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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What did Hanoi do in response to U.S. war games in the South?
(a) Launch the Gulf of Tonkin attacks.
(b) Withdraw troops from the South.
(c) Seek peace talks.
(d) Send more Vietcong down the trails.

2. What does Halberstam say was the result of the Spring Offensive?
(a) General Westmoreland raised troop levels to 200,000.
(b) General Harkin withdrew from his post.
(c) The military employed more bombers.
(d) American troop levels were reduced to 20,000.

3. Who does Halberstam say eventually took on the role of setting the tone for Vietnam policy?
(a) Bundy.
(b) Taylor.
(c) Harriman.
(d) Rusk.

4. When did the Spring offensive start in Vietnam?
(a) March 1963.
(b) April 1964.
(c) May 1965.
(d) June 1966.

5. What plan was the U.S. government preparing for by the end of 1964?
(a) Bring in a coalition of forces against the Vietcong.
(b) Have the South take military action against the North.
(c) Have Cambodia and Laos intervene.
(d) Strike directly against China.

6. How did McNamara's position on bombing change over time?
(a) After a few months, he was convinced of bombing's effectiveness.
(b) Years later, he would say that he had doubts about how useful bombing would be.
(c) After the first weeks, he was sure that bombing would end the war.
(d) After a year, he reversed his position entirely.

7. What does Halberstam say was going to cause the realities of the war to be made public?
(a) Leaks from inside the government.
(b) The media.
(c) The process of paying for the war.
(d) Passage of the Freedom of Information Act.

8. What does Halberstam say became clear by the time Rolling Thunder had been in effect for six weeks?
(a) That Rolling Thunder was breaking the Vietcong supply routes.
(b) That it was only a matter of time until Hanoi capitulated.
(c) That Rolling Thunder was not breaking the North's resistance.
(d) That Rolling Thunder was not going to make Hanoi capitulate.

9. What does Halberstam say was the purpose of operation Rolling Thunder?
(a) To display American airpower.
(b) To demonstrate the benefits of democracy.
(c) To open North Vietnamese markets.
(d) To force Hanoi to capitulate.

10. What was the outcome of the first confrontation between Vietcong and U.S. troops?
(a) 900 Vietcong casualties and 450 American casualties.
(b) 600 Vietcong casualties and no American casualties.
(c) 2,000 Vietcong casualties and 60 American casualties.
(d) 1,200 Vietcong casualties and 200 American casualties.

11. Who traveled to Vietnam after the 1965 inauguration?
(a) McNamara, Ball and Harriman.
(b) Taylor, Ball and Bundy.
(c) Westmoreland, Harriman and Rusk.
(d) Bundy, McNamara and Rusk.

12. What does Halberstam say the Kennedy administration found out after the coup?
(a) The Vietnamese government did not have control of the Delta.
(b) The Buddhists were attracting dissidents in opposition to the government.
(c) The Vietnamese government did not have its people's support.
(d) The government did not know what was going on in the war.

13. Who was in charge of the operation code named 34A?
(a) General Westmoreland.
(b) General Harkins.
(c) McGeorge Bundy.
(d) Averell Harriman.

14. What does Halberstam say was the conclusion of the study that analyzed the results of a bombing attack against the north?
(a) The report concluded that bombing would deter any further guerilla-style attacks against the South.
(b) The report concluded that bombing would break the Vietcong's supply routes, and end resistance.
(c) The report concluded that bombing would overwhelm the people, and drain support for further attacks.
(d) The report concluded that bombing would strengthen the North by building opposition to the Americans.

15. What did Johnson say he needed before they could move against the North?
(a) Success in the Mekong delta.
(b) A stable government in the South.
(c) Success around Saigon.
(d) Bipartisan support.

Short Answer Questions

1. When does Halberstam say the President's thinking about bombing began to change?

2. What evidence does Halberstam say the President was presented with to make the case for bombing?

3. What feeling does Halberstam say Americans were feeling as the war went on and on?

4. Who did President Johnson send to Vietnam to investigate the situation there?

5. What movement regarding the war does Halberstam say started at the University of California in Berkeley?

(see the answer keys)

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