View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. Who does Isaacson report to have been the vice president the W. A. Harriman investment firm?

2. How does Isaacson claim Joseph Stalin's temperament changed between Harriman's first and second meetings?

3. Which president does Isaacson report Dean Acheson served as Assistant Secretary of State?

4. What was the focus of the agreement after the initial meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill, according to Isaacson?

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

Short Essay Questions

1. What experience in John McCloy's background does Isaacson claim gave McCloy the exposure to Henry Stimson that eventually led to McCloy's appointment to the Department of War as a special consultant on German espionage?

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

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

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

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

6. What did Isaacson report regarding a meeting between Averell Harriman and Max Beaverbrook that foretold the change in the balance of power between England and the United States?

7. What was the title does Isaacson claims that John McCloy earned during his career in government and as a corporate lawyer?

8. What were the roles of George Kennan and Chip Bohlen in President Franklin Roosevelt's successful effort to open official diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union in 1933, according to Isaacson?

9. What does Isaacson identify as the major issues facing Harry Truman during the first month of his presidency after the death of President Roosevelt?

10. As the Allied powers began to close in on Germany, what does Isaacson expose to be the main concern of the British and American governments for the post-war era?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Isaacson on several occasions throughout The Wise Men suggests that the "Wise Men" and various leaders in the government were fighting against "isolationist" desires of the general public and various political leaders. What evidence does Isaacson offer to support the idea that "isolationism" was a threat to America's future, and how did the internationalism of the "Wise Men" affect them and the country?

Essay Topic 2

Throughout WWII Joseph Stalin was depicted in The Wise Men as an unreliable ally and he was considered a threat to American interests after the war. Yet when the destructiveness of the atom bomb was exposed, members of the Truman Administration considered making the Soviet Union part of a system of regulating the use of the weapon and even considered sharing the technology with the Soviets. What were the reasons for inviting the Soviets to share strategic information regarding atomic weapons with the U.S.? Are these reasons contradictory to the distrust that the six "Wise Men" had for Stalin and the Soviets? How so or how not? Did the eventual development of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union act to preserve peace or lead to justifications for more military build-up? Explain your answers with information from the book.

Essay Topic 3

The Wise Men examines the life long connections of six men and how they shaped America's foreign policy for nearly 40 years. How were the early lives and experiences of the "Wise Men" intertwined and how did their elite upbringing give them access to the seats of power where they were given opportunity to direct American foreign policy?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 1,084 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample