Question 1

During the 1950s, novelist John Updike observed:

Accepted Answer

A)  he and other writers felt estranged "from a government that extolled business and mediocrity" 
B)  communism had become popular in the U.S. 
C)  federal government was not receptive to the needs of poor Americans 
D)  the "land of the free" was not the "land of the free" 
E)  nothing 
A)  he and other writers felt estranged "from a government that extolled business and mediocrity" 
B)  communism had become popular in the U.S. 
C)  federal government was not receptive to the needs of poor Americans 
D)  the "land of the free" was not the "land of the free" 
E)  nothing A

Question 2

Senator Joseph McCarthy's power began to unravel when he made reckless charges about Communist influence in:

Accepted Answer

A)  the Democratic party 
B)  the U.S. Army 
C)  Ivy League colleges 
D)  the Eisenhower administration 
E)  the media 
A)  the Democratic party 
B)  the U.S. Army 
C)  Ivy League colleges 
D)  the Eisenhower administration 
E)  the media B

Question 3

Discuss how the various aspects of culture changed in the 1950s. Focus particularly on theater, literature, and painting.

Accepted Answer

In the 1950s, there were significant changes in the cultural landscape, particularly in the fields of theater, literature, and painting.

In theater, the 1950s saw the rise of experimental and avant-garde movements, with playwrights such as Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter pushing the boundaries of traditional theatrical forms. Their works often delved into existential themes and the absurdity of the human condition, reflecting the disillusionment and anxiety of the post-war era. This marked a departure from the more conventional and optimistic plays of the pre-war years.

Literature also underwent a transformation in the 1950s, with the emergence of the Beat Generation and the rise of postmodernism. Writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs challenged societal norms and explored themes of alienation, non-conformity, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. Their works reflected a growing disillusionment with the American Dream and a desire for greater personal freedom and authenticity.

In the realm of painting, the 1950s saw the dominance of Abstract Expressionism, with artists like Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko leading the way. This movement emphasized spontaneous, gestural, and non-representational forms of art, reflecting a shift towards individual expression and emotional intensity. Abstract Expressionism also had a significant impact on the global art scene, influencing artists in Europe and beyond.

Overall, the 1950s marked a period of cultural upheaval and experimentation, with artists and writers challenging traditional norms and exploring new forms of expression. These changes reflected the broader social and political shifts of the era, as well as a growing sense of disillusionment and a desire for greater personal freedom and authenticity.

Question 4

Adlai E. Stevenson was:

Accepted Answer

A)  a senator revealed by Joseph McCarthy to be a Communist 
B)  secretary of state for most of Eisenhower's presidency 
C)  Eisenhower's opponent for president in both 1952 and 1956 
D)  appointed by Eisenhower to be chief justice of the Supreme Court 
E)  a leader unusually skilled in communicating with common people 
A)  a senator revealed by Joseph McCarthy to be a Communist 
B)  secretary of state for most of Eisenhower's presidency 
C)  Eisenhower's opponent for president in both 1952 and 1956 
D)  appointed by Eisenhower to be chief justice of the Supreme Court 
E)  a leader unusually skilled in communicating with common people

Question 5

Rural areas experienced practically no population growth in the 1950s and 1960s.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

During the 1950s, the black population of Chicago declined by half as a result of the great migration.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

How did the Red Scare of the 1950s finally come to an end? With its demise, was this the end of the anti-Communist crusade in America?

Accepted Answer

The Red Scare of the 1950s finally came

Question 8

Jackson Pollock became best known for painting landscapes and scenes from small-town life.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Detroit became known as the capital of black America due to the huge growth of its African American population.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT true of the GI Bill?

Accepted Answer

A)  It caused a dramatic increase in college enrollments. 
B)  It enabled many veterans to buy new homes. 
C)  Its huge cost did not justify its benefits. 
D)  It led to the creation of the Veterans Administration. 
E)  It is also known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. 
A)  It caused a dramatic increase in college enrollments. 
B)  It enabled many veterans to buy new homes. 
C)  Its huge cost did not justify its benefits. 
D)  It led to the creation of the Veterans Administration. 
E)  It is also known as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act.

Question 11

The baby boom:

Accepted Answer

A)  has been overrated in importance as a social phenomenon 
B)  produced a generation devoted to sacrifice 
C)  started in the early days of World War II 
D)  continued the twentieth century's steady increase in birthrate 
E)  started in 1946 
A)  has been overrated in importance as a social phenomenon 
B)  produced a generation devoted to sacrifice 
C)  started in the early days of World War II 
D)  continued the twentieth century's steady increase in birthrate 
E)  started in 1946

Question 12

While college enrollments soared in the postwar period:

Accepted Answer

A)  most professors were dull and uninspiring 
B)  black veterans encountered barriers to entrance 
C)  student debt became a major problem 
D)  few students were able to finish and earn a degree 
E)  campuses became hotbeds of student protest and misbehavior 
A)  most professors were dull and uninspiring 
B)  black veterans encountered barriers to entrance 
C)  student debt became a major problem 
D)  few students were able to finish and earn a degree 
E)  campuses became hotbeds of student protest and misbehavior

Question 13

The Reverend Norman Vincent Peale emphasized:

Accepted Answer

A)  man's sinful nature 
B)  the spiritual appeal of Eastern faiths like Buddhism 
C)  faith, enthusiasm, and joy 
D)  the need to give lots of money to churches 
E)  the difficulty of attaining salvation 
A)  man's sinful nature 
B)  the spiritual appeal of Eastern faiths like Buddhism 
C)  faith, enthusiasm, and joy 
D)  the need to give lots of money to churches 
E)  the difficulty of attaining salvation

Question 14

One sign of the times came in 1954 when Congress added the words "under God" to:

Accepted Answer

A)  the president's oath of office 
B)  coins and currency 
C)  the Capitol building 
D)  the Pledge of Allegiance 
E)  the Constitution 
A)  the president's oath of office 
B)  coins and currency 
C)  the Capitol building 
D)  the Pledge of Allegiance 
E)  the Constitution

Question 15

A very important reason for passage of the GI Bill was to:

Accepted Answer

A)  keep men in the military beyond their term of enlistment 
B)  spend surplus funds in the federal budget 
C)  help Roosevelt get reelected 
D)  prevent the return of the Depression 
E)  create a bureaucracy to administer it 
A)  keep men in the military beyond their term of enlistment 
B)  spend surplus funds in the federal budget 
C)  help Roosevelt get reelected 
D)  prevent the return of the Depression 
E)  create a bureaucracy to administer it

Question 16

How did President Eisenhower react to Fidel Castro's rise to power and Castro's subsequent policies in Cuba?

Accepted Answer

President Dwight D. Eisenhower's adminis

Question 17

One major reason for religion's growing appeal in the 1950s was:

Accepted Answer

A)  the desire to combat godless communism 
B)  tax breaks for people who joined churches 
C)  the fire-and-brimstone style of television preachers 
D)  widespread guilt over the country's material abundance 
E)  huge new churches that sponsored social and recreational activities 
A)  the desire to combat godless communism 
B)  tax breaks for people who joined churches 
C)  the fire-and-brimstone style of television preachers 
D)  widespread guilt over the country's material abundance 
E)  huge new churches that sponsored social and recreational activities

Question 18

The First Indochina War ended when the French suffered a major defeat at:

Accepted Answer

A)  Dien Bien Phu 
B)  Hanoi 
C)  Saigon 
D)  Taipei 
E)  Khe Sanh 
A)  Dien Bien Phu 
B)  Hanoi 
C)  Saigon 
D)  Taipei 
E)  Khe Sanh

Question 19

Detail the postwar great black migration. What impact did it have on the new locations that were settled?

Accepted Answer

The postwar great black migration refers

Question 20

The phenomenon of "white flight" in the 1950s:

Accepted Answer

A)  stopped when the federal government banned housing discrimination 
B)  involved poor whites fleeing the South for jobs in big northern cities 
C)  showed the improvement in race relations since the end of World War II 
D)  was a major cause of the growth of the suburbs 
E)  was discouraged by the open-housing policies of William Levitt 
A)  stopped when the federal government banned housing discrimination 
B)  involved poor whites fleeing the South for jobs in big northern cities 
C)  showed the improvement in race relations since the end of World War II 
D)  was a major cause of the growth of the suburbs 
E)  was discouraged by the open-housing policies of William Levitt

Exam 30: The 1950s: Affluence and Anxiety in an Atomic Age

During the 1950s, novelist John Updike observed:

Senator Joseph McCarthy's power began to unravel when he made reckless charges about Communist influence in:

Discuss how the various aspects of culture changed in the 1950s. Focus particularly on theater, literature, and painting.

Adlai E. Stevenson was:

Rural areas experienced practically no population growth in the 1950s and 1960s.

During the 1950s, the black population of Chicago declined by half as a result of the great migration.

How did the Red Scare of the 1950s finally come to an end? With its demise, was this the end of the anti-Communist crusade in America?

Jackson Pollock became best known for painting landscapes and scenes from small-town life.

Detroit became known as the capital of black America due to the huge growth of its African American population.

Which of the following is NOT true of the GI Bill?

The baby boom:

While college enrollments soared in the postwar period:

The Reverend Norman Vincent Peale emphasized:

One sign of the times came in 1954 when Congress added the words "under God" to:

A very important reason for passage of the GI Bill was to:

How did President Eisenhower react to Fidel Castro's rise to power and Castro's subsequent policies in Cuba?

One major reason for religion's growing appeal in the 1950s was:

The First Indochina War ended when the French suffered a major defeat at:

Detail the postwar great black migration. What impact did it have on the new locations that were settled?

The phenomenon of "white flight" in the 1950s:

The Collision of Cultures

Britain and Its Colonies

Colonial Ways of Life

From Colonies to States

The American Revolution

Shaping a Federal Union

The Federalist Era

The Early Republic

The Dynamics of Growth

Nationalism and Sectionalism

The Jacksonian ERA

The Old South

Religion, Romanticism, and Reform

An Empire in the West

The Gathering Storm

The War of the Union

Reconstruction: North and South

Big Business and Organized Labor

The South and the West Transformed

The Emergence of Urban America

Gilded Age Politics and Agrarian Revolt

Seizing an American Empire

Making the World Over: the Progressive ERA

America and the Great War

The Modern Temper

Republican Resurgence and Decline

New Deal America

The Second World War

The Fair Deal and Containment

New Frontiers: Politics and Social Change in the 1960s

Rebellion and Reaction: the 1960s and 1970s

A Conservative Realignment: 19771990

America in a New Millennium

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