8th grade social studies exam – Flashcards
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The Nuremberg Trials established which of the following principles?
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Individuals are accountable for their actions, even during war.
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Which statement explains President Truman's dispute with General MacArthur over war strategy in Korea?
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Truman feared that attacking China would bring the Soviet Union into the war.
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Why did the passing of atomic secrets to the Soviet Union by the Rosenbergs represent a significant threat to the United States?
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It meant that the United States would no longer be the only nation on earth with control over atomic weapons.
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What did the Supreme Court say in its ruling in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)?
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Affirmative action programs do not violate the Constitution.
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How did the launch of Sputnik lead to the creation of NASA?
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Fear of Soviet expansion into space led to the development of the U.S. space program.
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Which of the following symbolized the women's rights movement in the 1960s?
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publication of Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique
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The text below is from a speech given by President Franklin Roosevelt about European events in 1937: "It seems to be unfortunately true that the epidemic of world lawlessness is spreading. When an epidemic of physical disease starts to spread, the community approves and joins in a quarantine of the patients in order to protect the health of the community against the spread of the disease." Source: http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/7-2-188/188-07.html Which explains why the majority of Americans opposed Roosevelt's speech?
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Roosevelt promoted U.S. intervention in the European conflict, which went against mainstream support of U.S. isolationism.
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The American Civil Liberties Union was directly involved with which of these?
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Freedom Summer
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The quote below was written in 1950 by Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, Chief of Staff to President Truman: "I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children." What conclusion can be drawn from this quote?
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Some military leaders felt that dropping the atomic bomb was not ethical
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The quote below was given in a 1941 speech by President Roosevelt: "Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked ..." Source: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/fdrpearlharbor.htm Which of the following events does this quotation describe?
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Japan's attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor
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Which statement explains why outsourcing occurs?
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Companies can move jobs to countries where workers receive much lower wages.
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Which of the following was directly involved in public school desegregation?
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Little Rock Nine
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The federal government made which of these changes during the mid-1990s?
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reformed the welfare system
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President Nixon's policy of Vietnamization involved which of these?
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increasing the military capacities of the South Vietnamese armed forces
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The photograph below shows an antiwar protest held near the Pentagon Building in 1967: 'Image showing anti war protests near the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The image shows a group of military officers with the letters MP on the sleeves of their uniforms and on their helmets. The military officers are standing in a single line in front of a group of young protestors. The protestors appear to be peaceful. One of the protestors is holding out a flower to the group of officers. Public Domain What was one effect of protests such as the one depicted in the photograph?
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Republican leaders publicly attacked the military's handling of the Vietnam War.
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The photograph below shows General Douglas MacArthur wading ashore on the island of Leyte in the Philippines: A black and white photo shows a group of seven uniformed men walking out of knee deep ocean waves after disembarking from landing craft, which are seen in the background. In the center of the photo is General Douglas MacArthur wearing an officer's cap and aviator sunglasses. Public Domain Why was this event a significant step in the war in the Pacific?
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It showed that resistance to the U.S. advance on Japan was largely over.
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Which goal of the Civil Rights movement was achieved soon after World War II ended?
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desegregation of the U.S. military
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The United States leads the world in energy consumption. Which effect of energy use is the source of the greatest disagreement among American politicians?
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climate change
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The quote below was taken from a speech given on August 29, 1945, to engineers on the Manhattan Project by the military commander in charge of the project: "The only thing that we have to think about is that the war is over and that a great many of [sic] Americans are going to be safe and in good hands who wouldn't have been if it hadn't been for the Manhattan District " —General Leslie Grove Why would Grove have told the engineers "the only thing we have to think about is that the war is over"?
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The decision to use atomic weapons was opposed by some who felt it was immoral.
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Why did the Allies hold trials in Nuremberg, Germany after World War II?
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to punish German war crimes
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Which Supreme Court ruling represented a victory for the women's rights movement?
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Roe v. Wade
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What resulted from the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?
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white resistance to desegregation
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The United States has fought a war with which of the following countries because of concerns about nuclear proliferation?
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Iraq
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Concerns about the national debt since the 1990s have resulted in which of the following?
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proposals to eliminate or reform social welfare programs created in the 1960s
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The graph below shows the number of people in poverty and the poverty rate in the United States from 1959 to 2009: A graph titled the Number in Poverty and Poverty Rate from 1959 to 2009 is shown. The graph shows that both the number in poverty and the poverty rate declined from 1959 to the early 1970s. In the 1970s, both the number in poverty and the poverty rate began to increase. There were dips in the poverty rate in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but generally the rates increased through 2009. Public Domain The trend in the graph provides evidence of which of the following?
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the failure of Great Society programs to achieve their goals
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Which of these concerns dominated U.S. foreign policy actions in the Middle East from the 1970s through the 1990s?
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maintaining access to oil reserves
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The photograph below was taken in a diner in 1964: A photograph of several African American people sitting at the counter of a diner is shown. At the end of the counter, a white man stands wearing a hat, and a white waitress stands behind the counter. ©2012 The Associated Press Which explains why the Black Power leaders would criticize the actions taken by the students in the photograph?
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The students were focused on integrating the races.
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Which describes the connection between the U.S. Constitution and the Patriot Act?
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The Patriot Act violates some of the rights and freedoms established in the U.S. Constitution in an effort to combat terrorism.
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The U.S. alliance with which country was crucial to the success of Operation Desert Storm?
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Saudi Arabia
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The quote below comes from the Supreme Court's ruling in Mapp v. Ohio (1961): We hold that all evidence obtained by searches and seizures in violation of the Constitution is, by that same authority, inadmissible in a state court. Source: http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0367_0643_ZO.html This ruling was part of which of these trends?
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the Court's expansion of the rights of the accused
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The baby-boom that followed World War II later contributed to which of the following?
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creation of a youth culture in the 1960s
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How did the United States react to the Soviet Union's acquisition of atomic weapons?
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by expanding its programs to research and build better atomic weapons
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Both the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan represented the desire of the United States to do which of the following?
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fight against the spread of communism
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Why was Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist crusade brought to an end by his hearings about communists in the U.S. Army?
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His investigations were exposed as publicity stunts without merit.
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Which statement summarizes the impact of the U.S. involvement in the Korean War?
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The United States established a permanent military presence in Asia.
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Draft resisters were part of which larger social movement?
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the counterculture movement
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What effect did the publication of the Pentagon Papers have on the American public?
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It made them aware of the government's lies about the Vietnam War.