Final Exam

Mr. McDonough’s Class 1995-96

This is an American History/Social Studies exam I gave to a group of students in a vocational program I taught in back in the 90's. My main intentions in this course were to give them a basic framework of US historical knowledge (probably better than a lot of people with university degrees) and a better understanding of how authority plays out in our culture.

Some of the stuff you would have had to have been in my class to understand, but a general knowledge of U.S. history should cover most of it. Some of the unfamiliar vocabulary words are foreign words with no English equivalent that we had studied (from Howard Rheingold's great book "They Have a Word for It").

General Instructions:

Most of the material on this test will be familiar to you, since it has been on our recent history and vocabulary quizzes. Some of the other questions ask you to think about the subjects we have studied and write about them. What I look for in these answers is length and evidence of careful thought. It doesn’t matter whether I agree with your opinion or not -- I just want to see you state it as clearly as you can.

Section One: History and Social Studies

The “Eleven Most Important Events” in U.S. History

Fill in the dates:

Wounded Knee ____ Ford Model T ____ Transcontinental RR ____ Columbus ____ TV* ____ Civil War _______ WW I _______ WW II _______Rosa Parks ____ Am Rev ____ First A-Bomb ____

*First World Series broadcast

Part B: Instructions:

Match the description of the President(s) to a the name(s) and the approximate years (decades) in office.

First President, the General who won the American Revolution, wealthy slave owner, didn't really have wooden false teeth. Didn't really chop down a cherry tree. Didn't really throw a silver dollar across the Potomac. He kept it all together through the long tough years of the Revolution, though, and refused to be King when it was over (started tradition of serving only two terms -- now a law).

Name

Date in Office

Bought most of the middle of the United States from France (the Louisiana Purchase) for 3 cents an acre; an inventor (the swivel chair) and architect who may have had an affair with one of his slaves. Main author of the Declaration of Independence.

Name

Date in Office

"The only President of the United States who was never President of the United States." He's on the recently re-designed $100 bill. A famous scientist who really did fly a kite in a thunderstorm, he also invented one of the first modern stoves and was the ambassador to France during the Revolution. He convinced the French to support our revolution against Britain.

Name

Date in Office

The first president who was not born rich. Most of his family died during the American Revolution. He became famous for winning the Battle of New Orleans after the War of 1812 was over (details, details) and became rich as a cotton planter and slave owner. Hated Indians -- killed many, drove lots more off their land.

Name

Date in Office

You know this guy -- he freed the slaves, won the Civil War, gave the Gettysburg address ("Four score and seven years ago...") and was shot by actor John Wilkes Booth. He was funny in public and suffered from depression in private.A deep thinker who had a dream foretelling his own death.

Name

Date in Office

This guy drank like a fish, smoked 20 cigars a day and, not surprisingly, is buried in Grant's tomb. He's the general who did more than any other to help win the Civil War for the North. He was also a very good writer.He was a lousy President. Even though he wasn't personally a crook, he ran the crookedest administration the country had ever seen. On the other hand, after he left office, he was President of the National Rifle Association.

Name

Date in Office

Mr. Macho.Once gave a speech after being shot in the chest.Became President when McKinley was assassinated. From a rich family.The teddy bear is named after him.Nature lover and hunter.On Mt. Rushmore. Helped get the Panama Canal built by stealing Panama from Colombia.

Name

Date in Office

Mr. McD's least favorite prez. First he ran for office promising peace, then dragged us into W.W.I.Then he screwed up the peace settlement so badly that it helped create the Nazi movement by giving Hitler something to complain about.Plus he was a raging racist who endorsed the movie "Birth of a Nation." Some people admire him because he was smart and said lots of idealistic things.Mr. McD sez: who cares.He was an invalid for the last few years of his presidency, during which time his wife Edith basically ran the country.

Name

Date in Office

A nice guy who was in over his head. A good-looking guy (women had just gotten the vote!) who liked to drink and play cards in the White House even though alcohol was illegal. He died in office. His administration was the crookedest since Grant's (Teapot Dome), but he wasn't personally a crook.

Name

Date in Office

"The chief business of America is business." A quiet guy from northern New England, who said only "I choose not to run" when he decided not to run for a second term. His son died of an infection while he was in the White House.

Name

Date in Office

A great engineer (and a rich one) who became known (somewhat unfairly) as the "scrooge" of the Great Depression. Rode the end of the greatest boom in American History and then was blamed for its greatest economic disaster.

Name

Date in Office

He's the man.Led America through most of the Great Depression and nearly all of W.W.II (he died a few days before Hitler).Born rich, went to Harvard, was paralyzed by polio as a young man. The first president to serve more than two terms. The rich hated him for raising taxes to help the poor.The "New Deal."

Name

Date in Office

He dropped the bomb(s) on Japan and always felt it was the right thing to do.He took over when FDR died and led America through the beginning of the Cold War, the great Red Scare ("McCarthyism") and the beginning of the Korean War. He was a former "machine" politician who liked to write nasty letters to people who insulted him. He helped re-build Germany and Japan, partly so they could help the US. in our struggle with the USSR.

Name

Date in Office

He seemed like "everyone's grandfather," but he was actually the brilliant 5-star general who won World War II in Europe. He golfed, was bald, and thought his vice president (Nixon) was a sleaze. When he left office he warned America that big business and the military could take the country over ("the military-industrial complex"). He was right. They have. He also built the interstate highway system.

Name

Date in Office

A rich kid whose crooked Dad helped him win the Presidency, he was a war hero: young, handsome, and charming. He started the Peace Corps, invaded Cuba (very unsuccessfully), and convinced the USSR to back down in the Cuban Missile Crisis. To this day, no one can quite figure out who assassinated him. It could have been Lee Harvey Oswald, but since he was killed only a few days after his arrest, we'll probably never know. A life member of the NRA who was shot in the head with a rifle -- life's a funny old duck.

Name

Date in Office

A long tall Texan who became famous for lying (they called it "the credibility gap") and was the guy who turned Vietnam from a very small war into a big big war (by the time he left office, more than 500,000 U.S. troops).He was the first president to speak out sincerely and strongly in favor of the Civil Rights movement; he was born poor himself and knew what it was like and wanted to help poor people.He wanted to turn American into a "Great Society," but instead got into a terrible mess in Vietnam and decided not to run for a second term because of it (like Calvin Coolidge, he "chose not to run").

Name

Date in Office

The only President who ever resigned. He ran for office with a “secret plan to end the war” in Vietnam. The real secret: he had no plan. He started sending U.S. soldiers home, but increased the bombing campaign and expanded the war into neighboring countries such as Laos and Cambodia. His invasion of Cambodia led to the Kent State killings of May 1970, in which 12 war protesters were shot and 4 killed by National Guard troops. A terrible liar with the nickname “Tricky Dick,” he got his start in politics as an anti-communist during the 1950s “Red Scare.”

Name

Date in Office

C: Into the CAGE.

Fill in the blanks in this self-test for alcoholism.

C______________________________________________________

A______________________________________________________

G______________________________________________________

E______________________________________________________

D: Fun Personality Disorders

Match the Description with the Major Personality Disorder -- your choices are: Antisocial, Borderline, Narcissistic.

These folks have no real feelings for other people. They lie, cheat, and steal, and in many cases may also commit violent crimes (especially if they were treated violently as children). One thing to watch for: they lie for no apparent reason, lie outrageously, and often continue lying even when "caught" (they stick to their story). They are often very charismatic and often rise to positions of great power and authority. Recent examples in history would be Stalin and China's Mao Tse Tung. Serial killers are a special type of this personality -- when their lives are researched, you often find a pattern of extreme neglect, violent abuse, head injury, and torturing animals.

Disorder _____________________

Weird as it sounds, these people have a tough time figuring our where they end and you begin -- psychologically, they have a hard time setting limits between themselves and other people. Because of this, they tend to give off "vibes" that instantly attract people, especially the opposite sex. Their body language signals that they know you really well even though they don't (they are unaware that they are doing this). The other strange thing about them is that they often don't feel really alive unless they are in the middle of a crisis -- so they make bad things happen. A lot of times, they don't seem to be the cause of the disasters around them.

Disorder _____________________

These folks are extremely fond of themselves and their achievements -- on the surface, they are "egomaniacs," but underneath they are extremely insecure and feel badly about themselves. They are excellent self-promoters, and often rise far in organizations, but usually end up going down in flames because they misjudge other people's power -- they believe their own b.s. and sooner or later they pick on the wrong person or persons. Examples in history: probably George A. Custer. Hitler was probably a blend between this type and the first type in the list. Named after a character in Greek mythology who was so vain that he fell in love with his own reflection.

Disorder _____________________

Part E: Decades

This decade is famous mostly as the decade of the Great Depression and the “Dust Bowl” drought. It was a time of romantic music (example: Bing Crosby) and big-time network radio. During this period, Germany was re-arming, and most people, including Charles Lindbergh, felt that the U.S. should stay out of European wars. WW II began just before the end of the decade.

Decade _________

This was the decade when ordinary people moved to the suburbs in large numbers. A prosperous time. The time of Elvis and rock and roll and also "the Red Scare." We started building the Interstate Highway system. The "Space Age" began when the Russians launched Sputnik and Castro overthrew the government of Cuba. The Civil Rights movement started.

Decade _________

This decade was famous for World War II and the dropping of the first atom bomb.During the war, many goods such as tires, sugar and gasoline were rationed. After wartime controls were lifted there was a huge economic boom including the beginnings of America’s move to the suburbs. Commercial television got started just before the end of the decade.

Decade _________

This was the decade of Vietnam, hippies, and Woodstock, although it started out quiet and conservative. Ted Turner was expelled from college in the early years of the decade for having a girl in his room, but by the end even Granny on "The Beverly Hillbillies" had smoked a few crawdads. Long hair for men, short skirts for women, and of course "The Pill." Assassinations: JFK, MLK, RFK.

Decade _________

This decade was famous for Prohibition, the “flapper,” and one of the biggest economic booms in American history, followed by a terrible stock market crash.Other events associated with this decade include the popularity of Jazz, Lindbergh’s solo crossing of the Atlantic and the building of early U.S. highways such as Route 66.

Decade _________

WW II Leaders & Events

List the Leaders:

America ____________________

England ____________________________

USSR ____________________

Germany ___________________________

Japan ____________________

Italy ____________________________

The Three Axis Powers

1. ____________________________

2. ____________________________

3. ____________________________

The Three (Main) Allies

1. ____________________________

2. ____________________________

3. ____________________________

Country with Most Killed ___________

With least Killed____________

Part G: Fill in the Blanks

In September, 1939, Hitler invaded and quickly defeated _______________. In the Spring and Summer of 1940, the Germans quickly defeated France, leaving __________ as the only major country standing against Hitler. This country barely avoided being invaded by defeating the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) in the Battle of ___________. The U.S. finally came into the war when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on ___________________ (month, day and year). It took the U.S. another 2 1/2 years to move against Hitler in Europe. In June, _____ (year) the Allies invaded the country of ________. It took almost another year to defeat Germany. Roosevelt died, Hitler committed suicide, and Germany surrendered in the month of April _____ (year). Japan surrendered after we dropped atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in __________ (month/year).

Part H: Life's Ranks

These ranks are the way the military sorts people out, but they are also important ways of thinking about how all hierarchical organizations sort people. They are: sergeant, raw recruit, colonel, corporal, rebel or renegade, general, lieutenant, private first class.

This guy is a big cheese unless an even bigger cheese is around. In school: Mr. Carnabucci. ___________

Your typical “soldier” in any organization -- has the basics down, usually shows up on time and does the job right. In school: s/he passes every class, gets B’s and a few A’s. ___________

This is someone who not only has the basics down but has shown some responsibility. They don't get to boss other people around yet, but they get a few extra privileges. In school: the student who gets accepted to an internship program. ____________

They're here, but who knows whether they can do the job or not. In school: their name is always on the detention list. __________________

The really big cheese. You only get to see this guy at special events or if you really screw up big. In school: Mr. Rosenstock, Mr. Sarasin. __________________

These guys know the job inside and out and are the ordinary leaders that you spend the most time with. In school: teachers. _____________________

These folks disobey authority and refuse to go along with the hierarchy -- as far as they are see it, people in positions of power have no right to tell them what to do. In school: suspended 5 or 6 times a year, probably under DYS supervision.________________

These folks are "executive material," they know it by the book, usually have a college degree or two, and have an office to hide out in. As far as officers go, they're pretty low down on the totem pole, but they do get to hang out in the officer's club and you don't. When they get this rank, they are called "an officer and a gentleman." In school: Mr. Stephens (runs Cityworks) and Mrs. Ferri (runs internship program). _______________

Section Two: Essays and Short Answers

Part I: Leadership & Authority

Short Answer Questions: (write a sentence or two)

The first several questions are based on our study of leadership ideas among the Plains Indians.

1) What is the basic difference between the power of a Sioux chief and a modern white leader?

Imagine the following situation: A security guard who is well known to be mean, foolish, and stupid asks you for a pass when you’re in the hall.

2) How would a traditional Sioux or Cheyenne Indian from the 1800s react to this request? Would they obey or not obey?

3) Why do the Sioux believe that you should react this way?

4) What is the quickest way to get into trouble in a modern American/European hierarchy?

Bonus Question:

According to the character "Old Logdeskins" (the Indian "grandfather") in "Little Big Man," the basic difference between white people and Indians is that Indians believe that everything is alive, including water, rocks, trees, and animals, while white people believe everything is dead.Who do you agree with, whites or Indians?Why?

Essay Questions:

The First two essays relate to our study of Plains Indian ideas of leadership.

1) Which attitude toward leadership and authority do you like better, the modern European attitude or the traditional Sioux attitude? Why?

2) What problems could develop if a large modern hierarchy such as CRLS were to suddenly start following Sioux ideas about authority?

Part II: Ranks -- Yours and Other People’s

1) Think about how we’ve talked about rank in organizations.What is your “rank” at CRLS?Your choices are: raw recruit, rebel or renegade, private first class, corporal.

2) Are you satisfied with your rank? Y__ N __

3) How did you get your rank? (What did you do to earn it?This question can be answered whether your rank is high or low).

4) Are you in another hierarchy (for example: sports team, job, church or social group) where you hold a different rank (higher or lower)? Y__ N __

4a) If your answer to 4 is yes, what is that rank? _________________

4b) If your answer to 4 is yes, what did you do to earn that rank?

5) If you are not satisfied with your rank, what do you plan to do in the future to change it? (if you are satisfied with this rank, you do not have to answer this question)

Section Three: Vocabulary & Ideas

Define the Following Terms:

  1. Radfahrer
  2. Insubordination
  3. Hatchet Man
  4. Patsy
  5. Cassandra
  6. Chicken Little
  7. Achilles Heel
  8. Pandora’s Box
  9. SNAFU
  10. FUBAR
  11. RHIP
  12. Chicken Droppings
  13. Renegade or Rebel
  14. Hierarchical Organization
  15. Mokita

Short Answer Questions:

  1. When you rise up in an organization, do you have to put up with more chicken droppings or less? M__ L __
  2. Explain the saying: "There’s always 10% that don’t get the word."
  3. Explain the saying: "Good judgment comes from experience and experience comes from not having good judgment."
  4. What is "the Golden Rule?"
  5. What is the positive meaning of the word "ritual?" Give an example!

The Four Temperaments: (Define)

1) Choleric

2) Sanguine

3) Melancholic

4) Phlegmatic

Strictly optional: What do you think your main temperament type is? ______________

That’s all folks!

Have a nice summer, have a nice life, and have a succesful career at CRLS.And remember, if you have a good time...don’t get caught!


Last Updated July 11, 2007