Multiple choice

He is a new, if 60-year-old face. He is a lavishly decorated ex-marine from a marine family and has a son serving in Iraq. He has plenty of Washington experience – inside the Pentagon - but he is also a novelist, historian and serial divorcee. He had a public spat with Mr. Bush at a party.

The protest crowds like him. And he has themes. Being against the war in Iraq is one of them. Being angry about the increasing economic burdens on middle America – and the grotesque inflation of boardroom pay – is another. And he uses both those tunes to great effect. He looks so alluring now because a marine hero who wants troops out of Iraq and also wants Mr. Bush to fly to Tehran for talks with the President there, fits perfectly with any obvious prescription for success.

Which of the following conclusions cannot be inferred from the passage?

  1. A big chunk of Americans are against Iraq war and against confrontation with Tehran.

  2. An anti-establishment rhetorician finds it rather easy to catch public gaze.

  3. The public is more likely to believe the anti-war rhetoric of someone who has been through it, seen it.

  4. Divorce is not such a serious matter in American public life.

  5. The popularity graph of President Bush is going south.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The protagonist is anti-Bush, and he does attract protest crowds. But this cannot be taken to mean (5).

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