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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who presented the United States case to the United Nations?

2. What did JFK order into the air at all times until the crisis was over?

3. Who unanimously pushed for immediate military action on Thursday October 18th?

4. Why did JFK change the line of interception for the blockade?

5. What does Robert believe often leads to war?

Short Essay Questions

1. How did RFK feel about his fellow members of in Ex Comm?

2. What did Adlai Stevenson suggest was a third option for the President to consider? Why was it rejected?

3. When was Congress told, and how did Congress react to the news of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

4. What was ironic about JFK's meeting with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrea Gromyko?

5. What personal insights does RFK provide about JFK when they are waiting for news about the first ships meant to reach the blockade?

6. Why does JFK bring up the book The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman?

7. What did the military and JFK do to respond to the submarine situation?

8. Why does RFK defend Adlai Stevenson's suggestion?

9. After the blockade takes effect, RFK meets with Dobrynin again. What do they discuss?

10. Why did the Intelligence Community not believe Cuba was a threat to the United States?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The fact that JFK was hesitant to actually stop a ship with the blockade demonstrates that the blockade was more symbolic than meant as an actual solution. In an essay, discuss how the blockade was symbolic. How were JFK's choices regarding the line of interception symbolic? What was symbolic about the first ship intercepted? What message was all of this meant to convey?

Essay Topic 2

In an essay compare the "hawks" and "doves" from Thirteen Days. What does the symbol mean? Who was a hawk? A dove? How do the symbols help to illustrate their differences?

Essay Topic 3

The Cuban Missile Crisis presented itself as a first ever occurrence for the U.S., and modern technology played a role in how it was handled. Identify three ways that technology effected how the Cuban Missile Crisis was handled and why it had this effect.

(see the answer keys)

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