Born in Blood and Fire

I’m studying for my History class and need an explanation.

1. Why was the victory of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua during the late 1970s possible?

a. Cuba assisted them.

b. A widespread rebellion began when the Somozas killed a prominent conservative journalist.

c. The United States withdrew military aid to Somoza’s National Guard.

d. They joined forces with Guatemala, El Salvador, and other Central American nations.

2. Which of the following was a direct consequence of the breakup of the Soviet Union?

a. It left the United States as the world champion of capitalism and only superpower in the world of a new line of thought.

b. Russia became the world champion of communism.

c. It promoted socialism in Latin America.

d. It created a rebellion against the Russian Royalty.

3. Which statement best describes the situation in Chile during the 1990s?

a. Chile enjoyed low inflation, good credit, steady growth, and diversified exports.

b. Chile defaulted in its foreign debt.

c. Chile had never had a dictator in power.

d. Chile suffered from high inflation and bad credit.

4. Which of the following was a direct consequence of neoliberalism?

a. low unemployment rates

b. high unemployment rates

c. dictatorships

d. high tariffs

5. Which of the following concepts did the “new left” reject?

a. the free market

b. social distribution

c. equality

d. democracy

6. Which of the following statements best describes Fernando Henrique Cardoso?

a. a Marxist sociology professor who ruled Brazil with an iron fist

b. a Marxist sociology professor who inspired a generation of social scientists

c. a Brazilian dictator

d. president of Brazil; governed as a radical Marxist

7.Which leader of the Argentine junta argued that the March 1976 coup was necessary because it marked “the final closing of a historical cycle and the opening of a new one whose fundamental characteristic will be manifested by the reorganization of the nation?”


a. Emilio Massera

b. Orlando Agosti

c. Jorge Videla

d. Roberto Viola

8. What was the event in 1978 that gave the junta “political space” to continue with “El Proceso” until the end of the decade?

a. A visit to Argentina by the new pope John Paul II.

b. The victory of the national soccer team in the World Cup final game.

c. The impeachment of President Jimmy Carter by the Republican-led House of Representatives.

d. A historical trade deal that was signed with China, which gave Argentine farmers and cattle ranchers favorable terms to export their products to China.

9. With what episode were British military leaders still upset about, which compelled them to favor a strong reaction to the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands?

a. German submarine aggression during World War I.

b. The “Battle of Britain” in 1940, when the German Luftwaffe conducted air raids over London.

c. The Suez Canal crisis of 1956

d. The bombing of Lord Mountbatten’s boat in 1979 by the Irish Republican Army.

10. Which member of Margaret Thatcher’s government resigned immediately in the aftermath of the Argentine invasion of the Malvinas?

a. Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington

b. Sir Anthony Parsons, British Ambassador to the United Nations

c. Prime Minister Thatcher herself resigned, but Queen Elizabeth and members of the Conservative Party urged her to return to her post five days later.

d. Admiral Sir Terence Lewin, Chief of the Defence Staff

11. What was the message of the secret cable sent by Secretary of State Alexander Haig to Lord Carrington just before the Argentine invasion of the Malvinas?

a. “The Argentines are too strong, I would encourage the Prime Minister to begin negotiations with them immediately.”

b. “The President is ready to respond immediately with sanctions against the junta, even to the point of launching a military action.”

c. “We will of course have a greater chance of influencing Argentine behavior if we appear to them not to favor one side or the other.”

d.“The President thinks that the Soviets are behind this aggressive act, I will go to Moscow immediately to talk to the Kremlin about this.”

12. During his visit to Buenos Aires, Secretary of State Haig met with General Leopoldo Galtieri and which other Argentine official?

a. Finance Minister José Martínez de Hoz

b. Admiral Emilio Massera

c. Foreign Minister Nicanor Costa Méndez

d. General Mario Menéndez

13. What was the pivotal event in the war which totally ended any further possible attempts of negotiating an end to the crisis?

a. The Argentine submarine Santa Fe was sunk and several sailors were taken as prisoners of war.

b. The cruiser General Belgrano was sunk by the submarine HMS Conqueror.

c. The British declared a 200-mile “maritime exclusion zone” around the islands.

d. The Argentine navy engaged in a brief skirmish with the Chilean navy in the Beagle Channel, threatening to draw Chile into the war, before President Reagan personally intervened and urged Chilean leader Augusto Pinochet to stay neutral.

14. Which of the following democratic events did not occur in South America following the Falklands/Malvinas War?

a. Brazil returned to democracy in 1985

b. A plebiscite in Chile in 1988 rejected Augusto Pinochet’s bid to stay in power for 8 more years.

c. Alfredo Stroessner was ousted as Paraguay’s dictator in 1989.

d. French Guiana gained its independence from France to become the nation of Saint-Laurent et Cayenne.