Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a nationally syndicated columnist and a member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Read his column here 

Ruben Navarrette says Sarah Palin's critics challenged her because of prejudices about small-town values. 

SAN DIEGO, California (CNN) -- During the presidential election, some Democrats demanded to know how I could defend Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. 

Simply put, Palin is my people. She's small-town folk who wound up in the big leagues. 

Because I grew up in a small town with a population of less than 15,000 people, I was disgusted by the insults and condescension coming from those who think of themselves as the enlightened elite. Meanwhile, in small towns, I detected great affection for Palin. People talked about how she was "a real person" who "reflected their values." 

The most significant divide in America isn't Red State vs. Blue State, it's rural vs. urban. The country mouse and the city mouse are still slugging it out. 

In 1982, New York Mayor Ed Koch ran unsuccessfully for governor of New York. Some say the deciding factor was when Koch described life in upstate New York as "sterile" and said he dreaded living in the "small town" of Albany, if elected. That didn't play well in rural areas. 

Now comes Colin Powell. During a recent appearance on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS," Powell attempted an autopsy on the Republican Party's failed presidential bid. He went after Palin, accusing her of pushing the party so far to the right that it went over a cliff.  QUESTIONS:

Q1:
1. What does  Ruben Navarrette Jr do?
2. What is Ruben Navarrette Jr's job?
3. How is Ruben Navarrette Jr employed?
Q2:
1. What is Ruben Navarrette's opinon of Sarah Palin?
2. How does Ruben Navarrette feel about Sarah Palin?
3. How does Ruben Navarrette speak about Sarah Palin?
Q3:
1. How big is the population of Ruben Navarrette's town?
2. What is the size of the town that Ruben Navarrette comes from?
3. What size of town does Ruben Navarrette hail from?
Q4:
1. How do small town people feel about Sarah Palin?
2. What do people in small towns think about Sarah Palin?
3. What is the opinion of rural people with respect to Sarah Palin?
Q5:
1. What is America's most significant divide?
2. What divide is the largest in the United States?
3. What division is most considerable in the US?
Q6:
1. What is Ed Koch famous for?
2. What is Ed Koch known as?
3. What is Ed Koch's claim to fame?
Q7:
1. In what year did Ed Koch run for Mayor?
2. What was the year of Ed Koch's mayoral campaign?
3. When did Ed Koch run a campaign for mayor?
Q8:
1. What made Ed Koch an unsuccessful candidate for governor of New York?
2. What was the deciding factor that made Ed Koch's gubernatorial campaign fail?
3. What ensured that Ed Koch would lose his campaign for governor of New York?
