Deck 32: Twenty-First-Century America

Question 1

One legislative victory for President Clinton came when Congress approved NAFTA.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

President Obama stated that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) "was an experiment," and it
never passed Congress.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

What were the factors that led to Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election, and how would you assess his early presidency?

Answer 3

not answered

Question 4

By 2019, most of the country's population was living in rural areas rather than cities or suburbs.

Question 5

George W. Bush won the popular vote in the 2000 presidential election.

Question 6

What were President Obama's priorities at home and abroad? How effective were his efforts to pursue them?

Question 7

Between 1997 and 2006, home prices rose impressively in the United States.

Question 8

The Dodd-Frank bill called for government agencies to exercise less oversight over highly
leveraged and highly complex new financial instruments.

Question 9

President George W. Bush's primary justification for the Iraq War was reaffirmed with
the discovery of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Question 10

What were the major population trends (demographics) in the United States during the twenty-first century? How did they influence the nation's politics?

Question 11

In 2008, Barack Obama ran an impressive social media campaign.

Question 12

Bill Clinton resigned before the House of Representatives could impeach him.

Question 13

What was the impact of global terrorism during the presidency of George W. Bush? How effective was his "war on terror"?

Question 14

Hillary Clinton struggled to articulate a compelling explanation for why she should be president
in the 2016 election beyond defining herself as different than Donald Trump.

Question 15

Installing a democratic government in Iraq proved a far more difficult undertaking for
American troops than defeating the Iraqi army, as large parts of the country fell into civil war.

Question 16

By 2019, for the first time in the nation's history, the majority of immigrants came not from
Europe but from other parts of the world.

Question 17

What were the issues and developments during Bush's second term that helped lead to Barack Obama's historic victory in the 2008 presidential election?

Question 18

By 2011, the conservative insurgency led by the Tea Party focused on the record-breaking
federal deficit and the tepid economic recovery.

Question 19

What were the accomplishments and setbacks of Bill Clinton's presidency?

Question 20

In 2013, the United States held its first high-level talks with Iran since 1979, when Iranian
militants took U.S. embassy employees in Tehran hostage.

Question 21

What was a major factor in the Republican takeover after the 1994 midterm election?

A) the health care bill disaster
B) the end of the cold war
C) the Gulf War
D) the Iraq War
E) the advancement of gay rights

Question 22

Which of the following statements characterizes the economy during the Clinton presidency?

A) It showed unprecedented prosperity due in part to the growth of new digital companies called "dot-coms."
B) It was locked in a debilitating recession that caused unemployment levels to gradually increase.
C) It was dragged down by a growing federal budget deficit that overshadowed Clinton's agenda.
D) It briefly was in better shape than ever but quickly returned to resembling that of the 1980s.
E) It became more inwardly focused, as tariffs and trade barriers stifled international trade.

Question 23

Which of the following individuals led the Republican takeover of Congress in the mid-1990s?

A) Kenneth Starr
B) Newt Gingrich
C) Dick Cheney
D) Pat Buchanan
E) Alan Greenspan

Question 24

In 1993, Clinton was able to preside over the signing of a peace agreement between the leaders of Israel and

A) Egypt.
B) Syria.
C) Lebanon.
D) Jordan.
E) the Palestine Liberation Organization.

Question 25

The conservative mood of the mid-1990s especially manifested itself in a number of court rulings that limited

A) capital punishment.
B) government spending.
C) church-state separation.
D) affirmative action.
E) sexual freedom.

Question 26

In 1999, NATO air strikes helped stop "ethnic cleansing" in

A) Bosnia.
B) Somalia.
C) Haiti.
D) Kosovo.
E) Northern Ireland.

Question 27

Which of the following is true of the welfare-reform measure known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 (PRWOA) passed by Congress in 1996?

A) Its main source of opposition was the Republican party.
B) It reinstated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.
C) It limited the amount of time one could receive welfare payments.
D) It quickly began to lower poverty rates.
E) It significantly increased federal funding for welfare.

Question 28

What nearly cost Clinton his presidency was

A) his history of war crimes while serving in the military.
B) lying about his relationship with a White House intern.
C) using public office to illegally enrich himself.
D) improper hiring and firing practices in the White House.
E) efforts to pressure members of a grand jury.

Question 29

The Heath Security Act of Bill Clinton's administration called for large corporations to pay health insurance costs for their workers, and for small businesses to

A) pay their employees a lump sum for health costs based on the size of the company.
B) pay an additional fee to the federal government to help fund Medicare/Medicaid.
C) have exemptions from paying health insurance costs.
D) bear 50 percent of the cost of health insurance for their employees.
E) form "health alliances" to subsidize health insurance for their employees.

Question 30

In June 2017, President Trump announced that the United States would become an active
leader in fulfilling the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Question 31

In 2005, what group replaced African Americans as the nation's largest minority group?

A) Pacific Islanders
B) European immigrants
C) Asians
D) Latinos
E) Native Americans

Question 32

What was the fundamental source of instability in the Balkans in the 1990s?

A) the poverty of the region
B) conflict over supplies of petroleum
C) the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991
D) German and Italian ambitions in the area
E) conflict between Orthodox Christians and Catholics

Question 33

Which of the following statements accurately describes the Contract with America in 1994?

A) It aimed to reduce big government and limit the welfare state.
B) The new Republican Congress enacted it.
C) It gave the Republicans a winning platform in the 1996 election.
D) It revived the moderate Republicanism of the Eisenhower era.
E) It stated general principles, but lacked specific proposals.

Question 34

What was the Christian Coalition?

A) It was a Christian organization that, unlike the Moral Majority, tended to favor Democrats.
B) It founded a national chain of megachurches, thereby transforming religion in the United States.
C) It replaced the Moral Majority as a major political force in the 1990s on issues such as school prayer.
D) It was a Christian organization that focused on advocating for government anti-poverty programs.
E) It was a feminist group comprised of Christian women who wished to keep abortion legal.

Question 35

Which of the following statements accurately describes Bill Clinton's plan for universal medical coverage?

A) It was approved but was criticized for not being large enough in scope.
B) It was shot down in Congress and turned many away from the Democratic party.
C) It increased his already impressive approval ratings and ensured his reelection.
D) It was only a minor part of his legislative agenda and was overshadowed by foreign policy.
E) It would make doctors federal employees and change the medical school system.

Question 36

What was the major purpose of the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

A) to give Bill Clinton an easy political victory
B) to protect American industries such as steel and textiles
C) to reward Bill Clinton's supporters in organized labor
D) to promote freer trade with Canada and Mexico
E) to send American jobs overseas

Question 37

The dramatic growth in American exports in the last years of the twentieth century was mainly indicative of

A) American military power.
B) globalization.
C) government regulation of trade.
D) high unemployment levels.
E) the falling cost of transportation.

Question 38

By 2019, what was the fastest-growing group in the United States?

A) Canadians
B) people who described themselves as "multiracial"
C) Indians
D) Koreans
E) Nigerians

Question 39

One of the factors that most motivated voters in the counties that supported Trump in the
2016 election was a sense of having lost ground economically under Democratic
administrations.

Question 40

The Me Too movement raised awareness of sexual harassment and assault using social media
platforms.

Question 41

The issue that dominated the last couple of months of the 2008 campaign was

A) health care.
B) the economic crisis.
C) the war on terror.
D) the mounting war effort against Iraq.
E) illegal immigration.

Question 42

Which of the following was the result of the Starr Report?

A) Clinton was completely exonerated.
B) The Senate convicted Clinton of obstruction of justice.
C) Clinton had no influence for the rest of his presidency.
D) Clinton was impeached.
E) The personal lives of presidents were declared to be off-limits.

Question 43

Ultimately, the outcome of the 2000 election depended upon the final result in

A) Iowa.
B) Texas.
C) California.
D) Ohio.
E) Florida.

Question 44

Bush won a second term in 2004 by defeating

A) Al Gore.
B) John Edwards.
C) Howard Dean.
D) John Kerry.
E) Hillary Clinton.

Question 45

What was the result of the housing industry crash in 2007?

A) It affected only some reckless speculators but worried American voters.
B) It destroyed the American economy but benefited the economies of most other countries.
C) It sent bank profits soaring, given all the homes they were able to acquire through foreclosure.
D) It froze credit, provoked the Great Recession, and helped shatter support for Bush.
E) It had long been predicted by the Bush administration and helped it regain the public's trust.

Question 46

What was a result of the "surge" ordered in Iraq by President Bush?

A) Most Americans once more began to support military involvement there.
B) The Iraqi government became a model of democracy for the next decade.
C) Attacks on American troops ceased, as a definitive end to the war had been reached.
D) The war in Iraq dramatically decreased in its monetary cost.
E) Levels of violence in Iraq declined dramatically, although the gains were likely to unravel.

Question 47

By the 1990s, who had become the MOST dangerous enemies of the United States?

A) the world's remaining Communist countries such as Cuba
B) left-of-center governments in Latin America
C) neo-Nazis in Germany and eastern Europe
D) shadowy terrorist organizations
E) computer hackers and other high-tech saboteurs

Question 48

Bush's major legislative victory in 2001 came with Congress's passage of

A) new environmental regulations.
B) health care reform.
C) term limits.
D) a tax cut.
E) banking-industry regulation.

Question 49

Within a few weeks of the September 11 attacks, U.S. forces led an invasion of

A) Pakistan.
B) Iraq.
C) Saudi Arabia.
D) Afghanistan.
E) Iran.

Question 50

Bush's stated rationale for attacking Iraq in 2003 was

A) its presumed threat to the United States.
B) his personal hatred of Saddam Hussein.
C) the need to acquire Iraq's oil.
D) Great Britain's refusal to participate in the conflict.
E) revenge for Iraq's involvement in the September 11 attacks.

Question 51

What did the bipartisan task force known as the Iraq Study Group conclude?

A) U.S. combat troops should be withdrawn gradually from Iraq by the spring of 2008.
B) The United States should send a "surge" of tens of thousands more troops to Iraq.
C) Iraq should be divided into semi-independent states governed by Kurds, Sunnis, and Shiites.
D) The United States should cut its losses by leaving Iraq immediately.
E) Once Iraq was stable, the United States should invade Iran to install a democratic government there.

Question 52

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, were organized by

A) Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist network.
B) Osama bin Laden's Taliban terrorist network.
C) Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency.
D) the Islamic State.
E) a group of Islamist extremists unrelated to any larger organization.

Question 53

In 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama presented himself to voters as

A) the president who would win the war in Afghanistan.
B) a proponent of majorly increasing the number of nuclear weapons.
C) a fiscal conservative who would be liberal when it came to people.
D) a leader who could inspire, unite, and forge collaborations across party lines.
E) a politician who would deny undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.

Question 54

Which of the following statements describes the centerpiece of President Obama's effort to restore the economy?

A) He prioritized instating a plan that would fail to create any federal debt.
B) He signed a huge economic stimulus package that saved the nation from a financial meltdown.
C) He based his plan on the idea that health care reform was all that was needed to fix the economy.
D) He instated tax cuts for the wealthy, which were immediately successful in ending the recession.
E) He refused to infuse cash into the economy, resulting in his plan being rejected by Congress.

Question 55

Which of the following did the Bush Doctrine emphasize?

A) close coordination of U.S. foreign policy with the United Nations
B) preemptive military action against terrorists and terrorist regimes
C) a determination to contain terrorism by keeping it where it already existed
D) strengthening America's nuclear deterrent
E) using terrorism against terrorists

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true of George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign?

A) He emphasized how different a president he would be from his father.
B) He promised he would be known as the environmental president.
C) He stated his opposition to "nation building" overseas.
D) He promised to attack and "take out" Saddam Hussein.
E) He accused Al Gore of being a tool of the oil industry.

Question 57

After Hurricane Katrina, Bush's presidency was marked by

A) renewed confidence and vigor.
B) growing public disapproval.
C) a series of legislative victories.
D) continued Republican unity.
E) serious attempts of impeachment.

Question 58

Arguably the MOST controversial element of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the element upon which most debate centered was

A) fees paid by medical equipment manufacturers.
B) the lack of federal subsidies for lower-income households.
C) the creation of a website to help people sign up for health care.
D) the individual mandate involving having people buy health insurance.
E) the denial of care to people with preexisting conditions.

Question 59

What was President Bush's response to the financial crisis?

A) to state publicly that nothing could be done until the markets corrected themselves
B) to support a federal bailout of the banking industry
C) to put the unemployed to work building roads and bridges
D) to say he had lost faith in the free-enterprise system
E) to blame it on Americans being greedy and not saving

Question 60

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes the Iraq War?

A) Because dozens of countries participated in the war, Bush avoided the need to spend much in terms of government funds and, thus, prevented Americans from feeling any impacts of the war.
B) The American public was initially unsupportive of the war, but as it progressed and victory seemed more and more imminent, Americans increasingly got behind the war effort.
C) The use of nuclear weapons and targeted airstrikes by the Americans made it an unprecedentedly modernized war in that it involved painstaking preparations and few casualties.
D) Although the war was hardly successful in Iraq, the efforts meanwhile inadvertently resulted in stripping power away from the Taliban and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan.
E) The war lasted far longer and cost far more than expected, as the Bush administration underestimated what would be involved in occupying, pacifying, and reconstructing postwar Iraq.

Question 61

Which of the following statements accurately describes Obama's decision in endorsing marriage equality?

A) He was certain the courts would rule in its favor.
B) He sided with the Tea Party.
C) He understood the issue had powerful political implications.
D) He fulfilled a major 2008 campaign promise.
E) He recognized that it was no longer a charged issue of the day.

Question 62

In 2017, Trump issued an executive order banning immigrants or refugees from seven countries from entering the United States. These countries had in common a large population
Of what group?

A) Jews
B) Catholics
C) Latinos
D) Muslims
E) Buddhists

Question 63

Which of the following was the crowning achievement of President Obama's anti-terrorism efforts?

A) victory in Iraq
B) the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS)
C) the death of Osama bin Laden
D) the defeat of Afghanistan
E) the closing of Guantánamo Bay

Question 64

The DREAM Act of 2012 centered on what issue?

A) sleep deprivation in schoolchildren
B) women's rights
C) undocumented immigrants
D) environmental regulation
E) trade regulation

Question 65

In May 2017, Rod Rosenstein appointed Robert Mueller III special counsel to investigate

A) nepotism within the Trump administration.
B) allegations of sexual harassment by then-candidate Trump.
C) Russian involvement in the 2016 election.
D) questionable financial decisions made by FBI Director James Comey.
E) Hillary Clinton's violation of protocol by using a private email server as secretary of state.

Question 66

Which of the following did Donald J. Trump do as a presidential candidate in the election of 2016?

A) He mocked his opponents and promised that he was the only candidate who could save America from decline.
B) He promoted free trade and globalization while promising to promote open borders and immigration on an unprecedented scale.
C) He earned the vocal support of respected Republicans such as former president George H. W. Bush and Senator John McCain at the nominating convention.
D) He pledged to ensure that every American, especially the working class, had access to free, quality health care.
E) He displayed in-depth knowledge of policy issues and international relations during his debates with Hillary Clinton.

Question 67

In 2014, President Obama announced that the United States and Cuba were going to

A) restore normal diplomatic relations.
B) war against one another.
C) join forces to defeat ISIS.
D) boycott Russia.
E) sign a free-trade agreement.

Question 68

What did the policy Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) provide?

A) the ability for undocumented young adult immigrants to remain in the United States as long as they refrained from working or attending school
B) permanent legal status for all undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children
C) the requirement that all undocumented immigrants who entered the United States as children be deported immediately
D) temporary relief from deportation for undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children
E) the requirement that only one child could be brought to the United States at a time for each adult immigrant

Question 69

During Obama's presidency, how did the United States government respond to the Syrian civil war?

A) The civil war ended before Obama's administration could react in any way, but the United States still felt its economic repercussions.
B) Obama followed through with a military strike on Syria due to encouragement by his secretary of defense Leon Panetta.
C) Because Bashar al-Assad was found to be a more compassionate ruler than previously believed, Obama withdrew large numbers of troops.
D) The Obama administration refused to enter any agreements in response to the conflict, as they were preoccupied with Iran's rapid production of nuclear weapons.
E) Secretary of State John Kerry signed an agreement with Russia to dispose of Syria's chemical weapons, but the civil war continued.

Question 70

Which of the following characterizes Obama's second term?

A) the complete elimination of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Middle East
B) a period of gridlock due to intense partisanship
C) an unprecedentedly energetic president who thoroughly accomplished his policy goals
D) a lack of restraint in world affairs and increased military involvement
E) a time of cooperation between parties on issues such as health care

Question 71

Which of the following statements accurately describes the Black Lives Matter organization?

A) It was a neighborhood watch group that tried to protect police officers from armed African American youth after a series of officer deaths.
B) It was created in response to mounting evidence that law enforcement officers and the judicial system were treating African Americans unfairly.
C) It had first emerged as a formal organization during the Civil War, attracting members through abolitionist newspapers.
D) It focused on celebrating the sense of cohesion the African American community finally felt with white Americans in the twenty-first century.
E) It was first established during George W. Bush's presidency in response to African Americans emerging as the largest minority group in 2015.

Question 72

What was one of the ways the 2012 election was significant?

A) It was the most expensive election in American history due to the Citizens United ruling that corporations could spend an unlimited amount to support candidates.
B) Mitt Romney showed his willingness to alienate right-wing voters by embracing giving undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.
C) The nation's fastest-growing groups, including Latinos, Asian Americans, and African Americans, tended to vote for Mitt Romney, signaling a new Republican party.
D) Throughout the country, all laws that stifled voting by people of color, poor people, and immigrants were repealed, and Obama won in a landslide as a result.
E) A majority of the white voters voted for Obama, demonstrating how far civil rights had advanced since the period following the Civil War.

Question 73

What was the result of the "Arab Awakening" by 2014?

A) The remainder of the decade saw the continuation of similar uprisings in countries across the wider Middle East.
B) The grassroots revolutionary movements had stalled, as the Middle East had no models of open societies to follow.
C) Countries such as Egypt, Yemen, and Libya established democratic governments for the first time in their history.
D) The authoritarian regimes that had organized and led the Arab Awakening were unseated by the American military.
E) Obama publicly adopted a military doctrine defined by confrontation and increased military intervention.

Question 74

In pledging to "make America great again," one of the items Donald Trump promised was to

A) decrease military spending and withdraw from Iraq.
B) enhance NAFTA and reinvigorate relations with Mexico.
C) repeal and replace Obamacare and increase military spending.
D) accept more Muslim refugees from Syria and other unstable Arab states.
E) promote conservationist policies to protect the environment.

Question 75

Which of the following statements describes one of the factors that led to the waning of the Occupy Wall Street movement?

A) The activists were often willing to engage in violence, which discouraged public support.
B) The activists struggled to articulate their goals as effectively as they voiced what they opposed.
C) Scandals emerged over how the activists spent political campaign contributions.
D) Because the activists supported Mitt Romney in the 2012 election, their efforts dissolved when he lost.
E) Reports surfaced that the activists accepted corporate funds, which undermined their message.

Question 76

What was an effect of Shelby County v. Holder (2013)?

A) It allowed states to deny spousal benefits to same-sex couples who had been legally married.
B) It declared that same-sex marriage is a right guaranteed by the American Constitution.
C) Counties and states in the South were able to push through laws making it harder for minorities and poor people to vote.
D) It outlawed requirements that all voters provide driver's licenses or other forms of identification.
E) It allowed corporations to spend indefinite amounts of money in support of political campaigns.

Question 77

In January 2009, conservative activists coalesced into a decentralized nationwide protest movement challenging the growth of government and federal spending. What was the name of this movement?

A) the Green Party
B) the Reform Party
C) the New Republican Party
D) the Party of Hope
E) the Tea Party

Question 78

By the end of 2014, Russia had

A) annexed both Crimea and the Ukraine despite UN protests.
B) annexed Crimea and sent soldiers into eastern Ukraine.
C) proven its commitment to the NATO alliance by reducing its nuclear weapon stockpile.
D) returned to a Communist-style economy.
E) proven itself a staunch ally of the United States.

Question 79

Which of the following did Trump accomplish during his first year in office?

A) repealing Obamacare and officially replacing it with the American Health Care Act (ACHA)
B) filling his cabinet with working-class people and expanding transgender rights in the military
C) confirming Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch and passing a comprehensive tax cut
D) increasing aid payments to foreign governments and increasing protections for consumers
E) signing the Paris Climate Agreement and building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border

Question 80

Which of the following statements accurately describes the senior administration of the Trump presidency?

A) It was bipartisan in that it was comprised of veteran officeholders and political operatives spanning both major political parties.
B) It experienced unprecedented turnover, with nearly half of Trump's advisers and cabinet members having resigned or been fired by 2018.
C) It included many of Trump's former primary opponents and leading Republicans such as Jeb Bush, George W. Bush, and John Kasich.
D) It included several scientists committed to fighting climate change as part of an effort to make America a leading country in terms of environmental standards.
E) It worked closely on messaging issues with the president, coordinating all announcements about tariffs, border security, and the foreign policy before going public.