1.
Which of the following statements regarding the 1924 Immigration Act (often called the Johnson Act) is not true?
Correct Answer
D. It resulted in a decline in the number of immigrants to the United States from countries in the Western HemispHere.
Explanation
Because it placed no limits on the number of persons who could legally immigrate to the United States from countries located in the Western Hemisphere, the Johnson Act did not result in a decrease in the number of persons immigrating to the United States from countries in the Western Hemisphere. The Johnson Act did, however, place limits on the number of persons who could immigrate to the United States from countries located in other parts of the world, and it took away the freedom of Asians to legally immigrate to the United States. It led to an increase in the annual percentages of immigrants from Northern and Western Europe and a decline in the percentages of immigrants from Eastern and Southern Europe, because it specifically allowed for the annual percentages of immigrants from Western and Northern Europe to be higher than those from Eastern and Southern Europe.
2.
Which of the following consisted of a coalition of various liberal and radical groups held together by the common goal of stopping the rise and spread of fascism and Nazism in Europe?
Correct Answer
C. The Popular Front.
Explanation
The Popular Front consisted of a coalition of various liberal and radical groups held together by the common goal of stopping the rise and spread of Fascism and Nazism in Europe. Wobblies was the name given to members of the Industrial Workers of the World, which during the early decades of the 20th century was involved in the mobilization of unskilled and immigrant workers. Members of the Progressive Party, as well as individuals who labeled themselves progressive, were generally in favor of the breaking up of trusts and of more extensive government efforts to improve the life conditions of working and middle classes. Initially led by Enoch Powell, the National Front consists of British citizens opposed to increased immigration from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
3.
The G.I. Bill, passed in 1944, is more officially known as the:
Correct Answer
B. Servicemen's Readjustment Act.
Explanation
The G.I. Bill was passed as the Servicemen's Readjustment Act. The National Security Act (1947) placed the Army, Navy, and Air Force under the direction of the newly created Department of Defense. It also authorized the creation of the National Security Council and the CIA. The National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) mandated that codes of fair competitive and labor practices be drawn up for different U.S. industries. The Johnson Act (1924) placed limits on the number of persons who could immigrate to the United States during any given year.
4.
Which of the following was not present at the Yalta Conference?
Correct Answer
C. Charles De Gaulle.
Explanation
Charles De Gaule was not present at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin were present.
5.
In 1950, communist-backed forces went from__________ to ___________, promoting the United States to call for a United Nations sanction against the invasion.
Correct Answer
D. North Korea to South Korea.
Explanation
In 1950, South Korea was invaded by communist-backed forces from North Korea, prompting the United States to call for the imposition of sanctions against the invaders.
6.
_____________ was President of the United States during the economic panic of 1929 that led to the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Correct Answer
A. Hoover.
Explanation
Herbert Hoover was President of the United States during the economic panic of 1929 that led to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Warren G. Harding was president from 1921 to 1923. Calving Coolidge was president from 1923 to 1929. Franklin D. Roosevelt was President from 1933 to 1945.
7.
__________ is the only person to have served as both vice-president and president of the United States without having been elected to either office.
Correct Answer
D. Gerald Ford.
Explanation
Gerald Ford is the only person to have served as both vice-president and president of the United States without having been elected to either office. He became vice-president upon the resignation of elected vice-president Spiro Agnew, and president upon the resignation of president Richard Nixon. Arthur, Roosevelt, and Coolidge were each elected to the office of vice-president before becoming president.
8.
Which of the following prohibited the manufacture, sale, transportation, import and export of intoxicating liquor?
Correct Answer
A. The 18th Amendment.
Explanation
The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacture, import, and export of intoxicating liquor. The 21st Amendment (1933) repealed the 18th Amendment. The 19th Amendment (1920) gave women the right to vote. The 20th Amendment (1933) changed the dates on which members of Congress and the president and vice president are inducted into office.
9.
Which of the following is not true?
Correct Answer
C. Before 1914, in most states, alcohol could be legally sold to persons younger than 14 years old.
Explanation
It is not true that before 1914, most states permitted the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under 14 years of age. But is is true that before 1914, there were no legal controls or restrictions on the sale of opium or heroin, and that cocaine was an ingredient in early 20th century Coca-Cola. It is also true that before the 1930s, there were no legal controls or restriction on the use or possession of marijuana.
10.
Which of the following, regarding the CIA, is false?
Correct Answer
D. It was created in response to the Soviet Union's launching of Sputnik.
Explanation
The CIA came into existence in 1947; the Sputnik satellite was launched ten years later, in 1957. It was created during the presidency of Harry Truman, in response to the threat of a communist takeover in Greece and Turkey and as was, thereby, a direct outgrowth of America's policy of containment (of communism).
11.
The ______________ were a husband and wife team convicted of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union.
Correct Answer
C. Rosenbergs.
Explanation
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were a husband and wife team convicted of espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union. As a result of charges made against him by Whittaker Chambers (a Time magazine employee), former State Department official Alger Hiss was convicted (in 1950) of having committed perjury by denying that he had once sent copies of confidential state documents to the Soviet Union.
12.
Which of the following is not true?
Correct Answer
C. During the 1950s and 1960s, black artists more commonly covered (that is, recorded) songs first recorded by white performers that did white performers cover songs first recorded by black artists.
Explanation
During the 1950s and 1960s, it was more common for white artists to cover songs recorded by black artists than vice-versa. By the mid-1950s, R&B had become so popular among white youth that it was banned on some radio stations in the South and other parts of the country. During the mid-1950s, it was picked up and fused with country music by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and other white artists. During the 1950s, it would have been accurate to state that to label a song R&B was to state that it was recorded by a black artist and was, therefore, popular among African Americans. But this is no longer true because, since the 1950s, there have been many popular white R&B artists -- New Kids on the Block and Norah Johns -- just to name a few.
13.
The Berlin Wall was in existence from:
Correct Answer
B. 1961 to 1989.
Explanation
The Berlin Wall was in existence from 1961 to 1989.
14.
The New Frontier was a plan for domestic social reform put forth during the presidential administration of:
Correct Answer
B. John F. Kennedy.
Explanation
The New Frontier was a plan for domestic social reform put forth during the presidential administration of John F. Kennedy.
15.
______________ put forth the creation of The Great Society as one of the goals of his administration.
Correct Answer
D. Lyndon B. Johnson.
Explanation
Lyndon B. Johnson put forth the creation of The Great Society as one of the goals of his administration.
16.
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 ended when Secretary General of the Communist Party of the USSR, _____________, finally agreed to remove nuclear missiles from Cuba under U.N. supervision.
Correct Answer
B. Krushchev.
Explanation
Nikita Krushchev was the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the USSR who agreed to remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba under U.N. supervision. George Malenkov was Krushchev's predecessor. Brezhnev and Andropov were his successors.
17.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November of:
Correct Answer
B. 1963.
Explanation
John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963.
18.
_______________ invented the first effective polio vaccine.
Correct Answer
A. Jonas Salk.
Explanation
In 1952, Jonas Salk developed the first effective polio vaccine. During the late-1950s, Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine. Wallance Sabin (1868 - 1919) created the science of architectural acoustics. Thus, a unit of sound-absorbing power is called the sabin in his honor. In 1921, Margaret Sanger founded the Birth Control League, which is now Planned Parenthood.
19.
The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963, was written by:
Correct Answer
A. Betty Friedan.
Explanation
The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963, was written by Betty Friedan. Bell Hooks (actually she preferred that her name be presented in lower case) is a black scholar and feminist writer. Her first full-length book, Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism was published in 1981. She has been a member of the faculties of Yale University, Oberlin College, and CCNY. Feminist and scholar Patricia Hill Collins is the author or numerous feminist books and articles, including Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Feminist author and lecturer Gloria Steinem helped establish the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 and the Coalition of Labor Union Women in 1972. She also became the founding editor of Ms Magazine in 1972. Among her published books are Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, and Moving Beyond Words.
20.
_______________, a Democrat from Arkansas, was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
Correct Answer
C. Hattie Wyatt Caraway.
Explanation
Hattie Wyatt Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Susan B. Anthony was a women's suffragette who, in 1869, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, with the goal of obtaining the vote for women. Francis Person became Secretary of Labor in 1933, making her the first woman appointed to a presidential cabinet position. In 1940, Margaret Chase Smith was elected to serve out her husband's term as Congressman from Main. In 1948, she was elected to the Senate, making her the first woman to serve in both chambers of Congress.
21.
Which of the following, regarding the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) is not true?
Correct Answer
D. They ceased to be held after the election of Richard Nixon.
Explanation
It is not true that SALT ceased to be held after the election of Richard Nixon.
22.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1967 was
Correct Answer
C. Robert McNamara.
Explanation
Robert McNamara was Secretary of Defense in 1967. Dean Rusk was Secretary of State. General William Westmoreland was in command of military forces in Vietnam. Henry Kissinger was called to serve as Secretary of State by Richard Nixon.
23.
______________ was the first African American woman to run for president of the United States.
Correct Answer
A. Shirley Chisholm.
Explanation
Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman from New York, was the first African American woman to run for president. After a gun registered in Angela Davis's name was used during an aborted courtroom escape, the leftist African American activist was placed on the FBI's most wanted list. She did not, however, end up serving prison time. Carol Moseley Braun was an African American woman who served as one of the U.S. senators from Illinois during the 1990s. During the 2004 presidential campaign, she campaigned to become the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. Lena Horne was a singer whose popularity was at its peak during the 1940s and 1950s.
24.
The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade followed from Norma McCorvey's lawsuit against the state of ___________ for denying her the right to have an abortion.
Correct Answer
B. Texas.
Explanation
Texas.
25.
Which of the following regarding the Pentagon Papers is not true?
Correct Answer
B. There were published in 1978.
Explanation
The Pentagon Papers were made public by Daniel Ellsberg and published by the New York Times in 1971. They revealed that U.S. political and military leaders had been less than totally honest in their reports concerning our military involvement in Vietnam.
26.
The five burglars of the Watergate Hotel (1972) were attempting to
Correct Answer
D. Bug telepHones.
Explanation
The five employees of the 1972 Nixon presidential campaign caught trying to burglarize Democratic Party offices in the Watergate Hotel were attempting to bug the telephones.
27.
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in ______________ was stormed and 90 hostages were taken.
Correct Answer
A. Iran.
Explanation
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was stormed and 90 hostages were taken.
28.
Operation Desert Storm began when invaders refused to withdrawal from ____________
Correct Answer
D. Kuwait.
Explanation
Operation Desert Storm began when invaders refused to withdraw from Kuwait.
29.
In 1993, U.S. Black Hawk helicopters flew over ________________, which is located in Somalia.
Correct Answer
B. Mogadishu.
Explanation
In 1993, U.S. Black Hawk helicopters flew over Mogadishu, which is located in Somalia.
30.
The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing caused the most extensive damage to a
Correct Answer
A. Federal office building.
Explanation
The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing caused the most extensive damage to a federal office building. NO U.S. Post Office building, hospital, or high school suffered damage.
31.
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center in New York City was first hit by a
Correct Answer
D. Boeing 757.
Explanation
It was first hit by a Boeing 757.
32.
Enron was based in which Texas city?
Correct Answer
C. Houston.
Explanation
Enron was headquartered in Houston, TX.
33.
Which of the following translates in English as "Holy War"?
Correct Answer
C. Jihad.
Explanation
Jihad translates from Arabic into English as holy war. Diaspora is a word of Greek origin that translates into English as scattering or dispersion. Coup d'etat is a French language phrase, whose literal translation means attack on the state. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is also the holy month during which faithful religious adherents of the Islamic faith observe a daily fast from dawn until sunset.
34.
In December 2004, all of the following countries suffered extensive property damage and loss of human life from the effects of an earthquake-generated tsunami, except.
Correct Answer
C. The pHilippines.
Explanation
Sri Lanka, Sumatra, and India suffered extensive property damage and loss of human life from the effects of a December 2004 earthquake-generated tsunami The Philippines did not.
35.
America's first computer network was designed by
Correct Answer
B. The U.S. Department of Defense.
Explanation
America's first computer network was designed by the Department of Defense.
36.
America's first female Secretary of State was
Correct Answer
C. Madelyn Albright.
Explanation
America's first female Secretary of State was Madelyn Albright, who was appointed to that position in 1997 by President Bill Clinton, Janet Reno was appointed to the office of Attorney General by President Bill Clinton (1992-2000). In 2005, Condoleezza Rice became Secretary of State under newly reelected President George W. Bush.
37.
Which of the following is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocols mandating caps on the emission of greenhouse gases within the United States and Europe?
Correct Answer
D. The United States.
Explanation
The United States is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocols, which mandate caps on the emission of greenhouse gases within the United States and Europe.
38.
Which of the following well-known Americans is not publicly known to have ever been charged with having committed a felonious crime?
Correct Answer
D. Louis Farrakhan.
Explanation
Louis Farrakhan, the current leader of the Nation of Islam, is not known to have ever been changed with having committed a felonious crime. Robert Blake was changed with having murdered his wife. Phil Spector was charged with having murdered actress Lana Clarkson. Michael Jackson was charged with child molestation.
39.
______________ constitute America's largest racial/ethnic minority group.
Correct Answer
A. Hispanics.
Explanation
Persons classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as Hispanic (or Latino/Latina) now constitute America's largest ethnic group. Up until the beginning of the 21st century, persons classified as African American constituted the largest group.
40.
Megan's Law requires that officers of the law and members of communities into which a ___________ moves be given advanced notification.
Correct Answer
B. Sex offender.
Explanation
Megan's Law requires that officers of the law and members of communities into which a sex offender moves be given advance notification.
41.
_________________ constitute the largest Hispanic group in the United States.
Correct Answer
C. Mexican Americans.
Explanation
Mexican Americans constitute America's largest Hispanic group. Approximately two-thirds (63 percent) of all U.S. Citizens classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as Hispanic (or Latino/Latina) identified themselves as being of Mexican ancestry. Approximately ten percent are of Puerto Rican ancestry. Approximately eight percent are of Caribbean or other origin. The remainder are either of Cuban (5 percent) or Central and South American ancestry (14 percent).
42.
Which of the following, regarding the Nation of Islam, also known as Black Muslims, is not true?
Correct Answer
A. It was brought into existence on the belief that the best way to attain justice for African Americans was to do everything possible to make Caucasians more aware of the immorality and unjustness of racial prejudice and discrimination.
Explanation
The Nation of Islam was founded in the early-1930s by W.D Fard and Elijah Muhammad; one of its most basic premises was that racism was so deeply engrained in Caucasian Americans that it was naive to think that they could be made aware of the unjustness of racial prejudice and discrimination. One of the Nation of Islam's aims was to attain cultural as well as territorial separation from Caucasians. Leaders of the Nation of Islam have consistently advocated that African Americans organize into self-defense groups while working to gain economic independence from mainstream Americans. The Nation of Islam's membership efforts -- and, consequently, its influence -- have been weakest and less successful among the most educated, culturally assimilated, and economically secure African Americans. Its leader during the 1940s, Elijah Muhammad, was imprisoned during World War II for counseling his followers not to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.
43.
Which of the following, regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Topeka Board of Education, is not true?
Correct Answer
A. Its main objective was to put the United States on a path that would lead to the creation of a truly culturally pluralistic society.
Explanation
The terms culturally pluralistic or cultural pluralism do not appear in any Supreme Court judge's opinion in the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education decision. From all indications, the intent of the decision was not to preserve African American cultural heritage. Its intent appears to have been to make African Americans fully (socially, politically and economically) integrated members of U.S. society -- which, if achieved, could actually cause the loss of some distinctly African American linguistic and other cultural characteristics. The decision led to more open racial conflict and hostilities in the South, as some southern Caucasians engaged in violent acts of resistance to attempts to integrate schools and other public accommodation facilities. A great many Caucasians along with a great many African Americans, were also physically involved in the efforts to desegregate public schools, as well in the staging of ride-ins and sit-oins staged to integrate trains, buses, lunch counters, and other public accommodation facilities. The ride-ins, sit-ins, and attempts to desegregate schools received extensive coverage by foreign media, which is one reason Martin Luther King, Jr. was sufficiently well-known abroad to become the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize.
44.
Unreasonable searches and seizures are prohibited by which of the following amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Correct Answer
C. 4th.
Explanation
The 4th Amendment makes unreasonable searches and seizures unlawful. The 1st Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly. The 2nd Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery.
45.
Tobacco was first brought back to Europe from America by
Correct Answer
B. Sir Walter Raleigh.
Explanation
Tobacco was first brought back to Europe from America by Sir Walter Raleigh, for whom the city of Raleigh, North Carolina, located in America's tobacco belt, was named. Raleigh also established the first British colony in North America, located on Roanoke Island off the coast of North Carolina. John Smith was the military commander (1607-1609) of the Jamestown settlement. After obtaining a charter from King Charles I, Lord Baltimore came to North America, where he founded the colony of Maryland.
46.
The first permanent English settlement in the New World was
Correct Answer
A. Jamestown.
Explanation
Settled in 1607, Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. The Roanoke Island colony, established in 1585 by Sir Walter Raleigh, was short-lived, lasting less than two years. The first group of Pilgrims arrived in what is now Massachusetts and established the Plymouth Colony in 1620. colony status was never conferred on the Massachusetts town of Concord, the scene of a 1775 colonial militiamen victory over the Redcoats.
47.
The first group of Puritan separatists (from the Church of England) to land in what is now Massachusetts and establish the Plymouth Colony in 1620 were the
Correct Answer
C. Pilgrims.
Explanation
The first group of Puritan separatists (from the Church of England) to land at what became the Plymouth Colony were the Pilgrims. As the name suggests, an antidisestablishmentarian stands on opposition to the withdrawal of government support or recognition from an established church. The Mennonites trace their origins back to the 16th century Europe and are the forefathers of today's Amish, who descend from the followers of Jacob Amman, a 17th century Swiss Mennonite bishop.
48.
Historians generally agree that the first Africans brought to the Americas arrived in 1619 on a ____________ ship.
Correct Answer
A. Dutch.
Explanation
Historians generally agree that the first Africans brought to America arrived in 1619 on a Dutch ship. This is so because there exist no records of prior arrivals of Africans.
49.
In 1836, after being banished from Massachusetts due to his advocacy for greater religious freedom, Puritan minister _______________ went south, where he established the first settlement in what is now Rhode Island.
Correct Answer
C. Roger Williams.
Explanation
Roger Williams established the first settlement in what is now Rhode Island. John Winthrop was prominent among the members of the Massachusetts Bay Company, who founded Boston in 1630. Thomas Hooker, a minister whose views were similar to those of Roger Williams, led his followers out of Massachusetts into Connecticut, where they founded the city of Hartford. Roger Conant was the leader of the group of Puritans who founded the city of Salem, Massachusetts.
50.
Which of the following churches traces its origins back to the Puritans?
Correct Answer
D. Congregationalist.
Explanation
Present-day Congregationalists are the religious descendants of the Puritans. Present-day Episcopalians are still aligned with the Church of England. The Presbyterian Church was founded in Scotland by adherents to the teachings of John Calving. The first American Presbyterian congregation was established in 1684, in Snow Hill, Maryland, by Francis Makemie. The Methodist Church was founded by English evangelist John Wesley, who lived from 1703 to 1801.