Foreign, Defense Policy USA Test Questions & Answers Ch.16

AM GOV 2019-2020, 6e (Losco)

Chapter 16 Foreign and Defense Policy: Protecting American Interests in the World

1) Alexis de Tocqueville, writing in the early nineteenth century, noted that America's prosperity rests on its

A) geographic isolation only.

B) defensible borders only.

C) absence of passion for war only.

D) geographic isolation, defensible borders, and absence of passion for war.

E) None of these answers is correct.

2) The chief distinction between defense policy specifically and foreign policy generally is that the former centers on

A) all measures for protecting America's vital interests.

B) measures intended to protect American life and property within the country's own borders.

C) strategic decisions about the scale and use of military force in national security.

D) maintaining peace through foreign economic aid programs.

E) the need for active diplomacy to prevent armed conflict.

3) The central tenet of the Monroe Doctrine was that the United States would

A) make no attempt to increase its own territorial holdings, and would prevent any other country from trying to seize new land.

B) regard new European imperial activities in the Americas as a threat to American security.

C) work closely with European powers to extend the blessings of republican government throughout the Americas.

D) intervene in the affairs of any American nation whose internal disorder threatened regional stability.

E) intervene on behalf of people who were struggling to prevent their liberties from being taken away by internal factions or outside threats.

4) Around the turn of the twentieth century, John Hay proposed the Open Door Policy to guarantee American access to trade with

A) China.

B) India.

C) Africa.

D) Cuba.

E) Japan.

5) The Roosevelt Corollary was used to justify American intervention in

A) China.

B) India.

C) Africa.

D) several Caribbean countries.

E) Japan.

6) The central tenet of the Roosevelt Corollary was that the United States would

A) make no attempt to increase its own territorial holdings, and would prevent any other country from trying to seize new land.

B) welcome European military intervention in the internal affairs of American countries that had proven themselves incapable of self-government.

C) work closely with European powers to extend the blessings of republican government throughout the Americas.

D) intervene in the affairs of American nations if they proved unable to protect themselves from foreign entanglements.

E) intervene on behalf of people who were struggling to prevent their liberties from being taken away by internal factions or outside threats.

7) The Roosevelt Corollary was used primarily to justify American military interventions in

A) the Mediterranean.

B) Southeast Asia.

C) the South Pacific.

D) the Caribbean.

E) Eastern Europe.

8) The first federal peacetime draft in U.S. history was established

A) immediately after the end of World War I.

B) immediately after the end of World War II.

C) shortly after the ratification of the Constitution.

D) at the end of the nineteenth century.

E) shortly before the United States entered World War II.

9) Which of the following statements about American involvement in World War I is most accurate?

A) The United States never ratified the Treaty of Versailles that Wilson had helped to negotiate to end World War I.

B) Recognizing the need for an international peacekeeping organization, the United States became a charter member of the League of Nations at the end of World War I.

C) Despite the heavy demands of fighting the war, the United States refused to implement a draft, choosing instead to rely on an all-volunteer army.

D) American involvement in World War I was part of a long tradition of American intervention in European wars.

E) American involvement in World War I ushered in a new era in which American citizens had little stake in and took little interest in foreign affairs.

10) The central tenet of the Truman Doctrine was that the United States would

A) make no attempt to increase its own territorial holdings, and would prevent any other country from trying to seize new land.

B) welcome European military intervention in the internal affairs of American countries that had proven themselves incapable of self-government.

C) work closely with European powers to extend the blessings of republican government throughout the Americas.

D) intervene in the affairs of American nations whose internal disorder threatened regional stability.

E) support those countries struggling to oppose communist expansion.

11) Throughout much of the Cold War, the United States expressed a commitment to preventing communists from expanding their zone of influence in the world, a policy that was known as

A) containment.

B) rollback.

C) blowback.

D) isolationism.

E) détente.

12) During which conflict did the United States abandon the draft in favor of an all-volunteer military force?

A) World War I

B) World War II

C) Korean War

D) Vietnam War

E) First Gulf War

13) Two key strategic doctrines that guided U.S. military power during the Cold War period were

A) isolationism and praetorianism.

B) brinkmanship and neonationalism.

C) containment and mutually assured destruction (MAD).

D) neoconservatism and containment.

E) None of these answers is correct.

14) Which of the following initiatives would be most appropriate to a policy of détente?

A) forming new alliances to isolate one's chief rival

B) vilifying one's chief rival with alarmist rhetoric

C) reaching an agreement with one's chief rival to decrease each side's military arsenal

D) using all means short of outright war to decrease the influence and standing of one's chief rival

E) hurting one's chief rival by waging proxy wars against its weaker allies or satellites

15) The greatest military costs for the U.S. have been incurred in which of the following conflicts?

A) World War I

B) World War II

C) Korea

D) Vietnam

E) the post-9/11 conflicts

16) The second-greatest military costs for the U.S. were incurred in which of the following conflicts?

A) World War I

B) World War II

C) Korea

D) Vietnam

E) the post-9/11 conflicts

17) The Soviet empire collapsed in the early 1990s partly as a result of

A) the Soviets' failure to keep pace with America.

B) a massive loss of Soviet credibility internationally.

C) both the Soviets' failure to keep pace with America and a massive loss of their credibility internationally.

D) the refusal of Soviet leadership to attempt a thawing of relations with the United States.

E) None of these answers is correct.

18) Since the end of the Cold War,

A) the United States and Russia have attempted to weaken each other through a series of "proxy wars."

B) the U.S. has largely shunned involvement in multilateral organizations.

C) the international community has meekly acquiesced to American international supremacy.

D) NATO has expanded to include a number of former Soviet satellite nations.

E) the United States has avoided preemptive actions against perceived hostile countries.

19) Which of the following was a key foreign policy change initiated by President Bush in implementing the war on terrorism?

A) asserting the right of the U.S. to attack terrorist nations and groups before itself being attacked

B) relying more heavily on the United Nations to engage in anti-terrorist peacekeeping operations

C) seeking to occupy and hold control of terrorist-sponsoring nations in order to engage in lengthy nation-building activities

D) reducing the power of the CIA and NSA to combat individual terrorist actors internationally

E) shifting responsibility for battling terrorism to NATO

20) The military policy adopted by the George W. Bush administration that permitted the use of force to prevent hostile acts by our enemies even if the U.S. is not attacked is called

A) deterrence.

B) preemption.

C) plausible deniability.

D) containment.

E) counter-balance.

21) Which of the following was part of Donald Trump's foreign policy pronouncements or initiatives upon entering office?

A) a desire to work to build strong and effective international institutions

B) an interest in more frequent use of U.S. military force to occupy hostile countries

C) a commitment to the global expansion of democracy

D) a preference for bilateral treaties over multilateral agreements if they helped the U.S. more

E) a pivot toward stronger containment of newly expansionist Russia

22) President Obama's foreign policy was marked by all of the following, EXCEPT

A) an increased emphasis on global cooperation to deal with crises and problems.

B) the use of drone strikes against suspected terrorists.

C) an end to the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.

D) combating the new threat of ISIS.

E) a desire to focus less narrowly on fighting terrorism.

23) President Obama sought to "pivot" American foreign and defense policy to place a much greater emphasis on which country/region?

A) the Asia-Pacific region

B) Russia

C) Central and South America

D) Africa

E) Europe

24) The constellation of military, economic, and ideological concerns about security constitutes what policymakers refer to as a country's

A) legacy.

B) dilemma.

C) promise.

D) national interests.

E) foreign policy.

25) Foreign policy is generally guided by the assumption that nation-states act in a world that is somewhat

A) anarchic.

B) controlled.

C) peaceful.

D) idealistic.

E) None of these answers is correct.

26) Which school of foreign policy is concerned with protecting national interests through a strong military as a deterrent and the belief that nations always act in their own self-interest?

A) realism

B) neoconservatism

C) liberalism

D) idealism

E) cooperationism

27) ________ emphasizes the need for a strong military to act as a deterrent.

A) Internationalism

B) Liberalism

C) Realism

D) Interdependence

E) None of these answers is correct.

28) Presidents Wilson and Carter are primarily associated with which school of foreign policy?

A) realism

B) neoconservatism

C) liberalism

D) idealism

E) cooperationism

29) The establishment of the United Nations and the Marshall Plan are both most fully aligned with the principles of which school of foreign policy?

A) realism

B) neoconservatism

C) liberalism

D) idealism

E) cooperationism

30) Which school of foreign policy is most closely associated with the goal of spreading American values through peaceful means?

A) realism

B) neoconservatism

C) liberalism

D) idealism

E) cooperationism

31) U.S. support of the Shah of Iran suggests that

A) the U.S. is sometimes willing to defer to the will of multilateral institutions over its own interests.

B) the U.S. sometimes prioritizes support of allies over support of democracy.

C) the U.S. has most consistently followed the liberalist school of foreign policy.

D) the U.S. has most consistently followed the idealist school of foreign policy.

E) the U.S. is sometimes willing to hurt its own international business interests in pursuit of international stability.

32) The act of refusing to join an international nuclear arms reduction agreement and instead building up one's armaments would best fit with the foreign policy theory of 

A) realism.

B) multilateralism.

C) liberalism.

D) idealism.

E) pacifism.

33) Which of the following is true of President Trump's early steps in formulating and implementing foreign policy?

A) Trump sought a largely conciliatory approach toward relations with Mexico and the Middle East after making harsh statements during the campaign.

B) Trump sought to have Congress dismantle the State Department and turn over foreign policy operations to the Defense Department.

C) Trump's first national security advisor, Michael Flynn, resigned because he felt the president was not taking a hard enough line against Russia.

D) A foreign policy success with Mexico helped to mask difficulties in relationships with the Middle East.

E) Trump had a difficult and contentious relationship with his foreign policy team and especially his NSC.

34) Which of the following statements about the handling of foreign policy in American history is LEAST accurate?

A) The Constitution places sole responsibility for foreign policy in the hands of the president.

B) The executive branch has the most, but not the sole, influence in shaping foreign policy.

C) Overseeing the operations of agencies dealing with foreign and defense policies has been a feature of executive branch power since President Washington.

D) The power of the executive branch over foreign policy has generally increased since the founding of the republic.

E) Public opinion and the pressure of special interest groups can place significant constraints on the executive branch's foreign policy options.

35) The National Security Council was created

A) by the Washington administration.

B) during the Civil War.

C) in the months before the U.S. entered World War I.

D) shortly after the end of World War II.

E) after the intelligence failures that resulted in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

36) Which of the following persons does NOT traditionally hold a seat on the National Security Council?

A) Speaker of the House

B) Secretary of the Treasury

C) chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

D) director of national intelligence

E) the vice president

37) The State Department is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT

A) acting as the chief diplomatic arm of the U.S. government.

B) leading and coordinating U.S. representation abroad.

C) conveying U.S. foreign policy to foreign governments and international organizations.

D) managing U.S. military forces on foreign soil.

E) negotiating agreements and treaties with other nations.

38) ________ served as secretary of state during the American invasion of Iraq.

A) John Kerry

B) Condoleezza Rice

C) Susan Rice

D) Chuck Hagel

E) Leon Panetta

39) Which of the following branches does NOT have a representative within the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

A) Air Force

B) Coast Guard

C) Army

D) Marines

E) Navy

40) What prompted the most recent full-scale reappraisal of U.S. intelligence gathering through the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act?

A) the failure of U.S. intelligence-gathering in Somalia

B) the failure of U.S. intelligence to locate Osama bin Laden during the invasion of Afghanistan

C) the failure of U.S. intelligence-gathering in China

D) the failure of U.S. intelligence-gathering in Iraq

E) the failure of U.S. intelligence to predict the fall of the Soviet Union

41) In the wake of intelligence failures regarding the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, Congress created the position of ________ as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.

A) director of national intelligence

B) intelligence czar

C) secretary of defense

D) NSC director

E) director of counter-terrorism operations

42) The U.S. intelligence community consists of approximately how many different intelligence agencies?

A) 1

B) 3

C) 6

D) 8

E) 17

43) The DEA and the FBI are both arms of which government agency?

A) Justice Department

B) State Department

C) Defense Department

D) Treasury Department

E) Congress

44) Which of the following statements about the U.S. intelligence community is LEAST accurate?

A) The failure of different sections of the community to effectively share intelligence with each other is at least partly to blame for the attacks of September 11, 2001.

B) Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, surveillance operations by the U.S. government increased dramatically.

C) The primary activity of CIA agents is engaging in covert operations designed to undermine hostile regimes.

D) A secret court appointed by the chief justice of the Supreme Court was established in 1978 to authorize certain acts of covert surveillance within American borders.

E) The military also has several branches dedicated to intelligence gathering for the purposes of national security.

45) Which of the following is a "cognitive miser" most likely to do?

A) study the minute details of foreign policy and judge presidents primarily by their foreign policy choices

B) generally supporting the use of diplomacy as the best guarantor of national security

C) generally supporting the use of military force as the best guarantor of national security

D) applying the maxim "a strong offense makes the best defense" when considering foreign policy questions over the use of military force

E) ignore foreign policy decisions by the U.S. even during times of intense international challenges and dangers

46) Congress is not powerless in opposing presidential powers related to defense and security. Congress can

A) cut off funding for war.

B) reject presidential requests for authority to commence hostile activities.

C) expand or reject presidential requests for foreign aid.

D) reject treaties with other nations.

E) All of these answers are correct.

47) Congress has all of the following powers EXCEPT

A) authority to declare war.

B) authority to conduct war.

C) authority to cut off funding for military operations.

D) to hold oversight hearings on presidential policies.

E) authority to reject treaties with other nations.

48) What changes resulted from the Snowden revelations?

A) a dismantling of the NSA

B) an expansion of the FISA court to include the power of review over almost all civilian and military intelligence operations

C) stricter standards against government telecommunications and Internet surveillance

D) recommendations for stricter standards against government surveillance that were ultimately rejected by Congress

E) a loosening of restrictions that will allow the NSA and related agencies to surveil Americans more easily

49) Approximately ________ of the 2018 federal budget is devoted to national defense.

A) 3 percent

B) 6 percent

C) 21 percent

D) 28 percent

E) 36 percent

50) Tools of foreign policy include

A) military power.

B) the presidential will to act.

C) powers granted under the Fourteenth Amendment.

D) the supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution.

E) All of these answers are correct.

51) The United States currently has approximately ________ active-duty military troops.

A) 300,000

B) 850,000

C) 1.3 million

D) 3 million

E) 5 million

52) The country that has the highest military spending (by a large margin) is

A) France.

B) China.

C) Russia.

D) the United States.

E) the United Kingdom.

53) Diplomacy is primarily the responsibility of

A) the State Department.

B) the Defense Department.

C) Congress.

D) the vice president.

E) the armed forces.

54) The country with the second-highest military budget is

A) Russia.

B) France.

C) China.

D) Great Britain.

E) India.

55) Which of the following statements about U.S. foreign aid is LEAST accurate?

A) To promote peace and stability, the U.S. government insists that the money that it sends abroad not be used for military purposes.

B) In many instances, the U.S. government sends money to foreign countries with the understanding that those countries will use the money to buy weaponry from American companies.

C) The U.S. government sometimes provides money to foreign governments with the expectation that those governments will advance U.S. interests by fighting terrorism or drug trafficking.

D) Based on the percentage of national income, no major donor nation provides less foreign aid than does the United States.

E) Some of the financial aid the U.S. government provides to foreign countries is intended to be used to develop the domestic economies of those nations.

56) Foreign aid constitutes ________ of the national budget of the U.S.

A) about 1 percent

B) 3 percent

C) 5 percent

D) nearly 10 percent

E) about 15 percent

57) Which of the following statements about the U.S. relationship with international organizations is LEAST accurate?

A) The U.S. is one of five countries with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

B) During the 1990s, the U.S. successfully courted UN support for several major foreign policy initiatives, including the First Gulf War.

C) The U.S. has consistently refused to engage in military action without the express consent of the UN's Security Council.

D) By tradition, the U.S. gets to select the president of the World Bank.

E) The U.S. works closely with international organizations such as the WHO to address actual and potential health threats throughout the world.

58) Which of the following countries is NOT a permanent member of the UN Security Council?

A) France

B) China

C) Russia

D) Germany

E) the United Kingdom

59) The world today, in terms of power and domination, is best described as a

A) bipolar world.

B) tripolar world.

C) non-polar world.

D) unipolar world.

E) multipolar world.

60) Which of the following statements about the U.S. and the threat of terrorism is LEAST accurate?

A) During the 1990s, the United States generally responded to terrorist acts with criminal proceedings rather than military engagements.

B) Among the groups that attacked U.S. soldiers in Iraq were foreign jihadists from places like Syria and Saudi Arabia.

C) The United States failed to gain broad international support for either its invasion of Afghanistan or its invasion of Iraq.

D) In the fifteen years leading up to September 11, 2001, Islamic terrorists launched a number of attacks on American targets in the U.S. and abroad.

E) Although the U.S. and its allies succeeded in toppling the Taliban regime, they failed to establish lasting internal peace within Afghanistan.

61) Which of the following factors is NOT frequently cited as a source of the terrorist threat the United States faces today?

A) the emergence of radical Islamic fundamentalism

B) Islamic opposition to the creation and expansion of Israel

C) feelings of powerlessness in Islamic countries

D) limited economic opportunities in Islamic countries

E) the Middle East's lack of valuable natural resources

62) At the time of his killing by U.S. troops, Osama bin Laden was living in a mansion near a military school in which country?

A) Saudi Arabia

B) Syria

C) Iran

D) Afghanistan

E) Pakistan

63) Of the following Islamic countries, which one possesses nuclear weapons?

A) Saudi Arabia

B) Pakistan

C) Egypt

D) Iraq

E) Libya

64) Which of the following statements about nuclear weaponry is most accurate?

A) No nation has ever dismantled its entire nuclear arsenal.

B) The United States maintains the largest nuclear arsenal in the world by far.

C) Since the ratification of the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, there have been no new additions to the group of nations that constitute the "nuclear club."

D) Pakistan worries about its lack of nuclear weapons because of hostile relations with nuclear-armed India spanning back to the 1940s.

E) The United States and Russia have recently signaled their intentions to expand the size and variety of their nuclear arsenals.

65) Current members of the "nuclear club" include all of the following EXCEPT

A) France.

B) Iran.

C) China.

D) Pakistan.

E) India.

66) In 2018, the United States was most concerned that ________ could develop nuclear capabilities.

A) Germany 

B) Brazil and Argentina

C) Iran 

D) China

E) Iraq

67) In 2014, a major Ebola outbreak began in

A) Africa.

B) South America.

C) North America.

D) Asia.

E) Europe.

68) Although the roots of tensions in the Middle East are numerous, complex, and not easily resolved, ________ would be most likely to go a long way toward diffusing tension in the region.

A) blocking further Jewish immigration

B) a solution to the continuing dispute over the establishment of a permanent Palestinian state

C) regime change in Iran

D) a sharp reduction in Middle Eastern oil exports

E) None of these answers is correct.

69) Currently the world's second largest economy belongs to

A) Japan.

B) Britain.

C) China.

D) the United States.

E) India.

70) According to the text, China

A) will play an increasingly important role in world affairs.

B) is now the second-largest military spender behind the U.S.

C) is now the second-largest foreign holder of U.S. securities.

D) is now the second-largest military spender behind the U.S. and the second-largest foreign holder of U.S. securities, and will play an increasingly important role in world affairs.

E) None of these answers is correct.

71) Which of the following is a nongovernmental organization?

A) United Nations

B) NATO

C) American Red Cross

D) WTO

E) NAFTA

72) Discuss the threats that confront American interests and international stability more generally. Which ones are the most threatening? Which ones, if any, can the United States safely ignore? What would be the best means with which to confront these threats?

73) One of the most important powers of the presidency is its influence over foreign policy. Discuss the major presidential initiatives that have a major or lasting impact on American history. Which presidential initiatives have proven most successful? Why have those policies been more effective than the failed initiatives of other presidents?

74) Describe the means by which the U.S. government and the American people can influence foreign affairs. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each of these means? Which of these means has been used most successfully in the past?

75) Describe the major schools of thought that have shaped American foreign policy for the past 100 years. Explain the preferred goals and tactics of each one. Which should be used to address the threats faced by the United States today?

76) Explain how the U.S. government shapes its foreign policy. Describe the roles given to both civilian organizations and the military. Which branch of the government wields the most influence over foreign policy?

77) What role does public opinion play in shaping foreign policy? Should the American people have more or less of a say in the handling of foreign affairs?

78) Describe the broad U.S. policy toward the spread of nuclear weapons and its own nuclear arsenal during and since the Cold War. How has that policy changed very recently? What are currently the greatest threats with regard to nuclear proliferation?

79) Pick one of the key foreign policy issues confronting the United States today. What are the important facts relevant to the issue? What has American policy been in recent years regarding the issue? Do you agree or disagree with this policy, and why?