Deck 17: War and Terrorism

Question 1

Chemical weapons are one example of

A)weapons of mass destruction.
B)automatic weapons.
C)mutually assured destruction.
D)strategic arms initiatives.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union each boosted military spending to try to prevent the other from gaining a military edge. This pattern is called

A)a diplomatic standoff.
B)an arms race.
C)a military confrontation.
D)an arms gap.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

During World War II, both the Germans and the Allied forces repeatedly bombed each other's cities in attacks that weakened the enemy's ability and will to fight. These military activities illustrate

A)a Star Wars philosophy.
B)limited war.
C)total war.
D)technological war.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The text notes that U.S. leaders justified the Korean War and the war in Vietnam as efforts to keep the world safe from communism, illustrating which factor identified as promoting war?

A)moral objectives
B)wealth and power
C)absence of alternatives
D)cultural and religious differences

Question 5

Which term includes political, racial, or religious persecution-including systematic killing-of any civilian population during war?

A)crimes against humanity
B)crimes against peace
C)conventional war crimes
D)international offenses

Question 6

The People's Republic of China engaged in military conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet at least partly in order to

A)comply with international law.
B)increase its wealth.
C)respond to an external attack.
D)divert attention from domestic social problems.

Question 7

In 2014, the U.S. defense budget was roughly _______ for each citizen of the country.

A)$2
B)$20
C)$200
D)$2,000

Question 8

Which term refers to violent conflict between nations or organized groups?

A)terrorism
B)war
C)guerrilla activity
D)insurrection

Question 9

An offense against the law of war as established by international agreements and international law is called

A)a war crime.
B)a legal infraction.
C)a rule of war violation.
D)a battle offense

Question 10

The worldwide death toll from World War II was

A)under 10 million.
B)about 20 million.
C)nearly 30 million.
D)more than 50 million.

Question 11

What agreements, reached between 1864 and 1949, provide rules for the conduct of war?

A)Constitution of War
B)Geneva Conventions
C)War Contract
D)War Rules Summits

Question 12

After World War II, the United States maintained tense relations with the Soviet Union in a

A)cold war.
B)stalemate.
C)political standoff.
D)war.

Question 13

Between 1942 and 1944, the United States set up internment camps, which the government filled with

A)100,000 war refugees from Asia.
B)100,000 German prisoners of war.
C)100,000 domestic war resistors.
D)100,000 people of Japanese ancestry.

Question 14

Which term refers to the absence of violent conflict?

A)alignment
B)stabilization
C)peace
D)social equilibrium

Question 15

The text mentions seven factors that promote the outbreak of war. Which of the following correctly states one of these seven factors?

A)Societies mobilize their armed forces in response to perceived threats.
B)Cultural and religious differences bring people together to resolve conflicts
C)A periodic show of force can be one way for a nation to lose their leadership position in the world.
D)Leaders usually use armed conflicts to successfully solve domestic social problems.

Question 16

Which term refers to a close association among the federal government, the military, and the defense industries that dominate our nation's politics?

A)the corporate-military pact
B)the big three
C)the military-industrial complex
D)the strategic defense initiative

Question 17

In war, military prisoners-including noncombatants-are confined for purposes of state security, exploitation, punishment, or execution in

A)concentration camps.
B)halfway houses.
C)battle prisons.
D)political correctional camps.

Question 18

During the Balkan conflict, the Serbs deported, imprisoned, or killed hundreds of thousands of Croats, Muslims, and ethnic Albanians. This process is referred to as

A)environmental racism.
B)asymmetrical warfare.
C)ethnic cleansing.
D)institutionalized discrimination.

Question 19

Every year, the nations of the world spend about how much for military purposes?

A)$17.5 million
B)$175 million
C)$175 billion
D)$1.75 trillion

Question 20

The death toll from the U.S. Civil War was about

A)335,000
B)600,000
C)2 million
D)10 million

Question 21

Mohandas K. Gandhi built his life around the idea that the most effective path to peace and justice is to practice nonviolence rather than war. At that time, his immediate goal was

A)to encourage his people to live peacefully under British rule.
B)to stop the civil war within India.
C)the liberation of India from the colonial control of the British.
D)to become the most powerful man in India.

Question 22

Which term refers to the acquisition of nuclear weapon technology by more and more nations?

A)the Star Wars initiative
B)nuclear proliferation
C)the arms race
D)the strategic defense initiative

Question 23

The United States claims that Iran engages in state-sponsored terrorism for supporting Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon who are frequently at war with Israel; Iran counters that Israel, with the support of the United States, engages in terrorism against its neighbors. This goes to show that

A)both nations are trying to get the United States on their side.
B)the United States is a major player in state-sponsored terrorism.
C)only the United States can be trusted to define terrorism.
D)whether we label actors as "terrorists" or "freedom fighters" is a matter of politics.

Question 24

In 1945, the United States military dropped atomic bombs on two cities:

A)Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.
B)Berlin and Nuremberg, Germany.
C)Rome and Naples, Italy.
D)Moscow and Leningrad, USSR.

Question 25

In the 1970s, Pol Pot conducted a campaign of repressive state terrorism against the people of

A) Cambodia.
B) Thailand.
C) Vietnam.
D) Laos.

Question 26

In today's all-volunteer military, the armed forces are made up mostly of

A)immigrants.
B)economically well-off men and women.
C)working-class people.
D)middle-class people.

Question 27

Which term refers to a strategy to keep the peace based on the threat of retaliation?

A)nuclear disarmament
B)strategic defense initiative
C)deterrence
D)resolving underlying conflict

Question 28

In 2014, about how many operational nuclear weapons are held by the United States and the Russian Federation?

A)30
B)300
C)1,300
D)3,100

Question 29

Which term refers to international agreements on the development, testing, production, and deployment of weapons?

A)mutual assured destruction
B)arms control
C)deterrence
D)strategic defense initiative

Question 30

Through which government agency is health care provided free of charge to ex-prisoners of war, those with service-related injuries or disabilities, and veterans with income below the poverty line?

A)Medicaid Department
B)the Department of Veterans Affairs
C)the Social Security Administration
D)the Department of Health and Human Welfare

Question 31

Which theoretical analysis notes how war can have the consequence of uniting a county's population?

A)social-conflict analysis
B)symbolic-interaction analysis
C)structural-functional analysis
D)social-disorganization analysis

Question 32

Among all U.S. veterans, how many have incomes below the poverty line?

A)1.5 million
B)150,000
C)15,000
D)15 million

Question 33

About how many U.S. veterans have a disability resulting from an injury during military duty?

A)3,500
B)35,000
C)350,000
D)3.5 million

Question 34

The use of military power by the government of Syria in 2012 against political opponents is an example of

A)state-sponsored terrorism
B)repressive state terrorism
C)offensive internal terrorism
D)direct terrorism

Question 35

Soldiers have long talked about "battle fatigue" or "shell shock." After the Vietnam War, what disorder of this kind was widely recognized as a war-related disability?

A)withdrawal symptoms
B)post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
C)night sweats
D)napalm syndrome

Question 36

In 2013, there were about how many terrorist attacks worldwide?

A)700
B)1,700
C)9,700
D)90,700

Question 37

Bombings, hijackings, and assassinations carried out by individuals or groups in order to achieve a political goal are examples of

A)terrorism.
B)political assault.
C)intimidation
D)war.

Question 38

Ultimately, the most effective way to end war is

A)to eliminate underlying conflicts.
B)strengthen this country's military power.
C)observe the Geneva Conventions.
D)impose a universal draft.

Question 39

Which term refers to situations in which one government provides money, weapons, and training for terrorists who engage in violence in another nation?

A)repressive state terrorism
B)global negotiation
C)offensive national action
D)state-sponsored terrorism

Question 40

Edward Wilson (1975) developed a biological theory of conflict that claims some human behavior, including war and aggression, results from

A)competition among males for reproductive success.
B)inadequate socialization.
C)too much violence in the media.
D)economic inequality.

Question 41

What important insights about war and peace do we gain from structural-functional, social-conflict, and symbolic-interaction analysis? Howe can you use these insights to reduce the likelihood and human costs of war?

Question 42

The Democratic victory in the 2006 congressional elections and the election of President Obama in 2008 were driven, in large part, by the voters' view that

A)the Iraq War had turned world opinion against the United States and encouraged even greater terrorism.
B)the United States should do whatever is necessary to identify those responsible for terrorism and bring them to justice.
C)the United States pours money into militarism not for national defense but to operate as a global police force.
D)war and terrorism will continue until the world moves toward greater social equality.

Question 43

Which political point of view recognizes that there is a need for defense, but reminds us that militarism itself can be a problem because an arms buildup is expensive and provokes conflict?

A)radical right
B)conservative
C)radical left
D)liberal

Question 44

From which position on the political spectrum is a person likely to view what is often called "terrorism" as a political tool used by powerless people in their fight for justice?

A)radical right
B)conservative
C)radical left
D)liberal

Question 45

Which political position claims that peace can only come through establishing equality among all people in the world?

A)radical left
B)conservative
C)radical right
D)liberal

Question 46

Define terrorism. How common is terrorism in the world? To what extent has the United States been the target of recent terror attacks? Is terrorism new to this country? Explain.

Question 47

People at which position on the political spectrum tend to favor military strength as the best way to keep the peace?

A) conservative
B) liberal
C) radical left
D) radical right

Question 48

Which position on the political spectrum is likely to support the claim of "peace through strength"?

A)radical right
B)conservative
C)radical left
D)liberal

Question 49

Which theoretical analysis helps us to understand the importance of meanings, for example, whether a particular side is seen as part of the problem or part of the solution?

A)symbolic-interaction analysis
B)structural-functional analysis
C)social-conflict analysis
D)sociobiology analysis

Question 50

The greatest resistance to opening more combat assignments to women is the

A)idea that women in the military are less intelligent and educated than their male counterparts.
B)traditional gender view of women as nurturers.
C)issue of sexual intimacy in a "co-educational" military.
D)concern about sexually transmitted diseases.

Question 51

What about war has changed as the world entered the nuclear age? Explain why nuclear weapons threaten not only countries in armed conflict, but all of humanity.

Question 52

The radical left position claims that the United States is likely to engage in military action when any other nation

A)appears to be weak.
B)threatens the operation of the world's capitalist economy.
C)threatens our national morality.
D)disagrees with this country's politics.

Question 53

Identify and provide examples of all seven factors that sociologists have identified as causes of war.

Question 54

Which theoretical analysis highlights the link between war and social inequality?

A)sociobiological analysis
B)symbolic-interaction analysis
C)structural-functional analysis
D)social-conflict analysis

Question 55

Explain how each of the conservative, liberal, and radical-left points of view understands the causes of war and what each perspective identifies as the best ways to ensure peace. Which approach is closest to your own? Why?