CHAPTER 31: COMPLACENCY, CRISIS, AND GLOBAL REENGAGEMENT, 1993–2015
Multiple Choice
1. In the mid-1990s, the safest political stance for a politician to take was __________.
A) in the center
B) to the far left of the issues
C) to the far right of the issues
D) to not make any decisions
2. In order to field a full baby boomer and southern ticket in the election of 1992, Clinton chose __________
as his running mate.
A) Al Gore
B) Bob Dole
C) Dan Quayle
D) Mario Cuomo
3. In the mid-1990s, __________ came of age and voted based on their worries about the foreclosure of
opportunities.
A) Generation Y
B) Millennials
C) Generation X
D) Baby Boomers
4. Which of the following was NOT one of the promises Bill Clinton made in the campaign of 1992?
A) to reduce government bureaucracy
B) to reduce the deficit
C) to make a return to “family values”
D) to work on health care and welfare reform
5. By the early 1990s, many young American voters had come to believe that __________.
A) individual opportunities were diminishing
B) American foreign policy was being neglected
C) the economic problems of the 1990s did not affect their lives
D) the Republicans had placed too much emphasis on social policies
6. In March 1999, NATO began a bombing campaign in __________.
A) Kosovo
B) Bosnia
C) Somalia
D) Haiti
7. Despite the support of many voters, President Clinton failed to __________.
A) enact any measures regarding civil liberties
B) pursue the goals of free trade
C) pass significant health care reform
D) raise taxes on the wealthy class
8. The Republicans pushed the “Contract with America” agenda right after __________.
A) the nomination of Bob Dole in 1996
B) George Bush’s defeat in 1992
C) President Clinton’s reelection in 1996
D) their historic victory in the midterm elections of 1994
9. What effect did the war on drugs have on the prison system?
A) It created a boom in the prison population in the 1980s and 1990s.
B) It led to fewer incarcerations.
C) It increased the number of inmates on Death Row.
D) It penalized drug crimes by fines instead of jail time.
10. When the federal government shut down in 1995, most Americans blamed __________.
A) Newt Gingrich and his congressional allies
B) the Democratic Party
C) President Bush
D) the Federal Reserve
11. The outcome of the budget wars in 1995 and 1996 __________.
A) showed that neither political party provided a voice of moderation
B) illustrated the weaknesses of bipartisan politics
C) revealed that centrist solutions were preferred by most Americans
D) served as an example of the dominant power of right-wing Republicanism
12. Waco and Oklahoma City were examples of __________.
A) domestic terrorism
B) the war on drugs
C) foreign terrorism
D) random acts of violence
13. On April 19, 1993, federal agents raided the fortified compound of __________ in Waco, Texas.
A) the Moonies
B) the Branch Davidians
C) Opus Dei
D) the Moral Majority
14. Passed in California in 1978, __________ limited property taxes and continued into the 1990s.
A) Proposition 13
B) Proposition 187
C) Proposition 52
D) Proposition 113
15. Between 1965 and 1990, __________.
A) industrial growth brought great prosperity to the old cities of the Northeast
B) commercial farming declined as a portion of the agricultural economy
C) corporate “downsizing” reached an all-time low
D) the number of service workers continued to increase
16. Examples of jobs in the information economy include which of the following?
A) hospital orderlies
B) secretaries
C) creators of advertising
D) construction workers
17. The center of the electronics industry, Silicon Valley, is located in __________.
A) California
B) New York
C) Texas
D) Michigan
18. In the late 1990s and into the new century, __________ was the most networked state in the United
States.
A) New Hampshire
B) Alaska
C) Washington
D) Utah
20. Advances in technology for personal electronics and the Internet helped to make America
__________.
A) more vulnerable to war
B) into the country with the best school system
C) an “instant” society
D) the healthiest country on Earth
21. The Internet grew out of __________.
A) Americans’ desire to do research at home
B) Americans’ desire to have another way to communicate beyond the phone and letters
C) concerns about defense and national security
D) a trade agreement between Microsoft and IBM
22. Supporters of the North American Free Trade Agreement include __________.
A) the leaders of organized labor
B) environmentalists worried about lax regulations in Mexico
C) professional businesses that want foreign customers
D) communities already hit by industrial shutdowns
23 Which area of the country had the highest rate of increase in immigration in the 1990s?
A) the North
B) the South
C) the NorthEast
D) the Far West
24. Which ethnic group is the fastest growing in the United States?
A) Asians
B) Hispanics
C) Europeans
D) Jamaicans
25. Who was the first female vice-presidential candidate?
A) Geraldine Ferraro
B) Patricia Schroeder
C) Dianne Feinstein
D) Sandra Day O’Connor
26. In supporting political ideals, women often show that they are especially concerned with __________.
A) foreign policy
B) organized labor in traditional industries
C) practical problems of schools and neighborhoods
D) retaining the status quo in American politics
27. One effect of the congressional committee’s questioning of Anita Hill was __________.
A) the defeat of Clarence Thomas’s nomination for the Supreme Court
B) millions of women were angered that U.S. senators badgered Ms. Hill
C) women became so disillusioned that they became politically inactive
D) an increase among women in the popularity of the Republican Party
28. The first woman named to the Supreme Court was __________.
A) Geraldine Ferraro
B) Patricia Schroeder
C) Dianne Feinstein
D) Sandra Day O’Connor
29. The first female attorney general was __________.
A) Geraldine Ferraro
B) Patricia Schroeder
C) Sandra Day O’Connor
D) Janet Reno
30. Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of __________.
A) sexual harassment
B) once belonging to the Communist Party
C) taking illegal payments when he was a judge
D) illegal drug use
31. In 1989, __________ became the first African American governor in the United States since
Reconstruction.
A) Douglas Wilder
B) Carl Stokes
C) Tom Bradley
D) Maynard Jackson
32. When California’s voters approved Proposition 187, __________.
A) Hispanics cited racist motivations
B) college tuition was free for all citizens in the state
C) stricter environmental laws went into effect
D) political patronage was banned
33. The case of University of California v. Bakke is a landmark court case about __________.
A) bilingual education
B) voting rights
C) affirmative action
D) gun control
34. Native Americans have downplayed tribal differences in order to __________.
A) gain more Senate seats
B) elect more Native Americans to the House of Representatives
C) secure better opportunities for Native Americans as a group
D) gain more financial retribution from the government
35. Who decided the election of 2000?
A) the American people
B) the election committee of Florida
C) Jeb Bush
D) the Supreme Court
36. Despite holding a lead in the popular vote, Al Gore needed __________ to secure the electoral votes
and the White House.
A) Arizona
B) New York
C) Georgia
D) Florida
37. George W. Bush’s tax cuts __________.
A) primarily helped the poor and lower middle classes
B) were supported by most Democrats
C) had little support among Republicans
D) caused huge federal budget deficits
38. George W. Bush decided not to implement __________, which had been one of the major
accomplishments of his father’s term as president.
A) NAFTA
B) GATT
C) START II
D) Proposition 187
39. Vice president Dick Cheney developed the George W. Bush administration’s energy policy in
consultation with __________.
A) energy companies
B) environmentalists
C) consumer groups
D) religious groups
40. How should President George W. Bush’s domestic policies after the 2000 election be characterized?
A) a moderate course
B) a strong shift to the right
C) a slight shift to the right
D) a slight shift to the left
41. What was George W. Bush’s attitude toward treaties and negotiations?
A) He sought to engage the United States in more treaties.
B) He opted out of treaties that could put limits on American business.
C) He entered many treaties that put limits on the American military.
D) He signed more treaties than any other American president.
42. This event ended a decade of prosperity at home and complacency about the place of the United States in
the world.
A) the attack on the U.S.S. Cole
B) the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
C) the hijacking of a Cuban plane
D) the embassy bombings in Africa
43. The September 11 terrorist attacks are often compared to __________.
A) Hitler’s proposed takeover of Europe
B) the WWII bombings in Great Britain
C) Vietnam
D) the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
44. In the aftermath of the 9/11/01 attacks, the United States ousted the Taliban regime in __________.
A) Afghanistan
B) Iran
C) Iraq
D) Saudi Arabia
45. American policy toward Israel and the Palestinians includes which of the following?
A) secure borders for Palestine
B) no independent Palestinian state
C) the coexistence of Israel and Palestine
D) the creation of a Palestinian state in southern Lebanon
46. What was one of the delayed costs of the war in Iraq?
A) healthcare to Iraqi citizens
B) care for veterans
C) oil and other energy costs
D) technology to demilitarize weapons
46. President George W. Bush’s 2005 statement that the United States should actively extend democracy
throughout the world closely mirrored statements by which president?
A) Abraham Lincoln
B) James Monroe
C) Woodrow Wilson
D) Thomas Jefferson
47. Of the following, the most important domestic issue in the 2004 presidential election was
__________.
A) drilling for oil in Alaska
B) steroids in baseball and other professional sports
C) the health effects of air pollution
D) the controversy over same-sex marriage
48. The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina served as a reminder of __________.
A) the disparity between rich and poor
B) America’s excellent emergency response program
C) global climate change
D) the government’s concern for its citizens
49. In 2008, the successful presidential nominee of the Democratic Party was __________.
A) Walter Mondale
B) John Kerry
C) Barack Obama
D) Al Gore
50. One of the reasons for Barack Obama’s successful campaign was __________.
A) that he earned far more money that his adversary
B) his appeal to conservative voters
C) his focus on Bush’s failures
D) that he gave few public speeches
Essay Questions
51. Discuss the election of 2000, why it was contested, and what it revealed about the American people
and the nation.
52. What were the major goals of the Bush administration after the election of 2000? How did Bush go
about putting his ideas and goals into effect? Discuss Bush’s approach to the economy, domestic and
foreign policy, and education.
53. What have been the results of the September 11 terrorist attacks, both domestically and
internationally? What security measures have been put into place?