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Cold War: Unit Exam

Multiple Choice. Circle the letter that BEST answers each question. 1 point each.
1.

In response to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Soviet Union and its satellite
states formed the?
A. Eastern European Union
B. Soviet Republic Administration
C. Moscow Agreement
D. Warsaw Pact

2.

The promotion of fear of a potential rise of communism or radical leftism was called?
A. Yellow Fever
B. Red Scare
C. Soviet Terror
D. Propaganda Panic

3.

Why was the war between the Soviet Union and the United States called the Cold War?
A. The war was fought mainly in Russias frigid climate.
B. Many of the battles took place during the cold winter months.
C. No actual hot combat between the Soviet Union and the U.S. took place.
D. Numerous soldiers died from catching a cold with no way of getting treatment.

4.

After World War II, the Soviet Union established satellite states in Eastern Europe to?
A. Expand its power and control over Eastern Europe.
B. Support the remaining Fascist governments in Eastern Europe.
C. Preserve capitalism in Eastern Europe.
D. Establish democratic governments in Eastern European nations.

5.

Which is generally a characteristic of a communist economy?

A. Government agencies are involved in production planning.
B. Investment is encouraged by the promise of large profits.
C. The role of government in the economy is restricted by law.
D. Entrepreneurs sell shares in their companies to the government.

6.

What is a Proxy War?

A. A war that is fought despite not being approved of by the United Nations.
B. A war between two neighboring countries.
C. A war that divides a country into two countries.
D. A war instigated by opposing powers who do not fight against each other directly.

7.

The main reason the United Nations sent troops to Korea in 1950 was to?
A. Ensure that food reached areas of the Korean Peninsula affected by famine.
B. Prevent North Korea from conquering the people of South Korea.
C. Force the inspection of nuclear weapons plants in North Korea.
D. Restore peace between warring factions of Buddhism and Shintoism.

8.

What was the competition for supremacy in spaceflight capability between the Soviet Union and the
U.S. called?
A. The Space Race
B. The Star Wars
C. Shoot for the Moon
D. Battlestar Gallactica

9.

From the perspective of the North Vietnamese, the Vietnam war was a battle between?
A. Fascism and Liberalism
B. Republicanism and Totalitarianism
C. Theocracy and Monarchy
D. Nationalism and Imperialism

10.

United States involvement in the Vietnam War and the Soviet Unions involvement in Afghanistan
were motivated mainly by a desire to?
A. Exploit the mineral resources of the regions.
B. Support governments that would remain strong allies.
C. Stop the expansion of Japan into the Middle East.
D. Establish independent nation-states in the regions.

11.

Which is a major reason Cuban and Nicaraguan revolutionary movements were attracted to
communism?
A. Communist groups promised economic reform and better living standards.
B. Business owners and the military were supported by communist groups.
C. The goal of communism was to encourage religion.
D. Communist leaders promised to reduce Spanish colonialism in the West.

12.

Which event was closest to causing nuclear warfare between the Soviet Union and U.S.?
A. Cuban Missile Crisis
B. Korean War
C. Launch of Sputnik satellite
D. Construction of Berlin Wall

13.

During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union were reluctant to become involved in
direct military conflict mainly because of?
A. The peacekeeping role of the United Nations.
B. Pressure from nonaligned nations.
C. The potential for global nuclear destruction.
D. Increased tensions in the Middle East.

14.

A major development in relations between the Soviet Union and the United States occurred in the late
1980s when the two nations agreed to?
A. Purchase all their oil from Mexico.
B. Eliminate a group of nuclear missiles.
C. Withdraw from the United Nations.
D. Ban arms sales to developing nations.

15.

Which president did not serve in the White House at any time during the Cold War?
A. Franklin D. Roosevelt
B. Dwight D. Eisenhower
C. Harry S. Truman
D. John F. Kennedy

16.

Which is not a reason the Viet Cong were so dangerous during the Vietnam War?
A. They were familiar with the landscape.
B. They had much more advanced weaponry than the United States.
C. They could hide in plain sight amongst other Southern Vietnamese.
D. They received supplies and other aid via the Ho Chi Minh trail.

17.

Which two policies introduced by Gorbachev brought on the revolution to end the Cold War?
A. Babushka and Sputnik
B. Spetsnaz and Piroshky
C. Chernobyl and Bolshevik
D. Glasnost and Perestroika

18.

Which couple was arrested and convicted for espionage and sentenced to death?
A. Alexander and Elena Goldstein
B. Boris and Natalia Romanov
C. Julius and Ethel Rosenburg
D. Ivan and Karina Drago

Correct the False Statement. Change the underlined part of the sentence to make it true. One point each.
19.

The Korean War resulted in settling the border between to the two countries at just about where it
started, the equator.

20.

Two American ships were allegedly fired upon in The Bay of Pigs by Northern Vietnamese ships
causing President Johnson to gain Congress approval to declare war on Vietnam.

21.

Senator Douglas MacArthur led a series of Witch Hunts to find Communist spies in which he made
wildly irresponsible accusations.

22.

Containing communism was important because according to the House of Cards Theory, if one
country fell to communism, its surrounding countries would fall as well.

23.

Many Americans viewed the Vietnam War as senseless and brutal, especially when an American
platoon murdered more than 200 innocent victims in a South Vietnamese town because they were
believed to be part of the Viet Cong. This event became known as the Saigon Slaughter.

Matching. Write the letter of the President responsible for each event. 1 point each.
Event

List of Presidents

24.

Failed invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

25.

Spread democracy and increased arms spending which led

to the collapse of Soviet Union.

26.

Established a doctrine with policy to contain communism.

27.

Pentagon Papers leaked leading to Watergate scandal.

a. Franklin D. Roosevelt
b. Harry S. Truman
c. Dwight D. Eisenhower
d. John F. Kennedy
e. Lyndon B. Johnson
f. Richard Nixon
g. James Carter
h. Ronald Reagan
i. George H. W. Bush

28.

Did not seek re-election due to public disapproval of Vietnam War.

Constructed Response. Answer each of the following questions in a structured paragraph. 4 points each.
29.

How much of a priority should it be for the United States to contain communism around the world?

30.

What is your assessment of John F. Kennedy's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

31.

On the spectrum of absolute Marxist Communism to complete Capitalism, describe how much
economic control the government should have over a country.

BONUS!! 1 point for each correct answer.

B1.

Name one substance that the U.S. dropped on Vietnam during Operation Rolling Thunder.

B2.

What was the name of the dog who was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union?

B3.

Following WWII, what was the name of the area covering Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos?