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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. What was the name of the prophet who warned against a king that would take a 10th of his people's sheep?

2. In "Only Human in His Own Immortal Way: The President," O'Rourke mocks what Act?

3. In what year did a national newspaper print a story about "runaway car syndrome"?

4. What nickname did O'Rourke give to the generation that was attending high school when his book was written?

5. O'Rourke revealed that congressmen use what items that offer a summary of a proposed bill?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does O'Rourke believe that the United States government remains unchecked?

2. Describe the world O'Rourke envisions when he points out the flaws of the "majority rules" system.

3. What did O'Rourke learn from an anonymous functionary at the Department of Transportation?

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

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

6. Describe O'Rourke's experience with the Young Americans Ball.

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

8. How does O'Rourke feel about Jesse Jackson's speech, which he watched from his hotel room?

9. Who does O'Rourke blame for the perceived poor state of the nation, and who does he let off the hook?

10. How does O'Rourke feel about the concept of political conventions?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore O'Rourke's view of special interest groups. What does the author dislike about special interest groups? How does he characterize them? How does he characterize the people who are involved in them? What specific groups does he talk about? What problems does he see with them? What role does he believe special interest groups play in the politics?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the Supreme Court's 1990 ruling that flag burning cannot be prohibited. What is the significance of the author mentioning this ruling? Why does O'Rourke believe that the Supreme Court ruled that flag burning cannot be prohibited? What does the ruling seem to convey about how the Supreme Court works? What are O'Rourke's feelings about the Supreme Court?

Essay Topic 3

Explore O'Rourke's idea of the "whiffle life." How does it apply to people with different economic statuses? How do the rich fair in the whiffle life? How do the poor fair? What point is O'Rourke making about the country in general when he speaks about the "whiffle life"?

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