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What was Phyllis Schlafly’s agenda in her 1964 book A Choice Not an Echo?
A. To praise the Republican party for its moderate views and policies
B. To praise the liberal elite eastern establishment for its rationalism
C. To press for the easing of Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union
D. To push Barry Goldwater’s presidential candidacy
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D
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Which of the following describes the agenda of the new conservative movement of the 1970s?
A. It supported the advances of the Great Society.
B. It criticized the government’s intrusion into the individual’s economic life as a hindrance to
prosperity and personal responsibility.
C. It extolled government involvement in the individual’s economic life as a stimulus for economic
growth and strong communities.
D. It lauded Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as a vital source of progress in American life.
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B
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Some of the most vigorous support for the growing grassroots conservative movement of the 1970s came
from which group?
A. Urban dwellers in the Northeast
B. Middle-class suburban men and women in the Sun Belt
C. African Americans in the South and Midwest
D. Former members of Lyndon Johnson’s administration
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B
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What was Richard Nixon’s "southern strategy" for winning the presidential election in 1968?
A. He hoped to woo white southerners away from the Democratic party.
B. He attempted to gain the black vote by promising new civil rights legislation.
C. He devoted little time to campaigning in the North.
D. He introduced labor unions to the South in order to capture labor’s support
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A
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Which of the following was true of court-ordered busing during Nixon’s presidency?
A. After significant effort, he persuaded Congress to end it.
B. He fiercely enforced it, particularly in northern and western schools, as part of his southern strategy.
C. Despite riots elsewhere in the country, the people of Boston peacefully accepted it in 1974.
D. After he appointed four new justices to the Supreme Court, the court imposed strict limitations to
achieve racial balance.
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D
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President Nixon saw Chief Justice Earl Warren’s retirement in 1969 as an opportunity to put what kind of
justice on the Supreme Court?
A. A liberal female
B. A conservative male
C. An African American
D. A conservative female
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B
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What was the significance of a number of conservative Democrats changing their party affiliation
beginning in 1964?
A. Democrats were losing the solid South.
B. African Americans in the South would be voting in growing numbers.
C. Republicans were going to have a difficult time winning elections in the South.
D. Democratic politicians in the South were solidly behind federal civil rights legislation.
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A
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In its 1978 decision in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, the Supreme Court
A. declared affirmative action unconstitutional.
B. established rigid quotas for affirmative action at universities.
C. allowed universities to base affirmative action on strict racial classifications.
D. limited the range of affirmative action.
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D
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Which of the following was a surprising development in the 1972 presidential race between Richard
Nixon and George McGovern?
A. Nixon received strong support from conservatives.
B. Nixon was popular among southern, Catholic, urban, and blue-collar voters.
C. McGovern was popular among southern, Catholic, urban, and blue-collar voters.
D. McGovern defeated Nixon in the popular vote.
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B
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What triggered the Watergate scandal that began in 1972?
A. An accident involving a U.S. senator who drove his car into the Potomac River
B. The discovery that Nixon campaign workers had broken into and bugged Democratic party
headquarters in Washington, D.C.
C. Reports that Democratic party aides had stolen campaign strategy information from Republican
party headquarters in Washington, D.C.
D. A newspaper report that Republican government officials had been collecting campaign funds from
lobbyists
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B
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Following the 1972 election, Americans learned that President Nixon and his associates had been guilty
of
A. taking campaign contributions from the Mafia.
B. stuffing ballot boxes in the election.
C. harassing "enemies" through illegal means.
D. wiretapping CIA and FBI headquarters to protect presidential power.
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C
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What spurred the resignation of Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, in 1973?
A. An investigation that revealed his part in the Watergate break-in
B. His refusal to turn over the Oval Office tapes to the special prosecutor
C. An investigation that revealed he had taken bribes while governor of Maryland
D. The revelation that he had had an extramarital affair with one of his aides
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C
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For what crime did the House Judiciary Committee vote to charge President Nixon as one of the
grounds for impeachment?
A. Tax evasion
B. Perjury
C. Obstruction of justice
D. Warrantless wiretapping
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C
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After President Nixon resigned from office in August 1974, he
A. retired to Virginia.
B. was tried and sentenced for his offenses.
C. was pardoned by President Gerald Ford.
D. ran for governor of California.
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C
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What did the Democratic Congress aim to do after President Nixon’s resignation?
A. Control the activities of the CIA
B. Guard against future abuses of government power
C. Fund universal health care
D. Clarify the laws of succession
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B
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Which of the following factors helped Jimmy Carter win the presidency in 1976?
A. His association with special-interest groups
B. His strong political background
C. His distance from Washington, D.C., politics
D. His outstanding humanitarian and foreign policy experience
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C
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Before winning the presidency, Jimmy Carter’s political experience included
A. serving as a senator from Georgia.
B. acting as mayor of Atlanta.
C. serving as governor of Georgia.
D. working as a Democratic party activist in Georgia.
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C
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Which of the following economic developments characterized Jimmy Carter’s presidency?
A. The nation’s economic fortunes improved.
B. U.S. corporations and wealthy individuals gained little from new legislation.
C. The president taxed upper-income Americans to ensure the solvency of Social Security.
D. The president cut federal spending in order to compensate for rising inflation.
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D
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To address the nation’s dependence on foreign oil, President Carter established the
A. Department of Energy.
B. Department of Health and Human Services.
C. Energy Protection Agency.
D. Bureau of Energy Conservation.
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A
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What was a consequence of the nuclear accident near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1979?
A. All nuclear power plants in the United States were closed for inspection.
B. Further development of the nuclear power industry was stalled.
C. Deadly radiation was discovered for several miles around the reactor core.
D. All nuclear power plants in the United States were decommissioned.
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B
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What calamity led President Carter to sponsor legislation to create the Superfund?
A. The environmental disaster at Love Canal in Niagara Falls, New York
B. The bankruptcy of the Chrysler Corporation
C. The emergence of AIDS crisis in the United States
D. The recession caused by stagflation in 1979
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A
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When he took office in 1976, President Carter promised to approach American foreign policy
A. with the intention of ending policy of détente spearheaded by President Nixon.
B. by applying human rights principles.
C. by avoiding the use of economic pressure or sanctions against other nations.
D. with the goal of abiding by the decisions made by the United Nations.
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B
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In 1977, the United States and Panama completed treaties that arranged
A. Panama’s takeover of the Panama Canal in 2000.
B. for the United States to purchase the Panama Canal in 2000.
C. for the United States to continue leasing the Panama Canal indefinitely.
D. for unlimited use of the Panama Canal by the United States.
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A
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What was one of President Carter’s major accomplishments in mediating the political crises in the
Middle East?
A. Dissuading Egypt from attacking Israel in 1977
B. Persuading Menachem Begin that Israel should give up the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
C. Convincing Egypt to recognize Israel and Israel to gradually withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula
D. Brokering a temporary peace between the state of Israel and the Palestinian refugees
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C
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How did President Carter respond to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979?
A. He established a new program to shore up Muslim dictatorships in neighboring countries.
B. He barred U.S. athletes from participating in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.
C. He requested legislation requiring all nineteen-year-old men and women to register for the draft.
D. He asked the United Nations to expel the Soviet Union from the Security Council.
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B
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Which of the following was among the reasons the Iranian government was hostile to the United States
after the shah left the country?
A. The CIA helped to overthrow the Mossadegh government.
B. The United States and Iraq had a history of military alliances.
C. Iran blamed the U.S. government for allowing Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
D. The United States held several hundred Iranian students in prison on political charges.
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A
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The American hostages were held in the U.S. Embassy in Teheran by their Iranian captors
A. until President Carter sent troops to rescue them.
B. until President Carter was able to negotiate their release with Ayatollah Khomeini.
C. for nearly four years, nearly all of Carter’s term in office.
D. until the day President Carter left office.
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D
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What made the election of 1980 so significant?
A. It signaled a resurgence of support for the Great Society.
B. It signaled conservatives’ loss of dominance in the Republican party.
C. It revealed that conservatives had come to dominate the Republican party.
D. Voter turnout was the highest it had been since 1932.
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C
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Before he won the presidency in 1980, Ronald Reagan had been
A. a professional football player and then the mayor of Los Angeles.
B. a nationally known attorney in a Los Angeles law firm.
C. a longtime Republican activist and chair of the Republican National Committee.
D. a well-known actor and then the governor of California.
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D
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Which of the following factors was a significant part of Ronald Reagan’s appeal to voters?
A. His promise to expand the role of government to improve people’s lives.
B. His ability to downplay the so-called misery index.
C. His promise to take government off the backs of the people.
D. His praise for the achievements of the Great Society
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C
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Who founded the Moral Majority in 1979?
A. Former civil rights activists, who were dedicated to nonviolence
B. Advocates of expanding the nation’s social welfare system
C. Jerry Falwell, to fight left-wing social welfare bills
D. Ralph Nader, to fight for corporate responsibility
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C
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Why was Ronald Reagan often liked even by those who disagreed with his policies?
A. He was confident, easygoing, and optimistic.
B. He was known for his keen insights and accuracy with facts and figures.
C. He maintained his close ties to moderate political organizations.
D. He was always willing to compromise on important issues.
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A
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What was President Reagan’s initial strategy to fix the lagging U.S. economy?
A. Lower interest rates
B. Introduce a massive tax cut
C. Pump federal money into the economy
D. Increase taxes
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B
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What was the ultimate result of President Reagan’s two substantial tax cuts?
A. They benefited the wealthy.
B. They had little effect on the economy.
C. They had essentially no effect on the economy.
D. They made a significant difference to the average taxpayer.
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A
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What was the outcome of the Reagan administration’s decision to deregulate the banking industry?
A. Savings and loan institutions’ financial position was strengthened dramatically.
B. A crisis in the savings and loan industry occurred, placing an added burden on taxpayers.
C. Nearly all American savings and loan institutions declared bankruptcy.
D. A flurry of mergers and bankruptcies left the country with just five major banks.
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B
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What was the result of President Reagan’s pledge to reduce federal spending?
A. Cuts in spending for social welfare programs
B. A reduction in the federal budget deficit
C. Lower interest payments on the national debt
D. A reduction in the national defense budget
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A
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Who was Walter Mondale’s running mate in the presidential election of 1984?
A. Hubert H. Humphrey
B. Reverend Jesse Jackson
C. Shirley Chisholm
D. Geraldine A. Ferraro
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D
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By 1990, about what percentage of married women with young children worked outside the home?
A. 10 percent
B. 25 percent
C. 60 percent
D. 90 percent
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C
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During the 1980s, as Americans’ average personal income increased, how did the level of economic
inequality in the United States change?
A. It also increased.
B. It decreased.
C. It remained unchanged.
D. It disappeared altogether.
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A
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Ronald Reagan’s appointments to the federal court system tended to favor
A. loose construction of the Constitution and an expansive role for the federal government.
B. a strict construction of the Constitution that limits judicial power.
C. expansion of abortion rights.
D. opposition to the death penalty.
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B
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Despite the antifeminist tone of the Reagan administration, feminists and the administration found
common ground in
A. lobbying for the Equal Rights Amendment.
B. expanding abortion rights.
C. expanding child care for poor working women.
D. the collection of court-ordered child support payments for single mothers.
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D
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During the Reagan years, feminists were successful in
A. expanding day care services for low-income women.
B. retaining the basic principles of Roe v. Wade.
C. securing the federal government’s support of equal pay for equal work.
D. expanding federal funding for domestic violence programs.
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B
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How did the gay and lesbian rights movement fare during the conservative 1980s?
A. Gay and lesbian rights activism grew, but the AIDS epidemic limited its effectiveness.
B. Gay and lesbian rights activists retreated after the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of
sodomy laws in 1986.
C. The AIDS epidemic caused the deaths of hundreds of movement leaders and severely curtailed its
activities.
D. Gay and lesbian rights activism grew and won some victories but also sparked a strong
countermovement.
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D
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What happened to American defense spending under President Reagan?
A. It rose to $500 billion per year.
B. It increased beyond the level of spending during the Vietnam War.
C. It fell by almost 30 percent.
D. It grew because of the federal budget surplus.
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B
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Which of the following describes President Reagan’s Star Wars initiative?
A. It eased tensions with the Soviet Union because it was a defensive, rather than an offensive,
program.
B. It surprised Reagan’s advisers and elicited an angry response from critics and the Soviet Union.
C. It met with overwhelming approval at home and abroad.
D. It carefully adhered to the terms of the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty.
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B
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In April 1983, a suicide attack on a U.S. embassy in which nation killed sixty-three people?
A. Iran
B. Syria
C. Egypt
D. Lebanon
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D
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How did President Reagan respond to the growing black protests against the racist system of apartheid
in South Africa in the mid- to late 1980s?
A. He sent economic and military aid to support the black protesters.
B. He convinced the South African government to liberalize its apartheid policies.
C. He imposed economic sanctions against the South African government.
D. He sided with the South African government in the escalating conflicts.
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D
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What did the Reagan administration do when Congress blocked its efforts to help opponents of the
leftist Sandinista government in Nicaragua?
A. It acted secretly and illegally to undermine congressional authority.
B. It funneled money and arms to the Contras through the FBI.
C. It persuaded European countries to cut off trade with Nicaragua.
D. It gave up its plan of ousting the Sandinista government.
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A
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What did the independent prosecutor charged with investigating the Iran-Contra scandal conclude about
President Reagan and Vice President George Bush?
A. Both were guilty of clear violations of the law.
B. Both had little knowledge of efforts to divert funds to the Contras or of plans to hide those efforts.
C. Both had knowingly participated or at least acquiesced in covering up the scandal.
D. Neither had played any role whatsoever in the scandal.
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C
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What was the status of the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union at the time
President Reagan left office in 1989?
A. They were on the brink of nuclear war.
B. They had resolved all of their disputes and had agreed to destroy their nuclear arsenals.
C. They had agreed that communism and capitalism could coexist peacefully.
D. They had reached their highest level of cooperation since World War II.
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D
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