13. After ascending to the presidency upon the death of President Harrison, President Tyler
a. turned the reins of government over to Secretary of State Daniel Webster.
b. proclaimed his opposition to Senator Calhoun’s nullification theory.
c. committed himself to the creation of an activist federal government.
d. opposed the economic program that the deceased president had wanted enacted. X
14. The expansionist sentiment of the 1840s emerged for which of the following reasons?
a. The absence of threats by foreign powers caused Americans to think in expansionist terms.
b. Such sentiment served as a release for internal conflicts caused by the economic problems of
the 1840s.
c. Spanish tyranny throughout the West was repugnant to Americans.
d. Americans believed that it was their duty to carry their superior American civilization to
inferior peoples. X
15. James K. Polk’s election to the presidency in 1844 was in large part due to
a. fear among the voters that Henry Clay’s American System would lead the nation to war.
b. the support given him by Martin Van Buren.
c. the presence of the Liberty party candidate on the ballot. X
d. Polk’s stand against the expansion of slavery.
1. President Polk agreed to a negotiated settlement with Great Britain over the Oregon Territory
because
a. he wanted to avoid the possibility of simultaneous wars with Great Britain and Mexico. X
b. it was obvious that the American people would not support the use of force to gain
questionable territory.
c. public disclosures by Polk’s enemies in the Senate weakened United States claims.
d. the British were willing to grant the United States all its demands.
2. Both the Mexican War and the gag rule
a. aroused fears about presidential power.
b. aroused fears about subversive foreign influence within the United States government.
c. made the idea of a Slave Power believable. X
d. were supported by New Englanders.
3. The Wilmot Proviso stipulated that
a. slavery would be permitted in Utah and New Mexico but prohibited in California.
b. blacks would be colonized in the territory acquired from Mexico.
c. the civil and political rights of blacks would be guaranteed in the territory acquired from
Mexico.
d. slavery would be prohibited in all territory acquired from Mexico. X
1. Foreign policy decisions in the late nineteenth century were shaped largely by
a. the opinions of the American people.
b. the business community.
c. the foreign policy elite. X
d. generals and admirals.
2. One of the sources of the expansionist sentiment of the late nineteenth century was the
a. desire of American farmers to learn new agricultural techniques from foreign agricultural
specialists.
b. belief that foreign economic expansion would relieve the problem of overproduction at
home. X
c. belief that more immigrants would solve domestic labor problems.
d. desire of Latin American countries for the United States to exert political control over them.
3. Our Country by Josiah Strong provides evidence that
a. most American religious leaders in the late nineteenth century were critical of American
foreign policy in general and of American imperialism in particular.
b. belief in the superiority of Anglo-Saxons was used in the late nineteenth century to justify
American expansion. X
c. late-nineteenth-century American foreign policy was based on the principle that all nations
in the world should be allowed to determine their own form of government and economic
system.
d. the unprofessional nature of the American diplomatic corps in the late nineteenth century
was a constant embarrassment to the United States.
4. William H. Seward’s vision of an American empire
a. was confined to the Americas.
b. included the building of a Central American canal. X
c. involved acquisition of territory by military conquest.
d. took a giant step forward with the purchase of the Danish West Indies in 1867.
5. The person largely responsible for popularizing the New Navy was
a. Andrew Carnegie.
b. Ulysses Grant.
c. Hamilton Fish.
d. Alfred T. Mahan. X
5. One of the basic flaws in the Compromise of 1850 was the
a. failure to abolish the slave trade in the nation’s capital.
b. admission of California as a slave state.
c. ambiguity that surrounded the idea of popular sovereignty. X
d. extension of the Missouri Compromise line to the Pacific Ocean.
6. The Kansas-Nebraska Act
a. rejected the concept of popular sovereignty.
b. unified the Whig party against the Slave Power.
c. was introduced as a proslavery measure.
d. repealed the Missouri Compromise. X
7. Which of the following statements best expresses the beliefs of the Republican party in the
1850s?
a. Acceptance of the dignity of labor is essential to the future progress of the United States. X
b. The central government should remain limited in its power and should not intervene in the
economic life of the states.
c. Slavery is morally wrong and should be abolished immediately.
d. All ethnic groups living in the United States should be afforded political, social, and
economic equality.
4. William H. Seward’s vision of an American empire
a. was confined to the Americas.
b. included the building of a Central American canal. X
c. involved acquisition of territory by military conquest.
d. took a giant step forward with the purchase of the Danish West Indies in 1867.
5. The person largely responsible for popularizing the New Navy was
a. Andrew Carnegie.
b. Ulysses Grant.
c. Hamilton Fish.
d. Alfred T. Mahan. X
6. President Grover Cleveland opposed the annexation of Hawai‘i because he
a. saw no economic advantages to it.
b. wanted no close ties with people of another race.
c. learned that a majority of Hawaiians opposed annexation. X
d. was afraid it would lead to war.
7. In the settlement of the Venezuelan crisis of 1895,
a. the United States showed a disregard for the rights of Venezuela. X
b. the United States insisted that Venezuela adopt a democratic form of government.
c. Great Britain was able to bully the United States into submission.
d. the United States Navy showed its inability to operate in a crisis.
8. The Teller Amendment
a. announced that the United States would annex Cuba.
b. led to the declaration of war against Spain.
c. expanded the theater of war to the South Pacific.
d. renounced any American intentions to annex Cuba. X
9. Which of the following is the best explanation for the United States’s declaration of war
against Spain in 1898?
a. The war was undertaken out of a humanitarian desire to help the Cuban people.
b. Many farmers and businesspeople believed that victory would open new markets for
America’s surplus production.
c. Many conservatives believed that the war would act as a national unifier by unleashing a
spirit of patriotism.
d. All of the above were motives for the war because different groups justified the war in
different ways. X
12. The United States found it difficult to make friends in the Third World because
a. the United States usually supported the propertied, antirevolutionary elements in the Third
World. X
b. diplomats from Third World countries disliked America’s pluralistic society.
c. American business interests refused to invest in Third World countries.
d. the Soviets were more adept at doing so.
13. Upon learning that Cuba had signed a trade treaty with the Soviet Union in 1960, the
Eisenhower
administration responded by
a. immediately cutting off all trade with Cuba.
b. establishing a blockade of Cuba.
c. ordering the CIA to plot Castro’s overthrow. X
d. negotiating new trade agreements with Cuba designed to increase Cuban imports into the
U.S.
14. What do Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán of Guatemala and Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran have in
common?
a. Both agreed to the deployment of Russian intermediate-range missiles in their respective
countries.
b. Both strongly supported United States interests in the Third World.
c. Both were killed while observing the 1954 test of a 15-megaton H-bomb.
d. Both threatened American investments in their respective countries and were overthrown in
CIA-supported coups. X
15. Why did Ngo Dinh Diem and President Eisenhower refuse to allow national elections in
Vietnam
as called for in the Geneva Accords?
a. They believed the elections would have been virtually impossible to administer.
b. They held that the 1955 South Vietnamese election had given Diem a mandate to govern.
c. They feared that communist leader Ho Chi Minh would win. X
d. They realized that the communists would never allow a genuinely free election.
6. President Grover Cleveland opposed the annexation of Hawai‘i because he
a. saw no economic advantages to it.
b. wanted no close ties with people of another race.
c. learned that a majority of Hawaiians opposed annexation. X
d. was afraid it would lead to war.
7. In the settlement of the Venezuelan crisis of 1895,
a. the United States showed a disregard for the rights of Venezuela. X
b. the United States insisted that Venezuela adopt a democratic form of government.
c. Great Britain was able to bully the United States into submission.
d. the United States Navy showed its inability to operate in a crisis.
8. The Teller Amendment
a. announced that the United States would annex Cuba.
b. led to the declaration of war against Spain.
c. expanded the theater of war to the South Pacific.
d. renounced any American intentions to annex Cuba. X
9. Which of the following is the best explanation for the United States’s declaration of war
against
Spain in 1898?
a. The war was undertaken out of a humanitarian desire to help the Cuban people.
b. Many farmers and businesspeople believed that victory would open new markets for
America’s surplus production.
c. Many conservatives believed that the war would act as a national unifier by unleashing a
spirit of patriotism.
d. All of the above were motives for the war because different groups justified the war in
different ways. X
10. Most American casualties in the Spanish-American-Cuban-Filipino War were incurred
a. through diseases contracted during the war. X
b. in the Santiago campaign.
c. in Admiral Dewey’s battle with the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay.
d. by the Rough Riders in the charge up San Juan Hill.
11. The anti-imperialist campaign against the Treaty of Paris was
a. based on purely constitutional arguments.
b. hindered by the inconsistency of the anti-imperialist arguments. X
c. successful because of the influence of people like Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie.
d. successful because of Bryan’s decision to support the treaty.
12. In the Philippines, the United States
a. fought to suppress an insurrection against American rule. X
b. quickly lived up to its promise to give the country its independence.
c. held a referendum to determine the wishes of the Filipino people.
d. established a democratic government that guaranteed the same basic rights enjoyed by
Americans.
13. Which of the following best expresses the ideology behind the Open Door policy?
a. The self-determination of other nations must be preserved.
b. The closing of any area to American trade is a threat to the survival of the United States. X
c. Freedom of the seas will lead to the economic expansion of the world community of nations.
d. All nations of the world should be considered equals.
14. Which of the following best explains the rationale behind the Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe
Doctrine and the imperialistic behavior of the United States in Latin America?
a. The United States believed it had the duty to help Latin Americans find the political system
best suited to their culture.
b. The United States believed prevention of outside intervention in Latin America, and thus the
preservation of its own security, required stability in the region. X
c. The United States believed it should share its wealth and resources with the people of Latin
America.
d. The United States believed that it had the right to colonize Latin America to exploit the
resources of the region.
15. Relations between the United States and Japan were negatively affected by
a. the extension of American aid to French colonies in Indochina.
b. American refusal to recognize Japanese hegemony in Korea.
c. President Roosevelt’s extension of military aid to Russia during the Russo-Japanese war.
d. the involvement of American bankers in an international consortium to build a Chinese X
4. Which of the following conclusions may be drawn from an examination of the war debts and
reparations issue?
a. The United States handled the issue in a selfless manner.
b. The triangular arrangement that emerged was economically destabilizing in the long run. X
c. The European nations demonstrated a willingness to forgive Germany in the aftermath of the
First World War.
d. The German government used the issue to create tensions between the United States and
Great Britain.
5. In response to the Hawley-Smoot Tariff,
a. European states raised tariffs against American imports, causing economic nationalism to
gain momentum. X
b. European nations exported inexpensive goods to the United States in record numbers.
c. European states pledged to support the Open Door policy.
d. Japan imposed an embargo against all American-made goods.
6. The central feature of the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 was
a. the adoption of free trade by the United States.
b. low-interest loans to foreign countries agreeing to buy American goods.
c. the most-favored-nation principle. X
d. the establishment of a free trade zone in the Western Hemisphere.
7. The Good Neighbor policy meant that
a. the United States would strictly adhere to the doctrine of nonintervention in Latin America.
b. the United States would be less blatant in dominating Latin America. X
c. American businesses in Latin America would invest their profits there rather than in the
United States.
d. the United States would practice isolationism in Latin America.
8. With regard to Latin America, the Roosevelt administration
a. sought to stimulate economic diversification and industrial development throughout the
region.
b. believed that military intervention by the United States was the best way to deal with
political and economic instability in countries throughout the region.
c. was willing to support dictatorial regimes in the hope they would promote stability in the
region. X
d. fostered democracy by sending impartial observers to oversee free elections in the region.
9. As a result of the Munich Conference,
a. Britain and France accepted Hitler’s seizure of the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia. X
b. Britain agreed to extend financial and military aid to France in the event of German
aggression.
c. Britain, France, and the Soviet Union entered into a defensive alliance against Nazi
Germany.
d. Germany and France agreed to withdraw their troops from Austria and the Rhineland,
respectively.
3. In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the United States
a. gave substantial monetary aid to the Soviet government for the rebuilding of its economic
system.
b. agreed to assume control over the colonies that had been part of the pre-war British empire.
c. believed that a world economy based on free trade was essential to its economic well being. X
d. wanted to prevent economic competition from Germany and Japan by going slowly on
rebuilding those war-torn countries.
4. The containment policy, expressed in the Truman Doctrine and George Kennan’s “Mr. X”
article,
committed the United States to
a. extend economic and medical aid to impoverished people throughout the world.
b. help only those countries that showed a determination to help themselves.
c. assist peoples throughout the world in resisting Communist expansion. X
d. create a more stable world through the use of diplomatic rather than military means.
5. Which of the following is true of United States policy toward China during the Chinese civil
war?
a. The United States attempted to open diplomatic relations with Mao’s forces but was
rebuffed.
b. United States officials recognized the nationalist origins of the struggle.
c. The United States decided not to take sides in the struggle.
d. Most United States officials supported Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) because of their belief
that Mao was part of an international communist movement. X
6. For which of the following reasons did the United States refuse to recognize Vietnamese
independence in 1945?
a. The United States feared that such recognition would jeopardize negotiations with China.
b. Ho Chi Minh had worked with the Japanese against the United States during World War II.
c. FDR had guaranteed the return of French colonies at the end of the Second World War.
d. Since Ho Chi Minh was a communist, the United States chose to support the imperialist
stance of its Cold War ally, France. X
7. Truman’s claim that the Soviet Union was the mastermind behind North Korea’s invasion of
South Korea is questionable because available evidence now indicates that
a. the Soviet Union gave no aid to North Korea during the course of the war.
b. President Kim Il Sung undertook the war for his own nationalist objectives and drew a
reluctant Stalin into the crisis. X
c. the Soviet Union was sending military aid to South Korea at the time of the invasion.
d. North Korea was fiercely independent and had broken its ties with the Soviet Union.
8. President Truman fired General Douglas MacArthur because
a. the general denounced the concept of limited war supported by President Truman and the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. X
b. MacArthur refused to obey Truman’s order to attack China with massive bombing raids.
c. the United Nations Security Council demanded MacArthur’s removal.
d. the failure of the Inchon operation destroyed MacArthur’s credibility.
9. The “New Look” military of the Eisenhower-Dulles years emphasized
a. nuclear weapons and airpower. X
b. a United Nations police force.
c. conventional military forces.
d. Soviet-American cooperation in space.
10. As a result of the 1954 crisis concerning Jinmen (Quemoy) and Mazu (Matsu),
a. the United States severed relations with Jiang Jieshi.
b. the United States recognized the People’s Republic of China.
c. Congress formally gave up its constitutional authority to declare war by authorizing the
president to use force if necessary to defend Formosa. X
d. Khrushchev called for “peaceful coexistence” with the United States.
11. Because of its strategic and economic interests in the Third World, the United States
a. tried to thwart challenges to U.S. influence in the region by directing more foreign aid
toward the Third World. X
b. suffered more than Western Europe from the worldwide post-war economic depression.
c. enjoyed improved relations with developing nations during the 1950s.
d. increased its commitment to and support for the United Nations.
12. The United States found it difficult to make friends in the Third World because
a. the United States usually supported the propertied, antirevolutionary elements in the Third
World. X
b. diplomats from Third World countries disliked America’s pluralistic society.
c. American business interests refused to invest in Third World countries.
d. the Soviets were more adept at doing so.
13. Upon learning that Cuba had signed a trade treaty with the Soviet Union in 1960, the
Eisenhower
administration responded by
a. immediately cutting off all trade with Cuba.
b. establishing a blockade of Cuba.
c. ordering the CIA to plot Castro’s overthrow. X
d. negotiating new trade agreements with Cuba designed to increase Cuban imports into the
U.S.
14. What do Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán of Guatemala and Mohammed Mossadegh of Iran have in
common?
a. Both agreed to the deployment of Russian intermediate-range missiles in their respective
countries.
b. Both strongly supported United States interests in the Third World.
c. Both were killed while observing the 1954 test of a 15-megaton H-bomb.
d. Both threatened American investments in their respective countries and were overthrown in
CIA-supported coups. X
15. Why did Ngo Dinh Diem and President Eisenhower refuse to allow national elections in
Vietnam
as called for in the Geneva Accords?
a. They believed the elections would have been virtually impossible to administer.
b. They held that the 1955 South Vietnamese election had given Diem a mandate to govern.
c. They feared that communist leader Ho Chi Minh would win. X
d. They realized that the communists would never allow a genuinely free election.
4. Antifeminist forces were able to prevent ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment by
a. successfully organizing a nationwide strike of working women.
b. persuading the Senate to rescind its approval of the amendment.
c. publishing a study that proved gender-based discrimination to be nonexistent in the United
States.
d. frightening people with false claims about what would happen if it were ratified. X
5. The Stonewall riot
a. marked the beginning of the gay rights movement. X
b. occurred in Atlantic City when radical feminists disrupted the 1968 Miss America contest.
c. was the result of overreaction by the Chicago police to street demonstrations at the
Democratic national convention.
d. was an expression of black rage over the assassination of Martin Luther King.
6. Under the Nixon-Kissinger policy of “Vietnamization,”
a. stability slowly returned to Indochina as the Vietnam War de-escalated.
b. withdrawal of American troops was accompanied by increased bombing of the North and the
invasion of Cambodia. X
c. the South Vietnamese army proved that it was an effective fighting force.
d. a coalition government was established in Hanoi and the war quickly drew to a close.
7. In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Americans
a. disagreed over the lessons to be drawn from the experience. X
b. withdrew from the United Nations.
c. vowed to support Third World revolutions.
d. agreed to increase the powers of the president in foreign policy.
8. The War Powers Act required the president to
a. withdraw troops from any foreign assignment after ten days unless Congress specifically
authorized otherwise.
b. obtain congressional approval in the commitment of U.S. forces to combat action lasting
more than sixty days. X
c. get approval from Congress before sending American troops to foreign territory.
d. get a declaration of war from Congress before sending American soldiers into a foreign war.
9. Which of the following correctly states a major feature of President Nixon’s foreign policy?
a. Less military commitment to allies; more—but guarded— cooperation with the Soviet
Union X
b. Greater military commitment to allies; more military pressure on the Soviet Union
c. Fewer diplomatic concessions to China; fewer diplomatic concessions to the Soviet Union
d. Stronger economic and diplomatic ties in Latin America and Africa; weaker economic and
diplomatic ties in Europe and Asia
10. In 1975 Secretary of State Kissinger persuaded Israel and Egypt to accept which of the
following?
a. An autonomous Palestinian state under United Nations protection
b. An end to hostilities and Egyptian recognition of Israel’s existence as a nation
c. Egyptian withdrawal from Jerusalem and Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank
d. A United Nations peacekeeping force in the Sinai X
11. As a result of its impeachment hearings, the House Judiciary Committee
a. voted in favor of President Nixon’s impeachment on three of five counts. X
b. declared President Nixon to be guilty of tax fraud.
c. chose to make no recommendation concerning the impeachment of the president.
d. declared President Nixon to be innocent of all charges of wrongdoing.
6. Which of the following was a consequence of the expansion of deregulation during the
Reagan administration?
a. Businesses usually became less efficient as the result of downsizing.
b. The Savings and Loans industry collapsed as the result of billions of dollars of bad
investments. X
c. In the telecommunications field, smaller corporations found it impossible to challenge
corporate giants.
d. The wave of mergers lightened the debt burden of most American corporations.
7. Which of the following benefited the most from the 1981 tax reductions?
a. The poor
b. The wealthy X
c. The middle class
d. Married couples
8. What was the Reagan administration’s goal in Nicaragua?
a. To persuade the Sandinista government to hold elections
b. To remove the Sandinista government from power X
c. To reduce foreign military bases and advisers in that country
d. To bring about a negotiated settlement between the Sandinista government and the contras
9. As a result of the Iran-contra scandal,
a. President Reagan apologized for subverting the will of Congress.
b. the House Judiciary Committee began impeachment hearings against President Reagan.
c. Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger was convicted of lying to Congress.
d. President Reagan’s popularity declined. X
10. The improvement in Soviet-American relations during Reagan’s second term may be
attributed in
large part to
a. Reagan’s apology for his “evil empire” rhetoric.
b. the Reagan administration’s agreement to limit research on the Strategic Defense Initiative.
c. cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union to combat international
terrorism.
d. Gorbachev’s decision to reduce Soviet military expenditures and decrease foreign aid. X
13. Which of the following caused caution to replace the liberated sexual practices associated
with the
sexual revolution?
a. The threat of sexually transmitted diseases X
b. The health risks associated with the use of birth-control pills
c. The graying of America
d. The influence of TV evangelists
14. What did the United States want to accomplish by sending troops to the Persian Gulf and
engaging in the 1991 Persian Gulf War?
a. To defend Israel against attack by Syria and Libya
b. To defend Saudi Arabian oil exports to the United States and force Iraq to abandon its
takeover of Kuwait X
c. To enforce the cease-fire between Iraq and Iran
d. To force the United Arab Emirates to stop preying on American tankers in the Persian Gulf
15. As a result of Anita Hill’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee,
a. the gender gap in American politics widened. X
b. the Bush administration withdrew its nomination of Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
c. the full Senate failed to confirm Clarence Thomas to the Supreme Court.
d. legislation was passed making it easier for women to file sexual harassment charges.