The Tyranny Of Clichés Book! Trivia Quiz

1. "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste."

We need to turn a negative into a positive

Declaring war will pull us out of decline

Let’s exploit a national emergency to dramatically expand government

Choice quote from the book: "'We planned in war' became the mantra of the intellectuals, furious with the Republican-led 'return to normalcy' of the 1920s. And liberalism has never recovered. The search for a moral equivalent of war continues to define American liberalism today."

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: "'We planned in war' became the mantra of the intellectuals, furious with the Republican-led 'return to normalcy' of the 1920s. And liberalism has never recovered. The search for a moral equivalent of war continues to define American liberalism today."

2. "It's anti-science to dispute the evidence."

New facts update our understanding of the world

Time marches forward whether you march or not

Rather than grappling with alternative arguments, I'm going to say you are stupid

Choice quote from the book: “Second perhaps only to ‘health,’ science is routinely used as the false flag of reasonableness carried by those who allegedly only care about ‘the facts,’ but are in fact concerned about something else.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “Second perhaps only to ‘health,’ science is routinely used as the false flag of reasonableness carried by those who allegedly only care about ‘the facts,’ but are in fact concerned about something else.”

3. "My opponents prefer Social Darwinism over social decency."

Survival of the fittest isn't just about natural selection

The strong should help the weak and exercise authority in a way that equalizes outcomes

Conservatives don't want to help the poor or needy

Choice quote from the book: “While hundreds of millions have been killed by the faithful application of Karl Marx's ideas, Marx still enjoys a deep reservoir of respect and an army of apologists. And perhaps more shocking, Darwin is still found utterly blameless on that score, even though he was, in fact, the inspiration for a good deal of Marx's work.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “While hundreds of millions have been killed by the faithful application of Karl Marx's ideas, Marx still enjoys a deep reservoir of respect and an army of apologists. And perhaps more shocking, Darwin is still found utterly blameless on that score, even though he was, in fact, the inspiration for a good deal of Marx's work.”

4. "I'm interested in answers, not ideology."

I want the best idea, regardless of the source

It’s career-saving for me to run away from labels

I want to sound open-minded, but I’m really interested only in solutions I already favor

Choice quote from the book: “Having an ideology doesn’t mean you’ve been brainwashed, it means you’ve come to conclusions about how the world works at some basic level.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “Having an ideology doesn’t mean you’ve been brainwashed, it means you’ve come to conclusions about how the world works at some basic level.”

5. "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

True heroes are willing to challenge bad ideas

If something is wrong with the country, we have a duty to say so

It's OK to say terrible things about the USA as long as you say you love it

Choice quote from the book: “Some of the chanting Occupy Wall Street protesters out there recycling their urine and filming gay porn movies intents might also be interested in helping America, but many are simply motivated by an apish desire to join the crowd or a nihilistic yearning to take a sledgehammer to the foundation of a country they just happened to be born in.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “Some of the chanting Occupy Wall Street protesters out there recycling their urine and filming gay porn movies intents might also be interested in helping America, but many are simply motivated by an apish desire to join the crowd or a nihilistic yearning to take a sledgehammer to the foundation of a country they just happened to be born in.”

6. "Better to let 10 guilty men go free than punish one innocent."

Society should err on the side of the accused

Justice must be evenly applied

It's easier to blame "the system" when uncomfortable arguing facts

Choice quote from the book: “It’s a bedrock contract of society, more important and older than notions of democracy that justice is done to all. But, and this is crucial, that contract is not a suicide pact.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “It’s a bedrock contract of society, more important and older than notions of democracy that justice is done to all. But, and this is crucial, that contract is not a suicide pact.”

7. "Diversity makes us stronger."

Stirring up the mix of contributors improves the final product

America is a mixing bowl, not a melting pot

People can be of all stripes, but I will only associate with people who agree with me

Choice quote from the book: "At a deeper level, the agenda behind diversity is about power. It is a way to give permanent license to social engineers. If you make diversity a compelling state interest or social imperative, someone has to decide what does or does not count as beneficial diversity, and that someone is invariably a social engineer."

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: "At a deeper level, the agenda behind diversity is about power. It is a way to give permanent license to social engineers. If you make diversity a compelling state interest or social imperative, someone has to decide what does or does not count as beneficial diversity, and that someone is invariably a social engineer."

8. "I don't let my religious views influence my political decisions."

I can separate my personal views from the work of the people

There is no place for religion in politics

I only discuss my religious views when I can use them for political gain

Choice quote from the book: “I understand why abortion-rights activists see pro-life policies as an imposition of faith (and I can see why a fetus would feel much the same way about pro-choice policies if he or she had a chance to live). But how are environmental or anti-poverty policies driven by faith not an imposition of faith?"

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “I understand why abortion-rights activists see pro-life policies as an imposition of faith (and I can see why a fetus would feel much the same way about pro-choice policies if he or she had a chance to live). But how are environmental or anti-poverty policies driven by faith not an imposition of faith?"

9. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

A little bit of planning can help deter disaster

Cures are often costlier than the disease

Public officials are in the best position to tell people how to live

Choice quote from the book: “You want to live longer because you want to live longer. And so for you, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But the math is reversed for the government. Healthy people cost more than sick people.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “You want to live longer because you want to live longer. And so for you, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. But the math is reversed for the government. Healthy people cost more than sick people.”

10. "It's a slippery slope."

Small demands little by little add up to much bigger intrusions

Give an inch and people will take a mile

People can't be trusted to know when to put the brakes on a bad idea

Choice quote from the book: "At some level, slippery slope arguments surely appeal to our caveman's brains. The Neanderthal who never asked, "What could go wrong?" probably had a hard time passing on his genes successfully.”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: "At some level, slippery slope arguments surely appeal to our caveman's brains. The Neanderthal who never asked, "What could go wrong?" probably had a hard time passing on his genes successfully.”

11. "The Constitution is a living and breathing document."

Artificial checks on power are unnatural

To faithfully perform public service, one must interpret intent to fit the times

The Bill of Rights is a dead-letter relic

Choice quote from the book: “If the truly defining qualification for judges is their values or their level of empathy for certain aggrieved groups, then why bother sending lawyers to the Supreme Court in the first place?”

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “If the truly defining qualification for judges is their values or their level of empathy for certain aggrieved groups, then why bother sending lawyers to the Supreme Court in the first place?”

12. "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

The greatest names in history are responsible for the greatest crimes

There has to be a system of checks and balances

Everyone's a hypocrite

Choice quote from the book: “We -- and I mean everybody, liberals and conservatives alike -- violate Acton's principles all the time. Conservatives make apologies for benevolent dictators. Liberals forgive totalitarian movements because of the principles to be found somewhere beneath an ocean of blood."

Explanation

Choice quote from the book: “We -- and I mean everybody, liberals and conservatives alike -- violate Acton's principles all the time. Conservatives make apologies for benevolent dictators. Liberals forgive totalitarian movements because of the principles to be found somewhere beneath an ocean of blood."