This document contains 26 multiple choice questions about events in the United States from the 1950s and 1960s. The questions cover topics like Senator Joseph McCarthy's communist investigations, the launch of Sputnik, the Cold War, civil rights movement, and relations with Cuba. The document tests understanding of these historical events and developments during this period of American history.

1. 1
Name_______________________________________________________Date____________Block_____
The 1950s & 1960s
1. Which situation resulted from Senator Joseph McCarthy’s search for Communists within the
United States during the 1950’s?
1. Thousands of American citizens who believed in communism were either jailed or
deported.
2. The reputations of many people were ruined by false accusations of disloyalty
3. Many high-ranking government officials were exposed as spies of the Soviet Union.
4. Organized groups of Communists began a wave of violent political terrorism.
2. The successful launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957 signaled the beginning of
1. American fears that the Soviets had achieved technological superiority
2. the Cold War with the United States
3. Soviet aggression in Afghanistan and China
4. disarmament discussions between the superpowers
3. In the 1950’s, Senator Joseph McCarthy was most closely associated with issues related to
1. Communist infiltration and the denial of civil liberties
2. farm problems and taxation
3. military preparedness and foreign aid
4. collective bargaining and the rights of unions
4. Which would be the most appropriate entry for line D in the list below?
I.The Cold War at home A. The McCarthy hearings B. Alger Hiss case C. House Un-American
Activities Committee D. __________________
1. Labor unrest
2. Racial segregation
3. Wage and price controls
4. Loyalty oaths
5. Which development following World War II caused the urban-suburban pattern shown in the
diagram?

2. 2
1. increase in the number of farms
2. expansion of highways and automobile ownership
3. movement of most factories to rural areas
4. decline in the number of middle-income families
6. In the post–World War II era, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American
Activities Committee attempted to
1. develop an effective system for spying on other countries
2. make Cold War programs a priority in United States foreign policy
3. identify Communists in the government and elsewhere in American society
4. establish a policy of détente with the Soviet Union
7. Which event of the 1950s most likely led to the publication of this cartoon?

3. 3
1. Russia put cosmonauts on the Moon.
2. The Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite.
3. The United States was defeated in the Vietnam War.
4. American students scored low on tests in math and science.
8. The GI Bill affected American society after World War II by
1. eliminating child labor
2. expanding voting rights
3. increasing spending on space exploration
4. extending educational and housing opportunities
9. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan represented attempts by the United States to deal
with the
1. national debt
2. spread of communism
3. President’s political opposition
4. arms race

4. 4
10. Both the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba (1961) and the invasion of Panama (1989) are
examples of United States attempts to
1. eliminate unfriendly governments geographically close to the United States
2. cultivate good relations with Latin American nations
3. stop the drug trade
4. end the Cold War
11. Shortly after World War II, the cold war developed mainly as a result of the
1. United States refusal to send economic aid to European nations
2. Soviet domination of Eastern Europe
3. competition between the superpowers to explore outer space
4. continuation of the pre-World War II balance of power
12. A common purpose of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the Eisenhower Doctrine
was to
1. carry out the United States policy of preventing the spread ofcommunism
2. insure the survival of the newly independent nations of Africa andAsia
3. limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons
4. provide medical aid to LatinAmerican nations
13. What was the main purpose of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, and the Berlin air-
lift?
1. controlling Nazism in Europe
2. establishing friendly relations between the United States and the Soviet Union
3. spreading democracy to developing nations
4. limiting Soviet expansion
14. During the Korean War, what was the main reason that President Harry Truman dismissed
General Douglas MacArthur as commander of the United States troops?
1. The United States had suffered many severe military losses.
2. Congress refused to appropriate any more money to support the war.
3. President Truman believed that General MacArthur’s conduct threatened the concept of
civilian control over the military
4. General MacArthur disobeyed President Truman by deciding to stop fighting the war.

5. 5
15. ". . . Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear
any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the
success of liberty."
Which conclusion is best supported by this quotation from the Inaugural Address of President
John F. Kennedy in 1961?
1. The Cold War was over, and the Soviet Union was beginning to unravel.
2. President Kennedy was encouraging a very strong presence in foreign policy in the post-
World War II period.
3. Compromise and appeasement were the best avenues to world peace.
4. President Kennedy understood
16. The Peace Corps was established by President John F. Kennedy in an effort to provide
1. support to developing nations of the world
2. job training for the unemployed
3. markets for consumer goods
4. teachers for inner-city areas
17. President John F. Kennedy supported the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba as an effort to
1. remove a communist dictator from power
2. stop the flow of illegal drugs to the United States
3. support Fidel Castro’s efforts for reform
4. rescue hostages held by Cuban freedom fighters
18. Batista Driven from Power” “Bay of Pigs Invasion Fails” “U-2 Planes Reveal Soviet
Missiles” These headlines refer to the relationship between the United States and
1. Canada
2. Cuba
3. Mexico
4. Panama
19. Issuing the Truman Doctrine, defending South Korea, and sending military advisors to
Vietnam were actions taken by the United States to
1. encourage membership in the United Nations
2. promote American business in Asia
3. limit the spread of communism
4. gain additional overseas colonies

6. 6
20. In the Truman Doctrine, President Harry Truman pledged to
1. support Greece in its fight against communist aggression
2. fight hunger in Africa and Asia
3. strengthen the United States nuclear arsenal
4. reject a policy of containment
21. The major goal of the civil rights movement of the 1960’s was to
1. establish a separate political state for African Americans
2. gain passage of an equal rights amendment to the Constitution
3. end segregation based on race
4. permit unlimited immigration to the United States
22. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent Federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, during
the 1957 school integration crisis, he was exercising his constitutional power as
1. Chief Legislator
2. Commander-in-Chief
3. Chief Diplomat
4. Head of State
23. "Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal."
-Brown v. Board of Education
The effect of this Supreme Court ruling was to
1. establish affirmative action programs in higher education
2. require the integration of public schools
3. desegregate the armed forces and the military academies
4. force states to spend an equal amount on each public school student
Correct Answer Number: 2
24. After the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, African Americans continued to
experience political and economic oppression mainly because
1. the amendments were not intended to solve their problems
2. many African Americans distrusted the Federal Government
3. Southern legislatures enacted Jim Crow laws
4. poor communications kept people from learning about their legal rights

7. 7
25. The federal voting rights laws passed in the 1950s and 1960s were designed to
1. return control of voting regulations to the states
2. remove racial barriers to voting
3. extend suffrage to American women
4. prevent recent immigrants from voting
26. Martin Luther King, Jr. first emerged as a leader of the civil rights movement when he
1. led the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama
2. refused to give up his seat on a bus to a white man
3. challenged the authority of the Supreme Court
4. was elected as the first black congressman from the South