Biz Quiz 2008: A year gone sour

Taking stock

Company stock is not the valuable currency it used to be. One way to gauge its value is to compare it with the price of one of its products. Here are three from Seattle.

• Starbucks

How many grande peppermint mocha twist frappuccinos, at $4.10 each, can you buy with one share of Starbucks stock?

• Nordstrom

A $148 Calvin Klein Satin Dress — with empire waist, braided straps and a low V-neck — is equal to how many shares of Nordstrom stock?

• Jones Soda

How many shares of Jones Soda does it take to buy a $1.19 bottle of Berry Lemonade?

Whiplash: How low did it go?

The Dow shot up or down by at least 100 points on 16 of November's first 19 trading days before hitting on Nov. 20 what became its lowest close of the year (through Friday). That was:

• A. 6,549.36

• B. 7,552.29

• C. 8,136.92

• D. 8,744.63

Make a big deal

Play Microsoft's name game

Microsoft generated some buzz over the naming of its next operating system. Which of the following is not a Windows operating system?

• A. XP

• B. NT 5.1

• C. Windows 7

• D. Safari95

Counting Dreamliners

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has had trouble taking off as scheduled, the latest delay pushing it back to 2010. How many orders for the plane has Boeing booked, as of Dec. 1?

• A. 150

• B. 650

• C. 910

• D. 205

Pump it up

Gas prices hit an all-time high in 2008, before plummeting like the Dow. What was the highest average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in the U. S.?

• A. $5.144

• B. $4.614

• C. $4.114

• D. $4.004

Spell out your alphabet soup

The financial meltdown boiled up an alphabet soup of acronyms that often appeared in the news. Name these.

CDO

CDS

TARP

FHA

Last question

How did you do on Biz Quiz 2008? Get the answers here.

Biz Quiz 2008 was compiled by The Seattle Times business staff.