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Take this quiz to see if you're ready to vote in Alaska's general election

The General Election is approaching, and once again it is time to find out if you are an informed citizen. The HEPCAT (High Energy Politics Carey Awareness Test) will provide the answer. This incarnation of the test is shorter than the primary version, so you should be able to complete it before finishing your morning coffee. Those who answer all the questions correctly win a bologna sandwich at Tony Knowles' Downtown Deli.

I. FBI tapes of the Veco Room of the Baranof Hotel in Juneau caught lawmaker Pete Kott saying he aspired to become:

A. The warden of a prison in Barbados.
B. The hangman at Devil's Island.
C. The caretaker of Dracula's castle.
D. The greeter at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.

II. Employers who opposed the oil-tax referendum let their employees leave work on Election Day so they could ...

A. Attend union rallies, listen to organizing speeches and sing "If I Had A Hammer."
B. Visit their local church to pray for the victory of Big Oil over Vote Yes.
C. Beat feet to their polling places and follow the boss's voting instructions on the referendum.
D. Get in shape for the Vote No victory party later that evening by knocking down beers and draining shots at tents in the BP parking lot.

III. In the mid-1970s, the hippie activists who created the Ad Hoc wing of the Democratic Party brought which rock band to Anchorage for a fundraiser?

A. Country Joe McKinnon and the Fish.
B. Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.
C. The Quicksilver Messenger Service.
D. Wayne Fontana and the Mind Benders.

IV. Gov. Bill Sheffield faced impeachment in 1985 because he:

A. Removed the warning labels from mattresses in his hotels.
B. Made such a mess of the re-construction of the Port of Anchorage vessels were diverted to Unalaska.
C. Hired Martha Stewart to remodel the governor's mansion while she was in jail.
D. Got mixed up in a state lease in Fairbanks that drew public scrutiny.

V. When Bill Walker and Byron Mallott joined forces as a gubernatorial team, the deal had to be approved by:

A. The Valdez City Council.
B. The Alaska Federation of Natives.
C. The Symbionese Liberation Army.
D. The Central Committee of the Democratic Party.

VI. Wally Hickel's first book was titled:

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A. Be My Guest: A Hotelier's Story.
B. Who Owns Prudhoe Bay.
C. Who Owns America.
D. The Inseparables: Jesus Christ and Richard Nixon.

VII. On an audiotape made by the White House taping system, Nixon is heard describing Sen. Mike Gravel as:

A. A skunk.
B. A dog.
C. A monkey.
D. A rat.

VIII. Name the former Fairbanks radio announcer who was elected to the state House in 1976.

A. Wink Martindale.
B. Wolfman Jack.
C. Larry Carpenter.
D. Norm N. Night

IX. Fairbanksan Joe Vogler was an anti-government activist who became ...

A. The father of Sarah Palin.
B. The father of the Alaskan Independence Party.
C. The director of the National Park Service.
D. The bass player for The Kinks.

X. Who won a write-in for the U.S. Senate in 2010?

A. Jeff Lebowski.
B. Leopold Stokowski.
C. Lisa Murkowski.
D. Rip Repulski.

XI. The music for "The Alaska Flag Song" was written by:

A. Elton John.
B. Elinor Dusenbury.
C. Eleanor Rigby.
D. Sam and Dave (aka The Sultans of Sweat).

Bonus Question: In 1970, Michael Carey was briefly employed as a staffer for:

A. The Khmer Rouge.
B. Amway.
C. The Alaska Legislature.
D. The Sons of Norway.

Answers: A,C,C,D,D,C,D,C,B,C,B,C.

Michael Carey is an Alaska Dispatch News columnist.

The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com

Michael Carey

Michael Carey is an occasional columnist and the former editorial page editor of the Anchorage Daily News.

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