In keeping with the long and noble tradition of this column, we present the annual yourYukon Christmas Quiz.

Compete against friends, family, colleagues, visiting relatives, the boss, or The Annoying Kid Next Door with Binoculars and a Big Field Guide.

Answer the questions below and check your answers against the list printed upside-down at the bottom of the column. No peeking! All the questions are based on columns printed in 2002 in the Yukon News and available in the archives. You're allowed to peek -- it's called "research."

Add up the number of right answers to determine if you're:

• Whizzus bushwhackii (13-15)
• Fleecius goretexis (9-12)
• Weekendis warrius (5-8)
• Arveeis migratorius (0-4)

(P.S. Give yourself an extra point just for reading the column -- as a Christmas present from Environment Canada!)

1. What are Severe Weather Watchers?
    
   
   1. Extremely strict meteorologists
   2. Bad weather groupies
   3. Members of an Environment Canada volunteer network
   4. A post-techno/grunge/sleaze fusion band based in Oklahoma
   
   
2. Why do Mark Nowosad and his colleagues dangle electronic gear in streams?
    
   
   1. They're developing artificial bait for the tourism market
   2. They're measuring dirt in the water
   3. They're angling for robotic fish
   4. They're part of a passionate anti-technology movement
   
   
3. Why does the Donjek River keep moving its bed?
    
   
   1. A chronic inability to make up its mind
   2. Too many loud parties led to landlord trouble
   3. Emotional instability
   4. Glacial instability
   
   
4. Why does Environment Canada scientist Benoit Godin trap spiders?
    
   
   1. To learn what's going on in the forest
   2. For their pelts
   3. To feed his large collection of carnivorous plants
   4. He wants to become a superhero with a nifty red and blue suit
   
   
5. What is a hybrid vehicle?
    
   
   1. A vehicle that uses two or even more sources of energy
   2. One of those classy convertibles with luggage space for your wallet only
   3. A mule
   4. A very nervous racehorse
   
   
6. Why is it problematic that Hart River woodland caribou and Porcupine barren ground caribou are mingling on their winter range?
    
   
   1. Biologists are worried about interbreeding
   2. Hart River caribou might get confused and migrate to the northern Yukon
   3. Hunters may be mistakenly shooting more Hart River caribou than they should
   4. There's no problem -- they get along just fine
   
   
7. Salt works as a road de-icer because:
    
   
   1. it lowers the freezing point of water
   2. it makes the surface grittier for driving
   3. it makes the road taste better for wildlife so they lick away ice buildup
   4. it contributes to corrosion, which costs drivers to fix, which deters people from driving in winter, which means the roads are safer
   
   
8. What is a carnivore guild?
    
   
   1. A group of animals that evolved together in a single habitat
   2. A group of animals that hunt in a pack
   3. A meat eaters' club
   4. A union of hunters
   
   
9. NatureServe Yukon is:
    
   
   1. a country foods drive-through
   2. a new eco-tourism business
   3. a library of rare plants, birds and animals
   4. a wilderness tennis tournament
   
   
10. What is a soil wrap?
     
    
    1. A Yukon clay facial
    2. One of McDonald's new healthy choices
    3. A really dirty rap song
    4. A pillow of biodegradable cloth filled with earth and lined with willow stakes that's used for habitat restoration and re-vegetation projects
    
    
11. What is a "cohort pulse"?
     
    
    1. The newest dance craze at raves
    2. A larger-than-average number of young lambs born about every ten years
    3. The best pressure point for testing circulation in babies
    4. A special handshake used in certain secret societies
    
    
12. Why did biologist Debbie van de Wetering hit a fish with her truck?
     
    
    1. She drove off of the McClintock Bridge
    2. She is a member of a rabid anti-fish movement
    3. The fish truck dropped its load
    4. An osprey carrying the fish was flying low, and the fish hit her windshield
    
    
13. How do scientists figure out what the weather is like on top of Mount Logan?
     
    
    1. Very hardy volunteers take turns checking thermometers on top of the peak
    2. Meteorological balloons float over the peak once a month
    3. A datalogger is installed there
    4. It's the inverse ratio of the weather on Herschel Island
    
    
14. What are otolith rings?
     
    
    1. Growth rings in the ear bones of fish
    2. Mysterious rock circles found in areas above treeline
    3. An engine part found in high-performance snowmobiles
    4. Tokens that allow entry into magical realms
    
    
15. Why are biologists snagging hairs from grizzly bears in Kluane National Park?
     
    
    1. They are using the hairs to knit a special blanket that will be auctioned off to help with grizzly conservation
    2. Too many bears have been having bad hair days
    3. The hairs are used for genetic analysis of the bears
    4. They are trying to condition the bears to stay out of sheep lambing areas
    
    

Happy Holidays from the elves at Environment Canada!