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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How does Halberstam say McNamara learned about the affairs in Vietnam?

2. What committee had Kennedy served on in the Senate?

3. What did Chester Bowles think was the most important issue to confront?

4. Where does the book open?

5. What does Halberstam say marked the end of the generals' faith in Diem?

Short Essay Questions

1. What three plans does Halberstam say the U.S. was considering in Vietnam in 1961?

2. Describe the atmosphere in America when Kennedy took office.

3. Who was Chester Bowles, and what did Kennedy get by tapping Bowles to be an adviser?

4. What was the Kennedy administration's image with the American people?

5. How did the meeting between Lovett and Kennedy play in the press?

6. What does Halberstam say was McNamara's relationship with Kennedy?

7. How did the situation in Vietnam unfold?

8. What was the American government's relationship with Diem in 1961?

9. What did Lovett and Kennedy discuss during their meeting?

10. How did the fall of China and the Cold War affect the Kennedy administration?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What must McGeorge Bundy or Robert McNamara or President Johnson have thought about the Vietnam war? Write a journal entry as if you were them.

Essay Topic 2

Kennedy was a young president, and he was thought to be inexperienced. What was Kennedy's relationship with the past, and with politicians who went before him? What did he take from them, and which of their policies was he intent on changing?

Essay Topic 3

John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama share certain similarities, insofar as they were both young and charismatic leaders with relatively little experience, but represented a new way of doing things. Compare and contrast the early political careers and elections of these two presidents. How were they temperamentally similar? How did they relate to the old guard? How were their ascensions different?

(see the answer keys)

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