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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. Who is the author of a book about the failure of poverty programs called "Losing Ground"?

2. O'Rourke visits Afghanistan to cover the expected fall of what city?

3. O'Rourke concludes that, in a democracy, the whores are whom?

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

5. O'Rourke says that because America is the richest nation on Earth, he is surprised to still what on the street?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. How does O'Rourke suggest solving the problem of students dropping out of school?

3. How did Blatherboro block the completion of a local golf course?

4. How does O'Rourke feel about his town government blocking the building of a golf course?

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

6. Describe O'Rourke's experience when he joined the Guardian Angels on a drug den raid.

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

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

9. Why does O'Rourke fault environmentalists for making "big business" out to be the enemy?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Explore O'Rourke's idea of the "whiffle life." How does it apply to people with different economic statuses? How do the rich fair in the whiffle life? How do the poor fair? What point is O'Rourke making about the country in general when he speaks about the "whiffle life"?

Essay Topic 3

Why does O'Rourke say that the 1991 budget caused Bush to become less popular? What were the American people hoping for with Bush? What platform did he run on? How did increased taxes tie into into his decreased popularity?

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