nuclear arms race MCQs [USA – America] January 8, 2026August 20, 2024 by u930973931_answers 40 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/40 Subscribe 1. What was the primary goal of the nuclear arms race during the Cold War? (A) To establish a balance of power and deterrence (B) To achieve nuclear disarmament (C) To promote peaceful nuclear energy (D) To support international arms control agreements 2. Which country was the first to develop and use atomic bombs during World War II? (A) United States (B) United Kingdom (C) Germany (D) Soviet Union 3. When did the Soviet Union test its first atomic bomb? (A) 1945 (B) 1955 (C) 1952 (D) 1949 4. What was the name of the first hydrogen bomb test conducted by the United States? (A) Trinity Test (B) Castle Bravo (C) Ivy Mike (D) Operation Crossroads 5. Which treaty aimed at curbing the nuclear arms race by limiting the number of nuclear test explosions? (A) SALT I (B) INF Treaty (C) CTBT (Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty) (D) ABM Treaty 6. Which U.S. President was in office when the SALT I treaty was signed? (A) Richard Nixon (B) John F. Kennedy (C) Gerald Ford (D) Jimmy Carter 7. What does the acronym SALT stand for in the context of arms control agreements? (A) Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty (B) Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (C) Security Arms Limitation Talks (D) Strategic Arms Load Treaty 8. Which treaty was the first to successfully limit the number of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs)? (A) START I (B) SALT II (C) SALT I (D) INF Treaty 9. What was the primary purpose of the START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) agreements? (A) To limit nuclear test explosions (B) To establish a nuclear-free zone (C) To eliminate all nuclear weapons (D) To reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads 10. Which treaty, signed in 1987, aimed to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles from Europe? (A) SALT I (B) START I (C) INF Treaty (D) ABM Treaty 11. Which U.S. President initiated the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)? (A) George H. W. Bush (B) Ronald Reagan (C) Jimmy Carter (D) Richard Nixon 12. What was the main goal of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)? (A) To reduce nuclear arsenals through arms control (B) To create a missile defense system to protect the U.S. from nuclear attacks (C) To promote peaceful nuclear energy (D) To establish international nuclear-free zones 13. Which treaty aimed to limit anti-ballistic missile systems and prevent their deployment? (A) SALT I (B) INF Treaty (C) START II (D) ABM Treaty 14. What was the purpose of the “mutually assured destruction” (MAD) doctrine? (A) To encourage nuclear disarmament (B) To limit the number of nuclear weapons (C) To establish a balance of power through the threat of total annihilation (D) To promote peaceful coexistence 15. Which Soviet leader was in power during the signing of the SALT I treaty? (A) Nikita Khrushchev (B) Leonid Brezhnev (C) Yuri Andropov (D) Mikhail Gorbachev 16. Which U.S. President is associated with the policy of “peace through strength” and aggressive arms buildup? (A) John F. Kennedy (B) Ronald Reagan (C) Richard Nixon (D) Gerald Ford 17. Which 1950s U.S. policy aimed at maintaining a technological lead over the Soviet Union in nuclear weapons? (A) Massive Retaliation (B) Detente (C) Brinkmanship (D) Containment 18. Which agreement, signed in 1991, aimed to further reduce the number of nuclear weapons between the USA and USSR? (A) START II (B) START I (C) SALT II (D) INF Treaty 19. What was the main focus of the INF Treaty? (A) Eliminating intermediate-range nuclear missiles (B) Banning chemical weapons (C) Limiting long-range nuclear missiles (D) Reducing strategic nuclear warheads 20. Which U.S. President signed the INF Treaty with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev? (A) Richard Nixon (B) Gerald Ford (C) Ronald Reagan (D) George H. W. Bush 21. Which Soviet leader is credited with initiating the policy of “glasnost” (openness) and “perestroika” (restructuring) that led to the end of the Cold War? (A) Mikhail Gorbachev (B) Nikita Khrushchev (C) Leonid Brezhnev (D) Yuri Andropov 22. Which U.S. President was in office during the signing of the START II treaty? (A) George H. W. Bush (B) Ronald Reagan (C) Bill Clinton (D) Jimmy Carter 23. What was the main purpose of the SALT II treaty? (A) To eliminate all nuclear weapons (B) To promote peaceful nuclear technology (C) To restrict the testing of nuclear weapons (D) To limit the number of strategic nuclear delivery vehicles and warheads 24. Which event in 1954 significantly escalated the nuclear arms race between the USA and USSR? (A) The launch of Sputnik (B) The signing of the Geneva Accords (C) The Cuban Missile Crisis (D) The testing of the first hydrogen bomb by the USA 25. Which Cold War doctrine emphasized the use of nuclear weapons as a means to deter Soviet aggression? (A) Massive Retaliation (B) Brinkmanship (C) Peaceful Coexistence (D) Containment 26. Which treaty aimed at limiting the deployment of land-based strategic missiles and reducing the number of warheads? (A) START I (B) SALT I (C) INF Treaty (D) CTBT 27. What was the main focus of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) II? (A) To reduce the number of deployed strategic nuclear warheads (B) To limit the number of nuclear tests (C) To eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles (D) To establish new arms control verification measures 28. Which U.S. President proposed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in response to Soviet missile capabilities? (A) George H. W. Bush (B) Ronald Reagan (C) Jimmy Carter (D) Lyndon B. Johnson 29. What was the Soviet Union’s response to the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI)? (A) Acceptance of arms reduction (B) Acceleration of their own missile development program (C) Withdrawal from arms control negotiations (D) Increased investment in missile defense technology 30. What was the significance of the “Trinity Test” in the context of the nuclear arms race? (A) It was the first successful test of an atomic bomb by the United States. (B) It was the first test of a hydrogen bomb. (C) It was the first test of an atomic bomb by the Soviet Union. (D) It was a joint test conducted by the USA and USSR. 31. Which treaty, signed in 1963, aimed to limit nuclear testing and prevent atmospheric nuclear tests? (A) SALT I (B) ABM Treaty (C) INF Treaty (D) Partial Test Ban Treaty 32. Which U.S. President is associated with the policy of “peace through strength” and the aggressive development of nuclear weapons? (A) Dwight D. Eisenhower (B) John F. Kennedy (C) Ronald Reagan (D) Richard Nixon 33. What was the primary aim of the Soviet Union’s development of ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles)? (A) To enhance military capabilities and deter the U.S. (B) To promote disarmament (C) To support peaceful nuclear energy (D) To establish international nuclear cooperation 34. Which country conducted the first successful test of a thermonuclear bomb (hydrogen bomb)? (A) United Kingdom (B) Soviet Union (C) United States (D) France 35. Which treaty established a framework for further negotiations on nuclear disarmament? (A) CTBT (B) START I (C) SALT II (D) NPT 36. What was the major outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962? (A) Increased tensions between the USA and USSR (B) A mutual agreement to eliminate all nuclear weapons (C) The signing of the INF Treaty (D) A direct communication hotline between the USA and USSR 37. Which U.S. policy aimed to counter the Soviet Union’s influence through military and economic means? (A) Detente (B) Neutrality (C) Isolationism (D) Containment 38. What was the primary focus of the nuclear non-proliferation movement? (A) To promote the use of nuclear energy for civilian purposes (B) To establish a global nuclear arms race (C) To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and promote disarmament (D) To support nuclear testing for security 39. Which event marked a significant turning point in the Cold War and led to improved U.S.-Soviet relations? (A) The Korean War (B) The Vietnam War (C) The signing of the Helsinki Accords (D) The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 40. What was the significance of the “Moscow Summit” in 1988? (A) It resulted in the signing of the START II treaty. (B) It marked the end of the Cold War. (C) It established new arms control verification measures. (D) It facilitated the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan.