Chapter 30 Learning Curve

Why did Iran's leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, begin talks with the United States about releasing the American hostages in 1980? A. A new war with Iraq required Iran to refocus. B. He became concerned about the welfare of the hostages after their long captivity. C. The attempted military rescue mission earlier that year had worried him. D. He had been educated in the United States and wanted cordial relations.

A. A new war with Iraq required Iran to refocus.

What did Ronald Regan's Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger, hope a U.S. military buildup would cause in the Soviet Union? A. An arms race that would strain its economy and cause domestic unrest B. A level of competition so high that it would spark a devastating nuclear accident C. Soviet leaders' recognition that they would never be able to defeat the United States D. Extreme fear that would lead the Soviet people to emigrate in massive numbers

A. An arms race that would strain its economy and cause domestic unrest

What did the religious moralists and the economic conservatives who made up the New Right in the 1970s and 1980s have in common? A. Anti-Communist attitudes B. A demand for strong government action C. A hatred of New Deal-era programs D. The desire for limited government

A. Anti-Communist attitudes

How did Lee Iacocca turn Chrysler Corporation around? A. By using a $1.5 billion federal loan to develop new cars B. By kicking out the unions C. By pushing through deregulation D. With scientific management

A. By using a $1.5 billion federal loan to develop new cars

In 1985, an intifada, or uprising, broke out in the Middle East in which Palestinians fought against which country? A. Israel B. The United States C. France D. Syria

A. Israel

The Reagan administration ordered the CIA to aid the Contras, an opposition group opposed to the democratically elected Sandinista government in which country? A. Nicaragua B. Panama C. Ecuador D. Venezuela

A. Nicaragua

What prevented the U.S. Supreme Court from overturning abortion rights, affirmative action, and the rights of criminal defendants in the 1980s and 1990s? A. Sandra Day O'Connor held the line as the crucial swing vote. B. The judicial principle of stare decisis made it impossible for the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn its own decisions. C. The conservative justices had a legitimate interest in protecting these individual rights. D. Reagan's attorney general, Edwin Meese, urged the Court to practice moderation.

A. Sandra Day O'Connor held the line as the crucial swing vote.

Why did Ronald Reagan actively encourage a coup against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua? A. The Sandinistas had overthrown the U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza. B. Reagan had a personal vendetta against their leader, Manuel Noriega. C. The Sandinistas had undermined Panamanian drug traffic that financed illegal CIA operations. D. The Sandinistas had violated American corporate property rights with their land reforms.

A. The Sandinistas had overthrown the U.S.-backed dictator Anastasio Somoza.

What prevented Ronald Reagan from following Richard Nixon as presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 1976? A. The Watergate scandal opened the door to Gerald Ford. B. The conservative wing of the party opposed him. C. Gerald Ford outmaneuvered him at the 1974 convention. D. Reagan was still governor of California when Nixon resigned.

A. The Watergate scandal opened the door to Gerald Ford.

Why were fundamentalist and evangelical Protestants uninterested in politics until the 1970s? A. To them, politics was an earthly concern of secondary interest. B. They supported civil rights in the 1960s. C. They agreed with the policies of presidents Kennedy and Johnson. D. The Constitution prohibited their political engagement.

A. To them, politics was an earthly concern of secondary interest.

Why did American manufacturers lose market share in the 1970s and 1980s? A. The world economy was in a tailspin at the time. B. American businesses were undercut by imports from Germany and Japan. C. Widespread anti-Americanism turned the buyers of American products away. D. The American economy had a shortage of workers.

B. American businesses were undercut by imports from Germany and Japan.

American policy toward the Soviet Union during Reagan's first term was characterized by what? A. Attempts to reach a peaceable accommodation B. An increasingly hard-line approach C. A return to the policy of détente D. Efforts to deemphasize Cold War rhetoric

B. An increasingly hard-line approach

The term "Reagan Democrats" describes voters who shared what characteristics? A. Blue-collar backgrounds, Democratic voting histories, and opposition to Reagan B. Blue-collar backgrounds and previous support for Democratic candidates C. Upper-middle-class, urban backgrounds and Democratic voting histories D. Upper-middle-class backgrounds and previous support for Democratic candidates

B. Blue-collar backgrounds and previous support for Democratic candidates

How did George H. W. Bush, who was not beloved by conservative Republicans, secure the Republican presidential nomination in 1988? A. By exposing the sexual improprieties of his challenger Pat Robertson B. By capitalizing on his fierce loyalty to Ronald Reagan C. By convincing the party's conservative wing that he could defeat Iraq's Saddam Hussein D. By invoking his own record as a dedicated Cold Warrior

B. By capitalizing on his fierce loyalty to Ronald Reagan

The Democratic ticket in the presidential election of 1984 was notable because of the selection of whom as its vice presidential candidate? A. Sandra Day O'Connor B. Geraldine Ferraro C. Lloyd Bentsen D. Walter Mondale

B. Geraldine Ferraro

What prevented President Jimmy Carter from improving relations with the Soviet Union? A. Carter pushed Moscow hard on isolating Fidel Castro in Cuba. B. He criticized the Kremlin for its human rights record. C. He insisted on a comfortable American lead in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). D. Carter failed to understand the danger of the nuclear arms race.

B. He criticized the Kremlin for its human rights record.

Why did financier Ivan Boesky go to prison in the 1980s? A. His company defrauded an airline company. B. He profited from insider trading. C. His company sold weapons to Iran. D. He was convicted of espionage.

B. He profited from insider trading.

Why did the United States support a faction fighting in Afghanistan beginning in 1980? A. It was fighting against terrorists. B. It was fighting Soviet troops in that country. C. It was attacking America's archenemy, Iran. D. The CIA wanted it to destabilize Pakistan.

B. It was fighting Soviet troops in that country.

Why did the national debt grow during the Reagan administration? A. Inflation B. Military spending C. The rising cost of Medicare D. Excessively high taxes

B. Military spending

Which statement describes Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who was implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal? A. He served ten years in prison for his Iran-Contra crimes. B. North became a hero to American conservatives. C. North fled to Cuba to escape criminal charges in the United States. D. He avoided conviction.

B. North became a hero to American conservatives.

Why did suburban growth in the 1960s and 1970s benefit conservatives politically? A. Conservatives were heavily funded by real estate developers. B. Suburban traditions of privatization favored conservative public policies. C. Suburbs are generally wealthy and Protestant. D. American suburbs remained committed to libertarianism.

B. Suburban traditions of privatization favored conservative public policies.

What organization served as the organizational vehicle for transforming the Fourth Great Awakening into the religious political movement that supported Ronald Reagan's candidacy in 1980? A. The Family Research Council B. The Moral Majority C. The Heritage Foundation D. The Eagle Forum

B. The Moral Majority

Why did Cold War hardliners in the U.S. Congress feel empowered on the eve of Ronald Reagan's election? A. North Korea's development of nuclear weapons demonstrated the failures of liberal foreign policy. B. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan called for a tougher line. C. They were certain of his election victory. D. The United States had successfully rescued the Iranian hostages in a military operation.

B. The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan called for a tougher line.

Why did supply-siders believe that they could balance budgets with tax cuts? A. Tax cuts, they believed, would increase exports. B. They believed that cutting taxes would stimulate economic growth, increasing future tax revenues. C. Lower taxes would force governments to spend less. D. They expected to pair the tax cuts with cuts in defense spending.

B. They believed that cutting taxes would stimulate economic growth, increasing future tax revenues.

Ronald Reagan rendered federal regulatory agencies less effective during his presidency by A. defunding them completely. B. staffing them with leaders hostile to the agency's mission. C. refusing to appoint new administrators. D. urging their employees to inform on their superiors.

B. staffing them with leaders hostile to the agency's mission.

Ronald Reagan believed that the federal government was A. too lax in its enforcement of affirmative action. B. too large and too intrusive in the private lives of Americans. C. the source of economic recovery. D. essential to solving the nation's social problems.

B. too large and too intrusive in the private lives of Americans.

Which phrase did President Ronald Reagan use to refer to the Soviet Union during his first term in office? A. "The atheist realm" B. "A country like ours" C. "An evil empire" D. "A den of iniquity"

C. "An evil empire"

Why did Iranians mistrust the United States after the 1950s? A. American support for Iraq in its war with Iran B. American seizure of Iranian oil fields C. CIA involvement in a coup that replaced a democratic government D. American support for Afghan fighters

C. CIA involvement in a coup that replaced a democratic government

When Ronald Reagan gave his first official speech as the Republican presidential nominee in Philadelphia, Mississippi, his ringing endorsement of "states' rights" was intended to send what message to white southerners? A. His wish that his Republican predecessors had never abolished slavery B. His recognition of the sacrifices that civil rights activists had made in that town C. Conservative Republicans' opposition to federal civil rights legislation D. The New Right's intention to restore Jim Crow segregation in the region

C. Conservative Republicans' opposition to federal civil rights legislation

Which issues did newly formed conservative think tanks such as the Cato Institute and the American Enterprise Institute work to advance? A. Expanded social welfare policies B. Environmentalism C. Free-market economics D. Affirmative action

C. Free-market economics

How did the Supreme Court change under Reagan's administration? A. Reversing Roe v. Wade B. Becoming more liberal C. Growing more conservative D. Becoming more active in the protection of civil rights

C. Growing more conservative

What made Republican Barry Goldwater so popular with his conservative base? A. He readily attacked gays and lesbians. B. He called for a return to religious government. C. He suggested that containment was cowardice. D. He called the Constitution a Communist manifesto.

C. He suggested that containment was cowardice.

Why did Ronald Reagan turn away from the New Deal Democratic Party in the early 1960s? A. Bitterness over losing his leadership of the Screen Actors Guild in 1947 B. Due to a personal falling out with President Franklin Roosevelt C. His dislike for higher taxes and his anticommunism D. To cover up his own Communist affiliations

C. His dislike for higher taxes and his anticommunism

Which 1960 figure was largely responsible for igniting the New Right in the early 1960s? A. John F. Kennedy B. Lyndon Johnson C. Ronald Reagan D. Nelson Rockefeller

C. Ronald Reagan

Reaganomics was based on which belief? A. Social service spending would lead to increased tax revenues. B. An increased national debt would increase employment. C. Tax cuts would, in the end, increase tax revenues. D. Increased spending would cut inflation.

C. Tax cuts would, in the end, increase tax revenues.

How did the conservatives of the Cold War era differ from the traditional conservatives from the early twentieth century? A. They favored corporate regulation. B. They supported civil rights. C. They rejected isolationism. D. They embraced big government.

C. They rejected isolationism.

A notable aspect of the 1984 presidential election was A. that Republicans captured control of the House of Representatives. B. President Reagan's narrow defeat of Walter Mondale. C. the selection of Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. D. how third party-candidates affected the election outcomes.

C. the selection of Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.

The diversion of profits from arms sales to Iran to assist the Nicaraguan Contras A. resulted in Ronald Reagan's impeachment. B. was the brainchild of Ronald Reagan. C. was never connected to Ronald Reagan. D. resulted in Ronald Reagan's failure to be reelected.

C. was never connected to Ronald Reagan.

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), which challenged a state antisodomy law, Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in his opinion, "The State cannot demean their existence or control their destiny by making their private sexual conduct a crime. Their right to liberty under the Due Process Clause gives them the full right to engage in their conduct without intervention of the government. 'It is a promise of the Constitution that there is a realm of personal liberty which the government may not enter.'" Given Reagan's condemnation of those intent on "subordinating us to government rule and regulation," what would he have thought of this opinion? A. He wouldn't have supported this decision because it didn't support states' rights. B. He would have agreed because this ruling supported "the rule of law under God." C.He wouldn't have supported this decision because it didn't fit with his religious conservatism. D. He would have supported the ruling because it bolstered Americans' sense of collective self-confidence and national pride.

C.He wouldn't have supported this decision because it didn't fit with his religious conservatism.

Which nation did the Soviet Union invade in 1979? A. East Germany B. Turkey C. Czechoslovakia D. Afghanistan

D. Afghanistan

What was the outcome of the Supreme Court ruling in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services in 1989? A. Overturning Roe v. Wade B. Allowing states to ban abortions C. Requiring parental consent for minors to receive abortions D. Allowing states to regulate abortions

D. Allowing states to regulate abortions

How did Arizona Republican Senator Barry Goldwater build grassroots support for his brand of conservative politics in the 1960s? A. He used lengthy Senate filibusters to make his arguments familiar to the American public. B. He conducted an old-fashioned whistle-stop campaign across the country. C. He debated Eisenhower several times on national television. D. He published books that laid out his views and goals.

D. He published books that laid out his views and goals.

Who provided a new challenge to conventional party politics in 1988? A. Richard Nixon B. Ronald Reagan C. George H. W. Bush D. Jesse Jackson

D. Jesse Jackson

During his first term in office, Reagan did which of the following? A. Began to expand the liberal state B. Increased government oversight of industry C. Decreased defense spending D. Lowered federal taxes

D. Lowered federal taxes

Which development was an important factor in President Carter's sinking popularity in 1980? A. The Watergate scandal B. Deregulation of the airline industry C. The Camp David Accords D. The Iranian hostage crisis

D. The Iranian hostage crisis

What part of the Republican Party's 1980 platform reflected the influence of the Moral Majority? A. The call for an end to court-mandated busing for racial integration in the schools B. The demand for mandatory conversion therapy for American gays and lesbians C. The offer of free television broadcast rights for evangelical churches D. The call for a constitutional ban on abortion and voluntary prayer in public schools

D. The call for a constitutional ban on abortion and voluntary prayer in public schools

How did the computer industry change in the 1970s and 1980s? A. The spread of Internet use B. The rapid expansion of social media sites C. The rise of Internet shopping D. The introduction and spread of personal computers

D. The introduction and spread of personal computers

Why was Ronald Reagan forced to reverse his course on tax cuts in 1982? A. The war against Iraq was becoming too costly. B. Secret arms sales to Iran did not deliver the revenue he had hoped for. C. His budget director tinkered with the numbers in the original budget. D. There was a deep recession in which unemployment reached 10 percent.

D. There was a deep recession in which unemployment reached 10 percent.

Why were the uprisings against Communist rule in Eastern Europe called "Velvet Revolutions"? A. Elites led the Eastern European democratic movements and velvet symbolized their status. B. The popular movements also targeted the often velvet-dressed Catholic clergy. C. Violent coups in those nations drenched their capitals with blood, turning them "red as velvet." D. These revolutions were all peaceful and "soft as velvet."

D. These revolutions were all peaceful and "soft as velvet."

Why had conservative Republicans failed to win the allegiance of American voters in the two decades after World War II? A. Their anti-Communist tirades were too virulent. B. Their fiscal conservatism was too radical. C. Their opposition to labor unions was too extreme. D. Voters preferred liberal or moderate leaders.

D. Voters preferred liberal or moderate leaders.

The Persian Gulf War was fought in 1991 by A. American forces acting alone. B. the United States and the new Russian Republic. C. a combined NATO force. D. a coalition of nations led by the United States.

D. a coalition of nations led by the United States.

While the Cold War world was divided between the rival communist and capitalist blocs, it was clear by the 1990s that the post-Cold War world would be A. unified and peaceful. B. dominated by the United States. C. divided between Christians and Muslims. D. multipolar.

D. multipolar.