Historically, who had been the traditional enemy of Vietnam?
A. France
B. United States
C. Vietminh
D. China
E. Soviet Union
ANSWER: D

When the French pacified Vietnam, what did they want to bring to the Vietnamese people?
A. A. la mission civilisatrice
B. B. Catholicism
C. C. freedom
D. Both A and B
E. All of these answers
ANSWER: D

While both the Karnow text and videos contain slightly different information on this subject, they both agree that the two most important exports that France received from its Vietnam colony were
A. rubber
B. rice
C. both of these answers
D. neither of these answers
ANSWER: C

In 1945, two out of eight million Vietnamese people died during a severe rice famine that was almost entirely caused by
A. a drought
B. the Japanese
C. the Vietminh
D. the puppet emperor Bao Dai himself
E. the French
ANSWER: B

After the August Revolution in 1945, at the same time when the Japanese surrendered to end WWII, Ho Chi Minh organized his communist government in the city of
A. Hanoi
B. Saigon
C. Dien Bien Phu
D. Hue
E. Ba Dinh Square
ANSWER: A

The Democratic administrations of these two American presidents failed to recognize Ho Chi Minh's government, to honor his requests for a diplomatic dialog, and even to follow a consistent policy towards Vietnam in the years during and immediately after WWII.
A. Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower
B. Lyndon Johnson and Dwight Eisenhower
C. Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy
D. Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman
E. Lyndon Johnson and Franklin Roosevelt
ANSWER: D

The First Vietnam War can accurately be described as starting in 1946, when the French forced Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh out of Hanoi, and ending in 1954 after the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

In a pivotal year, 1950, all of the following happened EXCEPT
A. Communist China and Russia recognized Ho Chi Minh's communist Vietminh government
B. The United States recognized the French installed Bao Dai government as the legitimate government of Vietnam
C. An armistice was signed to end the Korean War
D. Communist North Korea suddenly invaded Democratic South Korea
E. President Harry Truman began giving direct monetary aide to the French efforts in Vietnam
ANSWER: C

As Ho Chi Minh renamed his Vietnamese Communist Party the Vietnamese Workers Party in 1951 in order to gain support, the French in South Vietnam made an effort to create a national Vietnamese Army in the South under the Bao Dai government.   This term for this effort was
A. containment
B. jaunissement
C. guerrilla
D. la mission civilisatrice
E. mandarin
ANSWER: B

The Geneva Convention, during and following the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu, saw all of the following happen to Ho Chi Minh's victorious Vietminh communists, EXCEPT
A. Vietnam was divided into North and South halves at the 17th parallel
B. The Vietminh begrudgingly accepted half of the Vietnamese land when in fact they controlled most of it
C. The communist Ho Chi Minh was sold out and betrayed by the Russian and Chinese communists
D. Countrywide elections, desired by the Vietminh, were pushed off to some future date, to be determined later
E. Chinese leader Jo En Lai's complete support of Ho and the Vietminh worried the United States
ANSWER: E

All of the following are true of the Diem regime in South Vietnam before 1963 EXCEPT
A. Ngo Dinh Diem's government would never have survived as long as it did without direct U.S. aide
B. Diem accepted U.S. aide, but never followed the advice of U.S. diplomats and envoys
C. Diem was anti-communist and used the military to crush his enemies
D. After annihilating his enemies, Diem pushed for nationwide elections that he knew would make him the legitimate leader of all Vietnam, North and South
E. Diem was stubborn and distrustful and only listened to advice of his family members
ANSWER: D

In 1963, all of the following events occurred in South Vietnam EXCEPT
A. In November, President John F. Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullets in Dallas, Texas.
B. Buddhist monks demonstrated against Diem's government, including the practice of self-immolation as a sign of protest
C. Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Din Nhu continued to repress the monks and Saigon students who joined the protests against the government.
D. The United States agreed to permit a plot by senior South Vietnamese Army Generals, largely Buddhist in number, to remove Diem from power.  This decision led to Diem's assassination.
E. President Kennedy had increased the number of U.S. soldiers, called advisors, in Vietnam to 16,000.
ANSWER: A

What anti-communist United States foreign policy position, begun by Democratic President Harry Truman in the period immediately following WWII, seemed to tie the hands of Democratic Presidents Kennedy and Johnson and forced them to continue supporting South Vietnam against communism?
A. domino theory
B. containment
C. strategic hamlets
D. Mekong Delta River Project
E. special forces, such as the Green Berets
ANSWER: B

Oregon's own U.S. Senator Wayne Morse was joined by only one other senator in opposing this legislation, which provided President Lyndon Johnson with a "blank check" to wage war in Vietnam.
A. Operation Rolling Thunder
B. Mekong Delta River Project
C. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
D. Geneva Conference
E. None of these answers
ANSWER: C

Which term most accurately describes the Vietnamese communist who operated against the United States and the South Vietnamese government in South Vietnam?
A. guerrillas
B. Vietminh
C. hawks
D. Viet Cong
E. ARVN
ANSWER: D

All of the following statements about President Lyndon Johnson are true, EXCEPT
A. Since he was barely re-elected to the presidency in 1964, after having served the rest of the assassinated John F. Kennedy's term, he had to be careful when it came to initial public support of the war in Vietnam
B. He ordered the direct bombing of North Vietnam after the attacks on U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin.  This was the first time American aircraft bombed North Vietnam directly.
C. He was an extremely successful president when it came to getting his legislation passed through Congress, such as his War on Poverty and the Great Society.
D. After China had been "lost" to the communists by Democrat Harry Truman, Democrat Lyndon Johnson did not want the same failure in Vietnam to put a black mark on his record as president.
E. General William Westmoreland was put in charge of U.S. forces in Vietnam and the number of American troops increased from 16,000 to 200,000 by the end of 1965.
ANSWER: A

Initially, U.S. forces in Vietnam were meant to protect air fields such as those at Da Nang and Pleiku.  But after continued attacks at these locations, and government locations in Saigon, the military mission of U.S. soldiers turned to that of search and destroy, the first time the U.S. authorized the offensive use of ground troops.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

Which of the following pairs of groups are neither the same nor allies in the Vietnam War?
A. USA and ARVN
B. Viet Cong and VC
C. VC and NVA
D. North Vietnamese Army and communists
E. ARVN and VC
ANSWER: E

The United States used its air superiority to bring pressure to Ho Chi Minh and the communists in Hanoi, possibly bringing them to the bargaining table.  In addition, the bombing was meant to stop communist supplies from reaching the Viet Cong in South Vietnam.  According to the video, when it came to bombing North Vietnam, the United States exercised every single military option available and/or suggested during the war effort.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

Concerning the Vietnam War, what does the number 500,000 represent?
A. the number of years Vietnam had been fighting foreign powers for its own independence
B. the numbers of dollars the United States was spending each year it was involved with the war
C. the number of North Vietnamese casualties, both military and civilian, caused by U.S. aerial bombardment during the war
D. the number of U.S. soldiers deployed at the war's height in 1968
E. the estimated number of South Vietnamese who were members of the Viet Cong  
ANSWER: D

Considering methods, goals, and the establishment of a governmental system, it is accurate to state that what the French were doing in Indochina in the 20th Century was essentially the same as what Great Britain was doing in India.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

The term Indochina refers to all of the following EXCEPT
A. Laos
B. Cambodia
C. Vietnam
D. Philippines
ANSWER: D

In 1940, all of the following are correct, EXCEPT
A. the Japanese defeated the French in Vietnam
B. the Japanese defeated the United States in the Philippines
C. the Japanese defeated the British in Malaya
D. Unlike many Asian leaders, Ho Chi Minh sided with the Allies
E. all of these answers are correct
ANSWER: E

According to Karnow, without the Japanese invading Vietnam in WWII, Ho Chi Minh's rise to prominence probably would have never happened
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

In WWII, the United States initially supported Ho Chi Minh because he was a communist and because the Vietminh had helped to rescue downed U.S. pilots, during the Deer Mission.  But after the war, when Ho became a nationalist and used the Declaration of Independence to establish the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, the U.S. withdrew its support and considered him an enemy.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

Although greatly outnumbered by the French, General Vo Nguyan Giap's Vietminh forces, supplied by Chinese communists, were successful in defeating the French at Dien Bien Phu.  While the French employed siege tactics, Giap kept the French trapped in the mountainous hillsides as the Vietminh defended the lowlands with military tactics referred to as "human waves".  The Chinese had successfully employed the same tactic in Korea previously.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

Sharing the title of Video Episode 3 and Karnow text Chapter 6, who was America's Mandarin?
A. Jo En Lai
B. Ngo Dinh Diem
C. Vo Nguyen Giap
D. Ho Chi Minh
E. Bao Dai
ANSWER: B

Although propaganda played a role in the mass exodus of 900,000 North Vietnamese Catholics to South Vietnam, the primary reason for this event was that these people feared the type of treatment or repression they would likely receive at the hands of the communist Vietminh had they stayed in the North which was governed by Ho Chi Minh's party in Hanoi.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

Historical Vietnamese nationalists, like Ho Chi Minh and countless others, have opposed all of the following groups EXCEPT
A. imperialists
B. mandarins
C. capitalists
D. big landlords
E. peasants
ANSWER: E

Ignorance of Vietnam's history plagued the French, then the Americans.  Which of the following were NOT important elements of Vietnam's character?
A. Wet rice farming led to a strong collective spirit
B. Frequent wars led to Vietnamese evolving into a breed of warriors
C. The Vietnamese people were always unified in the face of an enemy
D. Contrary to popular Western belief, the Vietnamese were not a passive, peaceful people, even before the arrival of European powers
E. The status of women in Vietnamese society was higher than other Asian societies due to the exploits of female patriots Trien Au and the Truong Sisters.
ANSWER: C

Vladimir Lenin, the Russian communist leader showed Ho Chi Minh that anti-colonial nationalism and revolution were inseparable.  When Ho wrote on these subjects in his travels to foreign countries, his writings were circulated in Vietnam during his absence.  He was a propagandist and an organizer, the latter which he learned to do while in the Soviet Union and China. Ho cultivated a celibate image as Uncle Ho, although this was probably not true.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

Atrocities, such as killing, beheading, and torturing innocent citizens, usually peasants, were committed by both the communists and French during the period before 1954.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

What issue was to preoccupy Ho Chi Minh for the remainder of his life?
A. His anger at being ignored by Democratic President Woodrow Wilson at the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I, when Ho had hoped to gain freedom for Vietnam
B. His failure to have his archrival Ngo Dinh Diem, later the leader of South Vietnam, executed when he had the chance, and possibly could have shortened the war
C. He was personally devastated over the excesses, violence, and terror committed by his own Vietminh in the agricultural reorganization that took place after he took control of North Vietnam in 1954
D. The reunification of Vietnam, North and South, as an independent nation
E. His disbelief that the United States had failed to recognize and independent Vietnam, especially after he had used Thomas Jefferson's own Declaration of Independence as his model
ANSWER: D

The idea that the U.S. could abandon the French in Indochina was a possibility and even suggested by some members of the U.S. intelligence and policy community.  Unfortunately, Dean Rusk, who served as Assistant Secretary of State for three presidential administrations did not change his view on halting the spread of communism in Vietnam for 20 years.  Instead, the U.S. recognized Bao Dai as the rightful leader and established an embassy in Vietnam, continuing its support of anyone who opposed the communist Ho Chi Minh.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

All of the following events during 1953-4 helped to bring about a possible peace settlement in Vietnam, EXCEPT
A. Joseph Stalin, the uncompromising communist leader of the Soviet Union died
B. The Korean War had been settled by an armistice, a cease fire, with the country divided North and South
C. The world looked to settle the Indochinese War between France and the Vietminh and ease Cold War tensions
D. Communist China feared the U.S. might replace the French in Indochina, and menace China at the border, so it hoped to end the conflict without regard to it Vietnamese communist comrades
E. President Dwight Eisenhower and his Secretary of State John Foster Dulles rigidly clung to the domino theory and pledged to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia at all costs.
ANSWER: E

Stanley Karnow in Vietnam A History suggested that there were several opportunities for the United States to withdraw somewhat easily from the conflict in Vietnam.  He wrote that the most favorable solution came when China suggested the admission of two Vietnams, North and South, to the United Nations.  Unfortunately the U.S. objected, supporting its global policy of containment.  Karnow suggests that if the U.S. had not made this mistake, it may have averted the severity of its involvement the Vietnam War altogether.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

Who said 'President Diem is the Churchill of the decade... in the vanguard of those leaders who stand for freedom.
A. Dean Acheson
B. Lyndon Johnson 
C. Dwight Eisenhower
D. John F. Kennedy
E. Dean Rusk
ANSWER: B

It is clear that all of the first hand accounts provided in the Christian Appy book Patriots support the American view of the Vietnam War.  This continues to be a problem when studying the Vietnam War and a shortcoming of most textbooks on the war because there are always at least two, if not more, sides to a story.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

Reading stories or accounts from people who actually participated in historical events such as the Vietnam War always provide a more accurate and complete historical account of the event.  Textbooks written by historians after the fact can never be as informative or present a clearer depiction of the events of history as can the memories of actual participants in those events.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B


Whether factually true or not, to some of the students in this class, the Iraq War today has clear parallels or connections to the Vietnam War we are studying
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

Of the students who have expressed opinions on the subject of the Iraq War today, it would be accurate to state that all of them have a negative view on the war and believe U.S. involvement to be a mistake.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: B

Without implying any criticism or fault to individual course students, it is clear that in the Episode 4 Forum, where four separate groups each answered a unique question, the level of analysis and quality of discussion varied greatly.
A. True
B. False
ANSWER: A

Please answer honestly.  Either answer will receive full credit.  Answer this statement: "I have kept up with and completed the textbook reading schedule (for both books) in this class so far."
A. Yes
B. No
ANSWER: A