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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. Against what strategy was the following argument used: It would be like "closing the door after the horse has left the barn" (28)?

2. After the announcement to the nation, how often would Ex Comm meet?

3. What did Ex Comm believe would happen if they put a blockade around Cuba?

4. What might have happened to the President if he had not acted?

5. Who said, "You are in a pretty bad fix, Mr. President" (29)?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. What other actions did the U.S. take besides the blockade?

4. What did Ambassador Dobrynin provide as evidence that USSR would not be a threat to the United States?

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

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

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

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

9. How does Berlin factor into the decision making about the Cuban Missile Crisis?

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

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

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 theme of understanding consequences is prevalent in Thirteen Days. Write an essay exploring this theme and its implication to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

(see the answer keys)

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