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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. Who referred to lukewarm political relationships as "kiss on the lips but no tongue"?

2. What television program ran a story about "runaway car syndrome" in an Audi model?

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

4. Which Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives women the right to vote?

5. Who was the attorney for the plaintiffs during a flag desecration case?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does O'Rourke depict Washington journalists?

2. What did a study show about the Audi 500 and its supposed runaway car syndrome?

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

4. How does O'Rourke describe the Republican and Democratic platforms during the 1988 elections?

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

6. How does O'Rourke describe the day he shadowed a congressman?

7. How does O'Rourke feel about the Democratic speeches given during a visit to the House of Representatives?

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

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

10. To what does O'Rourke attribute the problem of the national deficit?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

Essay Topic 2

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"?

Essay Topic 3

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?

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