9/11 and the War on Terror

Which is a responsibility of the Transportation Security Administration?

• regulating fares that airlines can charge

• preventing terrorist from getting driver's licenses

• setting speed limits for highways

• security screening at airports

In 2001, Congress passed the Patriot Act. Which was one of the powers granted as result of this act?

• the right to draft people into the military

• increased authority to use electronic surveillance

• federal funding for patriotic groups

• the right to create new taxes to fund anti-terrorist activities

Which of these groups is a part of the Department of Homeland Security?

• the United States Army

• the Federal Bureau of Investigation

• the Transportation Security Administration

• the National Security Agency

In 2002, President George W. Bush established the Department of Homeland Security. The department is responsible for protecting U.S. citizens by preventing terrorist activities and responding to domestic emergencies. Part of the department's duties include surveillance on citizens or foreigners who are suspected terrorists. Department officials are allowed to wiretap suspects' phones and monitor email and other technological communications.

Why are some citizens unhappy about the Department of Homeland Security's actions?

• They feel that the department acts too harshly and causes unnecessary fear.

• Citizens believe that the department limits their freedoms of the First Amendment.

• Citizens say the department's procedures deny the rights in the Fifth Amendment.

• People think the department is going beyond the powers listed in the Constitution.

States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.—George W. Bush

The excerpt above is from President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address that he gave in January 2002. Which is one of the countries that President Bush considered to be part of the "axis of evil"?

• Mexico

• Iraq

• Israel

• Russia

Which government organization was created in 2002 in order to prevent terrorist attacks and respond to natural disasters?

• the Department of Defense

• the Federal Bureau of Investigation

• the Department of Homeland Security

• the Central Intelligence Agency

The United States government believes that the terrorists who coordinated the attacks on America on September 11, 2001 were associated with which group?

• the Iraqi government

• Hamas

• Al Qaeda

• the Saudi Arabian government

One of the buildings damaged during the September 11th attacks was

• the White House.

• the Washington Monument.

• the U.S. Capitol.

• the Pentagon.

Question 5 .

The United States believed that a man named Osama bin Laden was responsible for planning the attacks on September 11, 2001. Following the attacks, the U.S. believed bin Laden was hiding in which of the following countries?

• Afghanistan

• Iran

• Saudi Arabia

• Kuwait

Which is one of the arguments that some people have against the Patriot Act?

• It makes the prosecution of suspected terrorists more difficult.

• It limits the civil liberties of Americans.

• It provides funding for domestic terrorist groups.

• It reduces the power of the federal government.