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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 claims that Social Security serves only to pad the bank accounts of whom?

2. How many poor people does O'Rourke say ask him for money on his way to work every day?

3. O'Rourke concludes that, because government can stifle the free market, government is what?

4. What was the name of O'Rourke's friend who learned to fly a stunt plane and decided to raise cattle?

5. O'Rourke says using crack cocaine makes one feel like whom?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does O'Rourke feel about the seriousness of the problem of crack cocaine in America?

3. How does O'Rourke feel about the war in Afghanistan?

4. How does O'Rourke feel about American poverty at the beginning of "Poverty Policy: How to Endow Privation"?

5. How does O'Rourke feel about the government's treatment of the nation's problem with drugs?

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

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

8. Why does O'Rourke say that Blatherboro suffers from stupidity?

9. Why does O'Rourke feel that the best policy for dealing with Afghani Pathan tribesman is to just stay away from them?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

How does the author characterize the U.S. government? What techniques does he use to convey his feelings about the government to the reader? What does he mean when he says the government goes unchecked? Who does he think should be checking it?

Essay Topic 2

Explore the significance of Michael Dukakis in the book. How does O'Rourke use Dukakis' past experience as governor to mock him? What problems did he see with the way Dukakis led? What problems did he see with the promises Dukakis made to the U.S. citizens?

Essay Topic 3

The purpose of O'Rouke's book is to criticize the U.S. government and explain the problems he sees with it. Based on the ideas he shares in the book, what would O'Rourke's ideal government look like? How would it be run? How would citizens be treated? Use examples from the text to support your claims.

(see the answer keys)

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