SAMPLE EXAM FOR TERRORISM UNDERSTANDING
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1. The term "terror" has been accepted as most originating in:
    A. England
    B. France *
    C. Israel
    D. Iran

2. Generally, a terrorist group has no legitimacy and therefore its aims have no validity.
    A. True *
    B. False

3. The deliberate slaughter of armed soldiers in an ambush during war is as unacceptable as the deliberate slaughter of innocent children in an act of terrorism.
    A. True
    B. False *

4. Which of the following is NOT an act of terrorism?
    A. the Million Man March on Washington D.C. *
    B. assassination of a political leader
    C. bombing of an abortion clinic
    D. the criminal lynching of blacks in the South

5. What type of terrorist engages in what is called a "vendetta"?
    A. one with strong political beliefs
    B. one with strong religious beliefs
    C. one with strong family ties *
    D. one with a strong sense of injustice

6. Assassins have historically been indoctrinated to believe that they were acting as:
    A. cannon fodder
    B. righteous killers
    C. world savers
    D. divine instruments *

7. What term comes closest to describing religious terrorism?
    A. conflictual terrorism
    B. violent eschatology *
    C. extrajuridicial repression
    D. state-sponsored terrorism

8. Which type of terrorism fell on hard times after the collapse of the Communist empire?
    A. ethno-religious terrorism
    B. cyberterrorism
    C. ecoterrorism
    D. state-sponsored terrorism *

9. Which phrase completes the so-called "simple" definition of terrorism provided by Jenkins, Hoffman, and Laqueur that terrorism is the illegitimate use of force to achive political ends by…
    A. targeting innocent people *
    B. using military-style tactics
    C. achieving media attention
    D. forcing government repression

10. What federal statute defines terrorism?
    A. Title 17 USC
    B. Title 18 USC
    C. Title 22 USC *
    D. Title 23 USC

11. Why are most scholars critical of typologies of terrorism?
    A. they only describe patterns among events
    B. they do not help with fluid situations
    C. they tend to not be theoretically based
    D. they tend to compare variables that should not be compared *

12. Where on the Continuum of Conflict would a guerrilla war be located?
    A. below terrorism and below organized crime
    B. above terrorism and before low-level war *
    C. below terrorism and above crime
    D. above terrorism and above conventional war

13. Which of the following is NOT a force multiplier in terrorism?
    A. technology
    B. media
    C. charismatic leadership *
    D. host nation support

14. Which of the following is NOT normally a way terrorist groups obtain loyalty and justification?
    A. religious conversion *
    B. mission training
    C. by arguing that terrorism is the only action available
    D. by arguing that the enemy is deserving of eradication

15. According to the following typology, which type of terrorist is the most rare?
    A. true criminals *
    B. true crazies
    C. true crusaders
    D. true comrades

16. The idea that forms of terrorism, such as cyber- and narco-, are modes of attack rather than separate forms of terrorism stems from the writing of what terrorism expert?
    A. Brian Jenkins
    B. William Dyson *
    C. Walter Lacquer
    D. Martha Crenshaw

17. What social class do religious terrorists usually come from?
    A. lower class
    B. middle class
    C. upper class
    D. all classes *

18. Ted Gurr's historical analysis of political violence has shown that most terrorist campaigns last about how long?
    A. 6 months
    B. 12 months
    C. 18 months *
    D. 24 months

19. What is the most common job within a terrorist organization?
    A. command and control
    B. logistics and support *
    C. cadre and combat
    D. cell and strategy

20. The idea of analyzing financial infrastructures as the best approach to the study of terrorism can be traced to the work of:
    A. James Adams *
    B. Brian Jenkins
    C. Lord Louis Mountbatten
    D. Carlos Marighella

21. What part of the world has four religious conflicts going on at any given time?
    A. the Balkans
    B. the Indian subcontinent *
    C. Africa
    D. Southwest Asia

22.  Which of the following best explains the "doctrine of necessity" and how it is involved in justifying terrorist action?
    A. terrorists feel the status quo is worse than any terrorist action *
    B. terrorists feel their terrorist action is necessary
    C. terrorists believe in the necessity of their actions
    D. terrorists believe that present conditions necessitate action

23. The Syrians use _______________ and refrain from direct involvement in terrorism.
    A. recruiting
    B. propaganda
    C. subcontracting *
    D. non-lethal weapons

24. France in the 1960s and 1970s became a safe haven for what Palestinian group?
    A. PKK
    B. PIRA
    C. PFLP *
    D. SLA

25. Which Middle Eastern leader turned to terrorism only as an alternative to conventional war?
    A. King Hussein of Jordan
    B. Yasser Arafat of the PLO
    C. Moamar Khadaffy of Libya *
    D. Abu Musawi of Hizbollah

26. What Lebanese Shiite militia group was trained by the PLO and eventually joined the Iranian Revolutionary Guards to become Hizbollah?
    A. Islamic Jihad
    B. Amal *
    C. Force 17
    D. PFLP GC

27. For which Middle Eastern terrorist group has it been the hardest to trace their funding and flow of money?
    A. Islamic Jihad *
    B. Armed Islamic Group
    C. ul-Fuqra
    D. al-Qaeda

28. What story has the Israeli government usually issued to the media when a Jewish radical fundamentalist goes on a Muslim-killing rampage?
    A. that it was retaliation for the killing of Jews
    B. that the action is justified in times of war and crisis
    C. that the actor suffered from a mental breakdown *
    D. that there are no radical fundamentalists in Israel

29.  Which Palestinian group is most known for suicide attacks inside Israel?
    A. Hizbollah
    B. Hamas
    C. Palestinian Islamic Jihad *
    D. PLO

30. In what country is the Islamic group HUM based in?
    A. Sudan
    B. Azerbaijan
    C. Algeria
    D. Pakistan *

31. What is the critical difference between ideological and nationalist terrorism?
    A. ideologists want a new economic order while nationalists want to keep the old economic order *
    B. ideologists believe one type of government is best while nationalists believe in pluralism
    C. some ideologists do not embrace violence while nationalists are almost always violent
    D. there is no difference because the line has grown blurry

32. Which ideological terrorist group did most emerging ideological terrorist groups in Europe always try to partner or connect with?
    A. Red Army Faction
    B. Red Brigades
    C. Direct Action *
    D. Red Cell

33. What ideological terrorist group has gone through three (3) successive generations of metamorphosis?
    A. the Japanese Red Army
    B. the Italian Red Brigade
    C. the German Bader-Meinhoff Gang *
    D. the Puerto-Rican FALN

34. Which European group came closest to emulating the Tupamaros model than any other group in Europe?
    A. Red Brigades *
    B. Red Army Faction
    C. GRAPO
    D. Dev Sol

35. Why are neofascist terrorist groups more selective about their targets than other right-wing groups?
    A. their ideology allows for working within the system
    B. their training and discipline is more intense *
    C. they have less interest in grand acts of retaliation
    D. they prefer to stay underground and invisible

36. Which of the following is the LEAST satisfactory definition of terrorism?
    A. the threat of harm to innocent bystanders
    B. the unlawful use of violence for socio-political purposes
    C. the targeting of noncombatants by sub-national or nation-sponsored groups
    D. the use of fear or anything that strikes terror in the hearts of an enemy *

37. A right-wing death squad that operates outside the formal political structures but supporting the current government within a country would be called:
    A. a guerilla fighting unit
    B. freedom fighters
    C. extrajuridicial repression *
    D. a shadow government

38. In military jargon, what does C4I stand for?
    A. Countermeasures for Intelligence
    B. Command, Control, Communications, Computing, Intelligence *
    C. Cryptoanalysis, Counterintelligence, Computing, Control, Intelligence
    D. Computing for Infowarfare

39. When terrorists are compared to criminals, what criminal justice objective is usually said to be the LEAST applicable?
    A. restitution
    B. retribution
    C. deterrence *
    D. rehabilitation

40. From an intelligence viewpoint, what is the most frequently recommended and used counterterrorism technique?
    A. profiling of previous, current, and emerging leaders
    B. analysis of the skills and expertise of members
    C. locational analysis of safe houses and stash houses
    D. regular attacks on supply lines and stash houses *

41. What four months of the year do wars usually start?
    A. January, February, March, April
    B. March, April, May, June
    C. April, May, June, July *
    D. June, July, August, September

42. Which force multiplier is most likely to provide a terrorist group with a higher level of activity?
    A. technology
    B. transnational support *
    C. media
    D. religion

43. Other than interdiction, what technique does the U.S. use against "source-zone" narcoterrorist countries?
    A. international censure
    B. cutoff of diplomatic relations
    C. decertification *
    D. adjustment of immigration quotas

44. The wife of Carlos the Jackal belonged to what terrorist group?
    A. the Japanese Red Army
    B. the Italian Red Brigade
    C. the German Bader-Meinhoff Gang *
    D. the Puerto Rican FALN

45. Which one of the "big seven" state sponsors of terrorism is a beachhead for the penetration of terrorist ideology into the whole continent where the country is located?
    A. Sudan *
    B. Syria
    C. Iran
    D. North Korea

46. What phrase best describes H.H.A. Cooper's "doctrine of necessity" justification?
    A. when political ideology mingles with religious ideology
    B. when terrorists become isolated before a suicide mission
    C. when facilitative social factors create a climate conducive to terrorism
    D. when terrorists decide continuance of the status quo is worse than terrorism *

47. Who offers the best argument for profiling terrorist personalities based on a social psychology model of how terrorism is produced?
    A. Walter Laqueur
    B. Jeffrey Ian Ross *
    C. Douglas Bodrero
    D. H.H.A. Cooper

48. Which part of a terrorist organization has a semiautonomous command structure?
    A. cadre
    B. cell
    C. column *
    D. caliph

49. What is the term Jonathan White prefers to use in describing leaderless resistance instead of "lone wolf"?
    A. berserker *
    B. battlebot
    C. holy warrior
    D. clandestine agent

50. What type of terrorist group would be the most difficult to infiltrate?
    A. groups with a strong ideological cause
    B. groups with a well-organized cell structure *
    C. groups with extensive computer skills
    D. groups with charismatic leaders

51. In Professor Huntington's famous book, The Clash of Civilizations, he argues there are eight cultural paradigms at war with one another today. Which region has three such civilizations, and is a classic example of his thesis?
    A. the Pacific Rim
    B. Latin America
    C. the Middle East
    D. the Balkans *

52. In the disputed area known as Kashmir, who do the Sikhs side with?
    A. Pakistan
    B. India
    C. China
    D. Tibet
    E. They are mostly neutral*

53. The group known as Posse Comitatus has what type of religious ideology?
    A. apocalyptic vision
    B. white supremacy *
    C. freewheeling fundamentalism
    D. Creatorism

54. Which figure in the history of anarchist terrorism advocated benign anarchy, or the peaceful dissolution of government or Western models of government?
    A. Proudhon *
    B. Bakunin
    C. Kropotkin
    D. Heinzen

55. The most violent right-wing terrorist group in America has been based on a book called ___________.
    A. The Anarchist Cookbook
    B. The Armageddon
    C. The Philosopher's Stone
    D. The Turner Diaries *

56. What type of terrorism are the Irish credited with having developed?
    A. religious terrorism
    B. anarchist terrorism
    C. nationalist terrorism *
    D. urban terrorism

57. What group did the IRA have its origins in, as far back as the mid-to-late 1800s?
    A. the Irish Benevolence Society (IBS)
    B. the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) *
    C. the American-Irish Friends Committee
    D. Sinn Fein

58. The Orange or Protestant side of terrorism in Ireland is best explained by which of the following?
    A. retribution for Green terrorist attacks *
    B. a sense of betrayal by the British government
    C. a strategy of splintering the IRA into Provisional and Real forces
    D. an attempt to obtain the sympathies of police forces

59. When did the Zionist movement begin in terms of when Zionists first start moving to Palestine for the purposes of establishing a Jewish homeland?
    A. shortly after the prophet Mohammed's death
    B. shortly after the fall of the Ottoman empire
    C. shortly before the start of World War I *
    D. shortly before the start of World War II

60. Which of the following is NOT a common characteristic of Middle Eastern terrorism?
    A. dissatisfaction over the existence of Israel
    B. anti-imperialism
    C. anti-Western
    D. national identification *

61. Which branch of Islam tends to attract the poor and hopeless?
    A. Sunni
    B. Shiite *
    C. Ba'ath
    D. Reza

62. Which Middle Eastern figure did the most to develop the concept of martyrdom as that concept has become commonplace in rewarding suicide terrorists?
    A. Ayatollah Khomeini *
    B. Yasser Arafat
    C. Saddam Hussein
    D. Abu Nidal

63. Which theorist of urban terrorism is responsible for the idea that Western imperialism is the primary cause of mental illness in the third world?
    A. Raul Sendic
    B. Carlos Marighella
    C. Che Guevara
    D. Frantz Fanon *

64. Which theorist of urban terrorism is most responsible for the tactic of provoking government overreaction -- so that people can see the government's true colors?
    A. Raul Sendic
    B. Carlos Marighella *
    C. Che Guevara
    D. Frantz Fanon

65. What Latin American group's organizational structure was so well-developed that it rivaled the PLO and IRA, and became a blueprint for modern terrorism?
    A. Sendero Luminoso
    B. Zapatista
    C. Tupamaros *
    D. FALN

66. What number of individuals exist in the operational cells of the most successful terrorist groups that have employed the "firing unit" concept?
    A. 1-3
    B. 4-6 *
    C. 7-9
    D. 10-12

67. What was the name for the militant arm of Yasser Arafat's PLO that racked up a series of successful attacks against the Israeli Defense Force?
    A. Islamic Jihad
    B. al-Azaam
    C. al Fatah *
    D. Popular Front

68. What best describes the Ba'ath party, or Saddam Hussein's party, that rules all of Iraq and most of Syria?
    A. a pan-Arabic socialist movement *
    B. an anti-Israeli fundamentalist movement
    C. a pro-democracy anti-Western movement
    D. a column-style form of terrorist government

69. What factor best provides an understanding of how Abu Nidal became an international terrorist organization?
    A. ruthlessness toward Western targets
    B. willingness to attack Arab targets
    C. charismatic leadership
    D. acceptance of different ideologies *

70. Other than Abu Nidal, what terrorist group has most used murder to keep its members in line?
    A. PLO
    B. IRA
    C. Japanese Red Army *
    D. Shining Path

71. What "flashpoint" country is the most expansionist?
    A. Korea
    B. China *
    C. Iran
    D. CIS

72. Which "flashpoint" country has the most favorable geostrategic location?
    A. Korea
    B. China
    C. Iran *
    D. CIS

73. What country serves as a transshipment center in black market arms trading?
    A. Libya
    B. Indonesia
    C. Bolivia *
    D. Nigeria

74. Which country is the world's SECOND most warring nation?
    A. India *
    B. Israel
    C. Pakistan
    D. Zaire

75. Which country has internal security problems in its provinces of Mizo, Nagas, & Bodos?
    A. India *
    B. Russia
    C. Czech Republic
    D. Yemen

76. Which country has been at war with Hamas & Hizbollah since 1975?
    A. Iraq
    B. Israel *
    C. Turkey
    D. Yemen

77. Which African nation has had territorial conflicts with Eritrean rebels?
    A. Cameroon
    B. Chad
    C. Ethiopia *
    D. Liberia

78. In which country is the Sendero Luminosa (Shining Path) headquartered?
    A. Guatemala
    B. Honduras
    C. Mexico
    D. Peru *

79. Which of the following was NOT a U.S. peacekeeping operation in 1995?
    A. Operation Safe Haven  *
    B. Operation Uphold Democracy
    C. Operation Vigilant Warrier
    D. Operation Deliberate Force

80. How often can the U.S. Secretary of State add organizations to the list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organization?
    A. every year
    B. every two years
    C. every three years
    D. at any time *

81. Which of the following are an exiled dissident group found on U.S. soil?
    A. Posse Comitatus
    B. May 19th Movement
    C. Armed Resistance Movement
    D. Cuban Political Factions *

82. Which of the following would NOT occur with a high-altitude nuclear blast?
    A. temporary or permanent shutdown of computer systems
    B. a sideways and downward pattern of shock waves
    C. a thermal pulse that ignites anything combustible
    D. nuclear fallout of radioactive material *

83. After the United States and Russia, which country has the most nuclear weapons?
    A. Great Britain *
    B. France
    C. China
    D. Israel

84. Sarin gas, such as that used in Tokyo's subway incident, is what type of chemical agent?
    A. blister
    B. nerve *
    C. blood
    D. hallucinogenic

85. CIA profiling is more _______ and _______ than FBI profiling.
    A. deductive, predictive
    B. intuitive, psychological
    C. clinical, psychodynamic *
    D. informed, demographic

86. What was the name of the regime that the CIA propped up in Chile for many years?
    A. Allende government
    B. Pinochet government *
    C. Gossens government
    D. Evita government

87. Who makes recommendations to the President that the CIA engage in covert action?
    A. the Director of Central Intelligence
    B. the National Security Council *
    C. the Joint Chiefs of Staff
    D. the Oversight Congressional Committees

88. Which country regularly boasts that it will launch a nuclear strike against the U.S. if threatened or attacked?
    A. Cuba
    B. North Korea *
    C. India
    D. Japan

89. Which Latin American country has been fighting a rebellion of its Indian population for centuries?
    A. Honduras
    B. Nicaragua
    C. Guatemala *
    D. Salvador

90. What type of terrorism would skyjacking and hostage taking be?
    A. Limited political
    B. Quasi-terrorism *
    C. Revolutionary
    D. State-sponsored

91. What kind of court does the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1996 set up?
    A. a World Court at The Hague
    B. a U.N. Court in New York City
    C. a special "removal court" in Washington DC *
    D. a special "deportation court" at INS offices

92. From an intelligence standpoint, why is it important to know the source and application of funding for terrorist groups?
    A. it helps to identify hidden members of the terrorist group
    B. it helps to trace the criminal activities of the terrorist group
    C. it helps to predict preparations for a terrorist attack *
    D. it helps to make the intelligence report well-rounded

93. What type of terrorism do most experts think will dominate American terrorism in the 21st century?
    A. domestic terrorism
    B. ethnic terrorism
    C. eco-terrorism *
    D. cyber-terrorism

94. What goal do most eco-terrorists seek?
    A. preservation of the environment
    B. protection of endangered species
    C. destruction or degradation of mankind *
    D. both A and B

95. What is the biggest gap in the academic literature on terrorism?
    A. social psychological profiling of leader and emerging leaders
    B. historical and social background of terrorist groups
    C. policy analysis and counterterrorism recommendations
    D. analysis of scenarios involving terrorist use of technology *

96. Which Weapons of Mass Destruction do most experts predict terrorists will use?
    A. nuclear
    B. biological
    C. chemical *
    D. computers

97. Most researchers of terrorism and the media conclude the press is most of the time:
    A. a quasi-Constitutional force keeping government in check
    B. a neutral force or weapon *
    C. an ally of terrorism
    D. an exploiter of terrorism

98. Identify the correct sequence of terrorists' favored techniques from the 19th--20th--21st centuries.
    A. bombing--assassination--technology
    B. assassination--bombing--technology *
    C. technology--bombing--assassination
    D. bombing--technology--assassination

99. Which criminal justice professor would analyze terrorism "labels" from a semiotics point of view?
    A. Peter Kraska
    B. Abraham Blumberg
    C. Jeffrey Ian Ross
    D. Peter Manning *

100. Which terrorism expert is most concerned about the loss of privacy in the war on terrorism?
    A. Walter Laqueur
    B. Richard Clutterbuck
    C. James Stinson
    D. Simson Garfinkel *

Last updated: Apr 25, 2007
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