Deck 27: Age of Affluence, 1953-1960

Question 1

Which of the following was NOT a consistent theme in the 1950s?

A)progressivism
B)tri-faith ideology
C)the Cold War
D)consumerism

Answer 1

A

Question 2

?

A)It was paid for mostly by taxpayers via an additional income tax.
B)The auto industry lobbied for it.
C)President Eisenhower saw its usefulness for defense,similar to Hitler's autobahn.
D)It was the largest public works project to date.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Eisenhower's New Look foreign policy prescribed

A)a larger conventional military force but a reduction of the nuclear arms stockpile.
B)a reduction of both the conventional military force and the nuclear arms stockpile.
C)a smaller conventional military force but a larger nuclear arms stockpile.
D)an increase in both the conventional military force and the nuclear arms stockpile.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The Soviets were the first to

A)test the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile and launch the world's first satellite.
B)test the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile,while the U.S.launched the world's first satellite.
C)launch the world's first satellite,while the U.S.tested the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 5

Which of the following was NOT one of the trends in foods during the 1950s?

A)steaks
B)healthy smoothies
C)"TV dinners"
D)increased processing

Question 6

The negotiating style known as nuclear brinksmanship meant

A)the development of agreements between nations that called for a freeze on nuclear arms production.
B)mutual agreements between nations that resulted in a reduction of nuclear arms stockpiles.
C)the halting of nuclear testing by one side,in hope that the other side would reciprocate.
D)refusing to back down in a crisis even if it took the nation to the brink of war.

Question 7

The three-fold increase of cars on the road in the 1950s did all of the following EXCEPT

A)drive up oil consumption.
B)lead to the opening of billions of acres of ocean bed for offshore drilling.
C)lead to the passage of the Air Pollution Control Act.
D)cause the U.S.to relinquish many of its holdings in the Middle East.

Question 8

The most pervasive theme in television programming during the 1950s was

A)reality television.
B)suburban life.
C)fast city living.
D)the civil rights movement.

Question 9

The participants of the Kitchen Debate of 1959 were Khrushchev and

A)Eisenhower.
B)Nixon.
C)Dulles.
D)Gaither.

Question 10

Which of the following was NOT one of the new charge cards introduced during the 1950s?

A)Bank Americard
B)Diner's Club card
C)American Express
D)Master Card

Question 11

The Pledge of Allegiance was originally written by D.Francis Bellamy.

A)George Docherty.
B)Abraham Lincoln.
C)Dwight
D)Eisenhower.

Question 12

After 1950 the single most important symbol of prosperity became the

A)television.
B)automobile.
C)suburban home.
D)expensive wristwatch.

Question 13

The quiz show Twenty-One was found to have

A)never paid out winnings to its contestants.
B)consistently erred in the "correct" responses to many of its quiz questions.
C)prepped certain contestants in order to elevate ratings.
D)employed actors as contestants who impersonated people from various walks of life.

Question 14

Eisenhower's modern Republicanism consisted of

A)the defunding of the New Deal and higher taxation.
B)a focus on big business at the expense of the middle class.
C)the extension of New Deal-type programs.
D)increased regulation of corporations and lower taxes.

Question 15

In the 1950s,________ Americans shared in the nation's prosperity.

A)only about one percent of
B)the majority of
C)relatively few
D)all

Question 16

Cold War tensions experienced a resurgence in 1954,which resulted in

A)Nikita Khrushchev's continued nuclear buildup.
B)Eisenhower's acceleration of defense spending on conventional arms.
C)the Soviet perception that the U.S.was weakening as it drew down its nuclear arms.
D)the igniting of the Korean War.

Question 17

Which of the following was NOT among the efforts of the U.S.to persuade foreign peoples of the positive attributes of American capitalism and culture?

A)the United Nations
B)the Jazz Ambassadors
C)the United States Information Agency
D)Hollywood cowboy movies

Question 18

The Gaither Report of 1957 led to

A)a temporary thawing of the Cold War.
B)the establishment of NASA.
C)the Soviet development of Sputnik.
D)a stabilization of defense spending.

Question 19

The service economy grew tremendously in response to increased travel by Americans,in large part due to

A)paid vacation time.
B)lower gas prices.
C)safer highways.
D)the influx of new immigrants.

Question 20

By 1955 television had begun to appeal its viewers'

A)emotions and sense of humor.
B)intellectual curiosity.
C)spiritual interests.
D)passion for sporting events.

Question 21

Which of the following was NOT one of the relatively common boundary-pushing teen activities?

A)cruising
B)heavy petting
C)fighting
D)drag racing

Question 22

Which of the following prompted competition between the United States and the Soviet Union for influence over Third World nations?

A)oil shortages
B)nationalization
C)decolonization
D)revolution

Question 23

Orval Faubus was

A)a Supreme Court justice.
B)a Ku Klux Klan activist.
C)one of the students who was turned away from attending Central High School.
D)the governor of Arkansas.

Question 24

?

A)The case argued for equal funding for segregated schools.
B)The case consisted of five lawsuits combined into a single suit.
C)The suit got its name from Oliver Brown,whose eight-year-old daughter was barred from attending a whites-only elementary school.
D)The decision overturned Plessy v.Ferguson by declaring that segregation of schools was unconstitutional.

Question 25

Avant-garde artists attempted to critique consumerism by

A)drawing sharp distinctions between various individual art forms.
B)charging no admission fee for their performances.
C)attempting to engage audiences in making sense of their experience.
D)striving to control the meaning of the central messages of their performances.

Question 26

In 1955,Rosa Parks,a secretary for the NAACP,sparked a boycott of the bus system in

A)Montgomery,AlabamA.
B)Biloxi,Mississippi.
C)Little Rock,Arkansas.
D)Atlanta,Georgia.

Question 27

Egyptian leader Nasser ordered troops to storm the Suez Canal after

A)British,French,and Israeli forces invaded Egypt in an attempt to take control of the canal.
B)Secretary of State Dulles publically cancelled financing for the Aswan Dam.
C)President Eisenhower refused to sell arms to the Egyptians.
D)communist Czechoslovakia repudiated their arms deal with Egypt.

Question 28

The Ray Charles song "What'd I Say?" was controversial mainly because

A)of its sexually explicit lyrics.
B)Charles was African American.
C)it was promoted by the record company in spite of its failure to generate revenue.
D)All these answers are correct.

Question 29

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)was based on all of the following EXCEPT

A)Mahatma Gandhi's practice of civil disobedience.
B)black power.
C)Christian brotherly love.
D)nonviolent protest.

Question 30

Senator John F.Kennedy

A)pressed for legislation against the way record companies paid disc jockeys to promote their songs.
B)enjoyed listening to Elvis Presley.
C)said that rock 'n' roll plunged "men's minds into degrading and immoral depths."
D)encouraged the taming of celebrity rebels for the public gooD.

Question 31

Who among the following was NOT a participant in the youth-oriented music industry of the 1950s?

A)Big Joe Turner
B)Alan Freed
C)Sam Phillips
D)Francis Spellman

Question 32

,

A)illustrated how the Soviets were attempting to shape American culture in subliminal ways.
B)demonstrated how modern artists and musicians had successfully perverted teenagers during the 1950s.
C)attempted to prove that federal government agencies were intent on promoting conformity in the lives of citizens.
D)showed how advertisers were using psychology to manipulate consumers.

Question 33

When it came to attempts at nationalization in various countries,

A)the Soviets resisted them,but they were encouraged by the U.S.
B)the U.S.resisted them,but they were encouraged by the Soviets.
C)both the U.S.and Soviets encouraged such efforts.
D)both the U.S.and Soviets resisted them,often through intervention.

Question 34

In 1955 the leaders of most decolonized nations jointly decided to

A)remain neutral in the Cold War.
B)side with Soviet communism.
C)side with American capitalism.
D)None of these answers is correct.

Question 35

The Kefauver Committee's investigation into the effects of sex and violence in popular culture on teens found

A)a direct connection,and condemned movies and TV for glamorizing delinquency.
B)a direct connection,but took no further action.
C)no direct connection,but condemned movies and TV for glamorizing delinquency.
D)no direct connection,and took no further action.

Question 36

Avant-garde artists

A)held that art was the expression of the artist's inner emotional truth.
B)embraced harmony and balance in their work.
C)sought to lead audiences to experience sights and sounds in new ways.
D)rigidly held to the conventions of their trade.

Question 37

The live performance of 4'33' was composed by

A)Merce Cunningham.
B)John Cage.
C)Robert Rauschenberg.
D)Martha Graham.

Question 38

The Beats condemned all of the following EXCEPT

A)heterosexual marriage.
B)conformity.
C)consumerism.
D)mind-altering drugs.

Question 39

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe teenagers' experience as they emerged as a cultural force in the 1950s?

A)They became highly sought-after consumers.
B)They enjoyed more leisure time than previous generations.
C)Their incomes rose dramatically.
D)Most dropped out of high school to join the adult workforce.

Question 40

White youth were introduced to rhythm and blues (R&B)when

A)cheap three-minute 45s were released.
B)Bill Haley and His Comets recorded "Shake,Rattle,and Roll."
C)"Rock Around the Clock" became a hit single in 1955.
D)Sam Phillips recorded the first African American R&B artists.

Question 41

Describe how civil rights efforts became a mass movement in the 1950s through several key milestone events.

Question 42

Compare and contrast the nature,role,and impact of rock 'n' roll with that of Beat poetry and the Avant-garde.How were these artistic expressions similar,and in what ways did they significantly diverge?

Question 43

The new conservative movement of the 1950s combined all the following aspects EXCEPT

A)Judeo-Christian morality.
B)libertarianism.
C)isolationism.
D)conservatism.

Question 44

Identify and describe the various economic,cultural,and technological aspects of the consumer culture of the 1950s.

Question 45

Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek promoted

A)communist revolution.
B)federal control of large industries.
C)free enterprise.
D)New Deal-style reforms.

Question 46

The term Boulwarism refers to

A)General Electric's approach to labor negotiations.
B)communism.
C)free market capitalism.
D)the use of movie stars to enhance a corporation's public image.

Question 47

The key issues on voters' minds as the election of 1960 approached included all of the following EXCEPT

A)the faltering economy.
B)the civil rights movement in the South.
C)teenage rebellion.
D)the Cold War.

Question 48

In the mid-1950s,the federal government

A)deported over a million illegal Mexican farm workers.
B)nearly tripled the number of legal Mexican immigrants allowed into the country.
C)launched Operation Wetback.
D)All these answers are correct.

Question 49

Which of the following was NOT true of the televised debate between presidential candidates Nixon and Kennedy?

A)It was a turning point in which Kennedy began to take the lead in the polls.
B)Millions of viewers watched on television,but only a few thousand listened by radio.
C)It highlighted the importance of image,style,and appearance over substance.
D)It was the first-ever televised presidential debate.

Question 50

Explain why Americans experienced such prosperity during the 1950s.What was modern Republicanism,and what role did it play in the economy?

Question 51

The Los Angeles-based organization founded by James Fifield

A)argued that bankers and socialists were conspiring to take over the U.S.government.
B)promoted the idea that the role of government in American life must be increased in order to establish a just society.
C)embraced the Cold War and American interventionism.
D)popularized a theological justification for free market economies.

Question 52

Analyze the cultural and economic impact of teenagers.Also,how did their portrayal in the media create controversy?

Question 53

Throughout most of the 1950s,union membership surged and most corporations

A)sought to dismantle the system of industrial relations and avoid dealing with labor unions.
B)recognized unions' right to strike under certain circumstances.
C)returned to the use of the Pinkerton Agency to suppress unions.
D)gave unions virtually all their demands because the economy guaranteed profits.

Question 54

Novelist and essayist Ayn Rand was known for all of the following ideas EXCEPT

A)libertarianism.
B)that the principle purpose of human beings is to selfishly seek happiness through creativity and reason.
C)opposition to communism.
D)radical individualism.

Question 55

Summarize the movements birthed from the idea of free enterprise,including the libertarian and neoconservative ideologies.

Question 56

Describe the Cold War conflict,including American actions and foreign policy during this period.

Question 57

Pete Hernandez appealed the Hernandez v.Texas decision on the grounds that

A)he was innocent of murder.
B)people of all races should be allowed to serve on juries.
C)Operation Wetback was unconstitutional.
D)the AFGI had violated his civil rights.