Unit 9: Cold War Unit Test
This test is designed to assess your knowledge of the events surround the Cold War.
There are three sections: a multiple-choice section, a short-answer section, and an
extended answer section. You will have an hour and a half to complete both sections.
Multiple Choice Sectioni
Each question will be worth 3 points each for a total of 60 points. Mark your answer
down on the Scantron.
1) Which best describes the underlying causes of the Cold War?
a) Bitter personal disputes between Stalin and Truman
b) The remaining anger of enemies on the opposing sides of World War II
c) Soviet anger at US intervention in Greece and Turkey
d) Economic and political differences between the United States and the Soviet
Union.
2) Match the following countries with their sphere of influence. To avoid confusion,
label each either “Soviet Union” or “US”
a) Poland
_____________
b) Czechoslovakia
_____________
c) West Germany
_____________
d) Japan
_____________
e) East Germany
_____________
f) Greece
_____________
3) The Truman Doctrine is an example of which United States strategy?
a) Containment
b) Détente
c) Soft power
d) Force projection
4) What did the Marshall Plan do?
a) Divided Germany into East Germany and West Germany
b) Provided aid to the people of Europe
c) Described a policy of “containment” of communism
d) Declared war on the Soviet Union
5) Which of the following is NOT an example of containment?
a) United States military aid to the right-wing government of Greece during the
Greek Civil War
b) United States defense of South Korea during the Korean War
c) CIA assassinations of communist leaders in Latin America
d) Western countries joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to
ensure mutual defense.
6) What generalization about the Korea War is supported by information on the maps?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The war began when South Korea attacked North Korea
General MacArthur launched an invasion of China early in the war
Neither side experienced a major military victory in the war
At the end of the war, Korea remained a divided country
7) Which of the following presidents would have been least likely to agree with the
Truman Doctrine?
a) George Washington
b) Franklin Roosevelt
c) Theodore Roosevelt
d) Woodrow Wilson
8) Which of the following words best describes the build up of US troops in Vietnam?
a)
b)
c)
d)
popular
gradual
sudden
successful
9) During the Cold War, American troops were stationed in all but which of these
countries?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Turkey
Grenada
Cambodia
US troops were stationed in all of the above countries
10) In response to the formation of NATO, the Soviet Union
a)
b)
c)
d)
Left the United Nations
Ended the Berlin Airlit
Created the Warsaw Pact
Joined the Marshall Plan
11) Mutually-Assured Destruction (MAD) is most closely related to which of the
following US strategies?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Containment
Massive retaliation
Détente
Isolationism
12) What was the long-term effect of the Marshall Plan?
a)
b)
c)
d)
it undermined the popularity of the Soviet Union
It fostered resentment among the people of West Berlin
It made the European economy worse
It kept Germany from rebuilding an army
13) Which of the following was not a factor leading to the United States involvement in
Vietnam?
a) French unwillingness to place more troops in Indochina
b) The Gulf of Tonkin incident
c) Corruption by South Vietnamese leaders
d) Desire of the US to contain the spread of communism
14) The United States’ experience during the Vietnam War supports the idea that the
outcome of a war
a)
b)
c)
d)
is determined mainly by technological superiority
is dependent on having the greater number of troops
is assured to countries dedicated to democratic ideals
can be strongly affected by public opinion
15) Following the United States’ military withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973, Vietnam
a)
b)
c)
d)
became a democratic nation
remained divided between North and South
adopted a communist form of government
was quickly taken over by China
16) The growth of McCarthyism in the early 1950s was based on
a)
b)
c)
d)
a public fear concerning the spread of communism in the United States
outrage over government corruption
dissatisfaction over the results of World War II
hardline military officers who supported attacking the Soviet Union
17) Which of the following is not an outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis
a) The United States removed their nuclear missiles from Turkey
b) The United States and Soviet Union established a hotline to improve
communication
c) The United States regained Cuba into their sphere of influence
d) John Kennedy became more popular among the American people
18) The image above shows which consequences of the Cold War?
a)
b)
c)
d)
The space race led to a high emphasis on math and science in US public schools
Students were drilled on how to respond to a nuclear attack
Increased funding for public education
Stricter discipline in schools to protect against communist influence
19) The Berlin Airlift can best be described as an example of which US policy?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Brinksmanship
Détente
Containment
Marshall Plan
20) The creation of the United Nations Security Council addressed which major flaw of
the League of Nations?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Lack of United States membership
Eliminating the presence of an overly-powerful international police force
The inability for the international community to use force
The inability to raise funds for international operations
Short Answer Section
Respond to each of the following four questions in three to five sentences. Write your
response on the lined paper on the back of the test. Be sure to number each response.
Each question will be worth 6 points.
21) How were troops greeted when they returned home from Vietnam? Is this similar or
different to the treatment veterans received after other armed conflicts?
22) In your own words, describe Mikhail Gorbachev’s policies of perestroika and
glasnost.
23) How was the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan similar to the American involvement
in Vietnam?
24) Why was the United Nations more effective than the League of Nations?
Essay Section (16 points)
In five paragraphs, answer the following prompt. Be sure to include at least three pieces
of evidence to support your response.
Prompt: Who is more responsible for the end of the Cold War: Mikhail Gorbachev or
Ronald Reagan?
i
Questions 1, 6, 10, 15, and 18 were taken from the Woodside High School social studies
departmental exam