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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 compares the president's decision-making ability to that of a child of what age?

2. Who did O'Rourke blame for the poor state of the nation?

3. What is the name of the group of journalists who ask questions and take photos at the White House?

4. What does O'Rourke say is the term for an interview where "you didn't come here and I didn't say this"?

5. What year did the Seneca Falls Declaration take place?

Short Essay Questions

1. What did Ted Kennedy mean when he said "Where was George?"

2. How does O'Rourke feel that consumer advocates compel increased bureaucracy?

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

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

5. What does O'Rourke think about the modern high school civics text book?

6. How does O'Rourke describe the partnership between Dukakis and Bentson?

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore O'Rourke's story concerning runaway car syndrome and the hype around it. What does runaway car syndrome have to do with bureaucracy? How do instances like runaway car syndrome seem to fuel increased bureaucracy? How does O'Rourke seem to feel about increased bureaucracy in the U.S. government? What techniques does the author use to convey these feelings?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the author's feelings about the Republican and Democratic parties. How does he characterize Republicans and their ideals? How does he characterize Democrats and their ideals? What characteristic do the parties share? What faults does he find with each party? Does he say anything positive about each party?

Essay Topic 3

Look at the significance of Jesse Jackson. What characteristics did O'Rourke see in Jackson that he was impressed by? What techniques does the author use to show that he is impressed by Jackson? Why does the author mention Jackson? What is he trying to say about him and about politicians in general?

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