March 22, 2007

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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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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