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Modern America Final: State of the Union and Popular Culture

Total questions: 35

Worksheet time: 18mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Who beat Richard Nixon in 1960 to become the 35th President of the United States?

a)

Jimmy Carter

b)

Barry Goldwater

c)

John F. Kennedy

d)

Lyndon B. Johnson

2.

What was the name of John F. Kennedy’s plan for domestic policies?

a)

Great Society

b)

Peace Corps

c)

New World Order

d)

New Frontier

3.

During the 1960 presidential race, all of the following political milestones occurred EXCEPT

a)

Youngest person ever elected to Presidency

b)

Largest winning margin ever in popular and electoral vote

c)

First Roman Catholic elected to Presidency

d)

First televised Presidential debate

4.

What group was officially called, “The President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy”?

a)

Warren Commission

b)

Kennedy Commission

c)

Commission for Investigation

d)

Government Commission

5.

Who filmed the Kennedy assassination?

a)

Tom Brokaw

b)

Jack Ruby

c)

George Connally

d)

Abraham Zapruder

6.

He was a Dallas club owner who killed Kennedy’s assassin…

a)

Tom Brokaw

b)

Jack Ruby

c)

George Connally

d)

Abraham Zapruder

7.

What was one major goal of Johnson’s Great Society?

a)

Tax cuts for the rich

b)

Raise the standard of living in the US

c)

Contain Communism

d)

Increase funding for the military

8.

All of the following were Great Society programs EXCEPT

a)

Defense of Marriage Act

b)

Upward Bound

c)

Medicare/Medicaid

d)

National Endowment for the Arts

9.

Which of the following refers to a health care program that assists low-income families or individuals in paying for doctor visits, hospital stays, long-term medical care, custodial care costs, and more?

a)

Obamacare

b)

Social Security

c)

Medicare

d)

Medicaid

10.

Who was the chief justice of the most progressive Supreme Court?

a)

Earl Warren

b)

Thurgood Marshall

c)

William Howard Taft

d)

Roger Taney

11.

How did the Warren Court’s Miranda decision expand the legal rights of individuals?

a)

Any arrested suspect would automatically be assigned a court-appointed attorney.

b)

People could no longer be arrested without being told a specific charge for the arrest.

c)

Suspects became protected against evidence that had been improperly obtained.

d)

Suspects would now be protected against self-incrimination upon being arrested.

12.

The Supreme Court held that government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless that speech is directed to inciting or producing “imminent lawless action” and is likely to incite or produce such action in what milestone case?

a)

Loving v. Virginia

b)

Brandenburg v. Ohio

c)

Brown v. Board of Education

d)

Mapp v. Ohio

13.

What group was formed after the release of the Pentagon Papers to prevent further leaks of government information?

a)

C.R.E.E.P.

b)

The Plumbers

c)

Hippies

d)

D.N.C.

14.

What was the primary reason behind the Watergate break-in in 1972?

a)

Nixon’s reelection committee wanted to spy on the Democratic Party

b)

Nixon wanted to recover the leaked Pentagon Papers

c)

Nixon wanted to fake a break-in of his campaign headquarters to gain public support

d)

Nixon wanted to purge his administration of possible communists

15.

Richard Nixon fired the special prosecutor in the Watergate investigation after he asked the president to…

a)

Resign

b)

Pay "hush money" to Howard Hunt

c)

Call the FBI for help

d)

release secretly recorded audio tapes

16.

The economy of the 1970s consisted of rising inflation and unemployment, known as what?

a)

GNP

b)

Depression

c)

Stagflation

d)

Recession

17.

What was Gerald Ford’s most controversial act as President?

a)

Balancing the budget

b)

Pardoning Nixon

c)

Bombing Laos

d)

Raising Taxes

18.

Jimmy Carter’s presidency was negatively impacted by all of the following EXCEPT…

a)

the taking of American hostages in Iran

b)

high inflation rates

c)

a lack of clear goals and vision

d)

growth of safe nuclear power

19.

Which of the following BEST describes American society as it entered the 1980s?

a)

Confident

b)

Aggressive

c)

Malaise

d)

Prosperous

20.

The famous Olympic “Miracle” that occurred between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. was in what sport?

a)

Hockey

b)

Baseball

c)

Soccer

d)

Basketball

21.

Reagan’s plan to revitalize the economy included…

a)

Stock market investment policies

b)

Raising federal spending by increasing government programs

c)

Reducing taxes on the wealthy

d)

Massive taxes on large corporations

22.

Who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan?

a)

Charles Guiteau

b)

Lee Harvey Oswald

c)

Timothy McViegh

d)

John Hinckley Jr.

23.

All of the following contributed to the shuttle Challenger explosion EXCEPT

a)

NASA budget cuts from the Reagan administration

b)

NASA’s impatience to launch despite warnings

c)

Faulty equipment (O-rings)

d)

Weather conditions

24.

Who was the teacher who died in the shuttle Challenger disaster?

a)

Christa McAuliffe

b)

Terry Womack

c)

Benjamin Bloom

d)

Maria Montessori

25.

What did the two articles of impeachment passed by the House of Representatives charge against President Clinton?

a)

Adultery and misuse of federal office facilities

b)

Perjury and obstruction of justice

c)

Bribery and jury tampering

d)

Misdirection of funds and defiance of Congressional spending restrictions

26.

Which school shooting established the school shooting in modern culture?

a)

Parkland

b)

Netwown

c)

Aurora

d)

Columbine

27.

Victory in the 2000 presidential election was eventually awarded to George W. Bush when…

a)

Al Gore conceded that it was impossible for him to win

b)

The Supreme Court ruled that Florida’s hand counting of ballots was to be halted

c)

A joint session of Congress declared Bush the winner

d)

The Florida legislature awarded the state’s electoral votes to Bush

28.

The period of economic downturn that ensued after the financial crisis of 2007-08 and affected many countries world-wide is called…

a)

Black Friday

b)

Great Depression

c)

Great Recession

d)

Dot Com Boom

29.

The most controversial aspect of President Obama’s first term was his focus on…

a)

His female nominees to the Supreme Court

b)

A tax cut for the top wage earners

c)

Universal health care coverage

d)

Economic stimulus distribution

30.

President Kennedy vigorously supported the U.S. space program because…

a)

He saw the space race as a crucial area of competition with the Soviet Union and the source of positive propaganda around the world

b)

He believed space colonies would be crucial to the survival of the human race in the event of a nuclear war

c)

He had been a pilot himself and had a deep passion for all things aeronautic

d)

He believed spin-off technology from the program would be a boost to the U.S. economy

31.

The 1968 Apollo 8 mission to orbit the moon was significant because...

a)

Its success as an unmanned mission showed that the next manned mission to the moon could be successful

b)

It was one event that all Americans seemed to celebrate in a year marked by deep societal divisions.

c)

It was marked by a near-disaster that nearly left the crew stranded in space.

d)

It was America’s first space program tragedy, with three astronauts killed on the launch pad during a flight rehearsal

32.

Which Apollo mission was the first to land humans on the moon?

a)

Apollo 1

b)

Apollo 11

c)

Apollo 13

d)

Apollo 16

33.

Who was the first U.S. astronaut to walk on the moon?

a)

John Glenn

b)

Alan Shepard

c)

Neil Armstrong

d)

Buzz Aldrin

34.

In the 1980s, what game became a sensation because it appealed to more than a male audience and was non-violent?

a)

Super Mario Bros.

b)

Pong

c)

Pac-Man

d)

Donkey Kong

35.

Who was the CEO of Apple that helped to usher in a new world of personal technology, communication, and connection?

a)

Elon Musk

b)

Bill Gates

c)

Al Gore

d)

Steve Jobs