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School and Society: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, 4/e

Stephen E. Tozer, The University of Illinois, Chicago
Paul C. Violas
Guy Senese, Northern Arizona University

National School Reform: The Early Cold War Era

Multiple Choice Quiz


1	James B. Conant's reforms for high schools did not include
		A)	sorting of students by ability
		B)	special programs for academically talented students
		C)	emphasis on a classical liberal education
		D)	preparation of less academically talented students for work


2	Which of the following is an example of containment?
		A)	grouping of students by ability in high schools
		B)	humanitarian aid to Greece and Turkey in 1947 from the U.S. government
		C)	segregation of blacks into low-paying jobs prior to World War II
		D)	none of the above


3	The advantage(s) of the "doctrine of first use" included
		A)	the perception that the United States was ready to react to a Soviet threat at any time
		B)	the continued advantage of a wartime economy without being involved in a war
		C)	the growth of the military-industrial complex
		D)	a and b above


4	The link between expert, decentralized decision making and public well-being was best reinforced during the Cold War by
		A)	the creation of the UN
		B)	technological and scientific breakthroughs
		C)	the success of high schools using Conant's framework
		D)	all of the above


5	Government regulation of business and intervention in social issues are examples of
		A)	negative freedom
		B)	positive freedom
		C)	provisional freedom
		D)	b and c above


6	Conant argued that the U.S. military-industrial complex was
		A)	a necessary structure for fighting the Soviet threat
		B)	consistent with Jefferson's democratic ideal
		C)	an example of the superiority of the American way of life
		D)	all of the above


7	Conant brought ___________ with him when he assumed the presidency of Harvard in 1933.
		A)	an interest in recruiting minority students
		B)	commitment to faculty with liberal arts backgrounds
		C)	his belief in vocational education
		D)	all of the above


8	The SAT was introduced at Harvard to
		A)	help determine scholarship eligibility
		B)	sort out students by ability
		C)	serve as a unofficial barrier to minority enrollment
		D)	all of the above


9	Conant's concern(s) about the students enrolling in college prior to World War II was (were) that
		A)	too many of these students were "marginal" academically
		B)	too many college students would contribute to social instability through over-education
		C)	colleges could not do justice academically to so many students
		D)	a and b above


10	The success of the GI Bill proved that
		A)	maturity and motivation were major factors in college success
		B)	GIs had a difficult time immediately returning to the postwar work world
		C)	America supported a selective principle for determining eligibility for higher education
		D)	prior academic records had nothing to do with college success at all


11	After the war, the Educational Policy Commission (EPC) recommended that non--college bound students should focus on
		A)	effective thinking and clear communication skills
		B)	civic competence
		C)	personal development
		D)	b and c above


12	Conant's ideal democracy for social stability included these values
		A)	a reliance on experts
		B)	a belief that all types of labor should be equally valued
		C)	support for critical inquiry among citizens
		D)	a and b above


13	The authors suggest that Conant's use of Darkness at Noon to contrast U.S. and Soviet ideology indicated Conant's
		A)	thorough understanding of Koestler's main theme
		B)	willingness to twist anyone's words for his own purpose
		C)	lack of understanding of Koestler's point
		D)	irrational fears of Soviet influence


14	Life adjustment courses resulted in curriculum that
		A)	helped students understand how the past influenced the present
		B)	provided students who came from troubled homes with an appropriate curriculum
		C)	provided practical instruction in home and family life and civic competence
		D)	focused on socially acceptable behavior


15	Which of the following was not part of the mission for education the Council for Basic Education (CBE) advocated?
		A)	providing students the opportunity for exposure to areas of study they were not necessarily talented in
		B)	treating students equally regardless of their background
		C)	intellectual training for all students
		D)	an emphasis on basic education like reading, writing and arithmetic


16	Opponents of life adjustment education included
		A)	Hyman Rickover
		B)	Charles Prosser
		C)	Arthur Bestor
		D)	a and c above


17	______________ contributed to the prevailing public opinion that the comprehensive high school was fulfilling its mission:
		A)	an increasing belief in the veracity of IQ tests for identifying the academically talented
		B)	Conant's 1957-58 study of high schools
		C)	a skillful public relations campaign to support Conant's book The American High School Today
		D)	all of the above


18	During the 1960s Conant saw ____________ as a means of addressing disruption on college campuses:
		A)	a public relations campaign on behalf of schools and educators
		B)	diversion of students to junior colleges
		C)	Expulsion
		D)	improvement in vocational education programs in inner city high schools


19	Van Doren's statement that "Democracy does not provide alibis" is
		A)	a call to Americans to take responsibility for themselves
		B)	a call for renewed nationalism
		C)	a response to Conant's advocacy of sorting students in order to prepare them for a particular role in society
		D)	a criticism of communism


20	Van Doren offers this definition of democracy:
		A)	Every man has access to an appropriate education
		B)	A democracy is a society that supports democratic morals and ideas.
		C)	Democracy is a condition in which all men surpass themselves.
		D)	all of the above

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