Wednesday after the quake. | Question: Where was the relay scheduled to take place? Question: What was suspended during the period of mourning? Question: What was suspended for the duration of the mourning period? Question: Where was the torch relay supposed to take place? Question: What part of the relay did they change? Question: Where was there a minute of silence during the relay? |
gq: Many websites converted their home page to black and white; Sina.com and Sohu, major internet portals, limited their homepages to news items and removed all advertisements. Chinese video sharing websites Youku and Tudou displayed a black background and placed multiple videos showing earthquake footage and news reports. The Chinese version of MSN, cn.msn.com, also displayed banner ads about the earthquake and the relief efforts. Other entertainment websites, including various gaming sites, such as the Chinese servers for World of Warcraft, had shut down altogether, or had corresponding links to earthquake donations. After the moments of silence, in Tiananmen Square, crowds spontaneously burst out cheering various slogans, including "Long Live China". Casinos in Macau closed down. | Question: What colors did many websites convert their home pages to? Question: What did internet portals remove from their home pages? Question: Many of what shut down completely? Question: What did the crowds in Tiananmen Square do after the moment of silence? Question: What business closed in Macau? |
gq: Ye Zhiping, the principal of Sangzao Middle School in Sangzao, one of the largest in An County, has been credited with proactive action that spared the lives of all 2,323 pupils in attendance when the earthquake happened. During a three-year period that ended in 2007, he oversaw a major overhaul of his school. During that time he obtained more than 400,000 yuan (US$60,000) from the county education department, money used to widen and strengthen concrete pillars and the balcony railing of all four storeys of his school, as well as secure its concrete floors. | Question: Who was the principal of Sangzao Middle School? Question: What school principal strengthened his school? Question: Where is the Sangzao Middle School? Question: The Sangzao school is one of the biggest in what county? Question: What was the principal credited with? Question: How many students attended the school? Question: How many years was Ye Zhiping involved in the school overhaul? Question: How much money was used to strengthen the construction of the school? |
gq: However, Reuters reported in June that, to date, Chinese prosecutors have joined an official inquiry into ten collapsed schools during May's devastating earthquake to gain first-hand material of construction quality at the collapsed schools, launch preliminary inquiries and prepare for possible investigations into professional crime. It was also reported that safety checks were to be carried out at schools across China after last month's earthquake. | Question: What group reported that Chinese prosecutors were involved in investigating the schoolhouse collapses? Question: Who has joined an official inquiry into the school scandal? Question: Why were the schools inspected? Question: What investigation are the prosecutors pursuing? Question: What was to be carried out at schools after the quake? Question: Where are the Chinese going to perform safety checks? |
gq: The New York Times reported that "government officials in Beijing and Sichuan have said they are investigating the collapses. In an acknowledgment of the weakness of building codes in the countryside, the National Development and Reform Commission said on May 27 that it had drafted an amendment to improve construction standards for primary and middle schools in rural areas. Experts are reviewing the draft, the commission said." To limit protests, officials pushed parents to sign a document, which forbade them from holding protests, in exchange of money, but some who refused to sign were threatened. The payment amounts varied from school to school but were approximately the same. In Hanwang, parents were offered a package valued at 8,800 USD in cash and a per-parent pension of nearly 5,600 USD. Furthermore, officials used other methods of silencing: riot police officers broke up protests by parents; the authorities set up cordons around the schools; and officials ordered the Chinese news media to stop reporting on school collapses. | Question: Who did the New York Times report was investigating the school collapses? Question: What are officials seeking to do about protesting parents? Question: What was given in exchange of signing the document? Question: What are officials offering parents in exchange of protests? Question: What has happened to some who refuse to agree to not protest? Question: What other methods were used to break up protests? Question: What did officials order Chinese news media to stop reporting? |
gq: Besides parents, Liu Shaokun (刘绍坤), a Sichuan school teacher, was detained on June 25, 2008 for "disseminating rumors and destroying social order" about the Sichuan earthquake. Liu’s family was later told that he was being investigated on suspicion of the crime of inciting subversion. Liu had travelled to the Shifang, taken photos of collapsed school buildings, and put them online. He had also expressed his anger at “the shoddy tofu-dregs buildings” (豆腐渣工程) in a media interview. He was ordered to serve one year of re-education through labor (RTL). According to the organization Human Rights in China, Liu has been released to serve his RTL sentence outside of the labor camp. | Question: Who was a Sichuan school teacher? Question: What was Liu Shaokun's profession? Question: What was Liu's family told? Question: Why was he investigated? Question: What did Liu Shankun do with the pictures he took of collapsed schools? Question: Where did he call the schoolhouses shoddy? Question: What was his assigned punishment ? |
gq: In January 2010, Hong Kong-based English newspaper The Standard reported that writer Tan Zuoren attempted to document shoddy construction that may have led to massive casualties in schools, was sentenced to in prison ostensibly for his writing an article in 2007 in support of the pro-democracy movement in 1989. | Question: When was the article published about the case? Question: What did he think that the poor construction led to? Question: When did the sentencing occur? |
gq: Because of the magnitude of the quake, and the media attention on China, foreign nations and organizations immediately responded to the disaster by offering condolences and assistance. On May 14, UNICEF reported that China formally requested the support of the international community to respond to the needs of affected families. | Question: Why did the world community notice the need for help? Question: What did foreign nations offer China because of the severity of the quake? Question: When did China formally ask for help from the international community? Question: What organization reported that China asked for help? Question: What did UNICEF report? |
gq: By May 14, the Ministry of Civil Affairs stated that 10.7 billion yuan (approximately US$1.5 billion) had been donated by the Chinese public. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, one of the country's most popular sports icons, gave $214,000 and $71,000 to the Red Cross Society of China. The association has also collected a total of $26 million in donations so far. Other multinational firms located in China have also announced large amounts of donations. | Question: How much money had been donated by May 14? Question: What group donated the 10.7 yuan? Question: What famous basketball player made two large donations to the crisis? Question: How much did Yao Ming donate? Question: How much did the Red Cross collect in donations? Question: How much has the Red Cross Society collected? |
gq: Francis Marcus of the International Federation of the Red Cross praised the Chinese rescue effort as "swift and very efficient" in Beijing on Tuesday. But he added the scale of the disaster was such that "we can't expect that the government can do everything and handle every aspect of the needs". The Economist noted that China reacted to the disaster "rapidly and with uncharacteristic openness", contrasting it with Burma's secretive response to Cyclone Nargis, which devastated that country 10 days before the earthquake. | Question: What organization did Francis Marcus represent? Question: What did Francis Marcus say of the Chinese relief effort? Question: What uncharacteristic attitude did China display? Question: What kind of attitude did Burma display in response to a cyclone a few days earlier? Question: How long before the quake did Cyclone Nargis strike Burma? |
gq: All Mainland Chinese television stations (along with some stations in Hong Kong and expatriate communities) cancelled all regularly-scheduled programming, displayed their logo in grayscale, and replaced their cancelled programmes with live earthquake footage from CCTV-1 for multiple days after the quake. Even pay television channels (such as Channel V) had their programmes suspended. | Question: What did stations replace programming with? Question: What was the source of the live feeds? Question: What about pay TV channels? |
gq: Although the Chinese government was initially praised for its response to the quake (especially in comparison to Myanmar's ruling military junta's blockade of aid during Cyclone Nargis), it then saw an erosion in confidence over the school construction scandal. | Question: What was the Chinese government first praised for? Question: What government blocked aid after Cyclone Nargis? Question: Over what scandal did the Chinese government lose in public opinion? |
gq: On May 29, 2008, government officials began inspecting the ruins of thousands of schools that collapsed, searching for clues about why they crumbled. Thousands of parents around the province have accused local officials and builders of cutting corners in school construction, citing that after the quake other nearby buildings were little damaged. In the aftermath of the quake, many local governments promised to formally investigate the school collapses, but as of July 17, 2008 across Sichuan, parents of children lost in collapsed schools complained they had yet to receive any reports. Local officials urged them not to protest but the parents demonstrated and demanded an investigation. Furthermore, censors discouraged stories of poorly built schools from being published in the media and there was an incident where police drove the protestors away. | Question: What did parents accuse builders of doing? Question: As of July 17, 2008 what did parents complain of not receiving? Question: What kind of stories were being censored in the media? |
gq: The AP reported that "The state-controlled media has largely ignored the issue, apparently under the propaganda bureau's instructions. Parents and volunteers who have questioned authorities have been detained and threatened." | Question: What media source has reported this happening? Question: Who has ignored the school issue? Question: Who gave instructions to ignore the school issue? |
gq: On May 15, 2008 Geoffery York of the Globeandmail.com reported that the shoddily constructed buildings are commonly called "tofu buildings" because builders cut corners by replacing steel rods with thin iron wires for concrete re-inforcement; using inferior grade cement, if any at all; and using fewer bricks than they should. One local was quoted in the article as saying that "the supervising agencies did not check to see if it met the national standards." | Question: Why are the buildings so shoddily built? Question: What did builder's use in place of steel rods as re-inforcement? Question: Who was supposed to inspect building to see if they met national standards? |
gq: However questions still remain, as some of the corrupt government officials have still not been brought to justice, while the many families who lost their only child, are still seeking compensation and justice to what had happened. According to the Times, many parents were warned by the government not to stage a protest under the threat of arrest. | Question: Who has not been brought to justice? Question: Who is still looking for compensation and justice? Question: What did many families lose in the earthquake? Question: What media reported the threat of arrest? Question: What has the government threatened people with to keep them from protesting? |
gq: New York—often called New York City or the City of New York to distinguish it from the State of New York, of which it is a part—is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York metropolitan area, the premier gateway for legal immigration to the United States and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. A global power city, New York exerts a significant impact upon commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and entertainment, its fast pace defining the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy and has been described as the cultural and financial capital of the world. | Question: What city in the United States has the highest population? Question: In what city is the United Nations based? Question: What city has been called the cultural capital of the world? Question: What American city welcomes the largest number of legal immigrants? Question: The major gateway for immigration has been which US city? Question: The most populated city in the United States is which city? |
gq: Situated on one of the world's largest natural harbors, New York City consists of five boroughs, each of which is a separate county of New York State. The five boroughs – Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island – were consolidated into a single city in 1898. With a census-estimated 2014 population of 8,491,079 distributed over a land area of just 305 square miles (790 km2), New York is the most densely populated major city in the United States. As many as 800 languages are spoken in New York, making it the most linguistically diverse city in the world. By 2014 census estimates, the New York City metropolitan region remains by a significant margin the most populous in the United States, as defined by both the Metropolitan Statistical Area (20.1 million residents) and the Combined Statistical Area (23.6 million residents). In 2013, the MSA produced a gross metropolitan product (GMP) of nearly US$1.39 trillion, while in 2012, the CSA generated a GMP of over US$1.55 trillion, both ranking first nationally by a wide margin and behind the GDP of only twelve and eleven countries, respectively. | Question: How many boroughs comprise New York City? Question: How man boroughs does New York City contain? Question: The five boroughs of New York City are named what? Question: In what year were the five boroughs combined into one city? Question: All five boroughs of New York City formed into one city on what date? Question: In 2014, what did the census estimate the population of New York City to be? Question: What is the population of New York City as of 2014? Question: What is the size of New York City in square miles? Question: How many languages are spoken by the people of New York City? Question: What is the population of New York's Combined Statistical Area? |
gq: New York City traces its roots to its 1624 founding as a trading post by colonists of the Dutch Republic and was named New Amsterdam in 1626. The city and its surroundings came under English control in 1664. New York served as the capital of the United States from 1785 until 1790. It has been the country's largest city since 1790. The Statue of Liberty greeted millions of immigrants as they came to the Americas by ship in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is a globally recognized symbol of the United States and its democracy. | Question: When was New York City established? Question: What nation founded New Amsterdam? Question: What was the trading post that preceded New York City called? Question: New Amsterdam became the title of New York City in what past date? Question: When did the English take over the area from the Dutch? Question: The English occupied New York City beginning on what date? Question: In what year did New York become the largest city in the United States? Question: In what year did New York cease the be the capital of the United States? Question: New York City is the biggest city in the United States since what historical date? |
gq: Many districts and landmarks in New York City have become well known, and the city received a record 56 million tourists in 2014, hosting three of the world's ten most visited tourist attractions in 2013. Several sources have ranked New York the most photographed city in the world. Times Square, iconic as the world's "heart" and its "Crossroads", is the brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District, one of the world's busiest pedestrian intersections, and a major center of the world's entertainment industry. The names of many of the city's bridges, skyscrapers, and parks are known around the world. Anchored by Wall Street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, New York City has been called both the most economically powerful city and the leading financial center of the world, and the city is home to the world's two largest stock exchanges by total market capitalization, the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ. Manhattan's real estate market is among the most expensive in the world. Manhattan's Chinatown incorporates the highest concentration of Chinese people in the Western Hemisphere, with multiple signature Chinatowns developing across the city. Providing continuous 24/7 service, the New York City Subway is one of the most extensive metro systems worldwide, with 469 stations in operation. New York City's higher education network comprises over 120 colleges and universities, including Columbia University, New York University, and Rockefeller University, which have been ranked among the top 35 in the world. | Question: How many tourists visited New York in 2014? Question: In what borough is Wall Street located? Question: NYC has the two largest stock exchanges in the world which are called what? Question: How many stations are operated by the New York City Subway? Question: How many school and universities are in NYC? |
gq: During the Wisconsinan glaciation, the New York City region was situated at the edge of a large ice sheet over 1,000 feet in depth. The ice sheet scraped away large amounts of soil, leaving the bedrock that serves as the geologic foundation for much of New York City today. Later on, the ice sheet would help split apart what are now Long Island and Staten Island. | Question: During what period was the area around New York City located at the edge of an ice sheet 1,000 feet deep? Question: Long Island and Staten Island were split in half by what geographical phenomenon? Question: What island was once a part of Long Island? |
gq: In the precolonial era, the area of present-day New York City was inhabited by various bands of Algonquian tribes of Native Americans, including the Lenape, whose homeland, known as Lenapehoking, included Staten Island; the western portion of Long Island, including the area that would become Brooklyn and Queens; Manhattan; the Bronx; and the Lower Hudson Valley. | Question: What was the name of the Lenape homeland? |
gq: The first documented visit by a European was in 1524 by Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer in the service of the French crown, who sailed his ship La Dauphine into New York Harbor. He claimed the area for France and named it "Nouvelle Angoulême" (New Angoulême). | Question: In what year did the first European arrive in the New York area? Question: When was the first European to visit the area of NYC? Question: What was the name of the first European who arrived in the New York area? Question: What was the name of Giovanni da Verrazzano's ship? Question: Giovanni da Verrazzano's ship that sailed to New York was named what? Question: What nation did Giovanni da Verrazzano serve? Question: Giovani da Verrazzano was an explorer from which country? Question: What did Giovanni da Verrazzano call the area when he staked claim on it? |
gq: A Spanish expedition led by captain Estêvão Gomes, a Portuguese sailing for Emperor Charles V, arrived in New York Harbor in January 1525 aboard the purpose-built caravel "La Anunciada" and charted the mouth of the Hudson River, which he named Rio de San Antonio. Heavy ice kept him from further exploration, and he returned to Spain in August. The first scientific map to show the North American East coast continuously, the 1527 world map known as the Padrón Real, was informed by Gomes' expedition, and labeled the Northeast as Tierra de Esteban Gómez in his honor. | Question: Who commanded the Spanish expedition? Question: What was the nationality of Estêvão Gomes? Question: What monarch did Estêvão Gomes serve? Question: In what year did a Spanish expedition visit New York Harbor? Question: What was the name of Estêvão Gomes's ship? Question: The front of the Hudson River was named what by Estevao Gomes? Question: What was the first map to show the whole North American East coast? |
gq: In 1609, English explorer Henry Hudson re-discovered the region when he sailed his ship the Halve Maen ("Half Moon" in Dutch) into New York Harbor while searching for the Northwest Passage to the Orient for his employer, the Dutch East India Company. He proceeded to sail up what he named the North River, also called the Mauritis River, and now known as the Hudson River, to the site of the present-day New York State capital of Albany in the belief that it might represent an oceanic tributary. When the river narrowed and was no longer saline, he realized it was not a maritime passage and sailed back downriver. He made a ten-day exploration of the area and claimed the region for his employer. In 1614, the area between Cape Cod and Delaware Bay would be claimed by the Netherlands and called Nieuw-Nederland (New Netherland). | Question: What was the name of the explorer who visited the area in 1609? Question: Which explorer sailed his ship into New York harbor in 1609? Question: Who was Henry Hudson working for? Question: Henry Hudson worked for which company in the 1600s? Question: What did Henry Hudson call the river that is now called the Hudson River? Question: How many days did Henry Hudson spend exploring the region? Question: In what year did the Netherlands claim the area between Delaware Bay and Cape Cod? Question: In what year was the land between Cape Cod and Delaware Bay claimed by the Dutch? |
gq: The first non-Native American inhabitant of what would eventually become New York City was Dominican trader Juan Rodriguez (transliterated to Dutch as Jan Rodrigues). Born in Santo Domingo of Portuguese and African descent, he arrived in Manhattan during the winter of 1613–1614, trapping for pelts and trading with the local population as a representative of the Dutch. Broadway, from 159th Street to 218th Street, is named Juan Rodriguez Way in his honor. | Question: What was Juan Rodriguez's occupation? Question: Who was the first non-Indian person to live in what is now NYC? Question: What did the Dutch call Juan Rodriguez? Question: Where was Juan Rodriguez born? Question: During what season did Juan Rodriguez first come to New York? Question: Which street in NYC today is now named after Juan Rodriguez? Question: What is the street that is named after Juan Rodriguez? |
gq: A permanent European presence in New Netherland began in 1624 – making New York the 12th oldest continuously occupied European-established settlement in the continental United States – with the founding of a Dutch fur trading settlement on Governors Island. In 1625, construction was started on a citadel and a Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island, later called New Amsterdam (Nieuw Amsterdam). The colony of New Amsterdam was centered at the site which would eventually become Lower Manhattan. The Dutch colonial Director-General Peter Minuit purchased the island of Manhattan from the Canarsie, a small band of the Lenape, in 1626 for a value of 60 guilders (about $1000 in 2006); a disproved legend says that Manhattan was purchased for $24 worth of glass beads. | Question: New Netherland established a permanent European presence in what year? Question: On what island did the Dutch set up a settlement to trade furs? Question: In what year did construction begin on Fort Amsterdam? Question: What year did building begin of Fort Amsterdam on Manhattan Island? Question: On what island was Fort Amsterdam built? Question: What person bought Manhattan from the Canarsie for the Dutch? Question: In what year did the Dutch buy Manhattan? Question: What was the myth that Manhattan was bought for by General Peter Minuit ? |
gq: In 1664, Peter Stuyvesant, the Director-General of the colony of New Netherland, surrendered New Amsterdam to the English without bloodshed. The English promptly renamed the fledgling city "New York" after the Duke of York (later King James II). | Question: In what year did the English take over New Amsterdam? Question: What person gave up New Amsterdam to the English? Question: Who gave up New Amsterdam to the English without a fight in 1664? Question: What was Peter Stuyvesant's title? Question: What did the English call New Amsterdam after its capture? Question: What was the regnal name of the Duke of York? |
gq: On August 24, 1673, Dutch captain Anthonio Colve took over the colony of New York from England and rechristened it "New Orange" to honor the Prince of Orange, King William III. However, facing defeat from the British and French, who had teamed up to destroy Dutch trading routes, the Dutch returned the island to England in 1674. | Question: What was the date of Anthonio Colve's capture of New York? Question: August 24, 1673 is when which Dutch officer took control of NYC? Question: The Dutch gave back the island to which country in 1674 after their trade routes had been destroyed? Question: What did Colve call New York after he captured it? Question: New York was called New Orange for a period based off which historical figure? Question: What was the regnal name of the Prince of Orange? Question: In what year did the Dutch give New York back to the English? |
gq: At the end of the Second Anglo-Dutch War, the English gained New Amsterdam (New York) in North America in exchange for Dutch control of Run, an Indonesian island. Several intertribal wars among the Native Americans and some epidemics brought on by contact with the Europeans caused sizable population losses for the Lenape between the years 1660 and 1670. By 1700, the Lenape population had diminished to 200. | Question: After what war did the English receive New Amsterdam? Question: After which war did England gain New York in exchange for Run, an Indonesian island? Question: What was the name of the island the English traded to the Dutch in return for New Amsterdam? Question: How many Lenape lived in the area in 1700? Question: In 1700, the Lenape Native American population had dwindled to how many? |
gq: New York grew in importance as a trading port while under British rule in the early 1700s. It also became a center of slavery, with 42% of households holding slaves by 1730, more than any other city other than Charleston, South Carolina. Most slaveholders held a few or several domestic slaves, but others hired them out to work at labor. Slavery became integrally tied to New York's economy through the labor of slaves throughout the port, and the banks and shipping tied to the South. Discovery of the African Burying Ground in the 1990s, during construction of a new federal courthouse near Foley Square, revealed that tens of thousands of Africans had been buried in the area in the colonial years. | Question: In 1730, what percentage of New York households were slave-holding? Question: In 1730, what American city had the highest percentage of slaveholders? Question: Which city in North America held the most slaves in the 1700s? Question: When was as African burial ground discovered after the building of new courthouse? Question: What was being built that resulted in the discovery of the African Burial Ground? Question: Near what square was the African Burial Ground unearthed? |
gq: The trial in Manhattan of John Peter Zenger in 1735 helped to establish the freedom of the press in North America. In 1754, Columbia University was founded under charter by King George II as King's College in Lower Manhattan. The Stamp Act Congress met in New York in October 1765 as the Sons of Liberty organized in the city, skirmishing over the next ten years with British troops stationed there. | Question: On what island did Zenger's trial occur? Question: Which trial in Manhatten helped establish the right of freedom of the press? Question: In what year was John Peter Zenger tried? Question: In what year was Columbia University chartered? Question: Columbia University of New York was founded in what year? Question: Under what king did the founding of Columbia University occur? Question: What was the original name of Columbia University? Question: The Stamp Act Congress had a meeting in 1765 in which US city? |
gq: The Battle of Long Island, the largest battle of the American Revolutionary War, was fought in August 1776 entirely within the modern-day borough of Brooklyn. After the battle, in which the Americans were defeated, leaving subsequent smaller armed engagements following in its wake, the city became the British military and political base of operations in North America. The city was a haven for Loyalist refugees, as well as escaped slaves who joined the British lines for freedom newly promised by the Crown for all fighters. As many as 10,000 escaped slaves crowded into the city during the British occupation. When the British forces evacuated at the close of the war in 1783, they transported 3,000 freedmen for resettlement in Nova Scotia. They resettled other freedmen in England and the Caribbean. | Question: Which battle was the largest battle of the American Revolutionary war? Question: What was the biggest battle of the American Revolution? Question: In what month and year was the Battle of Long Island fought? Question: In what borough did the Battle of Long Island occur? Question: Which borough of New York was the Battle of Long Island fought? Question: About how many escaped slaves were in New York during the time the British occupied it? Question: In what year did the American Revolutionary War end? Question: When did the English army start to retreat and evacuate NYC during the Battle of Long Island? |