AP U.S. History Practice Quiz: Society in Transition
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 15 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 15
All Questions (15)
A) To expand the social programs of the federal government.
B) To limit the role of the federal government.
C) To promote the cultural and moral changes of the era.
D) To pursue a less assertive foreign policy.
Correct Answer: B
The text explicitly states that in the 1960s, conservatives were 'seeking to limit the role of the federal government and enact more assertive foreign policies.'
A) economic challenges
B) the growth of evangelical churches
C) political scandals
D) foreign policy crises
Correct Answer: B
The text lists 'economic challenges, political scandals, and foreign policy crises' as reasons for the decline in public confidence. The growth of evangelical churches is mentioned as a separate social trend.
A) A decrease in debates over the role of the federal government.
B) A decline in the number of political scandals.
C) Greater political and social activism by religious conservatives.
D) Widespread public agreement on social and cultural issues.
Correct Answer: C
The text states, 'The rapid and substantial growth of evangelical Christian churches and organizations was accompanied by greater political and social activism on the part of religious conservatives.'
A) The power of the federal government and movements for individual rights.
B) The best methods for achieving economic stability.
C) The proper response to the growth of religious movements.
D) The need for a less assertive foreign policy.
Correct Answer: A
The content specifies that the 1970s saw 'growing clashes between conservatives and liberals over social and cultural issues, the power of the federal government, race, and movements for greater individual rights.'
A) economic inequality and foreign policy failures.
B) the excessive power of religious organizations.
C) the decline of federal government authority.
D) liberal laws and moral and cultural decline.
Correct Answer: D
The text notes that in the 1960s, 'conservatives challenged liberal laws and court decisions and perceived moral and cultural decline.'
A) Confidence increased due to successful resolutions of foreign policy crises.
B) Confidence declined due to a combination of economic, political, and foreign policy problems.
C) Perceptions remained unchanged from the 1960s.
D) Confidence grew as the government successfully limited clashes over social issues.
Correct Answer: B
The text states, 'Public confidence in government’s ability to solve social and economic problems declined in the 1970s in the wake of economic challenges, political scandals, and foreign policy crises.'
A) The decline in public trust caused by political scandals.
B) The growing clashes over social and cultural issues.
C) The debate over enacting more assertive foreign policies.
D) The economic challenges facing the nation.
Correct Answer: B
The 'greater political and social activism on the part of religious conservatives' would naturally fuel the 'growing clashes between conservatives and liberals over social and cultural issues' mentioned for the 1970s.
A) Bipartisan consensus on foreign policy.
B) The conservative challenge to the scope of government.
C) Declining interest in movements for individual rights.
D) Growing public confidence in political institutions.
Correct Answer: B
Conservatives in the 1960s sought to 'limit the role of the federal government.' The 'growing clashes' in the 1970s over the 'power of the federal government' show this debate continued and intensified.
A) Liberals advocating for expanded federal programs.
B) Conservatives seeking to limit the role of the federal government.
C) Activists demanding greater government protection of individual rights.
D) Foreign policy experts calling for international cooperation.
Correct Answer: B
When public confidence in the government's ability to solve problems declines, it creates a more receptive audience for political ideologies, such as conservatism as described in the text, that advocate for limiting the government's power and role.
A) More isolationist trade policies.
B) Decreased military spending.
C) More assertive foreign policies.
D) Expansion of international peacekeeping missions.
Correct Answer: C
The text clearly states that conservatives in the 1960s sought to 'enact more assertive foreign policies.'
A) The growth of evangelical Christian churches and organizations.
B) The foreign policy crises of the 1970s.
C) The clashes between liberals and conservatives over government power in the 1970s.
D) The rise of political scandals that eroded public trust.
Correct Answer: C
The broad theme of 'continuing policy debates about the role of the federal government' is specifically illustrated by the 'growing clashes between conservatives and liberals over... the power of the federal government' during the 1970s.
A) The conduct of foreign policy.
B) The stability of the national economy.
C) The landscape of political and social activism.
D) The structure of the federal court system.
Correct Answer: C
The text connects the 'growth of religious movements' directly to 'greater political and social activism on the part of religious conservatives,' which directly impacts the landscape of activism.
A) The liberal successes of the 1960s led to a period of social and political consensus in the 1970s.
B) The conservative challenges of the 1960s evolved into wider social and political conflicts in the 1970s, a decade marked by declining trust in government.
C) The decline in public trust in the 1970s was primarily caused by the rise of religious activism that began in the 1960s.
D) The assertive foreign policy of the 1960s resolved international crises, leading to greater public confidence in the 1970s.
Correct Answer: B
This option correctly links the conservative challenges to liberalism in the 1960s with the intensified clashes of the 1970s, while also incorporating the decade's characteristic decline in public confidence.
A) economic mismanagement.
B) foreign policy weakness.
C) moral and cultural decline.
D) excessive religious influence.
Correct Answer: C
The text directly links the conservative challenges of the 1960s to a response against 'perceived moral and cultural decline.'
A) broad consensus on the government's role.
B) deepening divisions over cultural values and federal power.
C) a lack of interest in individual rights.
D) unwavering trust in political leadership.
Correct Answer: B
The text describes the 1970s as a time of 'growing clashes' over 'social and cultural issues' and 'the power of the federal government,' indicating significant societal divisions.