2H.2.4 Republican dominance and its opponents, 1981–92 Quiz: Pearson Edexcel History, Unit 8

The 20 questions

1. What economic approach formed the core foundation of Reaganomics in the 1980s?

   • Democratic socialism
   • Keynesian economics
   • Supply-side economics
   • Monetarism

2. What major measure was introduced by the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981?

   • Value added tax
   • Wealth tax increases
   • Income tax cuts
   • Import tariffs

3. Which spending increase primarily drove the rising US federal budget deficit during the 1980s?

   • Welfare spending
   • Defence spending
   • Education funding
   • Healthcare funding

4. Who founded the conservative Christian organisation known as the Moral Majority in 1979?

   • Billy Graham
   • Pat Robertson
   • Jerry Falwell
   • Jesse Jackson

5. What issue was addressed by First Lady Nancy Reagan's 'Just Say No' campaign?

   • Teenage pregnancy
   • Youth drug abuse
   • School absenteeism
   • Gun violence

6. Which music television cable channel launched in 1981 had a profound impact on US youth culture?

   • HBO
   • MTV
   • CNN
   • VH1

7. When was the AIDS epidemic first identified in the USA?

   • 1985
   • 1989
   • 1975
   • 1981

8. Which Central American rebel group secretly received money from US arms sales to Iran in the 1980s?

   • The Contras
   • The Zapatistas
   • The Sandinistas
   • The FMLN

9. Which campaign pledge did President George H. W. Bush break by agreeing to tax increases in 1990?

   • Morning in America
   • Contract with America
   • No child left behind
   • Read my lips

10. Which civil rights activist ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988?

    • Andrew Young
    • Al Sharpton
    • John Lewis
    • Jesse Jackson

11. Who accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his 1991 confirmation hearings?

    • Geraldine Ferraro
    • Sandra Day O'Connor
    • Ruth Bader Ginsburg
    • Anita Hill

12. Whose beating by police and the subsequent acquittals triggered the 1992 Los Angeles riots?

    • Michael Brown
    • Eric Garner
    • Trayvon Martin
    • Rodney King

13. Which landmark legislation was passed by Congress in 1990 to protect disabled Americans?

    • Equal Access Provision
    • Americans with Disabilities Act
    • Civil Rights Restoration Act
    • Federal Accessibility Act

14. What main action did the 1986 Tax Reform Act take regarding top income tax rates?

    • Abolished top rates
    • Lowered top rates
    • Introduced national VAT
    • Raised top rates

15. Who defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter to win the 1980 US presidential election?

    • Walter Mondale
    • Bob Dole
    • Ronald Reagan
    • Gerald Ford

16. How did President Reagan respond to the 1981 air traffic controllers' strike?

    • Fired the strikers
    • Offered pay rises
    • Nationalised airlines
    • Met their demands

17. Who served as Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989?

    • Walter Mondale
    • George H. W. Bush
    • Dan Quayle
    • Bob Dole

18. Who defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis in the 1988 US presidential election?

    • George H. W. Bush
    • Dan Quayle
    • Ronald Reagan
    • Bob Dole

19. Which conservative Supreme Court nominee was rejected by the Senate in 1987?

    • Robert Bork
    • Antonin Scalia
    • Clarence Thomas
    • Douglas Ginsburg

20. Which 1980s sitcom famously depicted a successful middle-class African American family?

    • Family Matters
    • The Fresh Prince
    • Diff'rent Strokes
    • The Cosby Show

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