Cold War Study
Guide and Test
Includes:
*Study Guide
*Two versions of the same test for
differentiation
*Answer Keys
Table of
Contents:
Study Guide………………………………….3
Version 1 of Test………………….……..7
Version 2 of Test…………………………11
Name ___________________________
Date _______________
Cold War Study Guide
1. What year did the Cold War begin and when did it end?
_____________________________________________________________________
2. What are the differences between a communist and a capitalist government?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Name 3 communist countries. Which one is closest to the US?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5. How did the Cuban Missile Crisis end?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6. What was an imaginary line separating Europe’s communist and non-communist
countries?
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Which countries were involved in the Korean War? Underline the communist
countries.
_____________________________________________________________________
8. How did the Korean War end?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
9. What was the purpose of the Berlin Airlift?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
10. What was built to divide East Berlin and West Berlin?
_____________________________________________________________________
11. What caused the arms race between the US and USSR?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
12. What did the military alliance NATO want to keep the Soviets from doing?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
13. Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
14. Who was the first to walk on the moon and what country was he/she from?
_____________________________________________________________________
15. What was the purpose of the United Nations?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
16. What was the Vietnam War?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
17. What was the outcome of the Vietnam War?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Cold War Study Guide Answer Key
1. What year did the Cold War begin and when did it end?
1945-1990
2. What are the differences between a communist and a capitalist government?
A communist government is where people have few choices, government regulates
economy, and goods are shared equally. A capitalist government is when people have
many choices and a free market.
3. Name 3 communist countries. Which one is closest to the US?
Answers can include: USSR (Soviet Union), Cuba, China, North Korea. Cuba is the closest.
4. What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
United States learned that Soviets had nuclear missiles in Cuba.
5. How did the Cuban Missile Crisis end?
It ended with a peaceful agreement to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba. In return,
United States would not invade.
6. What was an imaginary line separating Europe’s communist and non-communist
countries?
It is called the “Iron Curtain”.
7. Which countries were involved in the Korean War? Underline the communist
countries.
Answers include: North Korea, China, USSR (Soviet Union), United States, South Korea,
and other United Nations countries.
8. How did the Korean War end?
Neither side won. Each agreed to stop fighting. The country remains divided today.
9. What was the purpose of the Berlin Airlift?
It helped get food and supplies to the people of West Berlin.
10. What was built to divide East Berlin and West Berlin?
Berlin Wall
11. What caused the arms race between the US and USSR?
The race or competition began because each country wanted to present a strong
military to the world.
12. What did the military alliance NATO want to keep the Soviets from doing?
It kept the Soviets from forcing other nations to become communist.
13. Who was Nikita Khrushchev?
He was a Soviet dictator who took over after Josef Stalin. He helped Fidel Castro get
missiles to Cuba.
14. Who was the first to walk on the moon and what country was he/she from?
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were both from the United States.
15. What was the purpose of the United Nations?
It is designed to keep peace among nations in the world.
16. What was the Vietnam War?
It was a war centered on communism. Communist North Vietnam and the Vietcong
invaded South Vietnam. The United States joined the war effort for about five years
before withdrawing.
17. What was the outcome of the Vietnam War?
The United States, North Vietnam, and South Vietnam agreed to a cease fire. The United
States slowly began withdrawing troops. Within two years, the Vietcong and North
Vietnam will seize South Vietnam. North Vietnam will win the war and succeed in making
Vietnam a communist country.
Name ___________________________
Date ____________
# _______
Cold War Test
Section 1: Multiple Choice - Choose the best answer for each question. Write the letter
choice on the line.
____ 1. What was the approximate time period of the Cold War?
A. 1917-1945
B. 1917-1965
C. 1945-1963
D. 1945-1990
____ 2. The Cold War included all of the following except:
A. an arms race between US and the USSR
B. trench warfare between the US and the USSR
C. competition for scientific innovation between the US and the USSR
D. fear in the US that communism would spread
____ 3. Which statement does not fit with the ideologies of communist countries?
A. All people should have equal resources.
B. The state is the only religion people need.
C. The market should be left alone to regulate itself.
D. Freedom of thought is dangerous.
____ 4. All of the following countries were on the same side in the Korean War except:
A. South Korea
B. USSR
C. North Korea
D. China
____ 5. The communist country nearest to the US in the 1960s was
A. Soviet Union
B. China
C. North Korea
D. Cuba
____ 6. Which characteristic is true of communism but not capitalism?
A. The means of production are owned by individuals.
B. People can make money investing in the stock market.
C. Wealth is mostly evenly distributed among people.
D. People can buy whatever they can afford.
____ 7. The Cuban Missile Crisis ended with
A. an invasion of Cuban exiles
B. a peaceful agreement to remove Soviet missiles from Cuba and the
US would not invade Cuba
C. US air strikes against Cuban missile sites
D. a permanent naval blockade of Cuba
____ 8. Why did the United States conduct the Berlin Airlift in 1948?
A. to help get supplies into West Berlin
B. to keep the Soviets away from Berlin
C. to help people escape from East Berlin
D. to drop bombs on the city of Berlin
____ 9. The countries that belonged to NATO wanted to
A. keep people from leaving East Berlin.
B. keep the Soviets from forcing other nations to become communist.
C. keep people from leaving West Berlin.
D. keep the US from forcing other nations to become democratic.
____ 10. What was the result of the Korean War?
A. Neither side won the Korean War.
B. North Korea won and joined with South Korea.
C. South Korea won and joined with North Korea.
D. Communist China won the Korean War.
____ 11. In 1946, the British Prime Minister said in a speech that an "Iron Curtain" had
fallen across the European continent. This "Iron Curtain" was
A. an imaginary line separating Europe's communist and non-communist
countries.
B. a wall built between countries controlled by Nazi Germany and ones that
weren’t.
C. another name for English Channel, which protects England from invasion.
D. another name for the Alps, which protected it from the USSR during the
Cold War.
____12. Some people thought U.S. should fight in Vietnam because ______.
A. the U.S. spent billions of dollars on the war.
B. many American soldiers were dying.
C. the United States had to stop communism.
D. of the results of U.S. bombing raids on Vietnamese civilians.
____13. How was the United States involved in the Vietnam War?
A. The United States did not send any troops.
B. The United States fought to help North Vietnam.
C. The United States fought to help South Vietnam.
D. The United States did not send soldiers.
Section 2: True or False - Write T for true and F for false on the line.
____ 14. The United Nations was formed to try to keep peace in the world.
____ 15. The Cold War was fought between the United States and Canada.
____ 16. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet dictator, decided to take missiles out of Cuba to
end the Cuban Missile Crisis.
____ 17. The Berlin Blockade provided the people of East Berlin food and supplies that
were dropped out of an airplane.
____ 18. The Soviets built the Iron Curtain to divide East Berlin and West Berlin.
____ 19. The arms race was caused when both the Soviet Union and the United States
wanted to have a stronger military.
____ 20. The Cuban Missile Crisis started when the Soviet Union learned that the United
States was putting missiles in Cuba.
____ 21. Neil Armstrong was the first American to walk on the moon.
Section 3: Short Answer- Use the cartoon to answer the questions in complete
sentences. (5 points)
Document A Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy
22. Examine the cartoon carefully. Explain why the two men are sitting this way? Use
as many details from history as you can to support your answer.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Answer Key
1. D
16. F
2. B
17. F
3. C
18. F
4. A
19. F
5. D
20. T
6. C
21. T
7. B
22. The president of the United
States, John F. Kennedy Jr. and
the dictator of the Soviet Union,
Nikita Khrushchev, are in an arms
race – hence the arm wrestling.
United States wanted to keep
communism from spreading to
other nations, while Soviet Union
wanted the opposite. Thus, the
“Iron Curtain” was born. They are
sitting on nuclear weapons
because each country had created
their own weapons to use if
necessary. Khrushchev eventually
armed Cuba with missiles that were
aimed at the United States for
several days. This became known
as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
8. A
9. B
10. A
11. A
12. C
13. C
14. T
15. F
Name ___________________________
Date ____________
# _______
Cold War Test
Section 1: Multiple Choice - Choose the best answer for each question. Write the letter
choice on the line.
____ 1. What was the approximate time period of the Cold War?
A. 1917-1945
B. 1917-1965
C. 1945-1963
D. 1945-1990
____ 2. The Cold War included all of the following except:
A. an arms race between US and the USSR
B. trench warfare between the US and the USSR
C. competition for scientific innovation between the US and the USSR
D. fear in the US that communism would spread
____ 3. Which statement does not fit with the ideologies of communist countries?
A. All people should have equal resources.
B. The state is the only religion people need.
C. The market should be left alone to regulate itself.
D. Freedom of thought is dangerous.
____ 4. All of the following countries were on the same side in the Korean War except:
A. South Korea
B. USSR
C. North Korea
D. China
____ 5. The communist country nearest to the US in the 1960s was
A. Soviet Union
B. China
C. North Korea
D. Cuba
____ 6. Which characteristic is true of communism but not capitalism?
A. The means of production are owned by individuals.
B. People can make money investing in the stock market.
C. Wealth is mostly evenly distributed among people.
D. People can buy whatever they can afford.
____ 7. Why did the United States conduct the Berlin Airlift in 1948?
A. to help get supplies into West Berlin
B. to keep the Soviets away from Berlin
C. to help people escape from East Berlin
D. to drop bombs on the city of Berlin
____ 8. The countries that belonged to NATO wanted to
A. keep people from leaving East Berlin.
B. keep the Soviets from forcing other nations to become communist.
C. keep people from leaving West Berlin.
D. keep the US from forcing other nations to become democratic.
____ 9. What was the result of the Korean War?
A. Neither side won the Korean War.
B. North Korea won and joined with South Korea.
C. South Korea won and joined with North Korea.
D. Communist China won the Korean War.
____10. Some people thought U.S. should fight in Vietnam because ______.
A. the U.S. spent billions of dollars on the war.
B. many American soldiers were dying.
C. the United States had to stop communism.
D. of the results of U.S. bombing raids on Vietnamese civilians.
____11. How was the United States involved in the Vietnam War?
A. The United States did not send any troops.
B. The United States fought to help North Vietnam.
C. The United States fought to help South Vietnam.
D. The United States did not send soldiers.
Section 2: True or False - Write T for true and F for false on the line.
____ 12. The United Nations was formed to try to keep peace in the world.
____ 13. The Cold War was fought between the United States and Canada.
____ 14. The Berlin Blockade provided the people of East Berlin food and supplies that
were dropped out of an airplane.
____ 15. The Soviets built the Iron Curtain to divide East Berlin and West Berlin.
____ 16. The arms race was caused when both the Soviet Union and the United States
wanted to have a stronger military.
____ 17. The Cuban Missile Crisis started when the Soviet Union learned that the United
States was putting missiles in Cuba.
Section 3: Short Answer: Answer the questions in complete sentences.
18. What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
19. Who coined the phrase “the iron curtain”? ________________________________
20. What was the iron curtain? ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
21. Who was the first man to walk on the moon? _______________________________
Section 4: Extended Response - Use the cartoon to answer the questions in complete
sentences. (5 points)
Document A: Nikita Khrushchev and John F. Kennedy
22. Examine the cartoon carefully. Explain why the two men are sitting this way? Use
as many details from history as you can to support your answer.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Answer Key
1. D
3. C
18. The Soviet Union supplied Cuba,
a communist country, with nuclear
weapons. Those missiles were
trained at the United States for
several days.
4. A
19. Winston Churchill
5. D
6. C
20. An imaginary line separating
Europe's communist and noncommunist countries.
7. A
21. Neil Armstrong
8. B
22. The president of the United
States, John F. Kennedy Jr. and
the dictator of the Soviet Union,
Nikita Khrushchev, are in an arms
race – hence the arm wrestling.
United States wanted to keep
communism from spreading to
other nations, while Soviet Union
wanted the opposite. Thus, the
“Iron Curtain” was born. They are
sitting on nuclear weapons
because each country had created
their own weapons to use if
necessary. Khrushchev eventually
armed Cuba with missiles that were
aimed at the United States for
several days. This became known
as the Cuban Missile Crisis.
2. B
9. A
10. C
11. C
12. T
13. F
14. T
15. F
16. F
17. F