Chapter 29 Quiz

What was Agent Orange? Agent Orange.png a) A chemical agent deployed by the United States during the Vietnam War b) The name of the most successful U.S. mission during the Vietnam War c) A nickname U.S. soldiers called President Nixon during the Vietnam War d) A chemical agent deployed by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War

a) A chemical agent deployed by the United States during the Vietnam War

What was the final outcome of the Vietnam War in 1975? a) North Vietnam occupied Saigon, and the country unified as a communist nation. b) Cambodian refugees joined the South Vietnamese army and helped to achieve a North Vietnamese presence in South Vietnam. c) North Vietnamese troops flooded into South Vietnam and slaughtered millions of civilians. d) South Vietnam used a combination of American bombs and negotiation to persuade North Vietnam to retreat.

a) North Vietnam occupied Saigon, and the country unified as a communist nation.

What was the objective of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961? a) To overthrow Fidel Castro's Communist government in Cuba b) To shut down major ports in unstable Latin American dictatorships c) To eradicate a Communist training camp in the Dominican Republic d) To remove Communist insurgents from southern Florida

a) To overthrow Fidel Castro's Communist government in Cuba

Why did East Germany erect a wall between East and West Berlin in 1961? a) To stop the mass exodus of East Germans to West Berlin b) To stop large numbers of West Germans going to East Berlin c) To halt the flow of overpriced goods from West Berlin to East Berlin d) To protect East Berliners from U.S. troops stationed in the western part of the city

a) To stop the mass exodus of East Germans to West Berlin

The Peace Corps was launched by the Kennedy administration in 1961 to: a) allow young Americans to work directly with the people in Third World countries. b) establish a job program for the growing number of unemployed in the United States. c) teach third world countries' leaders about democracy. d) quell domestic violence in America's major cities.

a) allow young Americans to work directly with the people in Third World countries.

What made the Tet Offensive an important turning point for President Johnson? a) It forced the president to cancel a planned visit to South Vietnam to discuss a cease-fire. b) It revealed the credibility gap between official statements and the war's actual progress. c) It revealed that he had ignored intelligence that warned the attack was imminent. d) It revealed his inexperience with military matters and lost him support in the Pentagon.

b) It revealed the credibility gap between official statements and the war's actual progress.

How did the theory that a Communist victory in South Vietnam would cause all of Southeast Asia to fall to communism pan out? a) China and Vietnam formed a Communist coalition to take over the rest of Southeast Asia. b) Overall the theory proved to be unsound, although Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia all fell within the Communist camp. c) The spread of communism never materialized because the Army of the Republic of Vietnam eventually secured a victory over North Vietnam. d) Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, and the rest of Southeast Asia joined the Communist camp.

b) Overall the theory proved to be unsound, although Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia all fell within the Communist camp.

According to Map 29.2: The Vietnam War, 1964-1975, the Ho Chi Minh Trail went through all of the following countries EXCEPT: Map 29.2.png a) Cambodia b) Thailand c) Laos d) North Vietnam

b) Thailand

Why, despite $1 billion in aid and seven hundred U.S. military advisers committed by the Eisenhower administration, was the situation in South Vietnam still so unstable when President Kennedy took office? a) The U.S. Congress was not behind the effort and refused to commit combat troops to the region to finish the job. b) The South Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem was ineffective, and his corruption and repression alienated his own countrymen. c) The Green Berets in South Vietnam had not been trained in guerrilla warfare and could not respond to it. d) Leaders of the South Vietnamese army were Communist sympathizers who had no desire to oust the Vietcong.

b) The South Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem was ineffective, and his corruption and repression alienated his own countrymen.

How did Americans respond to President Nixon's decision to extend the Vietnam War to Cambodia? a) They generally approved the decision. b) They protested, demonstrated, and rioted. c) They were generally apathetic. d) They were optimistic that this step might finally bring an end to the war.

b) They protested, demonstrated, and rioted.

According to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, America should escalate the war in Vietnam for all of the following reasons EXCEPT (Course Reader Document 29.1): a) To promote order and stability in the world b) To keep our promise to the Vietcong c) To promote American freedom and security d) To prove America stands for its values and principles

b) To keep our promise to the Vietcong

According to Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, what is America's primary objective in Vietnam (Course Reader Document 29.1)? a) To bring about a swift peace between North and South Vietnam b) To maintain the independence of South Vietnam in the face of communist aggression c) To promote human dignity in the midst of war d) To support the United Nations in the development of South Vietnam

b) To maintain the independence of South Vietnam in the face of communist aggression

What were the Pentagon Papers, which became public in 1971? a) A government study that ultimately increased public support for the war in Vietnam b) Top-secret documents that proved Johnson systematically lied to the American people and Congress c) Top-secret military planning documents that had been leaked to North Vietnam d) A collection of pro-war propaganda that had been funneled to the New York Times since 1964

b) Top-secret documents that proved Johnson systematically lied to the American people and Congress

Of the more than 7,500 American women who served in the Vietnam War, most served as: a) laborers. b) nurses. c) army cooks. d) foot soldiers.

b) nurses.

In 1961, a Soviet astronaut, Yuri Gagarin, became the first human to a) land on the moon. b) orbit the earth. c) enter outer space. d) orbit the moon.

b) orbit the earth.

According to John Kerry, testifying on behalf of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971, what was the attitude of most Vietnamese people toward the threat of communism (Course Reader Document 29.2)? a) They had a heavy ideological investment in democracy. b) They were mostly pro-Communist. c) Many of them did not know the difference between communism and democracy. d) They were very afraid of communism but did not understand democracy.

c) Many of them did not know the difference between communism and democracy.

Who organized the first major protest in the United States against the Vietnam War in April 1965? a) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People b) The Communist party c) Students for a Democratic Society d) The National Organization for Women

c) Students for a Democratic Society

The purpose of the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was to: a) empower the House of Representatives to pass all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the United States. b) permit the Senate to pass all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the United States. c) authorize the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. d) acknowledge the president's authority to issue a declaration of war without the consent of Congress in an emergency situation.

c) authorize the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.

Richard Nixon's policy of détente with the Soviet Union entailed the United States: a) rejecting the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. b) abandoning its policy of containment. c) beginning new discussions with the Soviet Union on arms control and scientific cooperation. d) ceding to Soviet demands for control of Eastern Europe.

c) beginning new discussions with the Soviet Union on arms control and scientific cooperation.

In his testimony on behalf of Vietnam Veterans Against the War in 1971, John Kerry denounced the Vietnam War for all of the following reasons EXCEPT (Course Reader Document 29.2): a) America rationalized destroying villages in order to save them. b) America's allies did not offer support during the war. c) America is unable to fight communism throughout the world. d) American politicians sought personal and political gain in joining the war.

d) American politicians sought personal and political gain in joining the war.

Which of the following describes the thirteen-day Cuban missile crisis of 1962? a) It ended with Fidel Castro's promise to hold democratic elections in Cuba. b) It followed the accidental firing of a missile at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay. c) It severely weakened President Kennedy's international standing. d) It brought the United States and the Soviet Union perilously close to nuclear war.

d) It brought the United States and the Soviet Union perilously close to nuclear war.

Which of the following statements describes President Kennedy's "Flexible-Response" strategy? a) It pertained to the number of missiles the United States would launch in response to a Soviet attack. b) It allowed him to choose between sending the National Guard and sending the regular army into situations requiring military force. c) It gave Congress the option to choose between raising and lowering defense spending. d) It involved expanding both conventional forces and the United State's nuclear arsenal.

d) It involved expanding both conventional forces and the United State's nuclear arsenal.

What did the "Vietnamization" of the Vietnam War in 1968 demonstrate about the United States? a) It had decided not to oppose the new Communist leader in North Vietnam. b) It had abandoned its goal of a democratic South Vietnam. c) It had decided to allow North and South Vietnam to begin peace talks without a U.S. representative at the conference. d) It now hoped to achieve its objective of a non-Communist South Vietnam by relying more heavily on the South Vietnamese.

d) It now hoped to achieve its objective of a non-Communist South Vietnam by relying more heavily on the South Vietnamese.

Who constituted about 80% of American troops in Vietnam? a) Middle-class Americans b) Upper-class Americans c) African Americans d) Poor and working-class Americans

d) Poor and working-class Americans

What happened during the Tet Offensive of January 1968? a) Much of Saigon was destroyed in massive bombing raids. b) American bombs destroyed much of Hanoi and killed thousands of civilians. c) Americans discovered that many of the troops fighting in South Vietnam were actually Chinese. d) The Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces attacked key cities and every major American base in South Vietnam.

d) The Vietcong and North Vietnamese forces attacked key cities and every major American base in South Vietnam.

What did the War Powers Act of 1973 stipulate? a) The new law required a one-week cooling-off period before the president could send U.S. troops into harm's way. b) The executive branch no longer had any influence over whether the United States went to war. c) The president was required to deploy troops from all branches of the military equally. d) The president had to secure congressional approval for any substantial, long-term deployment of troops abroad.

d) The president had to secure congressional approval for any substantial, long-term deployment of troops abroad.

What position did America's hawks take during the Vietnam War? a) They pressed Johnson to abandon the ground war and bomb the Vietnamese into submission. b) They advocated attacks on North Vietnamese civilians to break their morale. c) They insisted that the United States should either reduce its presence in Southeast Asia or get out altogether. d) They called for the Johnson administration to apply more force and win the war.

d) They called for the Johnson administration to apply more force and win the war.

Which of the following was NOT a legacy of the Vietnam War? a) Deep distrust of government b) Rise of conservatism c) Tremendous economic inflation in America due to deficit spending d) Vietnam united as a democracy

d) Vietnam united as a democracy

On March 31, 1968, President Johnson shocked the American public when he: a) announced that 206,000 additional troops would be sent to Vietnam. b) declared that there was no substitute for victory in Vietnam. c) significantly increased the bombing of North Vietnam. d) announced that he would not seek reelection.

d) announced that he would not seek reelection.

Lieutenant William Calley dealt a severe blow to the Nixon administration's Vietnam policy by: a) publicly criticizing the war in Vietnam and calling for peace negotiations. b) failing to achieve a military victory in the village of My Lai. c) melting his medals on national television to protest the war. d) massacring more than 400 Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai.

d) massacring more than 400 Vietnamese civilians in the village of My Lai.