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Joe McCarthy and McCarthyism Trivia Quiz

Joe McCarthy is often considered one of the most divisive characters in United States history. Let's reveal the facts behind all the controversy.

A multiple-choice quiz by TheWildDove. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
TheWildDove

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
322,099

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
861

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Joseph McCarthy was a Republican Senator from which U.S. State? Hint

Georgia

Iowa

Wisconsin

New York

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Question 2 of 10

2. Sen. Joseph McCarthy was able to make a name for himself by claiming to know of Communists working in which government department? Hint

The Department of Agriculture

The State Department

The FBI

The Department of Commerce

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Question 3 of 10

3. Sen. McCarthy served in the Marines from 1942-1945. What was his nickname? Hint

Sergeant Joe

Mess Hall Joe

Tail-Gunner Joe

Captain Joe

4. Sen. McCarthy's speech in Wheeling, WV and his subsequent claims that the State Department employed Communists were investigated by a subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This committee is more commonly known by what name? Hint

The Tydings Committee

The McCarthy Committee

The Truman Committee

The Overman Committee

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Question 5 of 10

5. There is debate about when Sen. McCarthy's downfall began. Many claim that it began when he accused this man, then Secretary of Defense, of being a Communist sympathizer. Hint

Neil McElroy

James Forrestal

George Marshall

Louis Johnson

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Question 6 of 10

6. The impetus for Sen. McCarthy's investigation of the Army is generally attributed to the impending draft of one of his staffers. What was the man's name? Hint

Roy Cohn

John Heel

William Prentice

David Schine

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Question 7 of 10

7. Sen. McCarthy originally began to investigate a U.S. Army operation at which Army base? Hint

Fort Hood

29 Palms

Fort Benning

Fort Monmouth

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Question 8 of 10

8. How many Communists did Sen. McCarthy successfully convict? Hint

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Question 9 of 10

9. Who said to Joe McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency"? Hint

Roger Brown

Roy Cohn

Joseph Welch

Fred Fischer

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Question 10 of 10

10. In 1954 Sen. Joseph McCarthy became only the third senator (until that time) to have this fate befall him. What was it? Hint

Death on the Senate Floor

Tried and Convicted in a Criminal Court

Expulsion from the Senate

Official Censure

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Joseph McCarthy was a Republican Senator from which U.S. State?

Answer: Wisconsin

Joseph McCarthy became a Senator in 1947 from his home state of Wisconsin. Previously, he had served as a judge on the 10th Judicial District Court.

2. Sen. Joseph McCarthy was able to make a name for himself by claiming to know of Communists working in which government department?

Answer: The State Department

McCarthy's rise to fame began on February 9, 1950, when, during a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia he claimed to have "a list of 205 ... names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party ..." who were still working in the state department. (From: "Reds" by Ted Morgan, copyright 2003, p. 385)

3. Sen. McCarthy served in the Marines from 1942-1945. What was his nickname?

Answer: Tail-Gunner Joe

Sen. McCarthy served as a Lieutenant in the Marines. His military record is somewhat controversial in that he is accused of having lied about it during his various campaigns. The accepted version, the account officially given by the military, is that McCarthy never saw combat and was never injured--with the exception of a foot injury he sustained while drunk.

Answer: The Tydings Committee

The Tydings Committee, named for chairman Millard Tydings, opened in March 1950 to investigate what was termed the 'loyalty of State Department employees'. The committee was formed due not only to McCarthy's accusations but also to the fact that the number of Communist employees that he cited often varied.

The committee would go on to conclude that none of the names provided by McCarthy were Communists or pro-Communist sympathizers.

5. There is debate about when Sen. McCarthy's downfall began. Many claim that it began when he accused this man, then Secretary of Defense, of being a Communist sympathizer.

Answer: George Marshall

On June 14, 1951 Sen. McCarthy, in a 60,000 word speech, accused Marshall of making decisions that aided Communists. Marshall had previously been an aide to Gen. Pershing in WWI, Army Chief of Staff in WWII, Secretary of State and was currently the Secretary of Defense and largely considered an American hero. Regardless, Marshall's record began to be questioned publicly after McCarthy's statements, and he would go on to resign just three months later, though he didn't explicitly cite these accusations as a reason for his resignation.

6. The impetus for Sen. McCarthy's investigation of the Army is generally attributed to the impending draft of one of his staffers. What was the man's name?

Answer: David Schine

David Schine was an unpaid consultant for the McCarthy Committee and a close personal friend of the Committee's counsel Roy Cohn. McCarthy's attempts to garner special treatment or a deferment for Schine were documented and eventually led to the lowest point of his career.

7. Sen. McCarthy originally began to investigate a U.S. Army operation at which Army base?

Answer: Fort Monmouth

Fort Monmouth was also the base that Julius Rosenberg was accused of stealing military secrets from.

8. How many Communists did Sen. McCarthy successfully convict?

Answer: 0

Sen. Joseph McCarthy never successfully convicted a single Communist, State Department employed or otherwise.

9. Who said to Joe McCarthy, "Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency"?

Answer: Joseph Welch

This was a response given by a visibly frustrated Joseph Welch, a lawyer who was being questioned by McCarthy on the activities of Fred Fischer, one of the junior attorneys at his law firm. This is one of the events often credited as the turning point in McCarthyism.

The court room erupted in applause and McCarthy is seen on the original footage as asking his counsel, Roy Cohn, "What the hell just happened?"

10. In 1954 Sen. Joseph McCarthy became only the third senator (until that time) to have this fate befall him. What was it?

Answer: Official Censure

McCarthy was censured officially by the Senate. It was determined, by a vote of 75 to 12, that McCarthy's conduct brought the Senate into disrepute and was officially condemned. McCarthy died in May 1957 of cirrhosis of the liver while still a United States Senator.

Source: Author TheWildDove

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