Deck 15: Economic, social, and Cultural Change in the Late 20th Century

Question 1

The purpose of the Sundance Film Festival was to

A)influence Academy Award nominations.
B)encourage independent filmmakers.
C)show European films to an American audience.
D)experiment with special effects.
E)fight censorship.

Answer 1

encourage independent filmmakers.

Question 2

In the early 21st century,13 percent of the U.S.workforce was unionized; in the 1950s this figure was

A)80 percent.
B)64 percent.
C)43 percent.
D)30 percent.
E)18 percent.

Answer 2

30 percent.

Question 3

By the early 21st century,Wal-Mart employed one out of ____ all U.S.workers.

A)3,200
B)1,400
C)600
D)340
E)120

Answer 3

120

Question 4

By studying what they call the "household deficit," economists have determined that 

A)there has been a decrease in real wages.
B)that inflation has had little impact on household spending.
C)the rate of household indebtedness has declined slightly since 1980.
D)the difference between what people earn and what they spend has escalated in the final decades of the 20th century.
E)all of these choices

Question 5

The sports industry

A)focused solely on baseball.
B)moved away from being a business.
C)exploded.
D)drew less attention.
E)focused solely on professionals.

Question 6

Deregulation in the financial services sector in the early 1980s​

A)​was not widely supported by economists.
B)​led to the creation of just a few new financial products.
C)​led to risky practices and problems in the savings and loan industry.
D)​triggered the 1987 stock market crash.
E)all of these choices.

Question 7

All of the following statements regarding immigration are true except

A)in 2000,the percentage of Americans born outside the United States was an all-time high.
B)since 1965,immigration to the United States has become more diverse.
C)ninety percent of all Mexican Americans settle in the Southwest.
D)in 2000,3 million Puerto Ricans lived in the United States and 4 million lived in Puerto Rico.
E)in the early 21st century,only four Latin nations had more Spanish-speaking people than the U.S..

Question 8

The religious landscape of the United States

A)became almost nonexistent as most Americans do not believe in a higher power.
B)lacked diversity.
C)saw a swing back toward conservative Christianity.
D)became increasingly streamlined.
E)was more diverse than it had ever been before.

Question 9

One characteristic of Hollywood in the 1990s was

A)its willingness to experiment with new ideas.
B)its increasingly close involvement with the television industry.
C)its rejection of the new technologies.
D)its reduction in the cost of theater tickets.
E)it emphasis on foreign films.

Question 10

At the end of the 20th century ____ percent of Americans lived in large metropolitan areas.

A)50
B)60
C)70
D)80
E)90

Question 11

Since 1970,arguably the most successful examples of unionization have been in the field of

A)light industry.
B)agriculture.
C)sports.
D)finance.
E)retail.

Question 12

During the 1970s and 1980s,most immigrants to the United States came from

A)Eastern Europe.
B)Canada.
C)Western Europe.
D)Africa.
E)Latin America,especially Mexico.

Question 13

By the year 2000,1 in 10 Americans lived in which of these states?

A)Texas
B)New York
C)California
D)Florida
E)Arizona

Question 14

Population growth in the Sunbelt was partly the result of

A)strong labor unions that attracted workers.
B)the emergence of high-tech weapons and aerospace industries in the South and the West.
C)the availability of cheap land in California and Texas.
D)a decrease in immigration.
E)all of these choices

Question 15

Population rates slowed to ____ percent a year.

A)1
B)2
C)5
D)10
E)20

Question 16

The majority of Spanish-speaking Americans in the United States are from

A)Mexico.
B)Puerto Rico.
C)Honduras.
D)El Salvador.
E)Spain.

Question 17

The space program launched by President Kennedy with the goal of sending a manned mission to the moon was the

A)Saturn program.
B)Sputnik program.
C)Mercury program.
D)Apollo program.
E)Moon shot.

Question 18

Biotechnology research in which of the following areas has proven to be controversial?

A)regeneration of human tissue.
B)genetically modified foods.
C)reproductive processes.
D)fetal stem cell research.
E)all of these choices

Question 19

The main purpose of downsizing is

A)to increase the price of your product.
B)to increase the wages of those still employed.
C)to increase profits and decrease expenditures.
D)to facilitate horizontal integration.
E)to facilitate vertical integration.

Question 20

Beginning in the 1960s,economic growth shifted toward the

A)"Sun Belt."
B)Northeast.
C)"Rustbelt"
D)Midwest.
E)Northwest.

Question 21

The Immigration Act of 1990,

A)quotas based on national origins determined the number of immigrants admitted each year.
B)no immigrants from Central and South America were allowed into the United States.
C)immigrants with family ties in the United States or with special skills were given priority.
D)only those fleeing persecution by Communist governments were admitted.
E)only the wealthy were admitted.

Question 22

After 1970,the fastest growing states included all of the following except

A)California.
B)Florida.
C)Colorado.
D)Arizona.
E)Nevada.

Question 23

Most people who migrated from Puerto Rico moved to which of the following?

A)Florida
B)New York
C)Texas
D)California
E)Oregon

Question 24

Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon in

A)1968.
B)1969.
C)1970.
D)1971.
E)1972.

Question 25

By the end of the 20th century,the labor movement 

A)successfully organized office,restaurant,and hotel workers under the leadership of the AFL-CIO
B)suffered because of the high unemployment rate.
C)lost political power as union membership declined to less than 13 percent.
D)failed to organize government employees and health-care workers.
E)excluded women.

Question 26

Unlike cultural critics of the 1950s,analysts of the 1990s viewed mass culture as

A)inferior to the classical culture of Western civilization.
B)trivial and unworthy of serious study.
C)symbolic of the ignorance and laziness of modern Americans.
D)worthy of academic analysis and study.
E)too heavily influenced by Europe.

Question 27

The television show "The Simpsons"

A)was initially introduced by NBC.
B)was the first big success for the independent Fox network.
C)was a movie prior to being introduced to television.
D)failed to attract a significant viewing audience in its first years.
E)was a reality show featuring a real family.

Question 28

Since 1970 the population of the United States has grown

A)more slowly and become older.
B)more rapidly and become older.
C)very little.
D)more rapidly in the North and more slowly in the South.
E)younger in the South and older in the North.

Question 29

During the 1980s,television changed as

A)the percentage of viewers watching network programming hit its peak.
B)hundreds of new independent stations first went on the air.
C)most independent stations were bought by various giant media corporations.
D)networks poured more money into their news divisions.
E)reality programming began to dominate the ratings.

Question 30

The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act called for

A)ending all controls on the total number of immigration slots.
B)stricter penalties for businesses using undocumented workers.
C)granting a general amnesty to all illegal immigrants in the United States.
D)building a wall between Mexico and the United States.
E)closing the United States to all new immigrants for one year.

Question 31

Cable news networks increasingly​

A)expanded their coverage of global events.​
B)used narrowcasting to target specific audiences.​
C)found competitors dwindling.​
D)increasingly focused on infotainment to lure viewers.​
E)none of these choices.​

Question 32

The immigration of Hmong to the United States grew following

A)the Vietnam War.
B)persecution by the Chinese government.
C)normalization of relations with China.
D)devastating typhoons in Cambodia.
E)all of these choices

Question 33

Some Catholic priests joined with some Protestant congregations in

A)​taking a stand against homosexuality.
B)​fighting for passage of Title IX.
C)​providing sanctuary to undocumented refugees from Latin America.
D)​supporting Pat Robertson for president.
E)​advocating for stricter immigration laws.

Question 34

The biggest challenge American workers faced in the late 20th and early 21st centuries was​

A)​deskilling of the job market.​
B)​globalization.
C)​declining power of unions.​
D)​downsizing.
E)​all of these choices.

Question 35

Which of the following religious figures landed in jail on fraud charges? ​

A)​Jim Bakker​
B)Pat Robertson
C)​Billy Graham
D)​Jesse Jackson
E)​Jimmy Swaggart

Question 36

The diversification of religious beliefs in the United States was increased by all of the following except

A)the Black Power movement of the 1960s
B)the Immigration Act of 1965
C)the Cold War
D)the counterculture of the 1960s
E)alternative faiths.

Question 37

The television industry of the 1990s and early 2000s

A)saw the three major networks (ABC,NBC,and CBS)attract 80 percent of the viewers.
B)increased the number of programs designed to appeal to older,rural viewers.
C)avoided controversial and sexually explicit programming.
D)lost much of its audience to newspapers and news magazines.
E)was characterized by competition between the networks,independents,and cable companies.

Question 38

Since 1990,the percentage of African Americans has

A)increased in rural areas.
B)decreased in suburbs and increased in urban centers.
C)decreased in both suburbs and urban centers.
D)increased in both suburbs and urban centers.
E)increased in suburbs and declined in urban centers.

Question 39

By the late twentieth century,most Americans were likely to

A)remain in the same occupation for their entire life.
B)switch occupations once.
C)switch employers several times before retiring.
D)take a long time to settle on a career.
E)be unable to find jobs.

Question 40

The event that showcased for the public the gender issues that Title IX sought to resolve was

A)the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
B)the domestic violence related to the Superbowl.
C)the banning of women from major league sports.
D)the tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
E)all of these choices.

Question 41

Today,Wal-Mart employs 5 percent of all retail workers in the United States.

Question 42

In the early 21st century American manufacturing accounted for ____ of corporate profits.

A)10 percent
B)20 percent
C)30 percent
D)40 percent
E)50 percent

Question 43

Federal court decisions in the 1990s imposed greater restrictions on credit card issuers.

Question 44

The largest private sector employer in the United States is

A)Microsoft.
B)Wal-Mart.
C)McDonald's.
D)General Motors.
E)IBM.

Question 45

The information revolution concerns

A)the development of more news networks.
B)the prevalence of current news information in modern music.
C)the advent of the cell phone.
D)the lack of government regulation on news agencies.
E)the speed with which Americans can gain information via computers.

Question 46

The Human Genome Project was a

A)program intended to provide a more effective means of birth control.
B)science fiction movie.
C)project dedicated to gender equality.
D)program without controversy.
E)project that mapped the human genetic code.

Question 47

In the 21st century,the video screen is the preeminent symbol of American culture.

Question 48

The Refugee Act of 1980

A)provided equal treatment for those fleeing oppression,regardless of the political orientation of their home country.
B)excluded those who were escaping economic oppression.
C)had no significant impact on the immigrant population of the United States.
D)led to an increase in the number of Central Americans coming to the United States.
E)excluded Cubans from the U.S.

Question 49

All of the following statements regarding labor unions are true except

A)most union growth came from health and government workers.​
B)by the early 21st century,union membership had declined to around 3 percent.
C)corporations were able to fight off unionization in the 1950s and 1960s with generous benefits packages to workers.
D)the labor movement struggled to recruit hotel,clerical and restaurant workers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
E)in the 1950s union membership averaged 30 percent.

Question 50

By 2000,92 percent of homes in the United States had cable television.

Question 51

All of the following are true statements about Title IX except

A)It was retitled the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.
B)It mandated gender equity in intercollegiate sports and activities.
C)It was vetoed by President Nixon. ​
D)It required colleges to increase their funding and promotion of women's sports.
E)It inspired the tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

Question 52

In the 1980s,the largest portion of the American population belonged to the age range of

A)0-15 years old.
B)16-24 years old.
C)25-44 years old.
D)45-59 years old.
E)60-up years old.

Question 53

In recent years political power has shifted as

A)Southern states lost congressional seats.
B)the West lost electoral votes.
C)Northeastern states lost congressional seats.
D)Northeastern states gained electoral votes.
E)voter registration has been reduced.

Question 54

By the early 21st century,San Juan,Puerto Rico was the only city with more Puerto Ricans than New York City.

Question 55

By 2000,In 2005,Americans were spending more money on medical health costs than on food.

Question 56

Most immigrants from Puerto Rico have settled in Florida.

Question 57

The activities of all of the following are examples of the growing intersection between religion and politics in  America except

A)​Pat Robertson
B)​Father Robert F.Drinan
C)​Jesse Jackson
D)​Jim Bakker
E)​none of these choices

Question 58

By the end of the twentieth century,central cities

A)had been transformed by a building boom into thriving financial,residential and entertainment centers.
B)served as residential areas primarily for upper- and middle-income people.
C)had solved the problems associated with affordable housing.
D)continued to be the most important centers for retail shopping.
E)had solved the problem of air pollution.

Question 59

In the 1980s and 1990s,the population of the United States grew an average of 1.8 percent a year.

Question 60

In the late twentieth century business restructuring

A)involved huge mergers that concentrated corporate power.
B)saw the revival and growth of small,independent businesses.
C)meant remarkable growth in the number of U.S.manufacturing jobs.
D)required increased government regulation.
E)meant higher wages for all Americans.

Question 61

The computer revolution was a major contributing factor in transforming parts of California.

Question 62

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 succeeded in reducing the number of undocumented immigrants entering the country.

Question 63

Chain stores have transformed consumer buying in the United States but have not impacted other countries.

Question 64

The computer revolution helped the financial industry expand.

Question 65

"Downsizing" was a reduction of women's clothing sizes to follow the national fashion trends of the 1990s.

Question 66

Population growth slowed in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s.

Question 67

Economists warned that the shift toward a service economy would ultimately deskill the workforce and lower the standard of living.

Question 68

Corporate restructuring resulted in lower union membership.

Question 69

After the 1980s,the number of personal bankruptcies increased.

Question 70

The "Challenge of Peace" (1983)was written by scientists concerned about nuclear proliferation.

Question 71

Between 1991 and 2004,there was a resurgence in the number of Americans who belonged to a union.

Question 72

Because of its controversy,the Human Genome Project was ended in 1999.

Question 73

Initially Wal-Mart only went into large urban markets.

Question 74

In 2000,urban crime rates were soaring in most large cities.

Question 75

Government employees and health care workers accounted for the major growth in organized labor during the final decades of the 20th century.

Question 76

The Refugee Act of 1980 made it easier for immigrants who could prove economic hardship to enter the United States.

Question 77

During the 1970s and 1980s,the number of immigrants arriving from Europe exceeded the number arriving from Asia and Latin America.

Question 78

In 2000,the percentage of Americans born outside the United States was at an all-time high.

Question 79

Movie attendance in 1970 was at the same level as it was in 1960.

Question 80

Companies increasingly sought to increase profits by seeking oversees job forces rather than hiring workers in the U.S.