Walter Patterson

Have you ever had a teacher give you a “pop quiz”?
Have you ever noticed the joy it brought to the teacher to give you a “pop quiz”? Did you have that sinking feeling in your stomach when the quiz landed on your desk because you knew that you had not done your homework?
Remember how you felt when the teacher announced that the quiz would count as a daily grade?
Well, here is a little “pop quiz” that I want you to take, but you may score it yourself. I promise not to count it as a daily grade. It is designed to help you think through some of the current events presently under discussion in the United States.

Circle the correct answer:

1. The financial situation in the United States is
A. no problem at all.
B. can be easily managed by the President and Congress.
C. has reached a crisis point.
2. Most Americans
A. are better off today than ever before.
B. have benefited from Obama’s fiscal policies.
C. are worse off today than 2 years ago.
3. Gas prices
A. are the result of greedy oil companies.
B. are the result of having no energy policy.
C. are the result of no energy policy and ineptness in the White House and Congress.
4. The United States is
A. in a deep recession.
B. in a depression similar to l929.
C. is in what economists call a boom period.
5. Inflation occurs when
A. the dollar buys less goods and services.
B. the dollar buys more goods and services.
C. the value of the dollar remains steady.
6. Under Obamacare
A. Medicare has been increased by $257 billion.
B. Medicare will give all children less than 10 years old a monthly check.
C. Medicare has been cut nearly $500 billion.
7. Standard and Poor, a credit rating company, recently reduced the U. S. credit rating from stable to negative:
A. This means that the U. S. will pay less for borrowed money.
B. The U. S. debt held by China has been cancelled.
C. The U. S. will pay more for borrowed money.
8. Clean energy such as wind, solar, and nuclear
A. has proven very successful in Europe.
B. has proven unsuccessful for the most part.
C. only nuclear energy has proven to be successful.
9. President Obama
A. believes that the U. S. can and should take on more debt.
B. believes that the government should spend more money on job creation.
C. wants to “invest” in wind, solar and high speed rail.
D. all of the above.
10. Financial experts:
A. believe that the debt is unsustainable.
B. don’t see debt as a long-term problem:
C. believe that the the U. S. is in a financial crisis.
D. two of the above.
The answers are as follows: 1,(c), 2.©, 3.©, 4.(a), 5.(a), 6. ©, 7. ©, 8.©, 9. (d), 10. (d).
If you made a perfect score, you are a conservative Republican. If you missed two, you are a conservative, but need to work on current events. If you missed more than three, you are probably a Democrat who believes in global warming, high speed rail, and windmills.