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Study Island
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Generation Date: 04/01/2014
Generated By: Che ryl Shelton
Title: US History Contempary US
1. Which of the following best describes the significance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a
Dream" speech?
A.
The speech expressed King's point of view that the only approach to fighting against racial
injustices was through violent demonstrations throughout major cities in the U.S.
The speech was King's reply to a statement made by eight white Alabama clergymen who
claimed that the battle against segregation should be fought in court and not on the streets.
The speech motivated others in regards to the need for change and sent encouragement to
C.
many toward working for federal legislation to help end racial discrimination.
B.
D.
The speech stated King's support of the Southern Manifesto, which aimed to bring equality
between racial groups and was an effort to persuade other to support the manifesto.
2. What prompted Kennedy to push for changes in civil rights prior to 1964?
A.
In a highly racist Chicago suburb, white protesters threw stones at Martin Luther King, Jr.
and other marchers.
B.
White and black professional baseball players boycotted the AFL All-Star Game in New
Orleans.
C.
The assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. brought the need for
decisive action.
D.
A series of violent demonstrations in the South illustrated the urgent need for societal
changes.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
made it illegal to discriminate in
public based on the following:
o race
o color
o national origin
Voting Rights Act of 1965
made it illegal to require potential
voters in the United States take
literacy tests to qualify to register to
vote
provided for federal registration of
voters in areas that had less than
50% of eligible minority voters
registered
3. Which of the following is a major consequence of the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
and the Voting Rights Act of 1965?
A.
They prohibited legal segregation and cleared a path for societal integration and racial
equality in the U.S.
B.
They prohibited public demonstrations, sit-ins, and boycotts near businesses, churches, or
voting locations.
C.
They lowered the age requirement for participating in government elections in order to
increase the minority vote.
D.
They set a minimum percentage of nonwhites that a company must employ and that must
participate in elections.
An eight-year-old African American girl named Linda Brown had been denied
approval to attend a nearby elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. School officials
refused to register her at the school. Instead, they assigned Linda Brown to a school for
nonwhite students further away from her home. In Topeka, there were separate
elementary schools for whites and nonwhites. Linda Brown's parents filed a lawsuit in
an effort to force the schools to admit Linda to the nearby school for white students. On
May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation in the public
school system was unconstitutional in the case of Bro wn v. Board of Education.
4. Which of these best illustrates that resistance existed in regards to the idea of school
desegregation after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education?
A.
The court case of Plessy v. Ferguson overturned the Supreme Court's initial decision in
Brown v. Board of Education to integrate schools.
Due to strong demands from various political organizations such as NAACP, politicians
B. were pressured into voting for legislation that supported segregation during the four years
after Brown v. Board of Education.
Legislators in Congress who opposed racial integration in public places wrote a document
C. called the Southern Manifesto, which aimed to lawfully reverse the case of Brown v.
Board of Education.
Enraged citizens reacted by attempting to set Sumner Elementary School, the white school
D. that denied enrollment to Linda Brown, on fire a few weeks after the Supreme Court's
decision in Brown v. Board of Education.
I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable
network of mutuality tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly,
affects all indirectly…In spite of my shattered dreams, I came to Birmingham with the
hope that the white religious leadership of this community would see the justice of our
cause and, with deep moral concern, would serve as the channel through which our just
grievances could reach the power structure. I had hoped that each of you would
understand. But again I have been disappointed.
—Martin Luther King, Jr., "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
5. What was the purpose of King's letter?
King wanted to persuade the Supreme Court to overturn their decision in the case of
Brown v. Board of Education.
King wanted to defend the nonviolent protests that he participated in for the fight against
B.
racial injustice.
A.
C.
King stated his support of the Southern Manifesto, which aimed to bring equality between
racial groups.
D.
King expressed that the only way to fight against racial injustices was through violent
protests.
6. The September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon prompted
President George W. Bush to
A. declare a global war on terror and send U.S. troops to Afghanistan.
B. suspend U.S. trade with all foreign nations.
C. set up peace talks with al Qaeda, the group responsible for the attacks.
D. impose economic sanctions on all Middle Eastern countries.
7. Waves of new immigrants have come to the United States in record numbers since the 1980s.
These new immigrants have typically been from which of the following areas?
A. Asia and Latin America
B. Eastern Europe and the Middle East
C. Northern Europe and Russia
D. Africa and Western Europe
8. One of the buildings damaged during the September 11th attacks was
A. the U.S. Capitol.
B. the Washington Monument.
C. the White House.
D. the Pentagon.
9. What was the importance of Executive Order 9981 as issued by President Truman in 1948?
A.
It integrated those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces without regard to race, color, religion,
or national origin.
B.
It prohibited employers from discriminating against people based on race, religion, or
gender.
C.
It prohibited segregation in public transportation, so African Americans were no longer
forced to ride in the back of buses.
D.
It integrated the public school system in the U.S. without regard to race, color, religion, or
national origin.
10. The United States government believes that the terrorists who coordinated the attacks on
America on September 11, 2001 were associated with which group?
A. the Saudi Arabian government
B. Al Qaeda
C. the Iraqi government
D. Hamas
11. Which of these statements is true of Reagan's interaction with the Supreme Court during his
presidency?
A. Reagan was known for appointing only justices who were politically conservative.
B. Reagan attempted to expand the number of justices in order to obtain favorable rulings.
C. Reagan became the first president to have a justice nominee rejected by Congress.
D. Reagan appointed the first African American to serve as chief justice.
12.
States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten
the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a
grave and growing danger. They could provide these arms to terrorists, giving them the
means to match their hatred. They could attack our allies or attempt to blackmail the
United States. In any of these cases, the price of indifference would be catastrophic.
—George W. Bush
The excerpt above is from President George W. Bush's State of the Union Address that he gave
in January 2002. Which is one of the countries that President Bush considered to be part of the
"axis of evil"?
A. Iraq
B. Israel
C. Mexico
D. Russia
13. The mid-1980s saw a rise in the use of personal computers by both individuals and
businesses. This trend was furthered by the 1985 introduction of which of the following?
A. the World Wide Web
B. Microsoft Windows
C. electronic mail
D. Apple Computer, Inc
14. The United States believed that a man named Osama bin Laden was responsible for planning
the attacks on September 11, 2001. Following the attacks, the U.S. believed bin Laden was
hiding in which of the following countries?
A. Afghanistan
B. Saudi Arabia
C. Iran
D. Kuwait
15. The ongoing unrest that exists between the Israelis and the Palestinians is primarily caused
by the fact that the two groups
A. have competing political ideologies.
B. have different races living together.
C. have different religious beliefs.
D. have different standards of living.
16. Which of the following statements is true of the presidential elections of 1980 and 1984?
A. Foreign policy issues had little impact on the outcome of the elections.
B. They showed a movement of growing support for liberal politics.
C. Many traditionally Democratic voters supported Ronald Reagan.
D. Ronald Reagan won both the elections only by a narrow margin.
17. Since its inception in 1945, the United Nations has led numerous peacekeeping missions
throughout the world. In recent years, the United Nations has sent troops to Sudan, Rwanda, and
Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UN peacekeeping missions are an example of
A. how peace can only be maintained in a country if the United Nations is involved.
B. how the United Nations advocates armed conflict as a way to resolve disputes.
C. how different countries work together in order to maintain peace.
D. how the United States decides what is best for other nations in the world.
18. Operation Just Cause was the U.S. invasion in 1989 designed to depose military leader
Manuel Noriega of which country?
A. Costa Rica
B. Panama
C. Cuba
D. Nicaragua
19.
American and coalition forces have begun a concerted campaign against the regime of
Saddam Hussein. In this war, our coalition is broad, more than 40 countries from across
the globe. Our cause is just, the security of the nations we serve and the peace of the
world. And our mission is clear, to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end
Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people.
—George W. Bush
President George W. Bush said these words shortly after which event?
A. the U.S. invasion of Iraq
B. the U.S. defeat of the Taliban
C. the attacks on American embassies in Africa
D. the September 11, 2001 attacks
20. The changes in the late 20th century to the traditional, nuclear family were partially a result
of
A. decreasing birth rates.
B. decreasing mortality rates.
C. rising unemployment rates.
D. rising divorce rates.
21.
• First recognized in 1981 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
• Responsible for over 25 million deaths since its discovery
The list above is describing
A. polio.
B. heart disease.
C. cancer.
D. HIV/AIDS.
22. The United States became involved in the Persian Gulf War in 1991 after which country
invaded Kuwait?
A. Iraq
B. Afghanistan
C. Saudi Arabia
D. Iran
23. "Reaganomics" became a term used quite often during Ronald Reagan's presidency, referring
to tax reform. Which of the following describes Reagan's logic behind his tax reform?
A. Tax cuts should only be given to those living below the poverty line.
B. Tax increases would help contribute to more federal aid programs.
C. Tax increases on lower income individuals would help the economy.
D. Tax cuts for businesses would lead to investment and cause economic growth.