Deck 53: A New Millennium

Question 1

Which of these could not be used as a weapon of mass destruction (WMD)?

A)Biological − release of epidemic disease germs or poisons into the atmosphere.
B)Poisoning municipal water supplies with a substance designed to kill or maim at least 100,000.
C)Introducing diseases such as anthrax through the postal system.
D)Infecting a person or persons with a deadly disease and sending them out to seek to infect as many people as possible before they die.
E)Getting infected with the flu virus and going out to full ballpark stadiums.

Answer 1

Getting infected with the flu virus and going out to full ballpark stadiums.

Question 2

What is the most powerful body in the United Nations?

A)The General Assembly.
B)The Security Council.
C)The World Health Organization (WHO).
D)International Labor Organization (ILO).
E)The International Protocol on Climate Change (IPCC).

Answer 2

The Security Council.

Question 3

The limits of international collaboration among states, especially within the confines of the United Nations, have been clearly shown through the

A)condemnation by most nations of the terrorist actions of al Qaida in 2001 in America.
B)successful coalition that stood up to Saddam Hussein in 1990-1991 when he sent his troops into neighboring Kuwait.
C)general support for the campaign to remove the Taliban from Afghanistan in the aftermath of September 11.
D)quarrels among nations over the United States' decision to begin an invasion of Iraq in to remove Saddam from power (though ostensibly searching for WMDs).
E)efforts of the World Bank to help Third World countries receive loans for crops.

Answer 3

quarrels among nations over the United States' decision to begin an invasion of Iraq in to remove Saddam from power (though ostensibly searching for WMDs).

Question 4

After the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, and France, the next country to "go nuclear" was

A)Israel.
B)Japan.
C)India.
D)Pakistan.
E)China.

Question 5

Which groups of people in Africa and Latin America have been most affected by downward mobility ?

A)Farmers and technology workers.
B)Miners and industrialists.
C)Urban workers and union members.
D)Urban workers and immigrants.
E)Farmers and miners.

Question 6

All of the following are true regarding legal changes for women in the West EXCEPT

A)Laws prohibiting paying women less than men.
B)Laws prohibiting discrimination against women in terms of credit.
C)Laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of gender in employment.
D)Laws prohibiting women from attending a major university.
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 7

One of the world's major problems today seems to be that our ethics, our ways of thinking, and our political culture have been outrun by which of the following?

A)Greed.
B)Terrorists.
C)Political hubris.
D)Popular culture.
E)Technology.

Question 8

A major social change in recent years has been a shift in focus from the family to

A)religion.
B)the individual.
C)political party.
D)technology.
E)Both A and C are correct.

Question 9

About the only way for Third World workers to improve their lot is to

A)immigrate to America.
B)steal.
C)migrate to the cities.
D)find work in neighboring countries.
E)grow their own food.

Question 10

In terms of higher education in the West,

A)fewer students have access.
B)students find it difficult to find funds to sustain them while in college.
C)many states in the US have scholarships to help students out.
D)few women take advantage of access to higher education.
E)Both B and D are correct.

Question 11

Where is the longest sustained economic advance in modern history taking place?

A)Australia.
B)The West and Asia.
C)Russia.
D)Africa.
E)Muslim countries.

Question 12

The best statistics indicate that each person in the United States averages using about ____ times as much energy as a person in India, and about ____ times as much as an individual in Italy or ____'

A)thirty-five; three; France.
B)three; ten; France.
C)five; seven; Germany.
D)fifteen; two; England.
E)five; ten; France.

Question 13

Chernobyl is noted as the site where

A)Chechen rebels have been massacred.
B)the people voted to secede from the CIS.
C)all the trees have been cut for fuel.
D)President Putin was born.
E)a nuclear meltdown occurred.

Question 14

What has been the world-wide trend regarding the gap between the wealth of developed and developing countries?

A)The gap has widened.
B)The gap has remained constant.
C)The gap has slightly declined.
D)The gap has been reversed.
E)The gap has greatly declined.

Question 15

In 1950, the UN used a Security Council member's boycott to order defensive action for

A)Vietnam.
B)South Korea.
C)Romania.
D)Czechoslovakia.
E)Poland.

Question 16

How do most women today feel about the feminist movement?

A)Excited
B)Complacent
C)Angry
D)Indifferent
E)Lost

Question 17

Historian John Lukacs has defined the 20^th century by which of the following?

A)Technological advances
B)Religious toleration
C)Economic egalitarianism
D)The Cold War
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 18

The avowed goal of the United Nations is to

A)end poverty.
B)alleviate famine.
C)reduce the rate of population growth.
D)achieve international peace.
E)achieve economic parity for the world's countries.

Question 19

What is the country of origin for Osama bin Laden?

A)Afghanistan.
B)Pakistan.
C)Saudi Arabia.
D)Yemen.
E)Palestine.

Question 20

Which of the following explains why Eastern Europe responded differently to communism than Asia?

A)The people of Eastern Europe were more directly affected by World War II.
B)The people of Eastern Europe had experienced social and political freedoms and were not willing to give those up.
C)The people of Asia had such a high standard of living that they did not fear communism.
D)The people of Asia were more directly affected by the use of atomic weapons.
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 21

In 2010 the Internet had about 2 billion users.  That number is expected to increase to around ____________________ by 2020.

Question 22

Term for identification: Rachel Carson

Question 23

____________________ is the poorest country in the world, with a 2007 per capita income of ____________________.

Question 24

All of the following are major environmental problems we are facing today EXCEPT

A)pollution.
B)global warming.
C)loss of renewable energy sources.
D)reforestation.
E)Both A and B are correct.

Question 25

There are only two rational approaches to the solution of basic environmental problems: ____________________ and ____________________.

Question 26

Term for identification: global warming

Question 27

The original goal of the UN was to guarantee ____________________.

Question 28

Term for identification: women's liberation

Question 29

Term for identification: greenhouse gases

Question 30

One concern about WMDs is the possibility that ____________________ warfare could be used to pollute our water supply.

Question 31

What methods do the Muslim takfiri employ to advance what they see as their sacred duty?

A)Holy war against infidels that includes martyrdom and carrying out bombings..
B)Advancing ongoing peace talks between Israel and Palestine.
C)They are seeking a peaceful resolution between Muslims in Pakistan with India.
D)They prefer negotiation to aid in a peaceful resolution between the Muslim and Christian worlds.
E)They will use monetary incentives to achieve unity between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims.

Question 32

____________________ out of the working classes into the technical or professional groups has become common throughout the developed world.

Question 33

As of 2013, which one of the following nations does NOT possess nuclear weapons?

A)South Africa.
B)France.
C)India.
D)China.
E)Saudi Arabia.

Question 34

Among ____________________, reform rather than revolution and gradualism rather than radical change have become the order of the day.

Question 35

Term for identification: The Second Sex

Question 36

Regarding the United Nations during the Cold War

A)they were able to intervene every time one member had a concern.
B)they were so restricted in their powers that they were never able to intervene.
C)they could only reprimand a country, not act.
D)they were only able to intervene a few times due to voting procedures.
E)None of the options are correct.

Question 37

Term for identification: takfiri

Question 38

A large majority of scientists today attribute what they now view as global warming to the emission of ____________________.

Question 39

Advances in electronics are making ____________________ almost irrelevant to communication.

Question 40

Term for identification: Weapons of mass destruction (WMDs)

Question 41

What were the different approaches to social reform?

Question 42

How effective has the United Nations been in the 20th and 21st centuries?

Question 43

What was meant by "women's liberation" and what impact has this had on social foundations such as the family?

Question 44

Discuss the significant threats to human life as a result of manmade inventions.

Question 45

Describe and discuss the world's current situation concerning environmental issues. Consider energy consumption, global warming, pollution, and food production.

Question 46

Term for identification: United Nations

Question 47

Term for identification: World Trade Center

Question 48

Explain the realities of the income gradient between the most advanced countries and the least advanced. What problems, opportunities, and challenges does it portend?

Question 49

Term for identification: downward mobility