Multiple-Choice Questions.

To assess your knowledge and skills in government and politics, answer these sample multiple-choice questions. Here are some questions on the scenario or text-based questions regarding vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Republican John McCain had earned the party’s selection as presidential candidate in 2008 and chose Palin as his running mate. It is a passage written by a conservative op-ed columnist in a national newspaper.  The correct answers will appear below the questions after a brief delay.

If at one time women were considered heretical for swimming upstream against feminist orthodoxy, they now face condemnation for swimming downstream—away from (vice presidential candidate) Sarah Palin. . . . Circumstances have changed since Palin was introduced as just a hockey mom with lipstick. . . . As we have seen and heard more from John McCain’s running mate, it is increasingly clear that Palin is a problem. Quick study or not, she doesn’t know enough about economics and foreign policy to make Americans comfortable with a President Palin should conditions warrant her promotion. Columnist Kathleen Parker, “Palin Problem,” Washington Post, 2008


1. Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author’s argument in this passage?

(A) No vice president should expect to become president.

(B) This vice presidential candidate is not ready to be president.

(C) The vice president’s job is not that important.

(D) The candidate is not that experienced, but can learn on the job.


2. Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

(A) A candidate’s experience and knowledge should matter more than their uniqueness.

(B) A Democrat vice presidential nominee would be a better than a Republican VP nominee.

(C) The chances of a president dying in office does not warrant this concern.

(D) A woman just isn’t fit for the second highest office in the land.


3. What factor might those who agree with Kathleen Parker also point out?

(A) The fact that several presidents have died while in office

(B) That the Republican party platform is another reason to vote against Mrs. Palin

(C) More women should run for Congress before running for vice president

(D) The constitutional system for presidential succession needs revisited


And the answers are . . . 


Photo/Image: John McCain and Sarah Palin, by Bill Morrow