809233 - Klett



| | | |Topic 2 |KV 13a |

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Quiz: How much do you know about the presidents of the USA?

1 Read the following questions. Which of these can you answer without any help?

Some names come up in more than one answer.

a) Which four presidents are carved into Mount Rushmore?

b) Who was the first president of the United States?

c) Who was the first US president to die in office?

d) Which of the US presidents had the shortest term of office?

e) Who was the first US president to be assassinated?

f) Which of the US presidents had a famous stuffed toy animal named after him?

g) Who was the first US president in a wheelchair?

h) Which of the US presidents had the longest term of office?

i) Who was the first Roman Catholic president?

j) Who was the youngest president to be elected into office, and also the youngest president to die?

k) Who was the first (and, to date, only) president who was never elected by American electorate?

l) Who was the first Hollywood actor to become president?

m) Who was the first African-American president?

| | | |Topic 2 |KV 13b |

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2 Compare your results with a partner. Then read the following texts, as well as the ones in your textbook on pp. 47-49 and find the information to answer the remaining questions.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809)

The third president of the United States, Jefferson is most famous for having doubled the size of the country in the “Louisiana Purchase.” In 1803, Napoleon had given up his plans to start a new empire on the American Continent and sold the French colonies to the United States government. The Louisiana Purchase covered just under one quarter of the area that is covered by the USA today. Jefferson is also carved into Mount Rushmore, for having aided the growth of the new nation.

William Harrison (1841)

William Harrison is famous for having served the shortest term of all US presidents: only thirty-two days after his inauguration, he died of pneumonia. He had made a name for himself by winning decisive battles against Native Americans. On his inauguration day, he wanted to present himself as the tough war hero that he was known for, and held his inaugural address without a hat or a coat, on a cold winter day. On that day, he caught the cold he was to die off, becoming the first US president to have died in office.

John F. Kennedy, Democrat (1961-1963)

John F. Kennedy, often referred to as JFK, was only 43 years old when he became president, and is to date the youngest president of the United States. Sadly, he is also the youngest president to die: he was assassinated after barely more than 1000 days in office, in November 1963. He was also the first Roman Catholic president. In spite of the great diversity of nationalities and religions in the United States, Protestantism had until that day been the religion of the political elite. Kennedy is famous for having supported and worked with the Civil Rights movement, which gained the African Americans the right to vote. He also worked to help third world countries, and to fight poverty at home. He is also remembered for keeping a cool head during some very dangerous situations in the Cold War.

Richard Nixon, Republican (1969-1974)

Although it was during Richard Nixon’s presidency that the Vietnam War was ended, and although he worked to improve the relationship between the USA, Russia and China, he is best known as the first and to date the only president to have resigned from office. He was involved in a large scandal, the “Watergate affair”. He was succeeded by his vice president, Gerald Ford (1974-1977). Ford had not been elected Vice President with Nixon, but had been chosen after the original vice president had resigned. Thus Ford became the first president to never have been elected by the American electorate.

Ronald Reagan, Republican (1981-1989)

After a career as Hollywood actor and TV host, Ronald Reagan became active in politics and was elected Governor of California, and, later, President of the USA. During his presidency, he introduced a liberalization of the financial markets which, some say, prepared the ground for the financial crisis of 2008. Together with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and German Bundeskanzler Helmut Kohl, he is famous for having prepared the fall of the Iron Curtain. Some Republicans have found him so important that they suggested adding his head to Mount Rushmore. This proposal was never accepted, however.

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