WSC YR25 T4 Future Wasn't Meant to Be

What was the Zeppelin?

• A type of rigid airship filled with gas for lift
• A steam-powered flying machine used in the 1800s
• A type of military aircraft designed for supersonic speed
• A passenger plane developed by the Wright brothers

Why did Zeppelins ultimately fail as a mode of transportation?

• They were highly flammable and prone to catastrophic accidents
• They were too expensive to produce compared to airplanes
• They could not fly at high altitudes, making them impractical
• They were banned worldwide due to noise pollution concerns

What was the Hyperloop?

• A proposed high-speed transportation system using vacuum tubes and magnetic levitation.
• A new type of subway system powered by solar energy.
• A supersonic passenger jet designed to replace airplanes.
• A self-driving car network that used underground tunnels.

Why did the Hyperloop fail to become a mainstream transportation system?

• High costs, technical challenges, and infrastructure limitations made it impractical.
• Governments banned it due to safety concerns.
• Passenger demand for high-speed travel was too low.
• The system was successfully built but replaced by a faster alternative.

What was one of the main challenges in developing flying cars?

• Safety and regulatory concerns made mass adoption difficult.
• There was no demand for personal air travel.
• Engineers could not figure out how to make a car fly.
• Flying cars required too much fuel to operate efficiently.

Why have most flying car prototypes failed to become mainstream?

• High costs, complex infrastructure needs, and strict aviation laws.
• People prefer traditional cars over air travel.
• The technology for vertical takeoff does not exist.
• Governments have banned all research into flying vehicles.

What was the title of Francis Fukuyama’s influential 1989 paper?

• “The End of History?”
• “The Last Man Standing”
• “Liberalism and Its Discontents”
• “Democracy in Crisis”

What did Fukuyama mean by "the end of history"?

• Liberal democracy is the unsurpassable ideal form of political organization.
• History has literally stopped and nothing significant will happen again.
• All countries have successfully become liberal democracies.
• Politics and governance have reached complete perfection.

What are the three key elements of a liberal democratic state, according to Fukuyama?

• Democracy, state strength, and rule of law.
• Free markets, military power, and capitalism.
• Absolute individual freedom, minimal government, and no taxation.
• Cultural homogeneity, economic equality, and direct democracy.

What vulnerability does Fukuyama argue authoritarian states like Russia and China face?

• Bad decision-making due to reliance on a small leadership group.
• A lack of military strength to maintain power.
• Overdependence on public participation in governance.
• Too much political decentralization leading to instability.