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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How does Isaacson claim Joseph Stalin's temperament changed between Harriman's first and second meetings?
(a) In the first meeting Stalin was panicked and demanding, but in the second meeting Stalin was calm and reasonable.
(b) In the first meeting Stalin was candid and friendly, but in the second meeting he was confrontational, accusing and paranoid.
(c) In the first meeting Stalin was aloof and disinterested, in the second meeting he was eager and cooperative.
(d) In the first meeting Stalin was scheming and evasive, in the second meeting he was congenial and open.

2. Which of the "Wise Men" does Isaacson report to be the son of a wealthy railway tycoon?
(a) Averell Harriman.
(b) Robert Lovett.
(c) Dean Acheson.
(d) Chip Bohlen.

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

4. What does Isaacson claim to be Bohlen's view of Bolshevism?
(a) He was nonjudgemental and unreflective about Bolshevism.
(b) He reviled in the violent destruction Bolsheviks were willing to employ to hold onto power.
(c) He was fascinated by the tenants of Soviet Communism.
(d) He saw Bolshevism to be a threat to liberal progressivism in Western nations.

5. What does Isaacson report to be the legacy of Harvard's President Charles Elliot after his 40 year tenure ended in 1909?
(a) "To allow each man to think and do as he pleases."
(b) "Our undisciplinables are our proudest product."
(c) "Heresy has always been a Harvard institution."
(d) "Living well is the best revenge."

Short Answer Questions

1. What two post-secondary schools does Isaacson report George Kennan attended?

2. What was the ratio of students who passed the training for Kennan's chosen field to those who took the course, according to Isaacson?

3. What was Bohlen's first assignment after he completed training in his field, according to Issacson?

4. Under which president did Dean Acheson serve in the Attorney General's office?

5. With whom did John McCloy and Robert Lovett serve as advisers to the Secretary of War, according to Isaacson?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does Isaacson report Dean Acheson started his career after WWI?

2. What does Isaacson claim to be Averell Harriman's view regarding Russia building a tier of states friendly to its system in Eastern Europe?

3. Why did Russian soldiers dismantle German factories and send the assets back to their homeland at the end of WWII according to Isaacson?

4. What does Issacson suggest comes between 20th century isolationism and a utopian dream of a world order based on international law?

5. What were the circumstances through which John McCloy came into contact with Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett after WWI, according to Isaacson?

6. How does Isaacson claim that Robert Lovett's father started in his work for E.H. Harriman?

7. What does Isaacson claim to be Averell Harriman's qualification for Skull and Bones?

8. What does Isaacson report to be Averell Harriman's first achievement after he was named as transportation adviser to the National Defense Advisory Commission by President Franklin Roosevelt?

9. Which of the "Six Wise Men" attended Yale, according to Isaacson?

10. What does Isaacson report to be the difference between George Kennan's approach to training for the foreign service and that of Chip Bohlen?

(see the answer keys)

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