The Red Scare

(After paragraph 3) Senator Joseph McCarthy used his speech to...

• accuse Abraham Lincoln of being a Communist.

• put a stop to the Red Scare in the United States.

• become an important leader in the anti-communist movement.

• ask the State Department to pursue better relations with Communists.

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(After paragraph 7) Before McCarthy's speech, Americans...

• underestimated the threat of communism.

• felt afraid about the rise of communism.

• were inspired by growing communism.

• knew nothing about communism.

(After paragraph 11) According to the author, who is responsible for the Red Scare?

• Alger Hiss

• President Truman

• American Communists

• many American leaders and organizations

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(After paragraph 14) What was the result of HUAC?

• Congress encouraged open discussion of communist views.

• The courts protected freedom of speech for American Communists.

• Law enforcement officials released people who were falsely accused.

• Activists hid their private beliefs and activities for fear of punishment.

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Mary Keyserling is an example of a person who...

• became more outspoken as the Red Scare continued.

• exposed Communist sympathizers in the government.

• moderated her views as a result of anti-communist backlash.

• embraced extreme anti-communist ideas during the Red Scare.

(After paragraph 21) What happened after the Red Scare?

• Fear and mistrust of communism came to an end.

• Americans celebrated McCarthy's contributions to democracy.

• The Army was forced to investigate Communists within its ranks.

• The United States chose security over freedom on other occasions.

(After finishing) Which statement best describes the central idea of the text?

• Senator Joseph McCarthy modeled the Red Scare after the purge trials of the 1930s in the Soviet Union.

• Senator Joseph McCarthy's actions affected many famous individuals but had little impact on the American public.

• Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of widespread anti-communist fervor to become an important figure in the Red Scare.

• Senator Joseph McCarthy faced opposition from many Hollywood celebrities that stifled the impact of his anti-communist agenda.

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(After finishing) How did mainstream organizations strengthen the impact of the Red Scare?

• by exposing the anti-democratic nature of the House Un-American Activities Committee

• by conducting investigations and firing people accused of communist activities

• by tricking American Communists into passing out leaflets in public

• by accusing the U.S. Army of having Communists in its ranks

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(After finishing) The word "ostracized" in paragraph 13 most closely means —

• authorized

• celebrated

• excluded

• rehabilitated

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(After finishing) Which detail best supports the idea that the Red Scare is NOT a unique event in American history?

• Though McCarthy's fears about Communists were certainly exaggerated, it's unclear just how much of a threat American Communists posed to the U.S. government." (Paragraph 8)

• "After refusing to answer the committee's questions, they were convicted of contempt of Congress, sentenced to prison, and blacklisted by Hollywood." (Paragraph 13)

• "According to Schrecker, an FBI agent only needed to go to the head of a college or university, hand them a list of a faculty member's supposed Communist connections, and that professor could be fired or worse." (Paragraph 18)

• "The Patriot Act, a law created after 9/11 that expanded the government's ability to surveil American citizens, ostensibly to fight terrorism, turns 20 this fall." (Paragraph 20)

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