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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. In the section entitled, "It was now up to one single man," when did JFK hope to broadcast his plan to the nation?

2. When Robert meets with Dobrynin after the blockade is put into effect, what does Dobrynin say the ships will do?

3. What disturbing news increased the danger of intercepting a Russian ship?

4. Who was concerned about how the U.S. would convince the rest of the world that the blockade was necessary and legal?

5. What was the main reason that the President did not attend all of the Ex Comm meetings?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. What information did the Intelligence Community have about the missiles in September, but did not inform the President about at that time? Why were they not passed on?

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

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

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

8. How did JFK feel about the reaction from Congress when he informed them about the crisis and his plans?

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

10. What was one argument against a blockade?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The Munich Agreement/Conference has influenced political decisions for many years since its occurrence. In an essay, describe what happened in Munich and compare and contrast this with the Cuban Missile Crisis. Is the Munich Agreement/Conference still relevant today? How so?

Essay Topic 2

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

Essay Topic 3

Write an essay examining the importance of peer evaluation. Develop an argument that is either for using groups or against it. Was the group effort successfully used for Ex Comm? Why or why not? What lesson can be learned from this?

(see the answer keys)

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