■ In recent years, Hispanic Americans opened businesses at a faster rate than the general U.S. population. How many businesses do Hispanic American entrepreneurs operate in the U.S.?

Answer: D, 5 million

The number of Hispanic American-owned businesses in the U.S. surged 57 percent between 2007 and 2021, according to a Stanford Graduate School of Business study. Hispanic Americans now operate 4.7 million businesses in the U.S., contributing $800 billion to the economy annually.

Hispanic American women — 1.5 million of whom own businesses — have increased their rate of business ownership faster than any other U.S. demographic, according to the National Latina Business Women Association Inland Empire Institute, a California-based nonprofit.

■ Latin American cuisine — from arepas (grilled and stuffed corn cakes from Colombia and Venezuela) to traditional Cuban sandwiches — is popular. But what subtype is sold in one out of every 10 U.S. restaurants?

Answer: C, Mexican

That’s right! A 2024 Pew Research poll finds that 11 percent of all U.S. restaurants serve Mexican food. And 85 percent of all U.S. counties have at least one Mexican restaurant.

This country’s love of Mexican cuisine shows no signs of slowing as those born after 1981 name Mexican food their favorite ethnic cuisine, according to the food and beverage industry information site Datassential. And chefs working in the U.S., like Claudette Zepeda, continue to explore new flavors and win over diners.

■ Hispanic Americans have been an important part of NASA’s pioneering space missions. In 1980, Franklin Chang-Díaz was the first Hispanic American astronaut to join a NASA mission. Who was the first Hispanic American woman in space?

Answer: B, Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa, born in Los Angeles and of Mexican descent, first flew onboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1993, and eventually logged 1,000 hours in space. From 2013–2018, Ochoa served as director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center, the famed Houston operation that leads NASA missions. Ochoa received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor, in 2024.

Hispanic Americans are among the engineers working on NASA’s Artemis mission to return astronauts to the moon and, later, Mars.

“Space needs to remain a place for all to discover, explore, and inspire,” astronaut Frank Rubio, of Salvadoran heritage, said in a 2023 message from space.

■ 30 percent of the players in this major sport are of Hispanic heritage.

Answer: C, Baseball

One-third of Major League Baseball players are of Hispanic heritage. They hail from the United States and at least 10 Latin American nations, including the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Venezuela.

In league history, 2,000 players of Hispanic heritage have competed at baseball’s highest level. Albert Pujols, who retired in 2022 after becoming one of baseball’s greatest hitters, immigrated to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic. In fact, Pujols ranks in baseball’s top 10 of all time not only in hits, but also in runs batted in and home runs.

■ What musical did actor and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda spend seven years crafting before its 2016 Broadway debut?

Answer: D, Hamilton

The musical exploration of U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton has more lyrics — 20,000 sung or rapped — than any other Broadway production. (It would have taken you seven years too!) Hamilton was nominated for a record-setting 16 Tony Awards.

Miranda, born in New York and of Puerto Rican heritage, builds on the long-standing contributions of Hispanic Americans on Broadway. Rita Moreno, born in Puerto Rico, made her Broadway debut in 1945, and sang, danced, and acted her way to winning all of the top U.S. entertainment awards — an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. John Leguizamo, born in Colombia, wrote and performed in numerous Broadway shows.

Today, Miranda and Moreno advocate for more roles for Hispanic Americans, who remain underrepresented in the performing arts, according to the Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors.

■ Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” featuring a fellow Puerto Rican, rapper Daddy Yankee, is the most-viewed music video on YouTube.

Answer: B, False

As of October 2024, the 2017 pop song’s music video has streamed 8.5 billion times, the second most of all music videos after Pinkfong’s “Baby Shark Dance.” “Despacito’s” popularity reflects the expanding influence of Latin artists on American pop charts in recent decades. (“Despacito” topped the Billboard 100 for 16 weeks).

Performers like band leader Tito Puente and salsa queen Celia Cruz entertained U.S. audiences for decades beginning in the 1950s and 1960s. In the 2000s, the influence of Hispanic American performers took off as singers including Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin became international stars.

■ What solidarity slogan, coined by Hispanic American labor activist Dolores Huerta, was later adopted by a U.S. presidential candidate’s campaign?

Answer: C, ¡Sí, se puede! (Yes we can!)

Longtime labor advocate Dolores Huerta, who was born in New Mexico to parents with Mexican and Spanish heritage, is one of the most influential Hispanic Americans of the 20th century. She coined the slogan “¡Sí, se puede!” (“Yes we can!”), which was later adopted (in English) by presidential candidate Barack Obama. Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association with César Chávez. The union organized strikes and boycotts that led to better wages and working conditions for California farmworkers.

Huerta was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012.