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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 publicly confronted Soviet Union Ambassador V. A. Zorin?

2. What did Adlai Stevenson suggest that offended many members of Ex Comm?

3. Before the announcement could be made that there was a Cuban Missile Crisis, what did the press report on instead of the crisis?

4. According to Robert in the section, "It was now up to one single man," what did JFK stress in his speech to the nation?

5. How many Americans could potentially have died within minutes of the known missiles being fired off as of October 18th?

Short Essay Questions

1. What distinguishes Thirteen Days as a memoir (besides the subtitle) and not just an autobiography?

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

3. Which countries immediately supported the U.S. in the decision for a blockade? Why did JFK favor a blockade over a surgical air strike?

4. How did Ex Comm formulate their recommendations to the President?

5. Why is the "great danger and risk in all of this . . . a miscalculation -- a mistake in judgment" (49)?

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

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

8. How did the US obtain their information about Russian activity in Cuba?

9. Why does RFK slip the President a note saying "I now know how Tojo felt when he was planning Pearl Harbor" (25)? How do the situations compare?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the powers of Congress and the Presidency using the JFK administration in Thirteen Days as a primary example.

Essay Topic 2

The importance of risk as a theme cannot be overlooked in Thirteen Days. With the stakes high for action or inaction, every decision is a risk. In an essay, develop an argument either for or against taking risks in political situations. Identify JFK's attitude toward risk as well as one of his opponents. Conclude with an analysis of risk and the possible repercussions.

Essay Topic 3

The extended metaphor of a knot being tied illustrates the tensions that were forming between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. In an essay, analyze the metaphor in detail. Is it an effective metaphor?

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