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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. On what day was a government study released on "runaway car syndrome"?

2. How long did Jesse Jackson propose to freeze military spending?

3. At what time of day was George H. W. Bush's 1991 budget finally "hammered out"?

4. How many letters from citizens does O'Rourke imagine that congressmen receive each year?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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?

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 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?

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This section contains 856 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample