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

2. The main effects of the decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford in history were the rise of the Republican Party over what party?

3. What was the name of legislation approved by the U.S. Congress in that prohibited further U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia?

4. In 1987, Mamet made his film directing debut with what movie?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does Mamet criticize the words "hope" and "change" in the Obama campaign in Chapter 34: Hope and Change?

2. How has opinion changed regarding the Jewish people, according to Mamet in Chapter 28: Some Personal History?

3. For what play was Mamet criticized for misogynistic views in Chapter 26: Feminism? What was his response?

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

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

6. What does Mamet write about the 2008 housing collapse in Chapter 23: Greed?

7. How does Mamet describe the impact of the Dred Scott Decision in Chapter 33: Self-Evident Truth?

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

9. What does Mamet assert to be the reason for America's success in Chapter 39: The Secret Knowledge? What threatens that success to Mamet?

10. What is the outcome when the government intervenes on the side of the street sweeper according to Mamet in Chapter 32: The Street Sweeper and the Surgeon, or Marxism Examined?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Describe the history of World War II, the U.S. Constitution, and the president's right to declare war. Does the Constitution grant this right to the President or to Congress?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the history of commerce in Communist and non-Communist nations discussed in Chapter 14: R100. What does the metaphor of Nevil Shute do to support Mamet's case?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss Mamet's examination of Jane Fonda and Vanessa Redgrave. Do you agree or disagree with Mamet's conclusion that Fonda committed treason? How do her actions differ from those granted from freedom of speech?

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