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

3. Seeing the strange collection of tourists, journalists, and protesters, O'Rourke contemplated that Washington really needs what?

4. What are the speeches called that O'Rourke heard when he visited the House of Representatives?

5. What platform did O'Rourke say the Republicans ran on in 1988?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. What does O'Rourke say is the best way to truly understand the function of government?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

How does the author describe journalists? How does he seem to feel about these people? What techniques does the author use to show his opinions of Washington journalists? Why might his feelings about journalists be ironic? Does he address this irony?

Essay Topic 3

What role did the media play in George H. W. Bush's popularity? How does O'Rourke characterize the media's feelings toward Bush? How does he seem to feel about the media's treatment of Bush? What is the significance of O'Rourke including this observation in his book? What point is he trying to make?

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