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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. Where did Chip Bohlen grow up, according to Isaacson?

2. What event early in WWII does Isaacson quote John McCloy as calling, "...regrettable in the clear light of perfect hindsight"?

3. What does Isaacson claim to the Lovett's and Harriman's most important innovation to the industry for which they were prepared by Judge Lovett?

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

5. What does Isaacson claim to be the goal of the "Wise Men"?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

3. What were the major declarations of the Atlantic Charter, according to Isaacson?

4. What kind of jobs did John McCloy's mother find for him during his youth, according to Isaacson?

5. How did Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett come to work together after WWI, according to Isaacson?

6. What does Isaacson report that George Kennan believed Marxism offered to Soviet Russian leaders?

7. Which of the "Six Wise Men" does Isaacson indicate attended Harvard Law School?

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

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

10. What does Isaacson claim motivated George Kennan to apply for a job with the foreign service?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast Robert Lovett and Averell Harriman as they used their personal business connections throughout the world to gain access to positions that allowed them to direct government policy. Use details and quotes as they were reported by Isaacson.

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Connections with the Soviet Union became a connecting point between each of the "Wise Men" and other world leaders. Detail how the "Wise Men" established connections with the Soviet Union, what leaders affected their connections with it, and events that shaped their future perspectives of the Soviet Union.

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