Lecture 8: The 1980s and 1990s
- What is the main topic of the lecture?
a. The US and the USSR
b. Popular music in the 1980s
c. Social changes in America and the end of the Cold War
d. The situation of women and minorities in the US - Why did Gorbachev try to end the arms race?
a. He thought the USSR was in economic trouble.
b. He didn’t like nuclear weapons.
c. He wanted to stop détente.
d. He wanted to focus on the war in Afghanistan. - Which of the following is true according to the lecture?
a. Gorbachev met Reagan in 1987 to sign an agreement limiting arms.
b. Gorbachev believed the USSR would become a global superpower.
c. Gorbachev continued USSR’s control of eastern Europe.
d. Gorbachev destroyed the Berlin Wall in 1987. - Which of the following is not true in regards to social changes in
America?
a. Divorce rates were high.
b. Many Americans rejected the drug-taking and sexual freedom of the
1960s and 70s.
c. There were fewer single-parent families than before.
d. Women and minorities made significant social advances. - What can be inferred about changes in American lifestyle in the
1980s and 1990s?
a. Americans did not like specialty TV networks.
b. Americans often used credit cards for their purchases.
c. Americans had more choices in entertainment.
d. Americans stopped watching movies. - Fill in the facts from the lecture:
a. Year Apple Personal Computer introduced : 1977
b. Percentage of American homes with a computer
by the end of the 1990s: 50%
c. Year the Internet was opened: 1995
Lecture 7: The 1960s and 1970s: Changing Times
- What is the main topic of the lecture? (Main topic question)
a. The balance of terror
b. Cold War rivalry between the US and the USSR
c. The Space Race
d. Protest against the Vietnam War - Which of the following is true according to the lecture? (Detail question)
a. The A bomb was more powerful than the H bomb.
b. The USSR launched a satellite into orbit in 1952.
c. By the 1960s both the US and the USSR had enough weapons to destroy the world.
d. The balance of terror would end all life on Earth - According to the lecture, what was one reason for the Space Race? (Detail question)
a. To spend money
b. To gain military advantage
c. To see the Earth from the moon
d. To collect rocks from the moon - How does the professor organize the information in the lecture? (Organization question)
a. By giving reasons for the Cold War
b. By telling incidents in the Cold War
c. By explaining famous people of the Cold War
d. By using popular songs about war - What can be inferred about the Vietnam War? (Inference question)
a. It was difficult for American soldiers to fight
b. It was part of the US foreign policy of containment
c. It was and remains unpopular with many Americans
d. It was an expensive war - Check the facts related to fighting in the Vietnam War: (Content question)
US soldiers not familiar with country – YES
Fighting was unconventional – YES
Enemy could not hide – NO
Known as guerrilla war – YES - Why are popular American songs of the 1960s included? (Organization question)
a. To illustrate musical styles of the period
b. To illustrate attitudes of the young people of America
c. To explain folk music
d. To give examples of hit songs
Lecture 6: Hot and Cold Wars
1. World War II: Fill in the blanks 1-3 using three of the following words:
weapons | ended | attack | economy | began | arm
The Second World War, which began in 1939, (1) ended the Great Depression in the United States. The U.S. did not enter the war immediately but supplied (2) weapons to England and its allies until 1941 after Japan’s (3) attack on Pearl Harbor.
2. True or False: The U.S.economy was weak after World War II. FALSE
3. Use words and phrases from the Vocabulary list above to fill in the blanks (1-6) in the paragraphs below.
The Cold War: The United States’ policy of (1) containment. in Cold War was an attempt to stop (2) communism being spread by the USSR. At home, in the U.S., Senator Joseph A. McCarthy began a campaign against (3) suspected communists.
Post-War Affluence: The post-war era was a time of (4) prosperity for white Americans. Children born after the war were members of the (5) ‘baby boom’ generation. Television was an important influence on families and their values, while rock and roll was an important part of the new (6) youth culture.
4. Fill in the blanks below with the information that you hear (numbers or years).
The Civil Rights Movement: During the 1950s, 13 million African Americans in the U.S faced discrimination in jobs, housing and education. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the US ruled that the segregation of black and white children in schools was illegal. In December of 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest led to a bus boycott organized by Martin Luther King Jr. In 1956, the boycott ended and segregation on buses was made illegal.
Three Types of TOEFL Reading Questions:
- Which of the following is true according to paragraph 1? (“Fact Question”)
a) The Nisei and the Issei were born in Japan.
b) There were over one million Japanese people in the US.
c) Japanese Americans worked in laboring jobs and in professions.
d) Japanese American farmers grew more than 50% of fruit and vegetables in California. - All of the following are mentioned as true of Japanese Americans in paragraph 2 EXCEPT: (“Negative Fact Question”)
a) All Japanese Americans were treated badly after Pearl Harbor.
b) Japanese Americans were suspected of being spies.
c) Japanese Americans were imprisoned in camps.
d) Japanese Americans could not sell their food. - What can be inferred about the Japanese Americans? (“Inference Question”)
a) Some Japanese Americans were born in the US
b) The Japanese Americans were successful.
c) The Japanese Americans were enemies of the US.
d) The Japanese Americans were loyal, law-abiding citizens.
Lecture 5: Boom and Bust
1. The decade of the 1920s is sometimes called “the roaring twenties” because it was a time of prosperity, a time of great change and energy in the United States. TRUE
2. Why was America prosperous in the 1920s? Check the reasons that you hear:
………. American farmers were poor
. … X … American factories supplied weapons to European countries during the First World War
. … X … The American economy was well organized for production after the war
. ………. The US owed a lot deal of money to European nations
…. X … The US was rich in natural resources, and its industrial economy had been growing since the 19th century.
3. What is a consumer society?
Consumer society is a society in which people buy most everything they need.
4. Why were times tough for immigrants and farmers in the US? Choose two.
………. Industrial production was high, and farmers did not have clocks or electric power
. … X … Immigrants working in factories did not make a lot of money
. … X … Some farmers did not own their own land; the European market for goods after the war was weak
. ………. Immigrants had to pay extra taxes, and farmers worked long hours for very little pay.
5. Social reformers pressured the government to make drinking and selling alcohol illegal, but Prohibition helped create organized crime in the US. TRUE
6. What is a speakeasy? Write your answer below.
A speakeasy was a kind of bar–usually secret–where people could go to drink alcohol illegally.
7. One reason for the 1929 Stock Market crash: Company profits declined because people did not have enough money to buy the goods that were being produced. TRUE
8. Because of the Roosevelt’s New Deal, many Americans came to believe that government should play a bigger part in the lives of the people. TRUE
Short Reading: TOEFL iBT Questions
1. a
2. a
3. b
Lecture 4: Assimilation and Immigration
Correct multiple choice answers are in bold.
1. America has accepted more immigrants than any other country in the world. TRUE
2. Reason why people left Ireland in the 1840s:
(a) famine (b) war (c) religious persecution
3. Number of Irish who arrived in the US in 1847:
(a) about 740, 000 (b) about 13 million (c) about 118, 000
4. Number of Americans with German ancestors:
(a) one in three (b) one in four (c) one in ten
5. Before 1880 most immigrants came from countries in northern Europe TRUE
6. Between 1880 and 1925 about 5.7 million Jewish people left Europe because of religious persecution. FALSE (about 2 million)
7. Information about Ellis Island that is NOT true:
(a) about 2000 people arrived each day
(b) closed in 1954
(c) over 200 million people entered by Ellis Island (20 million)
8. Americans welcomed immigrants from Asia and praised their willingness to work for low wages. FALSE
9. Reason why Chinese people came to the US:
(a) famine (b) work (c) religious persecution
10. Maximum annual number of immigrants allowed under the Reed-Johnson Act (1924):
(a) 87% (b) 150, 000 (c) 20 million
11. America’s share of global industrial production in 1913:
(a) one third (b) one quarter (c) one half
12. Immigration benefited industrial growth and profits in the US. TRUE
13. NOT part of Henry Ford’s production system:
(a) standardization (b) assembly line (c) 12 hours to complete one car
14. NOT a living or working condition of immigrants in cities:
(a) long work hours (b) high wages (c) dirty, overcrowded neighborhoods
15. Groups trying to improve living and working conditions in the US:
(a) the square deal (b) capitalism (c) Progressive movement
Lecture 3: The Civil War and Reconstruction
Correct multiple choice answers are underlined.
1. There were over 1, 000, 000 African-American slaves in the US in 1810. TRUE
2. Major crop grown in the South:
(a) cotton (b) wheat (c) potatoes
3. Owner of slaves who was unhappy about the institution of slavery:
(a) Dred Scott (b) John Brown (c) Thomas Jefferson
4. Name of state where slavery was illegal:
(a) new state (b) the Confederacy (c) free state
5. The Fugitive Slave Act (1850) gave slave owners the right to recapture runaway slaves. TRUE
6. Republican party candidate (later president) opposed to slavery:
(a) John Brown (b) Abraham Lincoln (c) Robert E. Lee
7. Name of group of Southern states that declared independence in 1861:
(a) the Confederacy (b) the Union (c) the Free States
8. The Underground Railroad was a subway system connecting the east and west coasts. FALSE
9. Experienced Southern military leader:
(a) Ulysses S. Grant (b) John Brown (c) Robert E. Lee
10. The South had a larger, better equipped army than the North. FALSE
11. Southern capital city captured by the Union army in 1865:
(a) Union (b) Richmond (c) New Orleans
12. Number of casualties in the Civil War:
(a) about 600, 000 (b) about 1.2 million (c) about 21 million
13. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution gave African-Americans all rights of citizenship, including the right to vote. However, most southern states refused to accept the amendment. TRUE
14. Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at the theater on April 14th, 1865. TRUE
15. Name of Southern laws restricting African Americans:
(a) Civil Rights (b) black codes (c) 14th Amendment
Lecture 2: Colonial Life in America
1. FALSE After independence, the central government of the U.S. was very strong.
2. TRUE The 55 leaders who met in 1787 to write the new constitution were rich men who owned land.
3. Why did the US adopt a federal system with three branches of government?
a. America was recognized as an independent country.
b. Americans had no feeling of national identity.
c. Americans believed a balance of power would prevent domination.
d. The central government was weak.
4. TRUE The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791 .
5. TRUE As settlers moved west, there was much fighting with the Amerindians.
6. FALSE The Indian Removal Act was a law that protected the land of the Cherokee people.
7. Which territory was NOT acquired by America in the west between 1803 and 1848?
a. California
c. Louisiana
b. Canada
d. Oregon
8. The Homestead Act offered settlers:
a. gold
b. train transportation from east to west
c. 160 acres of free land
d. cattle
9. By 1890, the center of manufacturing in the US was in
a. the south
b. the northeastern states
c. Georgia
d. California
Short Reading Practice
1. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
Answer: A
(A) The First Political Parties
(B) The Bill of Rights
(C) The Rich in Colonial America (
D) A Short History of the Democratic Republican Party
2. The word “illustrated” in line 1 is closest in meaning to
Answer: B
(A) drew
(B) showed
(C) copied
(D) wrote about
3. The word “it” in line 6 refers to
Answer: C
(A) the less wealthy
(B) the Bill of Rights
(C) the Democratic Republican Party
(D) The whole idea in the previous sentence
4. Which of the following groups would be more likely to support the Federalist Party?
Answer: B
(A) the lower classes
(B) wealthy businessmen
(C) small farmers
(D) craftsmen
Lecture 1: Colonial Life and American Independence, 1600-1800
Lecture Listening Activity: Answers
TRUE 1. There are many stories about travels to the New World, but only the arrival of the Vikings around 1000 AD has been verified.
TRUE 2. Other European countries hoped to find gold in the New World, just as Spain had done.
FALSE 3. England’s first successful colony was started by the Puritans at Plymouth, Massachusetts.
FALSE 4. The Puritans hoped to find gold and silver, and become rich.
FALSE 5. By the late 18th century, New York was the largest city in the colonies with about 28, 000 people.
TRUE 6. As a result of the war with France, England increased taxes on the colonies.
TRUE 7. American colonists became angry with England because of restrictions on settlement and high taxes.
TRUE 8. The Declaration of Independence was important because it stated that all men had a natural right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ and that a good government listens to the voice of the people.
FALSE 9. During the War of Independence, Spain supported the United States against England.
TOEFL-Style Reading: Answers
1. What is the main idea of this passage?
Answer: D
A. The potlatch was part of the culture of the Pacific coast tribes of North America.
B. Potlatch means “gift giving.”
C. People of the Pacific coast tribes were very rich.
D. The original potlatch involved extensive gift giving in order to show wealth and maintain honor and power.
2. The phrase “went much further” in line 3 is closest in meaning to
Answer: C
A. traveled a long distance
B. was very rich
C. was more complicated
D. went to a party
3. The word “entire” in line 6 is closest in meaning to
Answer: A
A. whole
B. complete
C. tired
D. part of
4. According to the passage, in the original potlatch, many gifts were given by
Answer: A
A. the elder of a family
B. the women of the family
C. all of the guests at the potlatch
D. the entire tribe