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Part 1 – Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy (1946-1963)

Total questions: 37

Worksheet time: 32mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Why did the United States become involved in the Korean War?
a)
to contain communism
b)
to colonize Korea
c)
to spread communism
d)
to Christianize Koreans
2.

A U.S policy to prevent the spread of communism abroad.

a)

Marshall Plan

b)

Molotov Plan

c)

McCarthyism

d)

Containment Policy

3.
Where was Korea divided?
a)
18 parallel
b)
34 parallel
c)
38 parallel
d)
15 parallel
4.

authorized American troops to be sent to South Korea (Korean War starts)

a)

Truman

b)

Eisenhower

c)

Kennedy

5.

Identify each of the following terms and/or events: a. Marshall Plan - ________

a)

Program to help rebuild western Europe after WWII by providing $12 billion in aid. Proposed by Secretary of State George C. Marshall

b)

Agreement to divide Germany into four occupation zones after WWII

c)

Military alliance formed between the US, Canada, and Western European nations

d)

Soviet plan to control Eastern Europe through economic and political means

6.

Identify each of the following terms and/or events: b. Berlin Airlift - ________

a)

1948-1949. Soviets had blocked rail, road, and water access to the Allied-controlled areas of Berlin. The US and UK responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied air bases in western Germany.

b)

1961. Construction of a wall by East Germany to prevent East Berliners from fleeing to West Berlin.

c)

1945. The meeting between Allied leaders to discuss post-war reorganization of Germany and Europe.

d)

1955. Formation of a military alliance between the Soviet Union and Eastern European countries.

7.
The dramatic rise in the birthrate following World War II is called?
a)
Baby explosion
b)
Toddler increase
c)
Infant Upsurge
d)
Baby Boom
8.

Identify each of the following terms and/or events: c. NATO - ________

a)

North Atlantic Treaty Organization, founded in 1949. An intergovernmental military alliance to counter the risk that the Soviet Union would seek to extend its control of Eastern Europe to other parts of the continent.

b)

Non-Aligned Treaty Organization, established in 1961 to promote neutrality during the Cold War.

c)

North American Trade Organization, created to facilitate economic cooperation between the US, Canada, and Mexico.

d)

National Association of Treaty Observers, a group formed to monitor international agreements.

9.

What was the main purpose of the Warsaw Pact?

a)

To form a collective defense treaty among Soviet-aligned countries

b)

To establish a trade agreement between the US and the Soviet Union

c)

To create a military alliance among Western European nations

d)

To promote cultural exchanges between Eastern and Western Europe

10.

Identify each of the following terms and/or events: d. brinkmanship - ________

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11.

America test an atomic bomb on Bikini Atoll (1946)

a)

Truman

b)

Eisenhower

c)

Kennedy

12.
President Truman adopted a new foreign policy during the Cold War know as the Truman Doctrine. What was the main goal of the Truman Doctrine?
a)
To expand trade with Europe
b)
To limit the build up of nuclear weapons
c)
To stop the spread of communism
d)
to send financial aid to Europe
13.

What was the primary goal of the Truman Doctrine?

a)

To provide economic and military aid to countries resisting communism

b)

To promote isolationism in the United States

c)

To support the spread of communism in Eastern Europe

d)

To establish trade agreements with the Soviet Union

14.

Define the U.S. policy of containment in regards to the Korean War.

a)

Attempt by the US to not allow communism to spread beyond Soviet borders and into the Korean Peninsula. Resulted in the US sending troops to the peninsula.

b)

Effort by the US to promote communism throughout Asia, including the Korean Peninsula.

c)

Policy of the US to remain completely neutral and uninvolved in the Korean conflict.

d)

Strategy by the US to support the unification of Korea under communist rule.

15.

What was HUAC?

a)

House Un-American Activities Committee; created in 1938 to investigate alleged disloyalty and rebel activities on the part of private citizens, public employees and organizations suspected of having Communist ties.

b)

House Un-American Activities Council; established in 1950 to promote American culture abroad.

c)

House United Against Communism; formed in 1945 to support anti-communist propaganda in schools.

d)

House Union of American Citizens; created in 1938 to support civil rights legislation.

16.

Who was in charge of HUAC?

a)

Senator Joseph McCarthy

b)

President Harry Truman

c)

Senator Robert Taft

d)

Senator Lyndon B. Johnson

17.
What was the name of the first satellite in space launched by the Soviet Union?
a)
Gagarin
b)
Apollo 11
c)
Sputnik
d)
Apollo 13
18.

How did the launch of Sputnik affect our educational system?

a)

This prompted increased funding for science and math curriculum in public schools

b)

It led to the elimination of history classes from the curriculum

c)

It caused schools to focus less on technology and engineering

d)

It resulted in a decrease in government interest in education

19.

Which of the following best describes how Americans were affected by the following changes in the 1950's:
a. baby boom
b. Television
c. rock 'n roll?

a)

They experienced significant cultural and demographic shifts, including population growth, new forms of entertainment, and changes in music and youth culture.

b)

There was a decline in population and less interest in entertainment and music.

c)

Americans became less interested in family life and technology.

d)

There were no major changes in American society during the 1950s.

20.

The Brown decision reversed which of the following earlier decisions?

a)

Marbury v. Madison, which established the principle of judicial review

b)

Worcester v. Georgia, which established that the federal government rather than individual states had authority in American Indian affairs

c)

Dred Scott v. Sandford, which proclaimed that slaves could not be citizens

d)

Plessy v. Ferguson, which endorsed racial segregation laws

21.

Explain the Supreme Court’s rulings in Brown v Board of Education.

a)

The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

b)

The Supreme Court upheld the legality of racial segregation in public schools.

c)

The Supreme Court ruled that only private schools could be segregated.

d)

The Supreme Court did not make any decision regarding segregation in schools.

22.
 An African American women who was asked to give up her seat on the bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama was
a)
Harriet B. Stowe
b)
Rosa Parks
c)
Michelle Obama
d)
Coretta King
23.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a significant event in the Civil Rights Movement. What was its main purpose?

a)

To protest segregated seating on public buses

b)

To demand higher wages for bus drivers

c)

To support the election of a new mayor

d)

To reduce public transportation fares

24.

Orval Faubus is:

a)

A former governor of Arkansas who was pro-segregation

b)

A famous jazz musician

c)

An astronaut

d)

A novelist

25.

What was a govt. sponsored creation of infrastructure and US military moved more efficiently?

a)

GI Bill of Rights

b)

National Interstate and Defense Highways Act

c)

Marshall Plan

d)

Truman Doctrine

26.
Which development was a major result of the 1956 Interstate Highway Act?
a)
revitalization of family farms
b)
migration to the suburbs 
c)
 population shift to the Northeast
d)
 higher unemployment for the nation’s autoworkers
27.

President Eisenhower directed the U.S. Army to intervene with the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas because:

a)

he wanted to enforce federal law and protect the rights of African American students.

b)

he wanted to support the governor of Arkansas.

c)

he wanted to prevent integration of schools.

d)

he wanted to avoid media attention.

28.

The significance of the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 was:

a)

To promote tourism between East and West Berlin

b)

To prevent East Germans from fleeing to West Berlin

c)

To unite East and West Germany

d)

To encourage trade between the two sides

29.

challenged by Khruschev when he ordered the construction of the Berlin Wall

a)

Truman

b)

Eisenhower

c)

Kennedy

30.

Explain the Cuban Missile Crisis.

a)

October, 1962. The crisis was caused when a US spy plane spotted Soviet missiles in Cuba. It was a 13 day standoff between the US and Soviet Union. The Soviets deployed warships to Cuba, only to be turned around by the presence of US warships, which had formed blockade.

b)

October, 1962. The crisis was caused when the US placed missiles in Turkey. It was a 13 day standoff between the US and China. The US deployed warships to Turkey, only to be turned around by the presence of Soviet warships, which had formed blockade.

c)

October, 1962. The crisis was caused when a US spy plane spotted US missiles in Cuba. It was a 13 day standoff between the US and Soviet Union. The Soviets deployed warships to Cuba, only to be turned around by the presence of Cuban warships, which had formed blockade.

d)

October, 1962. The crisis was caused when a Soviet spy plane spotted US missiles in Cuba. It was a 13 day standoff between the US and Soviet Union. The US deployed warships to Cuba, only to be turned around by the presence of Soviet warships, which had formed blockade.

31.

What was the significance of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

a)

It led to the unification of North and South Korea

b)

It resulted in the US gaining control of Cuba

c)

It was a successful US invasion of Cuba

d)

It marked the closest point to nuclear war between the US and the Soviet Union

32.

What was the significance of the Bay of Pigs invasion?

a)

It was a failed attempt by the US to overthrow Fidel Castro

b)

It led to the unification of Cuba and the US

c)

It was a successful overthrow of the Cuban government

d)

It resulted in the US gaining control of Cuban resources

33.

Define "flexible response."

a)

Defense strategy implemented by President Kennedy which called for a variety of diplomatic, political, economic, and military options to be used to deter an enemy attack. It was an effort to move away from mass retaliation.

b)

A policy of complete nuclear disarmament adopted by the United States during the Cold War.

c)

A military strategy focused solely on the use of air power to achieve victory in conflicts.

d)

A diplomatic approach that emphasized isolationism and non-intervention in global affairs.

34.

Which of the following policies allowed for "openness" to reduce cold war tensions?

a)

Perestroika

b)

Salt II

c)

Reaganomics

d)

Glasnost

35.

increased spending for NASA and publicly declared a goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth

a)

Truman

b)

Eisenhower

c)

Kennedy

36.

Use the quote to answer the question.

“It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check; a check with has come back marked “insufficient funds.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream.” Washington, DC. August 28, 1963

To what was Dr. King referring to when he stated that America defaulted on the promissory note?

a)

that the government had defaulted on its promise to pay reparations to former slaves

b)

that the government had defaulted on its promise to provide land grants to former slaves

c)

that the government had defaulted on its promise to promote and ensure the equality of all people

d)

that the government had defaulted on its promise to fund social programs created to help poor people

37.

What was the importance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech "I Have a Dream"?

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