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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 attended a housing rally that took place where?

2. How many ninth graders were at the high school in O'Rourke's town?

3. What drug does O'Rourke say made kids psychotic?

4. The author blames the savings and loan collapse on soaring interest rates caused by what administration?

5. What was the school drop-out rate in O'Rourke's town?

Short Essay Questions

1. Who does O'Rourke blame for the savings and loan collapse?

2. What does the author mean when he says that Americans live a "whiffle life"?

3. Explain how the government wastes billions of dollars on farm subsidies, according to O'Rourke.

4. What does O'Rourke see when he spends an evening with the Washington DC police department?

5. How does O'Rourke describe Blatherboro?

6. How does O'Rourke describe the USS Mobile Bay?

7. How does O'Rourke feel about claims of collateral damage during Operation Just Cause?

8. What does O'Rourke mean when he says that Social Security is like the nation picking its own pocket?

9. How does O'Rourke see a connection between the fear of crack cocaine in America and racism?

10. Why does O'Rourke say Americans will not find a solution to the problem of drugs in the country?

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

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 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?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 789 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample