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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. O'Rourke says that the 1988 presidential candidates were less well chosen than whom?

2. Who was George H. W. Bush's running mate in 1988?

3. O'Rourke points out that the manual for what automobile is 4 times as long as the U.S. Constitution?

4. What Audi model does O'Rourke say was deemed unsafe because of "runaway car syndrome"?

5. Who was the director of the Office of Management and Budget at the time George H. W. Bush's 1991 budget was completed?

Short Essay Questions

1. What problems does O'Rourke see with the U.S. Constitution?

2. How does O'Rourke feel about George H. W. Bush's 1991 budget?

3. How does O'Rourke describe the Democratic National Convention?

4. How does O'Rourke feel about George H. W. Bush's rise to fame?

5. From O'Rourke's description, what does a congressman's job entail?

6. Why does O'Rourke seem to believe that being a congressman is a thankless job?

7. How does O'Rourke suppose that most Americans feel about the United States government?

8. How does O'Rourke explain what the Democrats and Republicans believe in?

9. How does O'Rourke feel that the American political system is like a Mexican Christmas fiesta?

10. How does O'Rourke describe one-minute speeches?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does O'Rourke say the government essentially put itself into debt? How does the government spend its money, according to the author? What does O'Rourke say is the main reason the country is in debt? What techniques does the author use to express his feelings about the government's spending habits? What point is O'Rourke trying to make about the government and the citizens?

Essay Topic 2

Explore O'Rourke's idea that the U.S. president is merely a symbol. What does he represent? What does O'Rourke believe the true role of the president of the U.S. is? What reasons does he give for feeling this way?

Essay Topic 3

Explore the perspective used in this nonfiction work. How would O'Rourke's lessons about the government be different if they were written from a third-person perspective, like they would be in a text book? What could the reader gain from a less personal perspective? What is gained from the first-person perspective and the first-hand examples that he uses instead?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 870 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample