This document contains 54 multiple choice questions about various topics in American history from the mid-20th century. The questions cover events, people, policies and developments related to World War 2, the Cold War, civil rights movement, space race and politics from the 1940s through the 1960s. The questions are in a quiz format with multiple choice answers to test knowledge of key people, dates, policies and outcomes from this period in US history.

1. Choose the correct answer for the 60 questions
1) What was the role of the Federal Communications
Commission in promoting television ownership? a.They
licensed TV stations.b.They funded TV content
production.c.They provided cheap consumer loans.d.They
relaxed censorship laws.
2.5 points
QUESTION 2
The National Organization for Women (NOW) was founded in
1966 to. a).Push for the civil rights of women.b.Counter the
power wielded by the EEOC.c.Protest such pageants as the Miss
America Pageant, which they said exploited women.d.Force
President Johnson to put more women in government programs
designed to deal with women's issues.
2.5 points
QUESTION 3
On August 2, 1964, the U.S. destroyer Maddox wasa.Part of a
scheme to allow President Johnson to expand the war in
Vietnam.b.All of the above.c.Off the coast of North Vietnam in
the Gulf of Tonkin.d.Possibly attacked by three North
Vietnamese torpedo boats.
2.5 points

2. QUESTION 4
Kennedy defeated Nixon in 1960 bya.Just 12 electoral votes.b.A
popular vote margin of fewer than 120,000.c.Winning the three
largest states, New York, California, and
Pennsylvania.d.Sweeping the western states, which supported
his call for a “New Frontier.”
2.5 points
QUESTION 5
Roosevelt ordered the internment of Japanese Americans in the
Western Defense Command becausea.California's press and
congressional delegation were pushing for it.b.Japanese
Americans were caught signaling to enemy planes.c.Cases of
sabotage started to abound.d.Japanese farmers refused to sell to
the U.S. military.
2.5 points
QUESTION 6
About the Soviet Union, George Kennan wrote thata.Stalin's
military was so weak following the war that it did not pose any
threat to the United States.b.President Truman needed to bluff
the Soviets into believing the United States would launch a
nuclear strike.c.The United States needed to build hydrogen

3. weapons.d.There can be no peaceful coexistence between
capitalism and socialism.
2.5 points
QUESTION 7
William J. Levitt was the pioneer ofa.Modern computer
production.b.Television.c.Affordable housing for the working
class.d.Consumer credit cards.
2.5 points
QUESTION 8
Once American troops got to Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, B-29
bombersa.Could fly air strikes to Luzon.b.Could reach Brisbane
for refueling.c.Ended the war against Japan.d.Could reach
Tokyo with fire bombs.
2.5 points
QUESTION 9
“To Secure These Rights” a.Was the report filed by a
presidential committee looking at various discriminatory
practices common in America.b.Was supported by President

4. Truman.c.Called for federal action to prevent lynchings, voter
suppression, and other discriminatory actions.d.All of the
above.
2.5 points
QUESTION 10
Which of the following was not true about the New Left?a.It
mostly attracted college students.b.It favored radical solutions
to social problems.c.It opposed repressive college rules and
regulations.d.It took more radical positions on union rights and
labor contracts.
2.5 points
QUESTION 11
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg werea.Anti-Semites.b.Found not
guilty because federal prosecutors had no incontrovertible
evidence proving their guilt.c.Related to Klaus Fuchs, who had
been arrested by the British for selling American atomic
plans.d.Tried, convicted, and executed for conspiring to steal
American atomic information.
2.5 points
QUESTION 12

5. If white Americans did not know what they were fighting the
war for, they knew what they fighting against. That list included
all of the following excepta.Racism.b.Gestapos.c.Master
races.d.Fascism.
2.5 points
QUESTION 13
In the election of 1948, Truman was expected to lose
becausea.All of the above.b.The progressives were expected to
undermine the Democrat vote.c.The president suffered low
approval ratings.d.Segregationists were expected to undermine
the Democrat vote.
2.5 points
QUESTION 14
Which of the following was a source of the conflict between the
United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
(USSR)?a.The fact that the State Department recognized the
Soviet Union in 1933.b.President Roosevelt's mistrust of Josef
Stalin at the Japanese surrender in September 1945.c.Josef
Stalin's betrayal of the United States at the Treaty of Brest-
Litovsk.d.The belief that capitalism and Communism cannot
coexist.

6. 2.5 points
QUESTION 15
The Taft–Hartley Act of 1947 a.All of the above.b.Made it
easier for employers to hire nonunion workers.c.Expanded
workers' rights to engage in political activity.d.Expanded
workers' rights to form unions.
2.5 points
QUESTION 16
All of the following refer to the German death camps in World
War II except thata.The Germans used a high-powered gas,
Zyklon-B, to exterminate millions of Jews.b.The United States
did not make humanitarian rescue a military priority during the
war.c.General Patton liberated the Buchenwald camp in
Germany.d.Roosevelt ordered the bombing of the notorious
death camp at Auschwitz.
2.5 points
QUESTION 17
In February 1945, the Americans, British, and Soviets agreed to
all of the following excepta.Self-determination for

7. nations.b.Collective action through the United Nations to handle
international problems.c.A permanent Soviet occupation of
Poland.d.The division and ultimate reunification of Germany.
2.5 points
QUESTION 18
What accounts for Americans' public memory of the Kennedy
years as a “Camelot”? a.The administration's unfulfilled
promises made Kennedy more mythical and less of a real
politician.b.Kennedy's heavy-handed style reminded Americans
more of a monarchy than a democracy.c.The strong bond
between Kennedy and all his staff members and cabinet
members made his administration look more like a team than
that of his predecessors.d.Kennedy's anglophile manners
connected him with European high society more than with the
nation's heartland.
2.5 points
QUESTION 19
President Harry S. Truman ordered the dropping of atomic
bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasakia.To avenge Pearl Harbor and
the Bataan Death March.b.To test how useful these new
weapons would be in Europe.c.As a first step in a plan to
annihilate the Japanese people.d.To force Japan to surrender.

8. 2.5 points
QUESTION 20
All of the following were developments in the civil rights
movement of the 1950s excepta.The “Southern Manifesto” that
was issued in Congress.b.Federal troops being sent to
desegregated Central High School in Little Rock.c.A year-long
boycott in Montgomery, Alabama, that led to desegregation of
the bus system.d.The Supreme Court's overturning of Plessy v.
Ferguson.
2.5 points
QUESTION 21
Which of the following best summarizes the official meaning of
the Truman Doctrine?a.The United States must fight
Communism wherever it occurs.b.The United States must fight
religious radicalism in the Middle East.c.The United States
must reunify Berlin.d.The United States must support free
peoples in their struggle against subjugation.
2.5 points
QUESTION 22
The need for civilian workers in war production resulted in all

9. of the following excepta.New kinds of workers doing new kinds
of jobs.b.Increased union membership.c.Increased
wages.d.Increased labor violence.
2.5 points
QUESTION 23
Compared with President Eisenhower, President
Kennedya.Believed the United States was unbeatable.b.Was in
better physical health and had more energy to confront the
Soviet Union.c.Was more willing to intervene in the affairs of
the Third World.d.Was a more ardent anti-Communist.
2.5 points
QUESTION 24
Sexual Behavior in the Human Male and Sexual Behavior in the
Human Female were written bya.D. H. Lawrence.b.Dr. Alfred C.
Kinsey.c.Gene Ferkauf.d.Hugh Hefner.
2.5 points
QUESTION 25
In 1953 the CIAa.Supported the rise of Shah Mohammad Reza

10. Pahlavi to the head of the Iranian government.b.Engineered a
plot to overthrow Prime Minister Mossadeq of Iran.c.Feared
Mossadeq's plan to nationalize Iranian oil.d.All of the above.
2.5 points
QUESTION 26
Which of the following best describes the position of
internationalists in 1939?a.They wanted more immigrants in the
United States to stimulate the economy.b.They saw free trade as
a solution to international conflict.c.They hoped to bring
socialist ideas into the United States.d.They saw in war the
opportunity to invest overseas.
2.5 points
QUESTION 27
The counterculture was a disruptive force in the 1960s where
the war, civil rights, and individual rights were concerned
because ita.Advocated drugs, sex, and rock and roll.b.Protected
those members of the antiwar movement, including the
Weathermen.c.Rejected materialism and
consumerism.d.Encouraged Americans to question authority and
conventional values.
2.5 points

11. QUESTION 28
Considering President Truman, Democrats worried thata.He
would shrink back from the Communists.b.All of the above.c.He
did not share their ideals.d.He would not support their plan for
national health insurance.
2.5 points
QUESTION 29
By the spring of 1946, Truman's administration favoreda.All of
the above.b.The construction of military bases around the world
to keep aggressors from harming the United States.c.A global
economy based on free trade.d.The swift reconstruction of
postwar Germany and Japan.
2.5 points
QUESTION 30
At the end of the war, American labora.Had never been more
powerful.b.Had organized to call strikes and other work
stoppages.c.Prospered.d.All of the above.
2.5 points

12. QUESTION 31
Critics of the Bretton Woods agreements said thata.The plans
gave national governments too much leeway.b.Local interests
prevailed over international interests.c.All of the above.d.It
gave nations almost unlimited domestic freedom at the expense
of international conformity and stability.
2.5 points
QUESTION 32
Conformity, William H. Whyte argued, wasa.Making the United
States more like the Soviet Union.b.Good for business.c.All of
the above.d.Creating more cooperation.
2.5 points
QUESTION 33
During the Cuban missile crisis,a.The United States and the
Soviet Union went on full military alert.b.Khrushchev used
television to alert the world to the crisis.c.Khrushchev ordered a
quarantine of American shipping headed for Cuba.d.President
Kennedy worked quietly through diplomatic channels to resolve
the problem.

13. 2.5 points
QUESTION 34
In return for the withdrawal of Soviet missiles in Cuba, the
United Statesa.Removed obsolete missiles from
Turkey.b.Vowed never to fly spy sorties over the Soviet Union
again.c.Promised to take down the Berlin Wall.d.Removed tank
battalions from West Germany.
2.5 points
QUESTION 35
President Franklin supported Americans' wartime aims in his
speech on the “four freedoms.” Those were all of the following
except a.Freedom from want.b.Freedom of worship.c.Freedom
from fear.d.Freedom from oppression.
2.5 points
QUESTION 36
The Cold War became global becausea.Strife in Asia, Africa,
the Middle East, and Latin America was seen as a part of the
conflict between the United States and USSR.b.No statement is
accurate.c.If the American economy was going to recover from
the Great Depression, the Soviets had to be defeated.d.America

14. exported goods and democracy.
2.5 points
QUESTION 37
Despite their gains in employment, American women workers
faceda.Split shifts.b.Long commutes to their workplaces.c.None
of the above.d.Discrimination.
2.5 points
QUESTION 38
How did the U.S. development of the nuclear bomb affect U.S.–
Soviet relations? a.The bomb turned a trusted and amicable
relationship into a tense situation.b.U.S. refusal to heed Soviet
warnings not to detonate the bomb caused severe friction.c.U.S.
secrecy about the development of the bomb further strained
U.S.–Soviet relations.d.Since the two nations were already at
war, it made little difference.
2.5 points
QUESTION 39
What appeared to be John F. Kennedy's biggest handicap in the

15. 1960 election?a.The inexperience of his vice president.b.His
Catholic faith.c.His poor health.d.His lack of charisma.
2.5 points
QUESTION 40
“New Liberalism” advocated all of the following except a.A
balanced budget.b.Strong consumer demand.c.Full
employment.d.A growing gross national product.
2.5 points
QUESTION 41
The music known as “R and B” was most popular among
a.African Americans.b.Rural whites.c.Louisiana “Cajuns.”
d.Mexican Americans.
2.5 points
QUESTION 42
In March 1967, President Johnson shocked the American people
by announcing all of the following except thata.He called on the
North Vietnamese to enter into peace talks with the
Americans.b.He was firing General William C.

16. Westmoreland.c.He was calling a halt to the bombing of North
Vietnam.d.He was not running for reelection.
2.5 points
QUESTION 43
Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime was built ona.All of the
above.b.Racism and brutality.c.A suspension of civil rights.d.A
secret police designed to eliminate opposition.
2.5 points
QUESTION 44
One of the results of the construction of the Berlin Wall wasa.A
breakdown of U.S.–German relations b.A further cooling of
U.S.–Soviet relations. c.The permanent division of Germany's
capital.d.Defusing the crisis along the Iron Curtain
2.5 points
QUESTION 45
President Kennedy confronted the Soviets over their
construction of launch sites for nuclear missiles in Cuba.
Kennedy's initial response was toa.Order a naval quarantine of

17. the Caribbean island.b.Shut off American aid to all countries
that recognized Castro's government.c.Recognize the legitimacy
of the Castro government so that the Soviets would remove their
warheads and missiles.d.Threaten to invade the island.
2.5 points
QUESTION 46
To counter the appeal of Communism, the Kennedy
administration supporteda.All of the above.b.The Peace
Corps.c.Democratic political reforms.d.Modernization
programs.
2.5 points
QUESTION 47
CENTO, NATO, and SEATO were all multinational
organizations designed to preventa.None of the above.b.The
spread of Communism.c.The piracy of American music.d.The
spread of capitalism.
2.5 points
QUESTION 48

18. D-Day, the Allied invasion of France, wasa.July 20, 1944.b.May
8, 1945.c.January 1, 1944.d.June 6, 1944.
2.5 points
QUESTION 49
At the conclusion of the war in Korea, the country was divided
between North and South Korea ata.The Yalu River.b.The 17th
parallel.c.The 38th parallel.d.The Yellow Sea.
2.5 points
QUESTION 50
American weapons technology was characterized by all of the
following except thata.It benefited from American industries
that could mass produce the latest in weapons design.b.Before
1943, most American servicemen were using a combination of
World War I equipment combined with recently manufactured
weapons.c.It pushed the design and development of secret
weapons.d.It was years ahead of anything produced in Europe at
the time.
2.5 points
QUESTION 51

19. All of the following except which refer to the Hiss–Chambers
case? a.There was little evidence to convict Hiss of
perjury.b.The Pumpkin Papers consisted of microfilm stored in
a hollowed-out pumpkin on Chambers's Maryland farm.c.Hiss
admitted that he had known Chambers under an alias.d.At the
time of the controversy, Hiss was president of the Carnegie
Endowment for International Peace.
2.5 points
QUESTION 52
The Eisenhower Doctrine stated that the United States
woulda.Fight against terrorism in the Middle East.b.All of the
above.c.Intervene in the Middle East to protect any nation
threatened by the Communists.d.Drop nuclear weapons on
Jerusalem to eradicate the Soviet Union for Israel.
2.5 points
QUESTION 53
Even before the war was over, American military
plannersa.Stressed reconversion to prewar levels.b.Stressed the
need to develop space rockets and missiles to protect the United
States.c.Had already made plans for a global system of military
bases.d.Recognized that the infantry was no longer a viable
option for modern warfare.

20. 2.5 points
QUESTION 54
Early developments in the space program included all of the
following excepta.Alan Shepard's suborbital flight.b.President
Kennedy's pledge to land a man on the moon before 1970.c.The
Telstar communications satellite.d.Formation of the Soviet–
American space station.
2.5 points
QUESTION 55
Why, according to George Kennan, did the United States have
to embrace a policy of containment?a.The Soviet state
entertained expansive tendencies.b.The Soviet Union practiced
the same ideology as Nazi Germany.c.European cultures were
incapable of fending off Russian values.d.Communism was
inherently contagious.
2.5 points
QUESTION 56
The one thing most Americans feared above all else following
the war wasa.The economic slide into a postwar depression.b.A

21. Communist takeover of American values.c.A Communist
infiltration of the American population.d.Veterans suffering
from yet undefined posttraumatic syndrome.
2.5 points
QUESTION 57
Like his predecessor President Eisenhower, President Kennedy
used __________ to make certain that the Soviets did not gain
control.a.The CIAb.The Greenpeace Partyc.Guerilla
warriorsd.The National Drug Agency
2.5 points
QUESTION 58
In the late 1930s many Americans blamed the beginning of
World War II on which of the following?a.Desperation caused
by global economic collapse.b.Nations that used military force
to solve their problems.c.Failure of the Treaty of
Versailles.d.All of the above.
2.5 points
QUESTION 59

22. Gamal Abdel Nasser, who seized power in Egypt in 1954,
caused Americans some concern with his plans
fora.Nationalizing the Suez Canal.b.Arab nationalism.c.All of
the above.d.Middle Eastern unity.
2.5 points
QUESTION 60
Between 1945 and 1960, the “baby boom years,” the number of
babies born increased, alongside a.The increase in the number
of Americans attending movies at least twice a month.b.The
popularity of American-style baseball.c.Membership in
religious denominations during the same period.d.The number
of private schools constructed during the same period.