QUIZ: How Much Do We Spend on the Military?

Quiz

The United States spends a LOT on the military. How much is a lot? Take this quiz and find out!

1: The US spends more on the military than the next _ countries combined.

Oops! Please choose an answer!

2
4
7
8

You got it!

Estimates vary, but our country spends more on the military than (at least) the next 8 countries (China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom) combined.

Nope! It’s 8.

Estimates vary, but our country spends more on the military than (at least) the next 8 countries (China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom) combined.
2: How many pints could you buy with the tax dollars we’re sending to the Pentagon?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

175 million
10 million
600,000
250,000

Hope you have a big enough freezer!

If we consider the average military budget to be around $700 billion and the average pint price to be about $4, then you’d be able to buy 175 million pints with all that Pentagon cash.

Hope you’re hungrier than that.

If we consider the average military budget to be around $700 billion and the average pint price to be about $4, then you’d be able to buy 175 million pints with all that Pentagon cash.
3: How many Mars colonies could be funded by the cost of one year of military spending?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

3
1
2
4

Is your spacesuit dry-cleaned?

Some estimates suggest that it could cost as much as $150 billion to establish a human colony on Mars. With a military budget of around $700 billion, we could set up four!

Hard to believe, but it’s 4!

Some estimates suggest that it could cost as much as $150 billion to establish a human colony on Mars. With a military budget of around $700 billion, we could set up four!
4: The cost of one F-35 fighter jet is equivalent to what?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

12,000 Meals on Wheels meals
Housing and social services for 9,500 homeless people for one year
One big military parade in Washington, DC
The operating budget for the Veterans Administration for one year

That's right!

A single fighter jet costs the US government $95 million. By contrast, providing housing and social services to a single homeless person for a full year costs just $10,000. So, one fighter jet = a year of housing and services for 9,500 homeless people.

The correct answer is (B).

A single fighter jet costs the US government $95 million. By contrast, providing housing and social services to a single homeless person for a full year costs just $10,000. So, one fighter jet = a year of housing and services for 9,500 homeless people.
5: With the money we spend every year on the military, how many kids could we send to four years of private college?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

20,000
5,200,000
1,500,000
100,000

That’s a lot of diplomas!

The average cost per year of private college is about $33,480, so you have to drop about $133,920 for a four-year degree. With the military’s $700 billion budget, we could help 5.2 million kids get their degrees.

No—it’s way more than that!

The average cost per year of private college is about $33,480, so you have to drop about $133,920 for a four-year degree. With the military’s $700 billion budget, we could help 5.2 million kids get their degrees.
6: Last year, the president asked Congress to spend $30 billion more on defense. What else costs $30 billion?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

Planting a new forest the size of Delaware
Taking a trip out past the moon and back
Ending world hunger for a year
Ordering a fleet of flying cars

Seems like money well-spent, right?

The UN estimates that the cost of ending world hunger for a year would be $30 billion. Believe it or not, you could do all those other things, including ordering the flying cars, for a lot less than that.

The answer is ending world hunger.

The UN estimates that the cost of ending world hunger for a year would be $30 billion. Believe it or not, you could do all those other things, including ordering the flying cars, for a lot less than that.
7: Imagine if we took half our defense budget and instead used it to give a bonus to every public school teacher in America. How much cash could our teachers expect to receive?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

$11,400
$22,500
$109,375
$89,225

You get a gold star!

There are about 3.2 million public school teachers working today. With an extra $350 billion, our hard-working teachers could be taking home $109,375 each!

Not even close!

There are about 3.2 million public school teachers working today. With an extra $350 billion, our hard-working teachers could be taking home $109,375 each!
8: The US spends how much more on the military than it does on anti-poverty programs?

Oops! Please choose an answer!

4x
10x
Actually, it’s the same amount
2x

Our priorities are out of whack.

The US spends about $183 billion on anti-poverty programs, so assuming a military budget of around $700 billion, we spend almost 4 times more on the Pentagon than we do on our friends and neighbors who need help the most.

The answer is 4x.

The US spends about $183 billion on anti-poverty programs, so assuming a military budget of around $700 billion, we spend almost 4 times more on the Pentagon than we do on our friends and neighbors who need help the most.

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