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 did John McCloy come into contact with Averell Harriman and Robert Lovett?

3. What does Isaacson claim to be the purpose of the club that Bohlen joined?

4. Who was the Supreme Court Justice for whom Dean Acheson clerked?

5. With whom does Isaacson report Harriman shared responsibility that came to him after the meeting between Roosevelt and Churchill?

Short Essay Questions

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

2. 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?

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

4. Who does Isaacson identify as the two men that Secretary of War Henry Stimson called the "Heavenly Twins"?

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

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

7. 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?

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

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The "Wise Men" joined President Johnson in taking a hard line on Vietnam and committing more than 500,000 combat soldiers to that war. Why did Vietnam cause the social and political turmoil that overtook the U.S.? What were the human and economic costs of the Vietnam war to the U.S.? Were the positions the "Wise Men" took regarding Vietnam consistent with their record or had they lost some foresightedness of how the war would affect the rest of the country? Use information from the book and outside sources to support your position.

Essay Topic 2

The "Wise Men" repeatedly relied on military power and government spending to defend American interests and free societies from oppressive systems such as communism. Identify situations in which the "Wise Men" recommended public funding to protect various interests and other situations in which they recommended using the military. Did their positions benefit the interests of the taxpayers who provided the funding and personnel in each situation? Explain your answers with evidence from either the book or support from outside sources.

Essay Topic 3

George Kennan and Chip Bohlen used their very different personalities and skills to climb the ranks of the foreign service to eventually enter the inner circles of the Roosevelt Administration. Compare and contrast the diverse personalities and skills of Kennan and Bohlen and detail how they complemented each other to become major influences on policies concerning the Soviet Union.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 984 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample