1. a) Where is Venezuela located?
b) List the countries that make up Central America and South America.

2. Define the following as used in the article:
--populist
--bloc
--leftist
--radical
--rhetoric
--anomaly

3.  Why is Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez popular with the lower classes in Venezuela?

4.  Name the two leaders/countries that are allied with Chavez in opposing the U.S.

5. a) What credentials does Ken MacHarg have that give him the knowledge to comment on political trends in Latin America?
b) How does Mr. MacHarg differentiate between leftist leaders of various Latin American countries?

6. How is Chavez using the billions of dollars earned by the sale of Venezuelan oil to gain allies in Latin America and around the world?

7. In what two countries has Chavez's meddling backfired?  Why?

8.  What point does Mr. MacHarg make about Chavez in paragraph 11?

9.  Why can leftist Presidents da Silva of Brazil and Bachelet of Chile be described as pragmatic?

10. What hope is offered in the last paragraph of this article for the future of Latin American governments?