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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Which of the following accompanies Obama to Afghanistan and Iraq when he travels there during his campaign?

2. How many contests take place on Super Tuesday, per Obama?

3. Which of the following does Obama select to become Treasury Secretary?

4. What does Obama note is his average margin of victory in the weeks after Super Tuesday?

5. By what margin does the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act pass the House of Representatives?

Short Essay Questions

1. What is the first bill Obama signs into law, and what does it do?

2. What two things does Obama note led to his ascendancy in the Iowa campaign?

3. How does Obama describe “politics in Springfield” (33) while he is a state senator?

4. How does Obama define “too big to fail” companies within the context of the 2008 financial crisis (181)?

5. Obama notes reprising the final section of Lincoln’s journey to Washington, DC, for his own inauguration—with one change. What is the change, and why was it made?

6. What is the overall tone of the first section in Chapter 10, describing the Oval Office, and how is it conveyed?

7. What comment is reported that Billy Shaheen makes about Obama?

8. What does Obama identify as “the one big tactical error of our campaign” (139)?

9. What lesson does Obama report taking from the New Hampshire primary?

10. How does Obama define the role of the body man?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Obama remarks several times through the memoir about playing cards, particularly Spades. What functions do the remarks serve, and how do the remarks serve those functions?

Essay Topic 2

Obama writes of “that most precious of gifts: the conviction of innocence, as well as the righteous indignation that comes with it” (274). What tone does the memoir adopt towards that gift? What in the memoir supports the idea? How does it do so?

Essay Topic 3

In the memoir, Obama frequently compares himself to Lincoln. What function does the comparison serve in the memoir? How does it serve it?

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