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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. In a conversation between JFK and Robert, how far did JFK say that he wanted to push the Russians?
(a) Not one inch farther than required.
(b) To the brink of war.
(c) He did not want to push them at all.
(d) To the precipice of no turning back.

2. What did Robert promise to do with his daughters on October 28th?
(a) Go shopping.
(b) Buy Halloween costumes.
(c) Attend the theater.
(d) Go to a Horse Show.

3. Which country does Robert identify that originally doubted the U.S.'s position regarding Cuba?
(a) France.
(b) Germany.
(c) Great Britain.
(d) Brazil.

4. How many Russian submarines were in the Caribbean after the blockade took effect?
(a) 5.
(b) 2.
(c) 12.
(d) 6.

5. Why does Khrushchev claim the Soviet Union has placed missiles in Cuba?
(a) To prevent the U.S. from invading.
(b) To provoke the U.S. into war.
(c) To potect the Soviet people in Cuba.
(d) To fire upon all major U.S. cities.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who was Tommy Thompson?

2. What do men have the power to do today that they did not in past war making?

3. Whose plane was shot down while flying reconnaissance over Cuba?

4. How many countries does the Secretary of State have to deal with?

5. Who does JFK write to after the Russians agree to remove missiles from Cuba?

Short Essay Questions

1. Khrushchev uses several metaphors in his letter to JFK. What is one metaphor and what does it mean?

2. What does Robert mean when he says "that with respect to nuclear war there is an awesome crack between unlikelihood and impossibility" (105)?

3. While still in communications with Khrushchev, RFK writes that "both 'hawks' and 'doves' sensed that our combination of limited force and diplomatic efforts had been unsuccessful" (64). What do the symbolic terms "hawks" and "doves" stand for?

4. How did Africa play a role in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

5. Why did JFK choose the Marucla for the first vessel to be boarded?

6. What does Robert tell is the final lesson learned in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

7. How does JFK view the military advisers recommending war? Why does he feel this way?

8. Why does Robert believe that a devil's advocate is necessary for the President?

9. Analyze the simile "the leaders who lived through the crisis felt what it was like to peer over the precipice" (104)?

10. How does an official from the Soviet Embassy deliver a message in an unorthodox manner? Why is it thought to be credible? What was the message?

(see the answer keys)

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