Higher Level Multiple Choice Questions
Volume II Enhanced
Chapter Ten, Eisenhower and Happy Days
1. Though both Republican leaders, Eisenhower differed from Robert Taft (“Mr.
Republican”) in that:
A. Eisenhower called strongly for the dismantling of the New Deal.
B. Taft was a strong proponent of an interstate highway system.
C. Taft believed in “rollback,” while Eisenhower was an advocate of
“containment.”
D. Eisenhower believed in an active role for the United States in world affairs.
2. In his 1952 “Checkers Speech” Richard Nixon:
A. put forth an argument for “brinkmanship” in foreign affairs.
B. argued that political strategy is the key for any party seeking to dominate the
American political system.
C. defended himself against charges that he had received illegal financial
contributions from his political supporters.
D. announced he would seek the Republican nomination for president.
3. A key promise Eisenhower made that helped sway voters in 1952 was:
A. that he would support the building of an interstate highway system linking
all American cities.
B. that he would go to Korea to seek an agreement that would bring an end to
the war there.
C. that he would increase the size of the armed forces to better protect American
interests around the globe.
D. that he would do all within his power to oust Fidel Castro who was setting
up a communist regime in Cuba.
4. Joseph McCarthy’s fall from prominence began when:
A. his bullying and unethical tactics were exposed to a national television
audience during his Army-McCarthy hearings.
B. he appeared to be drunk while confronting President Eisenhower at a White
House reception.
C. he accused Eisenhower himself of having communist sympathies.
D. it was revealed that there were members of his own staff how had attended
meetings of the Communist Party back in the 1930s.
5. The AFL/CIO played a role in the Cold War because:
A. its union members refused to build weapons systems they believed made
nuclear war more likely.
B. strikes sponsored by that union gave significant propaganda victories to the
Soviets who claimed American workers suffered under capitalism.
C. the leadership of that union was solidly anti-communist, keeping America’s
labor movement loyal to American values.
D. Soviet operatives were able to secretly infiltrate the leadership of that union
and relay key information to Moscow.
6. Eisenhower’s actions when Hungary revolted against Moscow in 1956 clearly
showed his administration was:
A. was willing to pursue new policies of “rollback” that would actually bring
countries under Soviet control back into the free world.
B. committed to the philosophy of containment as established by the Truman
administration.
C. unwilling to use propaganda or radio communications to encourage people
behind the Iron Curtain to revolt.
D. willing to use “massive retaliation” during such a crisis.
7. Writers and thinkers such as Friedrich A. Hayek William F. Buckley represented:
A. a new conservative movement that rejected Eisenhower’s “Modern
Republicanism.”
B. the rise of racism and anti-Semitism within the conservative movement.
C. a strong call to complete the New Deal by adding a national health care plan
that would make health care a basic right.
D. a desire to avoid political divisiveness and bring about bi-partisan political
progress.
8. Which best describes Eisenhower’s approach to national defense?
A. His “New Look” scaled back nuclear weapons and increased the size of the
armed forces.
B. He believed that the oceans protected the U.S. and sought a more isolationist
approach to defense.
C. He rejected Democrats’ call for “massive retaliation” believing it was a certain
formula for war.
D. He sought to increase America’s reliance on nuclear weapons as a means of
protection.
9. Regarding the talk of a “missile gap” in the late 1950s,
A. the U.S. Air Force did in fact trail the U.S. army in the number of missiles at
their disposal.
B. in truth the United States held a significant lead over the Soviets in nuclear
weaponry.
C. Republicans used this phrase as a way to criticize Democratic calls for a
decrease in defense spending.
D. in fact the Soviets, as evidenced by Sputnik, had forged ahead of the U.S. in
military technology.
10. The 1960 Summit Conference in Paris between Eisenhower and Khrushchev:
A. successfully cooled off relations with an agreement to pursue détente
between the two powers.
B. was cancelled after the Soviets shot down a U-2 spy plane over Russia.
C. showed Khrushchev to be even more secretive and paranoid that Stalin.
D. did not occur because Eisenhower had a serious heart attack in the days
before the summit.