Deck 31: From the Age of Limits to the Age of Reagan Key

Question 1

In 1980,the "Sunbelt" region of the nation

A) All these answers are correct.
B) contributed to the growth of the modern conservative movement.
C) included both the Southeast and Southwest.
D) contained a strong populist tradition.
E) both contained a strong populist tradition, and contributed to the growth of the modern conservative movement.

Answer 1

All these answers are correct.

Question 2

As president,Jimmy Carter called for a foreign policy that stressed the importance of

A) democracy.
B) free trade and open markets.
C) American business interests.
D) the environment.
E) human rights.

Answer 2

human rights.

Question 3

During the Ford administration,

A) government spending increased and taxes decreased.
B) the cost of oil rose dramatically.
C) the United States became the world's largest oil producer.
D) the national inflation rate declined after the end of the 1973 oil embargo.
E) the dependence of the United States on foreign oil lessened.

Answer 3

the cost of oil rose dramatically.

Question 4

On the economic front,during the Carter administration,

A) retail prices fell at a 10 percent annual rate.
B) unemployment rose sharply.
C) President Carter broke from the tight money policy of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.
D) interest rates rose to their highest level in American history.
E) energy prices leveled off.

Question 5

Proposition 13 in California,in 1978,dealt with

A) criminal sentencing.
B) illegal immigration.
C) gay marriage.
D) affirmative action.
E) property taxes.

Question 6

In 1979,Iranians who took American hostages demanded,in return for their release,

A) the removal of all American troops from Saudi Arabia.
B) the removal of all westerners from Iran.
C) a large ransom payment.
D) the United States' return of the shah of Iran.
E) an end to the United States' support of Israel.

Question 7

In 1979,President Jimmy Carter

A) fired all members of his cabinet and gave a national address in which he criticized the spirit of the nation.
B) went to Camp David for a month in the midst of an OPEC oil crisis.
C) gave a national address in which he criticized the spirit of the nation.
D) All these answers are correct.
E) fired all members of his cabinet.

Question 8

In the late 1970s,the "Christian right"

A) opposed the intertwining of religion and politics.
B) were losing ground as a political force.
C) feared aggressive American military actions.
D) were alarmed by many Supreme Court rulings.
E) supported the goals of feminism.

Question 9

President Gerald Ford's foreign policy actions included

A) attempting to secure the release of American hostages in Iran.
B) replacing Henry Kissinger as secretary of state.
C) the signing of an arms control agreement with the Soviet Union.
D) helping Israel obtain control of a large portion of the Sinai from Egypt.
E) shifting away from the Nixon policies of engaging China in diplomacy.

Question 10

The crisis of American hostages being held in Iran

A) was resolved before the 1980 elections.
B) lasted over one year.
C) ended with a successful rescue operation by American troops.
D) both lasted over one year and was resolved before the 1980 election.
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 11

In 1977,President Jimmy Carter supported treaties in which the United States gave up control of

A) the UN Security Council.
B) the island of Guam.
C) sugar plantations in the Philippines.
D) military bases in Okinawa.
E) the Panama Canal.

Question 12

In 1979,the Carter administration responded to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan by

A) imposing economic sanctions on the Soviet Union.
B) mobilizing NATO airstrikes.
C) cutting off all diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.
D) convincing most of its Western European allies to boycott the 1980 summer Olympic Games.
E) withdrawing the SALT I treaty from Senate consideration.

Question 13

Early in his presidency,Jimmy Carter gave priority attention to

A) federal spending and Soviet-American relations.
B) energy and the economy.
C) reform of government and education.
D) passing civil rights legislation.
E) conservation and the environment.

Question 14

As president,Gerald Ford angered many right-wing conservatives by

A) breaking from Richard Nixon's détente policies.
B) criticizing the American military leadership in Vietnam.
C) appointing Nelson Rockefeller as vice president.
D) praising the ideals of draft resistors in a speech.
E) choosing Robert Dole as his running mate in 1976.

Question 15

In 1976,Jimmy Carter appealed to voters by emphasizing

A) All these answers are correct.
B) both his personal honesty and his religious piety.
C) his religious piety.
D) his lack of experience in federal government.
E) his personal honesty.

Question 16

Supporters of the 1978 Proposition 13 in California successfully

A) separated the issue of taxes from the issue of what the taxes supported.
B) mobilized thousands of voters against funding for parochial schools.
C) focused white male voter resentment on affirmative action.
D) played on the personal security fears of voters.
E) played on the racial fears of voters.

Question 17

In 1974,former President Richard Nixon was pardoned by

A) the attorney general.
B) Congress.
C) the president.
D) the Supreme Court.
E) the Federal Court of Appeals.

Question 18

In the late 1970s,members of the so-called Sagebrush Rebellion

A) portrayed the West as a victim of government control.
B) favored restrictions on new commercial development in the West.
C) complained the federal government ignored the American West.
D) mobilized in favor of stricter immigration controls in the West.
E) were inclined to support liberal politicians.

Question 19

In the 1976 presidential election,

A) the Democrats nominated a political novice.
B) the Democratic Party nominated the almost entirely unknown governor of Arkansas.
C) Gerald Ford won the popular vote but lost the election.
D) President Gerald Ford faced his stiffest opposition from moderate Republicans.
E) Ronald Reagan mounted a powerful challenge against President Ford.

Question 20

All of the following foreign policy events occurred during the Carter administration EXCEPT the

A) ratification of a new SALT II arms agreement with the Soviet Union.
B) signing of a formal peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
C) establishment of formal diplomatic relations with communist China.
D) ratification of the Panama Canal treaty.
E) beginning of a Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Question 21

In the late 1980s,challenges to communist rule were LEAST successful in

A) Poland.
B) Romania.
C) Czechoslovakia.
D) Hungary.
E) China.

Question 22

In 1986,the Reagan administration suffered a serious political scandal after the White House admitted it had

A) both illegally funneled money from arms sales and secretly helped finance anti-government rebels in Nicaragua.
B) secretly helped finance anti-government rebels in Nicaragua.
C) illegally funneled money from arms sales.
D) secretly sold weapons to the revolutionary government of Iran.
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 23

In his foreign policy,President Ronald Reagan

A) All these answers are correct.
B) both denounced the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT II) as unfavorable to the United States, and honored its provisions.
C) accused the Soviet Union of sponsoring world terrorism.
D) denounced the Strategic Arms Limitations Treaty (SALT II) as unfavorable to the United States.
E) honored the provisions of SALT II.

Question 24

The "supply-side" economic theory embraced by President Ronald Reagan called for

A) greater federal assistance to poor Americans.
B) a reduction of defense spending.
C) a reduction of personal and corporate taxes.
D) the privatization of Social Security.
E) balancing the federal budget.

Question 25

As president,Ronald Reagan

A) had major success in redefining public policy.
B) faced strong opposition from a majority of policy-makers in government.
C) was very involved in the day-to-day affairs of running the government.
D) succeeded in making his personality a central feature of his presidency.
E) initially pledged to serve only one term.

Question 26

In 1988,Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signaled his desire to change past policies by

A) ordering a military coup against communist hard-liners within his government.
B) giving the republics within the Soviet Union their independence.
C) agreeing to a significant nuclear arms reduction treaty.
D) renouncing his own communism.
E) releasing political prisoner Nelson Mandela after 27 years.

Question 27

In 1983,the Reagan administration responded to a terrorist bombing of American military barracks in Beirut by

A) launching cruise missiles against the suspected perpetrators.
B) withdrawing the remaining marines.
C) supporting an invasion by Israel into southern Lebanon.
D) establishing a special military force to fight terrorism.
E) enlarging the U.S. Marine forces in the city.

Question 28

The weakening of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s was encouraged by the Soviet policy of

A) glasnost and perestroika.
B) glasnost.
C) perestroika and apartheid.
D) perestroika.
E) apartheid.

Question 29

President Ronald Reagan argued that the Strategic Defense Initiative would

A) enable the United States to make a successful "first strike" anywhere in the world.
B) bring an end to communism.
C) protect all of the United States' allies.
D) make nuclear war obsolete.
E) bridge the "missile gap" with the Soviet Union.

Question 30

Which of the following statements about Reagan's domestic policies and their effects is accurate?

A) He managed to maintain domestic spending cuts that equaled increases in military spending.
B) He strengthened the enforcement of civil rights laws.
C) He cut corporate taxes but maintained Carter-level tax rates on the wealthy.
D) The federal deficit grew in the first six months of his presidency, then began a long decline.
E) Under his direction, the Environmental Protection Agency relaxed or eliminated enforcement of environmental laws and regulations.

Question 31

In the 1980s,record national budget deficits resulted from

A) increased military spending.
B) All these answers are correct.
C) increased health care costs.
D) large tax cuts.
E) increased entitlement spending on programs such as Social Security.

Question 32

The Reagan Doctrine of opposing communism

A) resulted in a relatively passive American foreign policy.
B) centered on weakening the Soviet Union's hold on Eastern Europe.
C) was most frequently applied in Asia.
D) was substantially reworked after the 1983 Beirut bombing.
E) led the United States to intervene in several Latin American nations, including Grenada and Nicaragua.

Question 33

Regarding his view of Mikhail Gorbachev,President Ronald Reagan was

A) consistently skeptical of Gorbachev.
B) always of the belief that Gorbachev was a sincere reformer.
C) initially skeptical, but gradually concluded that Gorbachev was a sincere reformer.
D) initially skeptical, but gradually became more openly hostile to Gorbachev.
E) initially optimistic, but gradually concluded he could not work with Gorbachev.

Question 34

All of the following were part of the 1984 election EXCEPT

A) President Ronald Reagan winning all but one state.
B) the Republican Party stood united and firmly committed to Reagan's candidacy.
C) the Democratic Party choosing Walter Mondale as the presidential nominee.
D) the first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, appearing on a major party national ticket.
E) the Republicans making large gains in the Senate and House.

Question 35

During the Reagan presidency,"neoconservatives"

A) made up the majority of supporters of Reagan.
B) were unable to effectively unite with other Reagan supporters.
C) believed the Vietnam War had illustrated the limits of American intervention.
D) were a small but disproportionately influential group of intellectuals.
E) were largely concerned with the government's progressive tax structure.

Question 36

The country President Ronald Reagan described as an "evil empire" in the early 1980s was

A) Iraq.
B) North Korea.
C) Iran.
D) the Soviet Union.
E) China.

Question 37

In the 1980 presidential campaign,

A) Ronald Reagan asserted that the power of the federal government needed to be increased.
B) Jimmy Carter promised to make substantial tax cuts.
C) the Iranian hostages were released on the day of the last debate.
D) an independent candidate determined the outcome of the election.
E) Jimmy Carter had to hold off a strong challenge to his re-nomination.

Question 38

George H.W.Bush's 1988 presidential victory was primarily the result of

A) the public's disapproval of negative political advertising.
B) public ebullience over the fall of communism.
C) an overly aggressive Democratic strategy.
D) damaging personal revelations regarding Michael Dukakis.
E) his repeated attack on his opponent as a liberal.

Question 39

During President Ronald Reagan's first term,the course of the American economy

A) went through a severe recession that gave way to a strong recovery.
B) experienced explosive economic growth from the start.
C) experienced a mild recession that turned into a slow and steady recovery.
D) remained mired in "stagflation."
E) moved from being relatively strong into a long, mild recession.

Question 40

In the 1980 presidential election,Ronald Reagan

A) captured an overwhelming majority of electoral votes.
B) None of these answers is correct.
C) both won slightly more than half of the popular vote, and captured an overwhelming majority of electoral votes.
D) won slightly more than half of the popular vote.
E) won primarily as a result of third-party candidate John Anderson.

Question 41

In 1974,OPEC raised the price it charged for oil by 400 percent.

Question 42

In 1992,Ross Perot made the best third-party showing in American politics since

A) Robert La Follette in 1924.
B) Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
C) John Anderson in 1980.
D) George Wallace in 1968.
E) Henry Wallace in 1948.

Question 43

At the time that Iranian radicals seized the American embassy in Tehran,the shah of Iran was in the United States.

Question 44

Under President Carter,unemployment declined but inflation soared.

Question 45

Carter's greatest foreign policy success was in arranging a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

Question 46

In 1976,Jimmy Carter easily won election over Gerald Ford.

Question 47

The United States did not participate in the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow.

Question 48

Near the end of his first term,Jimmy Carter's standing in popularity polls was the lowest of any president in American history.

Question 49

The American public came to regard Gerald Ford as being as untrustworthy as Richard Nixon.

Question 50

Richard Nixon was never charged for his involvement in the Watergate scandal.

Question 51

Like Nixon and Ford before him,President Carter responded to economic problems with a combination of tight money and calls for voluntary restraint.

Question 52

All of the following statements regarding the Gulf War of 1991 are true EXCEPT that

A) the Allied forces ultimately numbered 690,000 troops.
B) almost all Islamic and Arab nations joined a trade embargo against Iraq.
C) the Allied ground offensive focused on dislodging Iraqi forces dug-in along the Kuwait border.
D) the United States suffered relatively few casualties in the war.
E) the United Nations voted in favor of American policies toward Iraq.

Question 53

President Carter responded to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan by declaring the Carter Doctrine.

Question 54

The 1981 tax cuts were the largest to that point in American history.

Question 55

After the Gulf War,President George H.W.Bush's high popularity quickly faded because of his

A) invasion of Panama.
B) inability to contain a worsening recession.
C) decision not to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.
D) admission of corruption within the White House staff.
E) decision to lower taxes.

Question 56

Under President Carter,the United States and the People's Republic of China resumed full diplomatic relations.

Question 57

The Gulf War of 1991 had its origins in an Iraqi decision to

A) build weapons of mass destruction.
B) declare war on Iran.
C) invade Kuwait.
D) fire SCUD missiles into Israel.
E) form a military alliance with Saudi Arabia.

Question 58

In the late 1980s,in foreign affairs,President George H.W.Bush

A) moved toward far-reaching arms reduction agreements with the former Soviet Union.
B) developed a cool and distrustful relationship with Mikhail Gorbachev.
C) rejected most arms treaties in favor of increased weapons testing.
D) expressed little interest in international activities.
E) moved quickly to take advantage of the collapse of communism in Europe.

Question 59

The most serious domestic problem facing the Bush administration was

A) the recession of 1990-1992.
B) both Bush's opposition to current abortion and affirmative action laws, and the president's inability to work with the Democratic Congress.
C) Bush's opposition to current abortion and affirmative action laws.
D) the president's inability to work with the Democratic Congress.
E) Bush's broken pledge not to raise taxes.

Question 60

Historically,there has been a strong populist tradition in the American South and West.

Question 61

What factors caused the fading of the "Reagan Revolution"?

Question 62

How do you account for the rise of the American right? What was its agenda?

Question 63

President Reagan denounced SALT II but continued to honor its provisions.

Question 64

How did President Carter and President Reagan differ in their handling of foreign policy?

Question 65

The Iran-contra scandal did serious damage to Reagan's presidency.

Question 66

Why did Jimmy Carter end up being one of the least popular presidents in American history?

Question 67

Why did communist governments rapidly collapse throughout Europe during the late 1980s and early 1990s?

Question 68

Why was President Ford challenged from both political extremes in his party in 1976?

Question 69

What was the effect of "Reaganomics"? Was it a sound economic plan?

Question 70

What were the sources of the nation's economic troubles during the Carter administration?

Question 71

The 1988 election results gave the Republican Party control of the presidency and both houses of Congress.

Question 72

What constituted the "Reagan Revolution"? Was it successful or not? Why or why not?

Question 73

On what well-received political themes did Jimmy Carter run for the presidency in 1976,and how did these became liabilities once he was in office?

Question 74

Make a case for the positive changes in the American political process that resulted from the Watergate scandal.

Question 75

Describe the Reagan administration's efforts with respect to deregulation.How did those efforts fit in with the administration's larger economic philosophy?

Question 76

The Reagan administration accumulated more debt in eight years than the American government had accumulated in its entire history.

Question 77

Why was Ronald Reagan able to maintain his personal popularity and political support despite serious scandals within his administration?

Question 78

What were President Carter's major political successes and failures?

Question 79

What were the assets and liabilities faced by Gerald Ford's presidency?

Question 80

President Ronald Reagan claimed that the U.S.SDI program could essentially make nuclear war obsolete.