All AP US Government Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #41 : Public Policy
Gunboat diplomacy refers to what method of approaching foreign relations?
Dissolving the other branches of the military in favor of an increased naval presence
Manipulating soft power into obtaining policy objectives
Increasing diplomatic gravitas by moving diplomats to as many embassies as possible
Using shows of military strength to obtain policy objectives
None of these answers are correct.
Using shows of military strength to obtain policy objectives
Gunboat diplomacy is most commonly associated with Theodore Roosevelt's aggressive foreign policy. Today, gunboat diplomacy is often used via naval and air deployments to troublesome areas (such as the Strait of Hormuz) to showcase the strength of the American military.
Example Question #51 : Public Policy
Dollar Diplomacy refers to what foreign policy strategy?
Leveraging your currency in exchange for monetary favors
Using economic incentives to improve relations with strategic allies
Using economic sanctions in order to encourage foreign nations to cooperate.
Switching to a gold standard to improve relations with the United Nations
None of these answers are correct
Using economic incentives to improve relations with strategic allies
Dollar Diplomacy concerns promising loans and other lucrative economic opportunities to countries to improve diplomatic relations, most commonly associated with William Howard Taft's presidency. Taft's Dollar Diplomacy used incentives, rather than punishments to achieve its goals.
Example Question #52 : Public Policy
What foreign relations policy uses positive and negative reinforcement to gain policy goals?
The White Hat/Black Hat Method
All of these are example of positive and negative reinforcement policies.
Touch-and-Go Politics
The Carrot and Stick Approach
None of these are examples of positive and negative reinforcement policies.
The Carrot and Stick Approach
The Carrot and Stick approach involves offering a carrot (positive incentive for good behavior/improved relations), and striking with a stick (negative punishment for bad behavior). The US often used this method in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.
Example Question #53 : Public Policy
What President is famous for utilizing moral diplomacy?
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Theodore Roosevelt
None of these answers is correct.
William Howard Taft
Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson is associated with "moral diplomacy," due to his passionate pursuit of humanitarian policies abroad. Woodrow Wilson accomplished much in his pursuit of a greater global good, winning over countries in agreements many foreign policy experts thought impossible.
Example Question #54 : Public Policy
What 1823 American foreign policy warned European countries against further colonizing the Americas?
The Monroe Doctrine
None of these answers is correct
The Madison Corollary
Isolationism
Interventionism
The Monroe Doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was coined by President James Monroe in 1823 in an attempt to warn European nations against aggressive actions in the Western Hemisphere. The goal was to strengthen the foreign policy of the United States and to become a real world power.
Example Question #55 : Public Policy
Which of the following presidents originally introduced the Monroe Doctrine?
Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin Pierce
Thomas Jefferson
None of these answers is correct
James K. Polk
None of these answers is correct
The Monroe Doctrine was introduced by James Monroe in 1823, the fifth president of the United States. Theodore Roosevelt expanded upon the doctrine during his presidency, but did not introduce the original doctrine. James Munroe is also notable because he was the last Founding Father to be President.
Example Question #56 : Public Policy
Which successful Secretary of State authored the Monroe Doctrine?
Henry Clay
James Monroe
John Quincy Adams
Thomas Jefferson
None of these answers is correct
John Quincy Adams
While the Monroe Doctrine is named after James Monroe, this was simply because James Monroe was president at the time. The author of the doctrine was the Secretary of State at the time, John Quincy Adams. Monroe was the Secretary of State before Adams.
Example Question #21 : Policy Relations
The creation and purpose of the League of Nations would best be described as which form of diplomacy?
None of these answer is correct.
All of the other answers are correct
Moral Diplomacy
Gunboat Diplomacy
Dollar Diplomacy
Moral Diplomacy
While the League of Nations was designed for many purposes, it was a dream of Woodrow Wilson for the purpose of ensuring global peace and humanitarianism. These goals were the foundation of the League of Nations, and a clear example of moral diplomacy.
Example Question #19 : Foreign Relations
Which of these do not demonstrate the concept of American isolationism?
The United States as a non-participant in the Spanish Civil War
The creation of President James Monroe's Monroe Doctrine, a policy that has been invoked by multiple Presidents several times
The resistance President Franklin D. Roosevelt received from Congress over expanding the role of the United States in foreign affairs prior to World War II
America's military policy in World War II prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor
The United States not participating in the League of Nations after Woodrow Wilson failed to convince Congress that America should join
The creation of President James Monroe's Monroe Doctrine, a policy that has been invoked by multiple Presidents several times
American isolationism is when the United States withdraws from international conflicts, trade, and disputes, focusing all economic and political power on domestic issues like the American economy and job market, infrastructural and educational development, and social issues.
In fewer words, isolationism is when a country limits its associations with other countries, confining itself to try and be self-reliant.
So for this question, the answer that does not demonstrate isolationism is the one that deals with America being involved in foreign affairs. The Monroe Doctrine has shaped American foreign policy a great deal, as evidenced by several Presidents invoking it. The Monroe Doctrine deals with the relationship among the countries of the Americas (North and South) and dictates that any outside nations are to stay out of the affairs among the countries of the Americas - unless they want to face a military response from the United States.
The other answers in this question all represent a form of isolationism by demonstrating a turn away from foreign affairs. The League of Nations, the precursor to the United Nations, never had U.S. participation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to expand the role of the United States on the world stage and engage more deeply in foreign affairs. Congress often rebuffed him (the extreme opposition to the U.S. joining the World Court, for example), and they stayed reluctant to engage in most foreign affairs the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is when America changed military strategy and joined in the Allies' fight in Europe and abroad.
Example Question #20 : Foreign Relations
What was the main argument that the U.S. officials made to justify invading Iraq in 2003?
Kuwait, an American ally, was invaded again by Saddam Hussein and was on the verge of collapse
Iraq and Iran were on the verge of an alliance that would have destabilized Western interests in the region
Saddam Hussein and his regime had WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction
The Baathist party's atrocities in the region had reached a boiling point, so the U.S. intervened on a humanitarian level
The U.S. would add a dominant force to an EU alliance that was preparing to invade Iraq
Saddam Hussein and his regime had WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction
The United States invaded Iraq in 2003 because the United States believed that Saddam Hussein had WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction (both biological and chemical). The United Nations had sent teams in to investigate and also concluded that Saddam had WMDs, with several other countries supporting this notion.
The United States and the U.N. had worked well together in 1990 when Kuwait was invaded by Saddam Hussein and Iraq, and authorities for both the U.S. and U.N. believed the WMDs were there.
Much of Saddam Hussein's behavior as leader of Iraq, both historically and around the time of the 2003 U.S. invasion had been suspicious, if not completely nefarious, which contributed to the U.S. and U.N.'s thought process.