Directions:  Choose the one best answer, and mark your paper with the appropriate letter.

1. What was the main message of the “conservative revolution” in politics that was led by President Ronald Reagan in the early 1980s?

A. Federal social programs to eliminate poverty should be expanded.
B. The government should not be seen as the solution to all problems.
C. Education offers the only hope for long term success in America.
D. American leaders should stop criticizing communism in the Soviet Union.

2.  President Reagan was concerned with the growing power of the part of government known as the bureaucracy.  What part of the government is that?

A. judges in federal appeals courts and the U.S. Supreme Court
B. top political leaders like those in the U.S. Congress
C. elected officials in city governments
D. government agencies and departments

3.  Supporters of President Reagan considered "entrepreneurs” a key to improving American life.  What is an entrepreneur?

A. a person who considers himself a political moderate
B. a politician who makes courageous but unpopular decisions
C. a person who starts a new business
D. any person with high moral values
 

4. What was the “Star Wars Defense” project proposed by President Reagan intended to be a defense from?

A. asteroids or meteors that could hit the earth from space
B. rapid swings in stock prices of high-tech companies
C. terrorists that might sneak into the U.S. with biological or chemical weapons
D. Russian nuclear missiles that could be launched against the U.S.

5. Which of these American workers would probably have been most hurt by the growth of the “global economy” in the 1970s and 1980s?

A. a worker on an assembly line in a shoe factory
B. a researcher developing new kinds of computer memory chips
C. a manager in a store that sells stereos and other electronic equipment
D. an architect who designs office buildings

6.  Which type of business is usually growing most rapidly in a country that has developed a “post-industrial” economy?

A. mining of iron, copper, coal, and other natural resources
B. farming
C. high technology, such as computers
D. steel making and other heavy industry

7.  AIDS is a disease that kills by 

A. hardening the tissues in the lungs.
B. causing blockages of small blood vessels in the brain.
C. attacking the heart and heart valves.
D. weakening the body’s immune system.

8.  The Cold War ended around 1990 when

A. people in the Soviet Union overthrew the communist system.
B. relations gradually improved between China and the U.S. 
C. the American economy improved dramatically during the 1980s.
D. Israel negotiated a peace settlement with other nations in the Middle East.

9.  Which of these best explains the reason why the U.S. had a growing federal debt in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s?

A. Consumers were using credit cards to purchase more products as the economy grew.
B. Businesses were exporting more products than ever before.
C. In most of those years, the U.S. government spent more than it collected in taxes. 
D. House prices were rising rapidly, so home buyers were borrowing more.

10.  Which American president, in a famous visit to the Berlin Wall, called out: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

A. Jimmy Carter
B. Ronald Reagan
C. George H.W. Bush
D. William Clinton

11.  What nation did America rescue in the conflict known as “Desert Storm” during the presidency of the George H.W. Bush?

A. Egypt
B. Iran
C. Israel
D. Kuwait

12.  Which question below best expresses the public policy issue raised by the Rodney King case?

A. Do police use excessive violence against minorities?
B. Is immigration causing housing prices to grow too high too fast?
C. Should the federal government force water conservation measures in the West?
D. Must school districts provide classes in all the languages of their students?

13.  Cesar Chavez rose to fame as a Hispanic American for

A. filing lawsuits against tobacco companies for making dangerous products.
B. leading a farm workers union to fight for better pay and work conditions.
C. improving U.S. relations with Cuba.
D. improving neighborhoods in poor sections of Los Angeles.

14.  The main goal of Congress when it passed a welfare reform law in the mid-1990s was

A. to reduce crime caused by drug use in poor urban neighborhoods.
B. to raise the payments given to welfare recipients to near middle class income levels.
C. to reduce the number of people who become permanently dependent on welfare.
D. to solve the social problems caused by run-down public housing in big cities.

15.  The viewpoint known as “multiculturalism” spread widely in American society during the 1980s and 1990s.  Supporters of that viewpoint usually argued that

A. all immigrants should try to blend in with American culture as much as possible. 
B. trade with all nations should be encouraged as the best way to encourage peace.
C. foreign aid should go to all needy nations, not just those friendly to the U.S.
D. American culture is best understood as a collection of many cultures.

16.  President William Clinton’s proposal in the early 1990s for a National Health Care system was

A. adopted by Congress.
B. defeated by Congress.
C. never submitted to Congress.
D. ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

17.  What was the outcome of the Monica Lewinsky scandal?

A. President Clinton was impeached and removed from office during his second term.
B. President Clinton was impeached, but not removed from office.
C. President Clinton was not impeached, because there was no evidence of wrongdoing.
D. President Clinton was not impeached, because the scandal did not directly involve him.

18. The views of President and Mrs. Clinton on day care, health care, and other issues shows that they were generally following which one of the two main political traditions?

A. liberal 
B. conservative

Copyright 2001, 2016 by David Burns
www.fasttrackteaching.com