Contemporary American Politics

Question 1

A political approach favored by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, which called for minimal government intervention and regulation.

Answer 1

Laissez faire politics

Question 2

The Persian Gulf War, which began in January 1991, was an effort by the U.S. and its allies to force Iraq to exit from neighboring Kuwait, which it had invaded in late 1990.

Answer 2

The Persian Gulf War

Question 3

A Supreme Court case involving a ballot recount during the 2000 Florida elections. The Court ruled that a recount order was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Bush was thus declared winner.

Answer 3

Bush v. Gore

Question 4

Contract With America was a 10-point plan that Republicans promised to enact if they won control of Congress in 1994. The proposals included Congressional term limits, tax cuts, and welfare reforms.

Answer 4

Contract With America

Question 5

An act passed by President Obama in 2010. The act provided Americans with access to low cost healthcare, but mandated that all Americans carry health insurance, raising widespread oppossition.

Answer 5

Affordable Healthcare Act

Question 6

In Nicaragua, Reagan’s administration was involved in the controversial contra affair, while in Iran, he secretly engaged in an arms-for-hostages agreement.

Answer 6

Political scandal under Ronald Reagan

Question 7

A policy under President Reagan that encouraged the reduction of obstacles, such as taxes, to allow consumers to spend more and stimulate the economy. It was a counterbalance to stagflation.

Answer 7

Supply-side economics

Question 8

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Answer 8

Sandra Day O’Connor

Question 9

In 1998, U.S. President Clinton was impeached on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, partly for his alleged affair with Monica Lewinsky. He was acquitted of these charges in 1999.

Answer 9

Impeachment of Bill Clinton

Question 10

President Bush pledged a domestic policy based on a gentler and less conservative America. Key legislation included OBRA-93, NAFTA, ADA 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and RECA 1990.

Answer 10

Domestic policy under George H.W. Bush

Question 11

The name of George W. Bush’s invasion of Afghanistan, in response to the events of 9/11. Its purpose was to put a stop to the operations of Al Qaeda and its leader, Osama Bin Laden.

Answer 11

Operation Enduring Freedom

Question 12

Legislation introduced by President Bush in 2001 that tied the amount of funding that schools received to standardized test results. It sought to address low scholastic standards.

Answer 12

No Child Left Behind Act

Question 13

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), was passed during the Clinton administration, and effectively established a ‘free trade’ zone between Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Answer 13

NAFTA

Question 14

Factors involved in the peaceful resolution of the Cold War included the Soviet Union’s election of the moderate Gorbachev; U.S. and Soviet arms agreements; and Soviet retreat from Afghanistan.

Answer 14

Conclusion of the Cold War

Question 15

A U.S. military invasion of Panama, led by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.

Answer 15

Operation Just Cause

Question 16

Ronald Reagan advocated tax cuts for a majority of Americans. He believed this would lead to economic growth, and as a result, greater income tax revenue for the federal government.

Answer 16

Ronald Reagan’s position on taxation

Question 17

During Reagan’s presidency, U.S. military forces were expanded to halt the growth of the Soviet Union. Reagan’s renewal of the Cold War involved many outlets, including a space defense program.

Answer 17

Military under Ronald Reagan

Question 18

An $800 billion stimulus package that President Obama introduced to Congress in 2009. It called for tax breaks, new job creation, and higher unemployment compensation for jobless Americans.

Answer 18

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act