1.
Which of the following statements regarding he 1924 Immigration Act (oten 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
D. Because it placed no limits on the number of persons who could legally immigrate 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
C. 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. Wobbles was the name given to the IWW, 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 the 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
B. The G.I. Bill was passed (1944) 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
C. Charles De Gaulle was not present at the Yalta Conference in 1945. Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin were present
5.
In 1950, Communist-backed forces went from _____________ to ___________ prompting the United States to call for a United Nations sanction against the invasion.
Correct Answer
D. North Korea to South Korea
Explanation
D. 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 6. Depression of the 1930s.
Correct Answer
A. Hoover
Explanation
A.Herbert Hoover was President of the United States during the economic panic of 1929 that led to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Warren H. Harding was president from 1921 to 1923. Calvin Coolige was President form 1923 to 1929. Franklin D. Roosevelt was Presiden 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
D. 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 Coolidege were each selected 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
A. 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
C. It is not true that before 1914, most states permitted the sale of alcoholic beverages to persons under 14 years of age. But it 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
D. 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
C. 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 than did white performers cover songs first recorded by black artists.
Explanation
C. 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 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 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
13.
The Berlin Wall was in existence from
Correct Answer
B. 1961 to 1989
Explanation
B. 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
B. The New frontier was a plan for social reform put forth during the presidential admnistration of John F. Kennedy
15.
The Cuban missile Crisis of 1962 ended when Secretary General of the Communist Part of the USSR, ________, finally agreed to removed nuclear missiles from Cuba under U.N. supervision.
Correct Answer
B. Krushchev
Explanation
B. Nikita Krushchev was the Secretary General of the Communist Party of the USSR who agreed to removed nuclear missiles from Cuba under U.N. supervision. George Malenkov was Krushnev's predecessor. Brezhnev and Andropov were his successors.
16.
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November of
Correct Answer
B. 1963
Explanation
B. John F. Kennedy was assassinated in November of 1963
17.
__________ invented the first effective polio vacccine
Correct Answer
A. Jonas Salk
Explanation
A. In 1952, Jonas Salk developed the first effective polio vaccine. During the late-1950s, Albert Sabin developed an oral polio vaccine. Wallace Sabin (1968-1919) 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.
18.
The Feminine Mystique, published in 1963, was written by
Correct Answer
A. Betty Friedan
Explanation
A. The Feminine Mystique published in 1963, was written by Betty Friedan, Bell Hooks (actually she preferes 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 faculty of Yale University. Feminist Scholar Patricia Hill Collins is also a feminist author. Gloria Steinem established the National Women's Political Caucus in 1971 and the coalition of Labor Union Women in 1972.
19.
_______ , a democrat from Arkansas, was the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate.
Correct Answer
C. Hattie Wyatt Caraway
Explanation
C. Hattie Wyatt Caraway, a Democrat from Arkansas, was the fist woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Susan B. Anthony was a suffragist. Francis Perkins was Secretary of Labor. Chase was congressmen from Maine.
20.
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
D. It is not true that SALT ceased to be held after the election of Richard Nixon. They began in 1969 during his tenure of office. The Countries involved were the U.S.S.R. and the United States, and the talks did usher in a period of detent (during the Nixon years) between the two countries.
21.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1967 was
Correct Answer
C. Robert McNamara
Explanation
C. Robert McNamara was Secretary of Defense 1967. Dean Rusk was Secretary of State. General Williams Westmoreland was in command of military forces in Vietnam. Henry Kissinger was called to serve as Secretary of State by Richard Nixon.
22.
____ was the first African American woman to run for president of the United States.
Correct Answer
A. Shirley Chisholm
Explanation
A. Shirley Chisholm, Congresswoman from New York, was the First African American women 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 served as senator. Lena Horne was a 1940’s singer.
23.
The U.S Supreme Court decision Roe vs. 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
B. Texas
24.
Which of the following of the Pentagon papers is not true?
Correct Answer
B. They were published in 1978
Explanation
C. The Pentagon Papers were made public by Ellsberg and published in the NYT in 1971. They revealed that upper level brass was not being forthcoming about U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war.
25.
The five burglars of the Watergate Hotel (1972) were attempting to
Correct Answer
D. Bug telephones
Explanation
D. The five employees of the 1972 Nixon presidential campaign caught trying to burglarize Democratic Party offices in the Watergate Hotel were attempting to bug telephones.
(Think: "WaterBugs" sneak into the house)
26.
In 1979, the U.S. embassy in ______________ was stormed and 90 hostages were taken.
Correct Answer
A. Iran
Explanation
A. In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was stormed and 90 hostages were taken
27.
Operation Desert Storm began when invaders refused to withdraw from _________
Correct Answer
D. Kuwait
Explanation
D. Operation Desert storm began when invaders refused to withdraw from Kuwait
28.
In 1993, U.S. Black Hawk helicopters flew over ___________ which is located in Somalia.
Correct Answer
B. Mogadishu
Explanation
B. In 1993, U.S. Black Hawk helicopters flew over _______, which is located in Somalia
29.
The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing caused the most extensive damage to a
Correct Answer
A. Federal office building
Explanation
A. The 1995 Oklahoma City bombing caused the most extensive damage to a federal office building. No US Post Office building, hospital, or high school suffered damage.
30.
On September 11, 2001, the World Trade Center in New York City was first hit by a
Correct Answer
D. Boeing 757
Explanation
E. On September 11, 2001m the World Trade Center in New York City was first hit by a Boeing 757.
31.
Enron was based in which Texas City?
Correct Answer
C. Houston
Explanation
C. Enron was headquartered in Houston Texas
32.
Which of the following translates in English as “Holy War?”
Correct Answer
C. Jihad
Explanation
B. 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 state. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is also the holy month during which faithful religious adherents of he Islamic faith observe a daily fast from dawn to sunset.
33.
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
C. 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.
34.
America’s first computer network was designed by
Correct Answer
D. The U.S. Department of Defense
Explanation
B. America’s first computer network was designed by the Department of Defense.
35.
America’s first female Secretary of State was
Correct Answer
D. Condelezza Rice
Explanation
D. 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 Bull Clinton (1992-2000). In 2005, Condelezza Rice became Secretary of State under newly reelected President George W. Bush.
36.
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
D_ The Untied States is not a signatory of the Kyoto Protocols, which mandate caps on the emission of greenhouses gases with the United States an Europe.
37.
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
D- Louis Farrakan, the current leader of the NOI, is not known to have ever been charged with having committed a felonious crime. Robert Black was charged with murdering his wife. Phil Spector was charged with having murdered actress Lana Clarkson. Michael Jackson was charged with child molestation.
38.
________ constitute America’s largest racial/ethnic minority group.
Correct Answer
A. Hispanics
Explanation
A. 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.
39.
Megan’s Law requires that officers of the law and members of communities into which a _______moves be given advance notification.
Correct Answer
B. Sex offender
Explanation
B. Megan’s Law requires that officers of the law and members of communities into which a sex offender moves be given advance notification.
40.
____________ Constitute the largest Hispanic group in the United States.
Correct Answer
C. Mexican Americans
Explanation
C. 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/a) indentified themselves as being of Mexican ancestry. Approximately ten percent are of Puerto Rican ancestry. Approximately eight percent are of Caribbean or other origin.
41.
Which of the following, regarding the NOI 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 immortality and unjustness of racial prejudice and discrimination
Explanation
A. Founded in the 1930s by Fard Muhammad its basic premise was that whites were so racist they can’t even be made aware of their racism. NOI strived for cultural and economic separation from whites. Membership efforts and influence have been weakest amongst educated, culturally assimilated, and economically secure African Americans. NOI’s leader was imprisoned during WWII for his draft evasion council.
42.
Which of the following regarding the Supreme Court decision 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
A. The terms culturally pluralistic do not appear in any Supreme Court judge’s opinion in the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education. From all indications, 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 act of resistance to attempts to integrate schools and other public accommodation facilities. A great many Caucasians, along with a great many African African Americans, were also physically involved efforts to desegregate public schools, as well in the staging of ride-ins and sit-ins 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.
43.
Unreasonable searches and seizures are prohibited by which of the following amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Correct Answer
C. 4th
Explanation
B. The 4th amendment makes unreasonable searches and seizures unlawful. The 1st amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly. 2nd Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms and the 13th amendment abolished slavery.