View a FREE sample

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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Which of the "Wise Men" does Isaacson report to have negotiated trade deals with leaders of the communist government in Russia in 1922?
(a) Chip Bohlen.
(b) Robert Lovett.
(c) Dean Acheson.
(d) Averell Harriman.

2. With what investment house did Isaacson claim Averell Harriman merged W.A. Harriman & Co.?
(a) Goldman Sachs.
(b) Lehman Brothers.
(c) Knight Wooley & Company.
(d) Brown Brothers & Company.

3. Which president does Isaacson report Dean Acheson served as Assistant Secretary of State?
(a) Franklin Roosevelt.
(b) John F. Kennedy.
(c) Harry Truman.
(d) Dwight Eisenhower.

4. What event does Isaacson suggest brought calls to come out of its isolationism following WWI?
(a) Japanese Imperialism through the Far East.
(b) The Stalinist purges in Russia.
(c) The rise of Italian Fascism.
(d) The spread of Nazism across Europe.

5. Isaacson reports that Averell Harriman took what position in the Roosevelt Administration?
(a) Railroad advisor to the Department of Commerce.
(b) Assistant Secretary of War.
(c) Assistant director to the Federal Reserve.
(d) Transportation adviser for the new National Defense Advisory Commission.

6. What does Isaacson report to be the warning the Allied powers gave to the Japanese regarding the dropping of the atomic bomb?
(a) Ads placed in Japanese newspapers warning of coming destruction.
(b) Communiques made to Japanese leaders through their various channels of communication.
(c) Radio interruptions of Japanese airwaves that warned the Japanese of America's possession of, "a weapon of mass destruction."
(d) A vague clue in the Potsdam proclamation describing "immeasurably greater" powers and that, "The alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction."

7. What does Isaacson report Vice President Harry Truman was doing when news of President Roosevelt's death was first leaked?
(a) Truman was in the Vice President's office adjacent to the Senate floor preparing to go home for the evening.
(b) Truman was in a foreign policy briefing with the Council of Foreign Relations.
(c) Truman was in Sam Rayburn's hideaway in the Capitol Building playing cards.
(d) Truman was having dinner with his family as was his custom at that time of the day.

8. What does Isaacson claim to be the goal of the "Wise Men"?
(a) To scale government back to the limits of the Constitution.
(b) To limit the spread of Soviet Communism.
(c) To rebuild Europe after WWII.
(d) To expand the authority of the Federal Reserve Bank over the monetary policy.

9. According to Isaacson, how did Harriman respond to Stalin's shifting demeanor?
(a) Harriman was confused and called Washington for advice.
(b) Harriman was dismayed and threatened to leave.
(c) Harriman was indifferent and held to his mission.
(d) Harriman was blunt and counseled patience.

10. What quality made Lovett and McCloy influential insiders, according to Isaacson?
(a) Their intimate friendships with President Franklin Roosevelt.
(b) Their efficient methods of researching and writing reports.
(c) The informal social networks they had formed.
(d) Their overseas experiences with world leaders.

11. What did Isaacson claim to be Kennan's strong areas in his training?
(a) Language interpretation and religious studies.
(b) Protocol and foreign cultures.
(c) International Law and economics.
(d) International Law and German.

12. How did John McCloy come into contact with Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett?
(a) As a student at Harvard Law School.
(b) While he was directing a law office in Paris.
(c) Through the law firm where John McCloy was employed.
(d) As an advisor with the War Department.

13. In what town does Isaacson claim that George Kennan was born?
(a) London.
(b) Milwaukee.
(c) Chicago.
(d) New York.

14. What position did the "Wise Man" who implemented the Lend Lease program eventually take in the Roosevelt administration?
(a) Assistant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs.
(b) Secretary of Commerce.
(c) Assistant Secretary of War.
(d) Under Secretary of State.

15. What does Isaacson claim to be the most elite club at Yale?
(a) Skull and Bones.
(b) Scroll and Key.
(c) DKE.
(d) Ivy.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Isaacson, who was the President of the United States who thought Russia could be an ally after WWII?

2. Where did Chip Bohlen grow up, according to Isaacson?

3. According to Isaacson, what event took place between Harriman and the person with whom he was sharing responsibility that foreshadowed the role of the two countries they represented in their places in Western leadership?

4. What Assistant Secretary of War does Isaacson cite as fearing American isolationism after WWII?

5. How does Isaacson claim Chip Bohlen became an important American diplomat in Russia?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 846 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample