Welcome, prospective Evil Henchman! We here at Financial Operations and Underwriting Limited (FOUL) have designed the following aptitude test to select the best possible candidates for our Henchmen Training Program. Please answer the questions to the best of your ability.

The hissing smoke and sounding claxons are normal, we assure you.

Please note: The large countdown clock at the front of the room will announce at periodic intervals how long you have before your exam will self-destruct in a flash of white phosphorus. The burns will be quite disfiguring (assuming you survive) so we encourage you to complete the test with some dispatch. Please understand that this is part of the test. Henchmen that cannot work well while a giant loudspeaker is counting down to their demise are not the kind of henchmen we train and not what our clients have come to expect.

#1) You hear a strange noise while patrolling the perimeter of your facility. Do you:

1. Ask “who’s there?”
2. Shrug and move on.
3. Shoot indiscriminately into the bushes.
4. Call for backup.

#2: Your current employer expresses a desire to destroy your home town with an orbital doomsday weapon. Thoughts?

1. Oh no! I’ve got to call my mom!
2. Surely there must be better targets! I will suggest them, because my boss is open to that kind of feedback.
3. Finally all those suckers at Tuscaloosa High will get what’s coming to them!
4. <Maniacal Laugher>

#3: Please describe the way you would scream if tossed off a cliff or shot off a balcony.

1. AAAAAHHHH!
2. AIEEEEEEE!
3. ARRGHHHH!
4. WAAAAAHHH!
5. Other (please explain in a short essay):

#4: One of your fellow henchmen draws the ire of the boss and is to be put into the Ultra-pneumatic Torture-tron. Do you:

1. Let him make a break for it when nobody’s looking.
2. Shoot him to spare him the anguish.
3. Promise to tell his wife he loves her.
4. Ask if you can have his watch.

#5: Does Might make Right?

1. I don’t understand the question.
2. No, Might can make you turn left, too.
3. I want to punch the egghead who writes these questions.
4. According to Rousseau, Might is a physical property, and thus there can be no moral quality attached to its effects.

#6: When using a gun, what is the best policy?

1. Full automatic, spray left to right.
2. Controlled bursts, carefully aimed.
3. Fire mostly in the air while shouting.
4. Single shots, aimed to make the coolest ricochet noise.

#7: If I tell you a tattoo of a burning eye on your forehead will make you invincible, do you:

1. Ask if the needles are properly sterilized.
2. Research my claims by consulting the internet.
3. Worship me as a god.
4. Inquire as to whether you will get to learn kung fu.

#8: Captain Courageous is pummeling three of your friends at once. Explain your next move:

1. Jump on his back and pull that stupid hood over his eyes.
2. Wait until your friends have had a chance and then attack him by yourself.
3. Run away screaming for help.
4. Shoot them all.

#9: What is more appealing: Actual military training or badass neon outfits with face masks?

1. Facemasks. And laser guns.
2. Military training; evil is serious business.
3. Why can’t I wear my street clothes?
4. Anything that shows off my pecs is cool.

#10: The boss decides to use your body as a human shield. Do you:

1. Accept your fate as the inevitable reward for your life of evil.
2. Struggle to save yourself, thereby knocking the boss into an acid vat/alligator pit.
3. Beg for the hero not to kill you and show him or her pictures of your kids.
4. Enjoy this sense of closeness and trust with your employer and look forward to deepening your relationship.

#11: Your prisoner claims to be sick. Describe your reaction.

1. “Don’t worry! I know first-aid!”
2. Call a doctor.
3. Open up the cell, crack your knuckles, and resolve to teach them a lesson.
4. Feign deafness.

Essay Question

If your hoverscooter is chasing Lady Lightning through the rainforest and another friendly hoverscooter is behind you, please explain how you would attempt to dodge vines and trees, shoot Lady Lightning, and keep from foiling your associate’s attempts to slip between those two trees that are really, really close. Please show your work. Drawings are encouraged.

Extra Credit

What are the odds, expressed as a percentage, that you would go into a dark alley to get a look at the evidently mostly-naked and attractive woman hiding therein? Furthermore, what are the odds you will have your keycard on you at that time?