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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why was Webster not bothered by what many would consider as bribes?
(a) He accepted money and gifts but always did only what he thought was right.
(b) He never let that happen to him.
(c) The moral question of accepting money and gifts for Webster was not an issue for him.
(d) He felt he was entitled to extra benefits for his service to the Union.

2. What advantage do minority special interest groups have to influence elected officials?
(a) Not needing money to get their message across.
(b) Being articulate and able to sway the public.
(c) Being watchdogs on everything the official does.
(d) Being able to get medial coverage without a budget.

3. What does Kennedy say was a liability about Webster's immense popularity with both sides of the political spectrum?
(a) He was a politician of popular opinion rather than high principles.
(b) People rarely took him seriously because of his ability to argue both sides.
(c) He had the ability to disappoint twice as many people than most elected officials.
(d) Being popular made it difficult for him to compromise.

4. What is the example of some advice Kennedy received when he first became a Congressman?
(a) The way to get along is to go along.
(b) Follow the yellow brick road.
(c) Listen and do what the majority are doing.
(d) The way to go is to make your own decisions.

5. What leader who was at odds with Adams' father did John Quincey find himself agreeing with quite often?
(a) George Washington.
(b) Alexander Hamilton.
(c) Benjamin Franklin.
(d) Thomas Jefferson.

6. In PROFILES IN COURAGE, what does John F. Kennedy fear the American public has forgotten?
(a) The basic principles our country was founded on.
(b) Where to look for courage in a politician.
(c) How to tell if a man is honest.
(d) What courage actually is.

7. Besides the Texas territory which Benton opposed, what other one did he support against his party's stand?
(a) Oregon.
(b) California.
(c) Alaska.
(d) Montana.

8. For what conflict does Kennedy feel the most empathy?
(a) The conflict of constituency interest versus national interests.
(b) The conflict between political parties.
(c) The conflict between Congress and the Supreme Court.
(d) The conflict of special interests versus constituency interests.

9. What did the historian Wharton say about Houston's courage as he fought against Texas' secession from the Union?
(a) No one paid any attention as Houston entered the Secessionist Convention.
(b) It took a thousand times more courage than charging up the hill at San Jacinto.
(c) He relapsed into alcoholism and went back to the Cherokee.
(d) Houston finally lost his courage and gave in to popular opinion.

10. What were Benton's most effective weapons as a fighter?
(a) Knives and bull whips.
(b) Wit and sarcasm.
(c) Guns and canons.
(d) Friends and relatives.

11. What is another difficult situation for an elected official besides the interests of the nation and those of the constituency?
(a) Presidential arm twisting.
(b) National opinion polls.
(c) Party pressure to vote the party line.
(d) Political differences within the official's own family.

12. What advantage did John Quincey Adams have as a politician?
(a) Ignorance of the Washington politics.
(b) The confidence of coming from a strong political family.
(c) More money than anyone else.
(d) More education than experience.

13. How was Benton's behavior different when he was with his family from when he was involved in politics?
(a) He held his family by fear.
(b) He was easy on political opponents and harsh on his family.
(c) He was always warm and gentle around his family.
(d) He hid his wife's mental illness from the public.

14. Why was Webster a leader in the North prior to the Civil War?
(a) He was older than any other politician.
(b) He had strong views against slavery.
(c) He could out talk his opponents.
(d) He knew all the words in the dictionary.

15. What two bills did Houston support that made him unpopular in the South?
(a) Calhoun's bills and resolutions on the Oregon question.
(b) The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850.
(c) The Kansas-Nebraska bill and the articles of confederation.
(d) The repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the bill of rights.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Kennedy assess the failure of both Adams presidencies to produce second terms?

2. What effect did Webster's three-hour-long speech in the Senate have in 1850?

3. Who served as the Governor of Tennessee and later as Senator from the State of Texas?

4. What is Kennedy's third pressure that he feels is the most damaging?

5. What well-known military leader had Houston served under?

(see the answer keys)

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