This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

There's no denying that 2016 was truly a wild year, from Jackie Biskupski's purge of City Hall to Barack Obama's creation of the Bears Ears National Monument and the insanity of the presidential race in between. We may not see another like it in our lifetimes.

To test whether you were paying attention, we offer the Year In Review News Quiz, highlighting some of the biggest stories of the year and specially designed to separate the real news junkies from those who relied mostly on fake news. Let's get started:

January • Biskupski was sworn in as the new mayor of Salt Lake City. What was the biggest change?

A) After Ralph Becker's last four years, everyone assumed the mayor's office had permanently relocated to Washington, D.C.

B) "Getting Biskupskied" became a thing in City Hall. It also meant you needed to find a new job.

C) Underneath the new mayor's tough exterior was an extremely prickly interior.

March • The Utah Legislature passed a resolution declaring pornography a "public health crisis." What was noteworthy about the resolution?

A) Once it was declared a health crisis, Gov. Gary Herbert's Healthy Utah plan would have covered your Pornhub subscription.

B) For the first time, Utah Republican lawmakers bothered feigning concern for the public's health.

C) No one seemed to care about that lawmaker who starred in several films under the screen name "Jonny Dangle."

Also, several of the top presidential contenders from both parties visited the Beehive State ahead of the presidential caucuses. What did Utahns learn from the visits?

A) Feeling the Bern is not a violation of BYU's Honor Code.

B) Having been thrice married to younger women, Donald Trump felt a strong kinship with Utah's polygamist communities.

C) John Kasich was still running for president.

May • The Salt Lake Tribune obtained recordings of the governor meeting with a group of lobbyists at the exclusive Alta Club, in which he offered to be "Available Jones" for those companies who donated to his campaign. The main takeaway?

A) Herbert can still wow an audience with on-point references to 1930s comic strips.

B) The governor cannot be bought. But he can be rented for a fairly reasonable rate.

C) The Alta Club is experiencing a second life as Utah's premier spot for hatching nefarious plots.

Also, Paul Huntsman bought The Tribune from a hedge fund that had been bleeding it for years. What motivated the purchase?

A) After acquiring the nation's only cotton-gin and steamship manufacturer, the Huntsman family has now cornered the market on 19th century technologies.

B) So the Huntsmans could keep pace with all the fawning coverage the Romneys get in the Deseret News.

C) None of the above. There is absolutely nothing snarky to be said here that could possibly get me fired.

July • At the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, delegates from Utah and other states attempted to mount a last-ditch revolt to keep Trump from receiving the party's nomination. Why were their efforts foiled?

A) Sen. Mike Lee was so starstruck at meeting Scott Baio that he forgot to raise his constitutional objection.

B) Someone put Mariah Carey in charge of making sure the delegation's microphone was functioning properly.

C) Gayle Ruzicka missed the roll-call vote because she was sleeping off the previous night's bender.

Also, a massive algae explosion shut down Utah Lake. Why were scientists most concerned about the bloom?

A) Nothing is supposed to be able to live in Utah Lake.

B) Short of raining toads and swarms of locusts, it's the surest biblical sign that BYU football would have another down year.

C) Children could easily mistake anything that green and slimy for Jell-O.

August • Evan McMullin, a Utah native and Mormon, jumped into the presidential race and made a splash, only to finish third in Utah. Why did his campaign fall short?

A) Social conservatives weren't sure electing a bachelor sent the right message about family values and instead voted for the serial adulterer.

B) McMullin's work as a CIA operative was helpful, but rigging an election proved to be harder than it looks.

C) His campaign slogan "Evan Help Us!" was universally regarded as the worst pun of the year.

September • Trump told an audience that he was facing "a tremendous problem in Utah." What was it?

A) Lingering resentment about Trump's shoddy treatment of beloved actor Gary Busey in Celebrity Apprentice 4.

B) A whopping 24 percent of Utahns were enrolled in Trump University.

C) Utahns traditionally like their politicians a little more confident and outspoken.

Also, despite aggressive wooing by West Jordan, Facebook chose New Mexico as the location for its new massive data-storage center. What plans does West Jordan now have for the space?

A) A seedy Snapchat data center dedicated solely to storing pictures of naked people.

B) An enormous new homeless shelter.

C) Constructing a secret lair where West Jordan officials can plot their revenge on Salt Lake County Mayor Ben McAdams.

November • Trump was elected as the next president of the United States. Aside from the outcome, what was the most unexpected thing to happen election night?

A) Wikileaks published Hillary Clinton's concession speech two hours before polls closed.

B) Trump delivered his victory speech entirely in Russian.

C) Seventy-eight percent of pollsters acknowledged that 67 percent of their statistics are 93 percent made up at least 53 percent of the time. Plus or minus 5 percent.

Also, Sen. Orrin Hatch announced he was considering breaking his pledge not to run again and may seek an eighth term in the U.S. Senate in 2018. If he does decide to retire, who will run for his seat?

A) Ammon Bundy and the Oregon wildlife refuge occupiers, who, like Hatch, don't seem to know when it's time to leave.

B) Some random Democrat who will get 26 percent of the vote.

C) Trick question. Of course Hatch is going to run again.

December • Obama created the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, despite howls of opposition from Utah's elected leaders. Why are they opposed to the monument?

A) Due to a typo, they mistakenly believed it was the Beers Ears monument, which would require construction of a Zion Curtain around the entire 1.35 million acres.

B) The monument designation makes it more difficult to take back the federal land that was taken back from the Mormons who took it back from Mexico which took it back from the American Indians who wanted the monument in the first place.

C) If the tribes are so concerned about their "sacred ancestral lands," they shouldn't have put them where there was so much kick-ass off-roading.

gehrke@sltrib.com

Twitter: @RobertGehrke