Lesson Y9-U07-L04

To the Brink The Cuban Missile Crisis Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 20

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y9-U07-L04, To the Brink The Cuban Missile Crisis: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 20: Year 9: The Cold War, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which country first used atomic bombs in war, in 1945?

    • The USSR
    • Britain
    • Germany
    • The USA

  2. In which year did the USSR test its own atomic bomb?

    • 1949
    • 1953
    • 1945
    • 1962

  3. What is an arms race?

    • Peace treaty
    • Military alliance
    • Weapon competition
    • Trade embargo

  4. What is the purpose of a military deterrent?

    • Invading neighbours
    • Preventing attacks
    • Spying secretly
    • Starting wars

  5. What does the Cold War term MAD stand for?

    • Maximum Atomic Defence
    • Mutually Assured Destruction
    • Military Arms Deterrent
    • Massive Allied Destruction

  6. How did MAD help maintain peace during the Cold War?

    • Fear of destruction
    • Total disarmament
    • United Nations treaties
    • Economic cooperation

  7. Which weapon did both superpowers build in the early 1950s, far more powerful than the atomic bomb?

    • The hydrogen bomb
    • The machine gun
    • The crossbow
    • The tank

  8. What political system was established in Cuba after the 1959 revolution?

    • Communist
    • Monarchy
    • Fascist
    • Capitalist

  9. How far is Cuba from the coast of the USA?

    • About 90 miles
    • About 900 yards
    • About 900 miles
    • About 9 miles

  10. What was the failed US-backed attempt to overthrow Castro in 1961 called?

    • Cuban Missile Crisis
    • Checkpoint Charlie
    • Operation Barbarossa
    • Bay of Pigs

  11. What secret action did Khrushchev take regarding Cuba in 1962?

    • Withdrawn troops
    • Built naval bases
    • Signed peace treaties
    • Shipped nuclear missiles

  12. What term did President Kennedy use for the naval encirclement of Cuba?

    • Embargo
    • Siege
    • Quarantine
    • Blockade

  13. When was the Thirteen Days crisis?

    • October 1950
    • October 1968
    • October 1962
    • October 1956

  14. When was Black Saturday, the peak of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

    • 13 August 1961
    • May 1949
    • 28 October 1963
    • 27 October 1962

  15. What did Khrushchev agree to do on 28 October 1962?

    • Invade Florida
    • Support Berlin Wall
    • Remove missiles
    • Bomb Washington

  16. What secret deal did the USA make to end the Cuban Missile Crisis?

    • Removing naval blockades
    • Removing Turkish missiles
    • Removing Cuban missiles
    • Removing Berlin walls

  17. What direct communication link was set up between Washington and Moscow after the crisis?

    • Direct satellite
    • Telephone hotline
    • Telegraph cable
    • Radio broadcast

  18. What did the 1963 Test Ban Treaty restrict?

    • Underground testing
    • Atmospheric testing
    • Space rocket testing
    • Underwater testing

  19. Why did both leaders step back from the brink in October 1962?

    • Military victory
    • United Nations orders
    • Unconditional surrender
    • Avoided nuclear war

  20. Why was the Cuban Missile Crisis considered so dangerous?

    • Direct ground invasion
    • Naval blockade failure
    • Political assassinations
    • Risked nuclear war

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