AP Modern World History Practice Quiz: The Cold War
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 9 questions to check your progress.
Question 1 of 9
All Questions (9)
A) Capitalism and communism
B) Colonialism and nationalism
C) Monarchy and republicanism
D) Mercantilism and free trade
Correct Answer: A
The provided content explicitly states the Cold War was an "ideological conflict and a power struggle between capitalism and communism across the globe."
A) Great Britain and France
B) Germany and Japan
C) The United States and the Soviet Union
D) China and India
Correct Answer: C
The content specifies that "The democracy of the United States and the authoritarian communist Soviet Union emerged as superpowers" after World War II.
A) promote the global expansion of communism.
B) create a military alliance to rival the superpowers.
C) establish a new global economic order dominated by developing nations.
D) promote an alternative to aligning with either the United States or the Soviet Union.
Correct Answer: D
The text states that groups like the Non-Aligned Movement "opposed and promoted alternatives to the existing economic, political, and social orders," which in the context of the Cold War means providing an alternative to the bipolar system dominated by the two superpowers.
A) The rapid decolonization of Africa and Asia
B) A global power struggle between the two superpowers
C) The collapse of the global capitalist system
D) The establishment of a single world government
Correct Answer: B
The text directly links the emergence of the two superpowers and their ideological differences to "a power struggle between capitalism and communism across the globe."
A) democracy and authoritarianism.
B) imperialism and isolationism.
C) federalism and centralism.
D) parliamentary and presidential systems.
Correct Answer: A
The content explicitly contrasts "The democracy of the United States and the authoritarian communist Soviet Union."
A) the remnants of European colonial empires.
B) the international system dominated by the ideological conflict between the U.S. and the USSR.
C) the economic policies of the Great Depression.
D) the political structure of the League of Nations.
Correct Answer: B
The context provided by the passage establishes the post-WWII order as one defined by the Cold War. The Non-Aligned Movement's opposition was directed at this bipolar world order dominated by the two superpowers.
A) disagreement over the terms of the Treaty of Versailles.
B) direct military confrontation between the U.S. and the USSR during World War II.
C) emergence of two superpowers with conflicting ideologies after World War II.
D) competition for colonial territories in the 19th century.
Correct Answer: C
The text states that the shift in power after WWII led to the emergence of the U.S. and USSR as superpowers, which in turn "led to ideological conflict and a power struggle."
A) The Non-Aligned Movement was created by the superpowers to manage their spheres of influence.
B) The economic devastation of World War II forced most nations to join the Non-Aligned Movement.
C) The rise of a bipolar world dominated by two competing superpowers prompted some nations to seek an independent path.
D) The Non-Aligned Movement was a direct continuation of the Allied powers from World War II.
Correct Answer: C
The text establishes that the post-WWII power shift created a bipolar world (U.S. vs. USSR). It then introduces the Non-Aligned Movement as a group that "opposed and promoted alternatives" to this new order, implying it was a reaction to the pressure to align with one of the two superpowers.
A) religious fundamentalism and secularism.
B) industrial and agrarian societies.
C) democratic/capitalist and authoritarian/communist principles.
D) isolationist and interventionist foreign policies.
Correct Answer: C
The passage explicitly defines the ideological struggle as a conflict between "the democracy of the United States and the authoritarian communist Soviet Union" and a "power struggle between capitalism and communism."