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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
1. The prosperity of the 1950s and 1960s rested in large part on easy access to raw materials
around the world and
a. high inflation.
b. oil shortages in the Mid-East.
c. a strong manufacturing base.
d. Détente.
Civil Rights Cases in the Supreme Court
Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka, Kansas
ended the practice of segregation, the creation of
separate schools for students based on race, in the
public schools
Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg upheld the practice of busing children to schools
Board of Education
outside of their neighborhood to gain racial balances
2.
Miliken v. Bradley
stated that children could not be bused across school
district lines unless the district was created to promote
segregation
University of California Regents
v. Bakke
ruled that universities and colleges could use race as a
part of their admissions criteria, but could not use racial
quotas
Which Supreme Court ruling was a victory for supporters of busing?
a. Miliken v. Bradley
b. Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education
c. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas
d. University of California Regents v. Bakke
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
3.
According to the time line, which of the following is true of Gerald Ford?
a. He
b. He
c. He
d. He
decided that the Watergate hearings would be televised.
became president after the resignation of Richard Nixon.
worked hard to ensure the re-election of Richard Nixon.
ruled that Nixon must turn over the White House tapes.
4. As part of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, Nixon and Brezhnev agreed to
a. completely end the production nuclear weapons.
b. exchange prisoners.
c. end the Cold War.
d. exchange scientific information.
5. Affirmative action was initially proposed to improve the economic status of
a. women.
b. African Americans.
c. people with disabilities.
d. Native Americans.
6. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries announced that its members would embargo, or
stop shipping, petroleum to countries that supported
a. Iraq.
b. Egypt.
c. Iran.
d. Israel.
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
7. As part of Nixon’s New Federalism policy, Congress passed
a. new civil rights laws.
b. revenue-sharing bills.
c. the Aid to Families with Dependent Children Act.
d. the Ethics in Government Act.
8. Which of the following statements about the effects of Earth Day is true?
a. Membership in the Audubon Society and Sierra Club decreased.
b. Reforestation projects were begun by the forestry industry.
c. The Natural Resources Defense Council was disbanded.
d. No significant environmental movement arose.
9. Andrew Young was the first African American to serve as
a. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
b. Secretary of State.
c. a Supreme Court Justice.
d. Speaker of the House of Representatives.
10. By the 1970s, the U.S. economy had become heavily dependent on
a. imported oil.
b. steadily increasing production.
c. steadily rising prices.
d. government regulation.
11. To make good on his campaign promise to fight crime, Nixon targeted
a. Communists.
b. African Americans.
c. welfare recipients.
d. antiwar protesters.
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
Economic Problems of the 1970s
decline of manufacturing sector due to increased
international competition and inefficiency of old
plants
led to closure of many factories
which led to loss of jobs for millions of workers
which led to
which led to
12.
unemployed industrial workers who were not
trained for growing information and serviceoriented jobs
stagflation, a combination of rising prices and
economic stagnation
The economic condition called “stagflation” had its beginning when
a. prices for consumer goods began to fall.
b. increasing costs on goods took hold.
c. millions of workers lost their jobs.
d. manufacturing declined.
13. The 1978 Panama Canal treaties transferred control of the Panama Canal from
a. Panama to the United States.
b. Columbia to Panama.
c. Panama to Britain.
d. the United States to Panama.
14. As part of his Southern strategy, Nixon took steps to
a. increase school funding.
b. slow desegregation.
c. balance the budget.
d. support prices for farm products.
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
15.
Why was Alexander Butterfield’s information about a White House taping system important?
a. It might reveal information about the Kennedy assassination.
b. It might reveal that Nixon was involved in the Watergate burglary plan or attempts to stop
the FBI’s investigation.
c. It would provide valuable information for journalists and historians.
d. It revealed the important policy role played by Henry Kissinger.
16. What is the main reason that people began to seriously question nuclear power after 1979?
a. the abundance of inexpensive coal, oil, and natural gas
b. the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s declaration that nuclear plants were unsafe
c. doubts raised by an accident at Three Mile Island
d. expansion of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power
17. President Carter imposed an embargo on the sale of grain to the Soviet Union as a result of the
Soviet
a. invasion of Afghanistan.
b. boycott of the Summer Olympic Games.
c. expansion in the Middle East.
d. aid to the Arab nations during the Yom Kippur War.
18. Who was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus?
a. Jesse Jackson
b. Ruth Baston
c. Maynard Jackson
d. Shirley Chisholm
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19. The decline of American manufacturing was caused by
a. high taxes.
b. a dependence on foreign oil.
c. old and inefficient manufacturing plants.
d. deregulation of the manufacturing industry.
20. At Love Canal, the residents’ activism was a result of
a. personal negligence by government officials.
b. anger at the loss of several thousand jobs.
c. a favorable ruling by the Supreme Court.
d. health problems caused by a leaking toxic dump.
21. The Architectural Barriers Act mandated that
a. all new buildings built with federal funds be accessible to people with disabilities.
b. all children with disabilities be given new technologies to access information.
c. qualified individuals with disabilities should not be excluded from government programs.
d. all children with disabilities be given access to free education.
“I reject the patronizing idea that government in Washington, D.C., is inevitably more wise and
more efficient than government at the state or local level. The idea that a bureaucratic elite in
Washington knows what’s best for people . . . is really a contention that people cannot govern
themselves.”
—Richard Nixon
22.
This political statement by President Nixon revealed his belief that
a. more control and power should be given to cities and states rather than the federal
government.
b. more control and power should be given to the federal government.
c. people in Washington, D.C., know how to govern the country.
d. government in Washington, D.C., was willing to share its power with the states.
23. How did the FBI conclude that the Watergate burglars were part of a Nixon re-election scheme?
a. G. Gordon Liddy was assistant to the vice president.
b. Nixon admitted the illegal campaign plan to the special prosecutor in May 1973.
c. The security guard who reported the break-in saw White House badges on the burglars.
d. James McCord was a member of the Committee for the Re-election of the President.
24. Native Americans who viewed the government’s efforts to address their problems as too modest
formed more militant groups, such as
a. People United to Save Humanity
b. the Declaration of Indian Purpose.
c. Section 504.
d. the American Indian Movement.
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25. Supporters of nuclear energy hailed it as a cleaner and less expensive alternative to
a. wind power.
b. hydroelectric power.
c. fossil fuels.
d. solar power.
26. American oil companies in the 1970s claimed it was difficult to make a profit because of
a. price gouging by their suppliers.
b. government regulation of the oil industry.
c. decreased demand for oil.
d. an abundance of alternative fuels.
27. What was one purpose of Nixon’s trip to China?
a. confronting the Chinese government about its human rights violations
b. negotiating an arms limitation treaty with the Chinese government
c. encouraging the Soviets to more actively pursue diplomacy
d. negotiating a treaty of alliance with China against the Soviet Union
28. Which of the following did President Carter insist on, in return for his support of deregulating oil
companies?
a. development of renewable energy sources
b. deregulation of many other industries
c. imposing a special tax to keep oil companies from overcharging
d. reduction of energy consumption by all citizens
29. The Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968 recognized the legitimacy of local reservation law and
guaranteed reservation residents the protections of
a. affirmative action.
b. the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
c. the Bill of Rights.
d. the National Guard.
30. Nixon tried to avoid turning over the Watergate tapes by claiming that the tapes
a. would compromise national security.
b. were private property.
c. did not exist.
d. did not contain any information relevant to the investigation.
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
31. Who founded People United to Save Humanity, or PUSH, a group aimed at registering voters,
developing African American businesses, and broadening educational opportunities?
a. Jesse Jackson.
b. Maynard Jackson.
c. Ruth Baston.
d. Allan Bakke.
“Confidence in the future has supported everything else—public institutions and private
enterprise, our own families, and the very Constitution of the United States. Confidence has
defined our course and has served as a link between generations. We’ve always believed in
something called progress. We’ve always had a faith that the days of our children would be
better than our own.
“Our people are losing that faith. . . .
“The symptoms of this crisis of the American spirit are all around us. For the first time in the
history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next 5 years will be worse than
the past 5 years. Two-thirds of our people do not even vote. The productivity of American
workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen
below that of all other people in the Western world.”
—President Jimmy Carter
32.
According to the passage, what does President Carter think is an important ingredient for
American success that is missing?
A. Better energy laws from Congress that would support reducing the use of fossil fuels.
​B. The need for Americans to rely less on foreign oil supplies.
​C. The American people have lost the confidence that made them achieve so much and that
made the country strong and successful in the past.
​D. The commitment to buying American made goods.
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
33. Explain how the above map represents a new direction in American foreign policy. Be sure to use
and describe the term "detente" in your answer.
34. Describe Carter’s economic policies and why they failed.
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
Answer Key
1. c
2. b
3. b
4. d
5. b
6. d
7. b
8. b
9. a
10. a
11. d
12. d
13. d
14. b
15. b
16. c
17. a
18. d
19. c
20. d
21. a
22. a
23. d
24. d
25. c
26. b
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Ch. 19 - Politics and Economics
27. c
28. c
29. c
30. a
31. a
32. C
33. President Nixon signed the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (SALT) with the Soviet Union in 1972.
This new policy of détente was an attempt to relax tensions between the United States and its
Communist rivals, the Soviet Union and China.
34. Most of Carter’s economic policies were intended to end the recession and reduce unemployment. His
policies were aimed at increasing government spending and cutting taxes. Carter thought that
government spending would create jobs and cutting taxes would put more money into the economy.
Instead inflation increased and he changed his mind. He then tried to decrease the amount of money
in the economy and raised interest rates. None of these policies succeeded. Carter then tried to focus
on Americans’ dependence on foreign oil. He began a national campaign to conserve oil and use
renewable energy sources. He also deregulated the oil industry to promote drilling in the United
States. However, his taxes on that industry prevented new investments by oil companies and
continued the American dependence on imported oil.
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