Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War

Which of the following excerpts from the article BEST explains the main idea about the Cuban Missile Crisis?

• The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 was the moment in the Cold War when the United States and the Soviet Union came closest to nuclear war. The crisis was unique in several ways.

• In April 1962, the U.S had tried to invade Cuba during the Bay of Pigs invasion. It failed, and did not drive Cuban premier Fidel Castro from power in Cuba.

• Other Kennedy advisers wanted just to send warnings to Cuba and the Soviet Union. The president decided to order that Soviet ships would not be allowed to bring weapons to Cuba.

• He proposed steps for the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba under supervision of the United Nations. He also promised that the United States would not attack Cuba.

Read the first paragraph of the section "Took a dramatic turn."

On October 24, Khrushchev answered Kennedy and said that Soviet ships would keep coming to Cuba. However, on October 24 and 25, some Soviet ships turned back from entering Cuba. Others were stopped by U.S. Navy ships and searched, but no weapons were found. Meanwhile, more U-2 flights over Cuba showed the Soviet missile sites were almost ready. The U.S. was moving closer to war.

How does this paragraph reflect a CENTRAL idea of the article?

• it shows how the Soviet Union could not be trusted to follow through on their promises

• it shows why nuclear war is needed to solve disputes between leaders

• it shows the mounting tension caused by miscommunication and miscalculation

• it shows the way the Soviet Union responded to Kennedy's efforts to avoid nuclear war

Based on the article, which statement BEST expresses the way Khrushchev and Kennedy felt about nuclear weapons?

• They are a necessary part of war and production should continue.

• They should never be produced again and all existing weapons should be destroyed.

• They should be used on other countries that possess nuclear weapons.

• They are a drastic measure and production of nuclear weapons should be reduced.

Why is ABC News correspondent John Scali mentioned in the article?

• He shows the important role the media played in resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis.

• He gives an important example of how communication between the United States and the Soviet Union was not clear.

• He was an important messenger to the president and conveyed Khrushchev's views on nuclear war.

• He was responsible for improving communication between the Soviets and the United States during the crisis.

The Soviet Union placed missiles in Cuba in order to ___ the island of Cuba.

• Attack

• Defend

• Conquer

• Colonize

The United States called the blockade a quarantine because:

• Quarantine sounds better than a blockade

• Quarantine is the correct military term

• A blockade is a term for war; a quarantine isn’t

• A blockade suggests illness

The Cuban Missile Crisis is when the US reached which DEFCON level?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Which government individuals negotiated the end of the Crisis on October 27?

• Robert Kennedy and Vasili Arkhipov

• Vasili Arhkipov and Anatoly Dobrynin

• Robert Kennedy and Anatoly Dobrynin

• John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev

Which of the following was NOT part of the agreement between the US and the USSR?

• The U.S will never invade Cuba

• The Soviet Union will remove the missiles from Cuba

• UN will inspect the removal of missiles in Cuba

• The Soviet Union will hold open elections