Pop Quiz

<p><img alt="iraqiqphoto.jpg" src="/wp-content/uploads/legacy/news/featurex/2007/03/iraqiqphoto.jpg" width="652" height="145"></p> </p> <p>How much do you know about the war in Iraq? Take our 15-question quiz to find out. Keep track of how many you answered correctly — you can score yourself once you’ve reached the end of the quiz.</p>

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  1. Iran and Iraq are primarily:


    Shiite


    Sunni


    Kurdish


  2. There are about 141,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq. How many private
    American contractors are there?


    50,000


    85,000


    125,000


  3. What is the highest estimate of the number of Iraqi civilian casualties?


    100,000


    650,000


    1,000,000


  4. Which one of the following leaders or organizations are associated with Sunni Islam?


    Hezbollah


    Muqtada al-Sadr


    Al Qaeda


  5. How much does the war cost American taxpayers each day?


    $40 million


    $135 million


    $275 million


  6. Which is responsible for the majority of American troop deaths in Iraq?


    Sunni insurgents


    Kurdish militias


    Shiite militias


  7. The Kurds make up approximately what percentage of Iraq’s population?


    20%


    35%


    50%


  8. Of the staff at the American embassy in Baghdad, what percentage speak Arabic?


    3%


    17%


    32%


  9. What percentage of seats in the Iraqi parliament are held by Shiite-led parties?


    55%


    70%


    85%


  10. What is the leading cause of death for U.S. soldiers in Iraq?


    Gunfire


    Improvised Explosive Devices


    Car bombs


  11. The total cost of the war so far is $318.5 billion. Experts predict that veterans’ long-term medical care could cost:


    $127 billion


    $275 billion


    $412 billion


  12. How has the number of terrorist attacks changed since the U.S. invaded Iraq?


    More attacks in Iraq and worldwide


    More attacks in Iraq, but fewer worldwide


    Fewer attacks in Iraq, but more worldwide


  13. Which country is building a 560-mile fence to keep out Iraqi refugees?


    Iran


    Saudi Arabia


    Jordan


  14. The U.S. gives up to $2,500 to the families of:


    U.S. Army privates killed in action


    American defense contractors killed on the job


    Iraqi citizens killed by an American missile


  15. In a recent poll, what percentage of American soldiers thought the U.S. was likely to succeed in Iraq?


    25%


    50%


    75%


Scoring key:

12-15 correct: Great! If only you were on the National Security Council.

8-11 correct: Good. Why weren’t you reporting on WMD rather than Judy Miller?

4-7 correct: Okay. Your knowledge is on par with that of the average cable news pundit.

0-4 correct: Back to school. On the bright side, you still probably know more than George W. Bush did when we invaded Iraq.

You can learn more about Iraq by reading Mother Jones’ “Iraq 101.”

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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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