Limits and Changes: Events in the 1970s

1. Chapter 29:The Search for Order in an Era of Limits, 1973–1980 i>Clicker Questions

2. 1. Why did Congress impose a national speed limit of 55 miles per hour in the 1970s? a. Highway safety lobbyists convinced them of the dangers of fast driving. b. Congress wanted to promote large-scale fuel conservation. c. President Jimmy Carter had promised the lower speed limit as part of his energy plan. d. New studies showed there was less pollution if cars drove at lower speeds.

3. 2. What was the significance of biologist Rachel's Carson's 1962 best seller Silent Spring? a. It raised awareness about the problem of noise pollution in modern industrial societies. b. It made Americans aware that atomic war would devastate the planet and the human race. c. It publicized the story of the children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed for espionage in 1953. d. The book described and publicized the harmful effects of toxic chemicals on the environment.

4. 3. The U.S. economy experienced "stagflation" in the 1970s when a. consumer prices dropped suddenly. b. unemployment and inflation rates rose dramatically. c. the level of consumer borrowing declined suddenly. d. banks lowered their interest rates unexpectedly.

5. 4. How did the economic decline of the 1970s affect organized labor in the United States? a. The process of deindustrialization encouraged more workers to join labor unions to fight for job security. b. It decreased the number of union jobs but increased wages. c. It decreased the number of union jobs, which hurt union membership and power. d. It encouraged labor unions to strive for stronger cooperation with management.

6. 5. What happened to Richard Nixon when it became clear that he had been involved in the illegal cover-up of Watergate and that he would be convicted by the Senate? a. He resigned from office. b. He was impeached by the House of Representatives. c. He went to jail. d. He committed suicide.

7. 6. Why did the federal government adopt a system of affirmative action in the 1960s and 1970s? a. To establish hiring quotas for minorities and women b. To force companies to make women and minorities a majority of new hires c. To expand employment access to minorities and women d. To engage in reverse discrimination against white males

8. 7. Which statement describes the impact of the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade? a. It provided for abortion on demand for all women of childbearing age. b. It said that states could not prohibit abortion in the first trimester. c. It left the question of the legality of abortion up to states. d. It prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions.

9. 8. Why was San Francisco politician Harvey Milk significant? a. He was the first openly gay person to win elected office. b. He was elected mayor of San Francisco, which was shocking for a gay candidate. c. He represented the new emerging gay political power. d. He secured passage of a gay marriage law in California.

10. 9. The emergence of rap and break dancing on the streets of Harlem and the South Bronx in New York was an expression of what? a. The hardship and creativity of working-class black life in the deindustrialized American city b. The "blue-collar blues" associated with plant closings c. A rebellion against the puritanical sexual values of their parents' generation d. The resurgence of an evangelical Protestantism

11. 10. Why did many Americans leave mainline churches and join evangelical churches between 1970 and 1985? a. They were more interested in politics and less interested in God. b. Americans were seeking moral answers and social stability. c. They no longer had money to give to the mainstream churches. d. Americans wanted to raise their standing within their communities.

12. Answer Key 1. The answer is b. 2. The answer is d. 3. The answer is b. 4. The answer is c. 5. The answer is a. 6. The answer is c. 7. The answer is b. 8. The answer is c. 9. The answer is a. 10. The answer is b.