(From the diaries -- Plutonium Page.)
Jeff Stein tells us that the rising Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, Silvestre Reyes, doesn't know whether Al Qaeda and Hezbollah are predominantly made up of Shiite or Sunni Muslims. Well, the BCIS has decided to revamp the test required of applicants for citizenship. So I think we, the blogosphere, should put together our own new test--fifty questions a legislator should be able to answer correctly before he or she can vote on laws relating to those subjects. I've made a start below. Once we get a bunch I plan to put this into a document and send it to Pelosi and Reid. Hell--at the very least, maybe they can get their legislators to cram for the quiz so they don't sound quite so embarrassing in interviews.
1. The terrorist group Al Qaeda is overwhelmingly made up of what kind of Muslims?
a. Shiite
b. Sunni
c. Kurds
d. Nation of Islam
2. The known nuclear proliferator, AQ Khan, comes from which of the following countries?
a. North Korea
b. Iran
c. Pakistan
d. Libya
e. Iraq
3. Which of the following countries is known to have nuclear weapons? [Thanks to pontificator and borkitekt and several others for the fixes]
a. Israel
b. Iraq
c. Iran
d. Libya
4. Which of the following leaders was elected in an election deemed to be fair by outside observers?
a. King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia
b. King Abdullah of Jordan
c. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela
d. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
5. Which option correctly shows the US share of world population and its share of world oil use?
a. 5% of the world population, 25% of world oil use
b. 16% of the world population, 16% of world oil use
c. 25% of the world population, 25% of world oil use
d. 3% of the world population, 6% of world oil use
6. How much of Mexico's GDP in 2005 came from remittances, money sent back to Mexico from migrant workers in other countries (primarily the United States)?
a. $21.8 million
b. $879.6 million
c. $1.7 billion
d. $21.8 billion
7. How many new jobs have been created by NAFTA?
a. 1,000,000
b. none -- the US has effectively LOST 1,000,000 jobs due to NAFTA
c. none -- the US has not lost or gained any jobs due to NAFTA
d. 56
8. What is the most common cause of personal bankruptcy?
a. Gambling debt
b. Medical expenses
c. Laziness
d. Unnecessary consumer expenditures
9. Which of the following is not a likely result of global warming?
a. Tsunamis in Asian countries
b. Heat waves killing thousands of people
c. Rising sea levels
d. Diminished agricultural productivity
10. How much has the average cost of a college education risen in the last five years?
a. 3%
b. 15%
c. 40%
d. 120%
These are just intended as a start (all are backed by data--but some, like the NAFTA question, I'd like to get more data on). Provide your corrections and additions below.
[from Dump Terry McAuliffe]
- In which of these countries was al-Queda not operating as of September 11, 2001?
a. Afghanistan.
b. Chechnya.
c. Iraq.
d. Pakistan.
- Which of the following did the September 14, 2001, Authorization for the Use of Force resolution specifically provide for?
a. Domestic surveillance of telephone conversations.
b. Extraordinary rendition of suspected terrorists.
c. Suspension of the writ of habeas corpus.
d. None of the above.
- How much has the S&P 500 index gone up since President Bush took office?
a. It has actually fallen.
b. 2.5 percent.
c. 25 percent.
d. 125 percent.
Answers (no peeking, or we'll kick you out like Tom DeLay):
1 b -- 2 c -- 3 a -- 4 c -- 5 a -- 6 d -- 7 b -- 8 b -- 9 a -- 10 c -- 11 c -- 12 d -- 13 b