Name:_________________________________________________ Date:______________ Class:__________
Short Quiz / Exit Slip: President Richard Nixon: New Federalism and Realpolitik
Part A: Multiple Choice: Instructions: Choose the option that answers the question or completes the
sentence.
1. President Nixon tried to give more power to local and state governments through his economic
policy of __________________________________.
a. The Great Society
b. New Federalism
c. Détente
d. The New Deal
2. What word describes Nixon’s opinion on the Supreme Court decision for Swann vs. CharlotteMecklenburg Board of Education?
a. Oppositional
b. Neutral
c. Supportive
d. Undecided
3. If Nixon wanted to reduce government spending, then what option below explains why Social
Security, Medicaid, and Medicare payments increased under his administration?
a. He did not want the Chinese economy to surpass the USA.
b. He needed to ensure the USA could afford to enter into the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks.
c. He needed to gain the support of the Democrats, who controlled Congress, for other issues.
d. All of the above.
4. Why did OPEC refuse to trade with the USA in 1973?
a. The USA weakened on their stance against Communism by opening up trade with China.
b. Nixon refused to recognize any Communist nation as a legitimate country.
c. The USA supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
d. The USA was developing solar energy initiatives that made oil use unnecessary.
5. What evidence below would a historian use to prove that Nixon practiced Realpolitik?
a. Nixon was cautious toward funding social programs.
b. Nixon supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
c. Nixon pursued friendly cooperation between the USA and China.
d. Nixon tried to slow down integration efforts in the USA.
Part B: Open Response: Instructions: Answer the question below.
1. Who was Henry Kissinger and what was the policy of Realpolitik that he encouraged the USA to
practice? What impact did the strategy of Realpolitik have on the USA?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.
Answers:
Short Quiz / Exit Slip: President Richard Nixon: New Federalism and Realpolitik
Part A: Multiple Choice: Instructions: Choose the option that answers the question or completes the
sentence.
1. President Nixon tried to give more power to local and state governments through his economic
policy of __________________________________.
a. The Great Society
b. New Federalism
c. Détente
d. The New Deal
2. What word describes Nixon’s opinion on the Supreme Court decision for Swann vs. CharlotteMecklenburg Board of Education?
a. Oppositional
b. Neutral
c. Supportive
d. Undecided
3. If Nixon wanted to reduce government spending, then what option below explains why Social
Security, Medicaid, and Medicare payments increased under his administration?
a. He did not want the Chinese economy to surpass the USA.
b. He needed to ensure the USA could afford to enter into the Strategic Arms Limitations Talks.
c. He needed to gain the support of the Democrats, who controlled Congress, for other issues.
d. All of the above.
4. Why did OPEC refuse to trade with the USA in 1973?
a. The USA weakened on their stance against Communism by opening up trade with China.
b. Nixon refused to recognize any Communist nation as a legitimate country.
c. The USA supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
d. The USA was developing solar energy initiatives that would have made oil use unnecessary.
5. What evidence below would a historian use to prove that Nixon practiced Realpolitik?
a. Nixon was cautious toward funding social programs.
b. Nixon supported Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
c. Nixon pursued friendly cooperation between the USA and China.
d. Nixon tried to slow down segregation efforts in the USA.
Part B: Open Response: Instructions: Answer the question below.
1. Who was Henry Kissinger and what was the policy of Realpolitik that he encouraged the USA to
practice? What impact did the strategy of Realpolitik have on the USA?
Nixon’s aid, Henry Kissinger, helped manage foreign affairs. Kissinger practiced Realpolitik. This
meant that the USA dealt with nations based on their power. In other words, the USA could not
refuse to work with large nations simply because they were Communist. For years, the USA had
refused to trade with China due to their Communist government. Yet, following Realpolitik, Nixon
opened up a new relationship with China in the early 1970s. By the late 1970s, a formal relationship
between China and the USA was established.
Copyright, USHistoryTeachers.com
All Rights Reserved.