These questions are
used as quizzes. These questions are also
1/3 of the questions for the objective part of the Exam that ends Unit 3, with the
other 2/3rds coming from the two other quizzes in this Unit.
These questions are
from Chapter 28 and 29.
H |
1.
|
Television’s
influence marked American life. Which of the following does not
describe the characteristics of television in the 1950s? a.
Stars such as Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan appeared
on the new medium and remained household fixtures for years and the three
major networks¾NBC, ABC, and CBS¾that began
in radio were in operation in television. b.
Politicians were slow to use the medium, fearing it might make them look bad
nationally. c.
Television powerfully presented consumer products, resulting in a stronger
demand by the American public. d.
Some observers called the early 1950s the "golden age" of
television because it spawned such classics as comedian Sid Caesar and
reporter Edward R. Murrow with his program "See It Now." e. In the early years,
television shows portrayed a society with families consisting of a mother who
was a housewife, a dad who held a pressure-free white-collar job bringing in
a comfortable salary, and children who were well-adjusted and witty. |
H |
2.
|
Television’s
influence marked American life. Joseph McCarthy's hearings showcased his hunt
for communists in America and his new charge of a “communist spy ring” in the
Army. Accepting Eisenhower’s views, the Senate leadership televised the
hearings. The eventual result was: a.
the arrest of over 300 "security risks" b.
the firing of over 1,400 federal employees c.
McCarthy's being censured by the Congress for his overzealous methods d. a much stronger federal
government |
H |
3.
|
Several
decades in the US have been marked by diseases. The most disturbing disease of
the 1950s, finally conquered by a vaccine discovered by Dr. Jonas Salk and
implemented in a simultaneous national test and national vaccination, was: a.
AIDs (acquired immune deficiency syndrome)
b.
maleria c.
poliomyelitis d.
smallpox e.
tuberculosis |
H |
4. |
Elvis
Presley was deeply influenced by African American music and gospel songs, and
his success inspired major record companies to experiment with black
rhythm-and-blues (although white artists were sometimes still used to record
toned-down versions for white teenagers). The more adults criticized his
music, the more popular he became with teenagers. Presley is representative
of the: a.
1940s b.
1950s c.
1960s d.
1970s e.
1980s |
H |
5. |
Ending
the war in Korea, covert actions in Iran and Guatemala and funding in
Vietnam, plans for intervention in Cuba, brinkmanship as the method to deal
with the Communists, advocacy of the domino theory, and sending paratroopers
into Little Rock are best associated with: a.
Harry S Truman b.
Dwight D. Eisenhower c.
John F. Kennedy d.
Lyndon B. Johnson e.
Richard Nixon |
H |
6.
|
Eisenhower’s
Secretary of State labeled the buildup of atomic warheads and the implied threat
of using them as brinksmanship and held that (in the domino theory) the fall
of one country would lead to the fall of others, with Vietnam being
considered the key domino in 1954. a. Allen Dulles b. John Foster Dulles c. George Kennan d. Henry Kissinger e. Dean Rusk |
H |
7.
|
Which
of the following does not help to explain why the war in
Korea came to an end when it did? a.
Mao became gravely ill, threatening the Chinese leadership and encouraging them
to end their participation in the war. b.
The Chinese feared Eisenhower as a former military man more than they had
feared Truman. c.
Stalin died, plunging the communist world into uncertainty. d.
The Communists suffered huge battlefield losses. e.
Secretary of State John Foster Dulles apparently issued a warning through
diplomatic channels stating that failure to complete negotiations in a timely
manner would result in the US using atomic weapons. |
H |
8.
|
Among
the 1950s covert actions by the CIA under the Eisenhower administration were
events in this country. The US intervened when the new government
nationalized British-controlled oil fields and overthrew the royal leader.
The CIA intervened and returned the royal leader to power, with the leader
subsequently splitting oil production (40% to US oil companies, 40% to
British companies, and 20% to Dutch companies). a.
Cambodia b.
Cuba c.
Guatemala d.
Iran e.
Vietnam |
H |
9.
|
Among
the 1950s covert actions by the CIA under the Eisenhower administration were
events in this country. The US paid 78% of the French military budget used
there. The French failed. The Geneva Accords agreed to partition the country
and to free elections in 1956. To quote your textbook, the US planned “to
prevent that election, while creating a permanent anti-communist government .
. . supported by American economic and military aid.” By the end of his
administration, the US aid reached $1 billion with several hundred advisors
as well. a.
Cambodia b.
Cuba c.
Guatemala d.
Iran e.
Vietnam |
H |
10. |
In
political campaigns, Eisenhower had stated the US needed to “roll back”
communism. Khrushchev had criticized the abuses of Stalin, his predecessor in
the Soviet Union. This country responded by trying to throw off the
control of the Soviet Union, but Eisenhower refused to send American troops
or to airlift supplies to the resisters (a measure Truman had done with the
Soviet blockade of Berlin in 1948). a.
Czechoslovakia b.
Hungary c.
Germany d.
Iran e.
Soviet Union |
H |
11. |
Although
covert action and funding occurred earlier, public involvement of the
United States in the conflict in Vietnam begins in this decade: a.
1940s b.
1950s c.
1960s d.
1970s e.
1980s |
H |
12. |
In
the early 1960s, following his policy of “flexible response,” Kennedy
expanded Eisenhower’s program in this country by sending additional advisors
(eventually 16,000), including US Special Forces to train the south’s army. Buddhist protest, including
self-immolation, resulted in the US-favored leader being overthrown in the
South. a.
Cambodia b.
Cuba c.
Guatemala d.
Iran e.
Vietnam |
H |
13. |
In
the mid-1960s, Johnson expanded Kennedy’s program in this country following
an engagement between this country’s vessels and the Maddox and the C.
Turner Joy in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson ordered bombing within this
country and then asked Congress for authority to “take all necessary
measures.” The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave Johnson the authority to
escalate the war. The success of the Communists in 1968 revealed the
vulnerabilities of the plans. a.
Cambodia b.
Cuba c.
Guatemala d.
Iran e.
Vietnam |
H |
14. |
This country, partitioned at
the end of World War II, became a symbol of the Cold War in 1961 when a wall
was built in its capital city to keep its citizens in the eastern part
(dominated by the Soviet Union) from fleeing to the west. a. Czechoslovakia b. Hungary c. Germany d. Iran e. Soviet Union |
H |
15. |
The Eisenhower
administration had approved a CIA covert operation to overthrow this
country’s new Communist leader, using exiles from this country who were trained for months by the CIA with the
expectation of a popular uprising with the exiles’ landing in the country. In
1961, the Kennedy administration implemented the Eisenhower plan, but the
covert plan failed and there was no popular uprising. a. Cambodia b. Cuba c. Guatemala d. Iran e. Vietnam |
H |
16. |
In
this decision in 1954, the Supreme Court declared separate educational
facilities to be inherently unequal: a.
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka b.
Griswold v. Connecticut c.
Plessy v. Ferguson d.
Schechter v. U.S. e.
U.S. v. Butler |
H |
17. |
Eisenhower
was silent about the 1954 decision Brown
v. Board of Education of Topeka until 1957 when Arkansas Governor Faubus defied a federal court order to integrate by
calling out the Arkansas Guard to keep black students from entering Little
Rock's Central High School. Mob violence was televised internationally. The
conclusion of Little Rock was: a.
Faubus stood on the steps of the school with the
troops, and Eisenhower backed down. b.
Eisenhower nationalized the Arkansas Guard, sent 1000 army paratroopers, and
ordered them to protect students entering the school. c. Governor George Wallace joined the
Arkansas governor by also blocking black students in Alabama. d.
both a and c |
H |
18. |
In
the aftermath of Brown v. Board of
Education of Topeka, a. segregation in the South ended
almost immediately. b. segregation was allowed to
continue for ten years. c. the slow process of desegregating
public schools was begun. d.
African American protests against discrimination began to decline in number. e. nothing changed in the South. |
H |
19. |
In
1955, the Montgomery Bus Boycott was led by Martin Luther King, who endured
firebombing of his home. It was the beginning of active African American
protest against discrimination, and the protest succeeded because: a.
Federal courts struck down Alabama's law requiring racial segregation in
public transportation. b.
The boycott almost bankrupted the city bus company. c.
The boycott also hurt downtown merchants who badly needed black customers. d.
A wide and diverse group of Montgomery blacks were determined not
to let the boycott fall apart, with some walking and others forming carpools
and supporting those carpools by raising money for gas and repairing cars for
free. e.
all of the above |
H |
20. |
The
black who refused to step to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in
1955, precipitating the famous bus boycott, was a.
Fannie Lou Hamer
b.
Martin Luther King c.
Rosa Parks d.
Thurgood Marshall e.
Emmett Till |
H |
21. |
The
Eisenhower administration included the Federal Highway Act of 1956. This act: a.
initiated the construction of 40,000 miles of interstate roads over the
coming decade financed by new taxes on cars, trucks, and gasoline b. was passed, in part, because
Eisenhower wanted to be able to evacuate the nation's cities rapidly in case
of a nuclear attack. c. led to improvements in many
seemingly unrelated areas of the economy. d.
all of the above |
H |
22. |
Which
of the following statements about the Soviet’s launching of Sputnik,
the first manmade satellite, in the 1957 is true? a.
The US tried to counter by launching the Vanguard rocket, but failed,
resulting in newspaper headlines about “Flopnik”
and “Kaputnik.” b.
Eisenhower insisted that Sputnik did not indicate a military threat because
the United States was actually well ahead of the Soviet Union in nuclear
research and delivery systems, and he proved it by releasing secret photos of
the inferior Russian systems. c.
The launch of Sputnik shook
Americans' pride and their confidence in the future, and Americans began
criticizing the U.S. education system which was creating a generation—to
quote Life magazine’s editors¾unprepared
“to cope with the technicalities of the Space Age,” resulting eventually in
federal funding and influence on high school and college programs d. both a and c |
H |
23. |
The
first televised debate between Presidential candidates occurred in 1960. The
Republican candidate, Richard M. Nixon, had successfully used television
before with the “Checker’s Speech” in 1952. The Democratic candidate he debated
was: a.
Jimmy Carter b.
Hubert H. Humphrey c.
Lyndon Baines Johnson d.
John F. Kennedy e.
Ronald W. Reagan |
H |
24. |
Television’s
influence marked American life. The increasing intersection of television and
political campaigning began in this year with the Presidential debate. The
Democrat, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a Catholic who met the issue of his
Catholicism head on, by vowing to preserve separation of church and state.
The Republican was Richard Nixon, who had been Eisenhower’s Vice President.
The year was: a. 1944 b. 1956 c. 1960 d. 1968 e. 1972 |
H |
25. |
In
1961, Kennedy wanted to avoid a showdown with powerful southern congressmen,
but he could not because: a.
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), formed during World War II, started
“freedom rides” to integrate public transportation. b.
Blacks were testing a new Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in
facilities used in interstate commerce, such as airports and bus and train
terminals. c.
The freedom riders met significant violence in Alabama, including firebombing
a bus and a mob’s beating passengers. d.
The televised violence seen internationally left the Kennedy administration
with no choice but to send in federal marshals to protect the freedom riders
and to ban interstate commerce from any segregated terminal. e.
all of the above |
H |
26. |
Which
of the following is descriptive of the early Kennedy White House and what it
was able to accomplish with Republicans and conservative Democrats in
Congress? a.
Passage of a Civil Rights bill b.
Passage of Medicare for the elderly c.
Allocation of billions of dollars for space research and creation of the
Peace Corps (the latter by executive order) d.
Increase in Social Security benefits and raising the minimum wage e.
both c and d |
H |
27. |
In 1962 in this
country, the Kennedy administration countered Khrushchev in the most
dangerous event of the Cold War, one that could have resulted in nuclear war.
The Soviet atomic warheads and missiles were in this country, but the
Kennedy administration successfully handled the two-week crisis by blockade
of this country, international candor, and careful maneuvering of
Khrushchev. a. Cambodia b. Cuba c. Guatemala d. Iran e. Vietnam |
H |
28. |
Which
of the following occurred following the Cuban Missile Crisis,
the closest event to nuclear war in the Cold War era? a.
The Bay of Pigs operation b.
The Americans and Soviets establishing a "hotline" between their
two governments c.
Their signing of the Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Testing in the
Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water, the first step toward dealing
with the radioactivity coming from these weapons d. both b and c |
H |
29. |
In
1963, this individual wrote The Feminine Mystique, covering what she
called “the problem that has no name.” In 1967, she was elected President of
the just-organized National Organization for Women, a political organization
working primarily for the passage of the equal rights amendment and equality
in the workplace. a.
Madeline Albright b.
Geraldine Ferraro c.
Betty Friedan d.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg e.
Sandra Day O’Connor |
H |
30. |
In
1963, which of these things did not occur? a.
Martin Luther King, Jr., who used nonviolence and passive resistance, decided
to challenge Birmingham's segregation laws, and King's followers used
sit-ins, kneel-ins, voter registration drives, and boycotts to achieve their
aims, but Chief of Police "Bull" Connor used police dogs and high
pressure water hoses against demonstrators. b. Governor George C. Wallace
proclaimed “Segregation Now! Segregation Tomorrow! Segregation Forever!” and
blocked admission of black students to the University of Alabama by “standing
at the school house door,” but gave way when the federal marshals arrived. c. A. Phillip Randolph, President of
the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and activist in World War II, called
for a March on Washington. d. Martin Luther King gave at that
march the “I Have a Dream” speech to a crowd of 200,000 marchers. e. Kennedy proposed a Civil
Rights Act, and Congress passed it enthusiastically. |
H |
31. |
The 1950s
and the early part of the 1960s was marked predominantly by
peaceful actions on the part of African Americans and violence on the part of
whites. Examples include James Meredith, a black Air Force veteran, who
registered in 1962 for classes at the all white
University of Mississippi. The later
part of the 1960s was marked by extensive violence in all of these areas except: a.
In 1965, black riots that began in the Watts area of Los Angeles (CA) but
that also occurred in Newark (NJ) and Detroit (MI), with the riots usually
beginning over incidents between local blacks and white police officers b.
Following the 1966 founding of this Black Power group, shootouts between the
Black Panthers (CA) and the police c.
In 1968, attacks on anti-war demonstrators at the Democratic National
Convention by the Chicago police d.
In 1968, protests by Cesar Chavez’s National Farm Workers, a group supported
by Senator Robert Kennedy, with Chavez undertaking a hunger strike to
expedite the long boycott e.
In 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King in Memphis (TN),
black riots in many African American communities |
H |
32. |
The
public grief in response to the assassination John Fitzgerald Kennedy
combined with Johnson’s legendary ability to get things done in Washington
resulted in substantial changes. As part of the Great Society programs,
Johnson: a.
Declared a "war on poverty" in a nation with 20% of the people
below the poverty line in 1960 (reduced to 12% by 1970) b.
Emphasized community action, encouraging¾with mixed
success¾neighborhood
groups to play an active role in federally funded projects, including Head
Start c.
Succeeded in pushing Congress to pass health programs¾Medicare for
the elderly and Medicaid for the indigent of any age d.
Succeeded in pushing Congress to pass the Kennedy’s previously proposed Civil
Rights Act and also the Voting Rights Act e.
All of the above |
H |
33. |
Following
the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson sought and
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act that: a.
Withheld federal funds from segregated programs b.
Outlawed discrimination in public facilities such as hotels and restaurants c.
Included “sex” among the prohibited discrimination d.
Created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission e.
all of the above |
H |
34. |
In
his second term, Lyndon Johnson appointed and the Senate confirmed the
nomination of the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court, an
individual who had been an NAACP attorney in the historic cases before the
Supreme Court beginning in the 1950s. a.
Fannie Lou Hamer
b.
Martin Luther King c.
Rosa Parks d.
Thurgood Marshall e.
Emmett Till |
H |
35. |
This
societal and cultural period is associated with "hippies" who
defined themselves as opponents of the dominant culture—a counterculture. The
music of this period began with the Beatles but ended with the Grateful Dead;
drugs ranged from marijuana to LSD. The movement began on the East and West
coasts, especially Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco. Making this movement more
conspicuous was that it is linked with a separate movement, the sexual revolution, brought on by technology (oral contraceptives) and
by Supreme Court decisions that made “sexually explicit” information more available.
This movement occurred in the decade of the: a.
1940s b.
1950s c.
1960s d.
1970s e.
1980s |
H |
36. |
In
what decade were John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, and Martin
Luther King, Jr. assassinated? e.
a. 1940s b.
1950s c.
1960s d.
1970s e.
1980s |
H |
37. |
Succeeding
in the first Presidential debate on TV, the fiasco of the covert action of
the Bay of Pigs in Cuba, the comparative success of the Cuban Missile Crisis,
flexible response as the method to deal with the Communists, and
establishment of the Peace Corps and of the manned space program are best
associated with: a. Harry S Truman b. Dwight D. Eisenhower
c. John F. Kennedy
d. Lyndon B. Johnson
e. Richard Nixon |
H |
38. |
Taking
office after John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s assassination, promoting the Great
Society, Medicare and Medicaid being established, Civil Rights Act of 1964,
Voting Rights Act of 1965, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, and his decision not to
run for President in 1968 are best associated with: a. Harry S Truman b. Dwight D. Eisenhower c. John F. Kennedy d. Lyndon B. Johnson e. Richard Nixon |
H |
39. |
This Republican
campaigned for president in 1968 as the spokesman for the “silent majority,”
winning 43.4% of the vote and competing against the Democrat Hubert Humphrey
(42.7% of the vote) and the American Independent Party George C. Wallace
(13.5 % of the vote): a. Harry S Truman b. Dwight D. Eisenhower c. John F. Kennedy d. Lyndon B. Johnson e. Richard Nixon |
These
questions are in some cases based on questions in the test database for
American Passages.
|
WCJC
Department: |
History
– Dr. Bibus |
Contact
Information: |
281.239.1577
or bibusc@wcjc.edu |
Last
Updated: |
2013 |
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Home: |