Washington Squares

This is the last week the MoJo Wire lets you test your prowess with political trivia and gives you a chance to win a <b><font color=red>FREE</font color></b> subscription to <i>Mother Jones</i> magazine. Next Tuesday we’ll have a new set of questions about a different politician, plus the answers and winners from the week before. Just make sure you play before 5 p.m. Pacific Time Monday.

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This Week: Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham ClintonWhile the First Lady has recently drawn fire for her tight-lipped account of the Whitewater affair, her past successes — Wellesley student body president, Yale Law School grad, Watergate investigator, children’s advocate, corporate attorney, wife, mother, and author — testify to her shrewd ability to maneuver through murky waters.

As James Carville, Clinton’s 1992 campaign strategist, wryly noted, “If the person that has the last word at night is the same person who has the first word in the morning, they’re going to be important. You throw in an IQ of a zillion and a backbone of steel, and it’s a pretty safe assumption to say this is a person of considerable influence.”

Wondering who’s the person behind the personas? Make your choices below.

  1. In 1975, Hillary Rodham, a 27-year-old Arkansas lawyer, married Bill Clinton. What else did she do that year?

    She tried to join the Marines.
    She tried to run for Senate.
    She tried to enter the Peace Corps.
    She tried to form a country and western band.
    She tried to grow watermelons.

  2. What would Hillary’s father say when she brought home a straight-A report card?

    “Ever heard of an A+?”
    “You must be at an easy school.”
    “Hmm…Can you bake cookies yet?”
    “Awright!”
    “Better luck next time, honey.”

  3. At age 17, Hillary was a strong ______.

    “Agnew advocate”
    “Nixon nymphet”
    “Ford fan”
    “Goldwater girl”
    “Rockefeller ally”

  4. In 1992, how did Hillary characterize her career choices and her role as a political wife?

    “I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies.”
    “I’m just glad that Bill is finally gaining some respect in the office.”
    “It’s a wonderful gift to feel so loved and so special.”
    “I love the challenge of balancing motherhood and a career.”
    “I try to be Mrs. Reality Check.”

  5. What prediction did Hillary’s high school newspaper make regarding her future?

    that she would become a revolutionary author and write a manifesto.
    that she would dye her hair blond and bake cookies.
    that she would balloon to 400 pounds and have seven children.
    that she would make millions as an attorney and start a legal fund.
    that she would become a nun and take the name “Sister Frigidaire.”

Your name:

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We’re compiling the results from this quiz, please come back later

Ted Rueter is the author of several books on politics, including The Newt Gingrich Quiz Book and The Rush Limbaugh Quiz Book.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

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