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Matt Bruenig: The Case against Free College

Answer the following questions in a Word Document

1. Why does Bruenig place quotation marks around “free college” in paragraph 2?

2. In paragraph 2, Bruenig refers to “means-tested tuition subsidies.” What does the term means-tested mean?

3. According to Bruenig, what is the primary problem with free college?

4. Bruenig believes current “student benefit campaigners” are focusing on the wrong issue. What does he mean?

5. What is Bruenig’s attitude toward the “welfare state”? Do you agree with his view? Why or why not?

6. In paragraph 9, Bruenig cites “a broader egalitarian project.” What does this project seem to be? How is it related to the overall purpose of this essay?

7. Bruenig takes a critical view of advocates seeking to make college more affordable and alleviate the burden of student debt. Is his purpose in this essay to persuade these “benefit campaigners”? Do they seem to be part of his primary audience? Explain.

8. Vocabulary Project. In paragraph 8, Bruenig refers to the American “faith in meritocracy.” What is a meritocracy? What connotations does this word have? Does Bruenig’s use of this term make sense within the context of his overall argument?