AP U.S. History Practice Quiz: The Cold War from 1945 to 1980

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: June 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 11 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 11

According to the provided text, which of the following was a primary objective of United States foreign policy during the Cold War?

A)To promote the global expansion of communism.B)To limit the growth of Communist power and influence.C)To dissolve all international security systems.D)To avoid engagement in the global economy.

All Questions (11)

According to the provided text, which of the following was a primary objective of United States foreign policy during the Cold War?

A) To promote the global expansion of communism.

B) To limit the growth of Communist power and influence.

C) To dissolve all international security systems.

D) To avoid engagement in the global economy.

Correct Answer: B

The text explicitly states that U.S. policymakers sought to 'limit the growth of Communist power and influence' as a key goal of their Cold War strategy.

Following the dissolution of the wartime alliance, the United States adopted a foreign policy designed to bolster non-Communist nations through which of the following methods?

A) Military alliances with the Soviet Union.

B) Strict isolationism and neutrality.

C) Collective security and international aid.

D) The promotion of state-controlled economies.

Correct Answer: C

The content indicates that 'the United States developed a foreign policy based on collective security, international aid, and economic institutions that bolstered non-Communist nations.'

The United States' policy of containment was principally a response to what perceived threat?

A) The decline of the British Empire.

B) The creation of a free-market global economy.

C) The rise of non-aligned nations.

D) Expansionist Communist ideology.

Correct Answer: D

The text states, 'Concerned by expansionist Communist ideology, the United States sought to contain communism through a variety of measures...'

Which of the following best characterizes the nature of the Cold War between 1945 and 1980, as described in the text?

A) A continuous, direct war between the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

B) A period of uninterrupted peace and cooperation.

C) An era that alternated between confrontation and coexistence.

D) A conflict fought exclusively through economic sanctions.

Correct Answer: C

The source material explains that 'The Cold War fluctuated between periods of direct and indirect military confrontation and periods of mutual coexistence (or détente).'

The text provides the military engagement in Korea as a specific example of which U.S. Cold War policy?

A) Détente.

B) Containment.

C) International aid.

D) Collective security.

Correct Answer: B

The content explicitly links the policy of containment with specific actions, stating the U.S. 'sought to contain communism through a variety of measures, including major military engagements in Korea.'

A historian could use the provided text to argue that a key continuity in U.S. Cold War policy from 1945 to 1980 was the consistent effort to

A) engage in direct warfare with the Soviet Union.

B) maintain a wartime alliance with Communist nations.

C) create a free-market global economy.

D) promote decolonization in Asia and Africa.

Correct Answer: C

The text identifies three overarching goals that remained continuous: limiting communism, building an international security system, and creating 'a free-market global economy.' The other options represent either a specific phase (direct warfare) or are not mentioned as primary goals.

The term 'détente' is used in the text to describe a period characterized by

A) increased military confrontation.

B) the dissolution of the wartime alliance.

C) mutual coexistence.

D) the initial containment of communism.

Correct Answer: C

The text defines the fluctuations of the Cold War as including 'periods of mutual coexistence (or détente),' directly linking the two terms.

Which of the following describes a significant change in Cold War policy over the 1945-1980 period, according to the text?

A) The shift from containing communism to accepting its global expansion.

B) The abandonment of international aid as a foreign policy tool.

C) The movement from a policy of confrontation to periods of détente.

D) The decision to replace a free-market economy with a command economy.

Correct Answer: C

The text highlights both continuities and changes. The statement that the Cold War 'fluctuated between periods of direct and indirect military confrontation and periods of mutual coexistence (or détente)' points to a significant change in the approach to the conflict over time.

The development of U.S. foreign policy based on collective security and economic institutions was a direct result of what event?

A) The beginning of the Korean War.

B) The start of détente.

C) The dissolution of the wartime alliance with the Soviet Union.

D) The success of the free-market global economy.

Correct Answer: C

The text states, 'As postwar tensions dissolved the wartime alliance, the United States developed a foreign policy based on collective security, international aid, and economic institutions...'

The U.S. goal of building an 'international security system' was part of a broader strategy to achieve which of the following?

A) To form a new military alliance with the Soviet Union.

B) To bolster non-Communist nations against Soviet influence.

C) To ensure the rapid decolonization of Africa.

D) To create a single global currency.

Correct Answer: B

The text connects the creation of an international security system with the overarching goal of limiting Communist influence and the specific method of using 'collective security... that bolstered non-Communist nations.'

U.S. policymakers pursued all of the following during the Cold War EXCEPT:

A) Limiting the growth of Communist power.

B) Engaging in major military conflicts like the one in Korea.

C) Creating a global security system controlled by the Soviet Union.

D) Using international aid to support non-Communist nations.

Correct Answer: C

The text mentions limiting communism, military engagement in Korea, and using international aid as U.S. policies. It states the U.S. sought to build an international security system, but this was to counter, not be controlled by, the Soviet Union.