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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In Chapter 38: Who Does One Think He Is? Mamet claims that he wrote "The Secret Knowledge" not because he's an expert but because he is what?
(a) A true patriot.
(b) Lacking listeners.
(c) Saddened by the state of the country.
(d) A citizen with something to say.

2. For what book is Saul Alinsky most well known?
(a) Rules for Radicals.
(b) Nerds for Freedom.
(c) Justice for Everyone.
(d) Common Sense for Peace.

3. In Chapter 36: Bumper Stickers, Mamet claims that old bumper stickers like "War Is Not the Answer," gave the false impression that there is only a choice between death and what?
(a) Life.
(b) Hope.
(c) Surrender.
(d) Struggle.

4. What word means to speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully; defame?
(a) Critique.
(b) Denigrate.
(c) Abolish.
(d) Praise.

5. What concept stands on the side of the street sweeper and urges him to ask for more on payday since he gets far less than a physician, according to Mamet in Chapter 32: The Street Sweeper and the Surgeon, or Marxism Examined?
(a) Liberalism.
(b) Socialism.
(c) Communism.
(d) Democracy.

Short Answer Questions

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected President of the United States in what year?

2. What is defined as a group pattern of habitual activity usually transmitted from one generation to another?

3. What executive orders did FDR institute which brought about a variety of programs designed to produce relief (government jobs for the unemployed), recovery (economic growth), and reform?

4. In Chapter 32: The Street Sweeper and the Surgeon, or Marxism Examined, Mamet claims that while it's absurd to judge that someone is not capable of a certain position because of his race, it is just as absurd to do what?

5. Whose poem written for his son and containing many Christian references did Mamet read while at Camp Kawaga?

Short Essay Questions

1. What led to the diminishing of conservative Judaism in Mamet's family, as described in Chapter 27: The Ashkenazis?

2. From what did the institution of marriage arise, according to Mamet in Chapter 30: Naturally Evolved Institutions?

3. What does Mamet write about his own military experience in Chapter 37: Late Revelations?

4. What does Mamet claim about the denigration of American culture in Chapter 22: My Father, Al Sharpton, and the Designated Criminal?

5. How does Mamet relate the benefits of working on a movie set in Chapter 38: Who Does One Think He Is?

6. What does Mamet claim about war, diplomacy and choice in Chapter 36: Bumper Stickers?

7. How did David Mamet's political beliefs evolve throughout his life?

8. What importance does Mamet lay on the foundation of family in Chapter 29: The Family?

9. Why does Mamet assert he wrote the book The Secret Knowledge in Chapter 38: Who Does One Think He Is?

10. How does Mamet relate the government to a sports referee in Chapter 30: Naturally Evolved Institutions?

(see the answer keys)

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