• 79 questions

APUSH Period 8 Practice Test

Unofficial multiple-choice practice for Period 8 of AP United States History, 1945 to 1980: Cold War, civil rights and Vietnam.

George F. Kennan wrote in 1947 that American policy toward the Soviet Union "must be that of a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies." What did he predict such a policy would bring in the end?

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Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with the College Board. Bank checked October 8, 2026.

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All 79 questions

Topic 8.2: The Cold War from 1945 to 1980 10

  • By the late 1960s both the United States and the Soviet Union had reasons to resume arms talks. Which of these was one of them? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Detente and Arms Control, 1969-1979"; course topic 8.2
  • During the Cuban Missile Crisis, on October 22, 1962, President Kennedy ordered what he called a naval quarantine of Cuba. Why was that word chosen and not "blockade"? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962"; course topic 8.2
  • George F. Kennan wrote in 1947 that American policy toward the Soviet Union "must be that of a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies." What did he predict such a policy would bring in the end? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Kennan and Containment, 1947"; course topic 8.2
  • How did President Carter answer the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan at the end of December 1979? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Jimmy Carter: Foreign Affairs"; Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Detente and Arms Control, 1969-1979"; course topic 8.2
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Topic 8.2: The Cold War from 1945 to 1980, continued

  • How did the Soviet Union respond to the Marshall Plan? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949"; Marshall Plan (1948), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.2
  • North Korea attacked South Korea in June 1950. How did the fighting end in 1953? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Korean War and Japan's Recovery"; course topic 8.2
  • On June 24, 1948, Soviet forces blockaded rail, road and water access to the western sectors of Berlin. How did the United States and Britain answer? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "The Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949"; course topic 8.2
  • On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik-1, the first artificial satellite. What was the effect in the United States? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Sputnik, 1957"; course topic 8.2
  • What led President Truman to ask Congress on March 12, 1947, for $400 million in aid for Greece and Turkey? Truman Doctrine (1947), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.2
  • Why was the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 a break with the American past? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949"; course topic 8.2

Topic 8.3: The Red Scare 6

  • In June 1950 Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine and six other Republicans issued a "Declaration of Conscience." What did it say? Senate Resolution 301: Censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy (1954), National Archives, Milestone Documents; U.S. Senate, "A Declaration of Conscience"; course topic 8.3
  • Senator Joseph McCarthy, Wheeling, West Virginia (February 9, 1950): "I have here in my hand a list of 205 - a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party." What became of the list? Joseph McCarthy, Address at Wheeling, West Virginia (1950), with the editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.3
  • Senator Pat McCarran and Representative Francis Walter wrote the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. Which fear shaped their side of the debate? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (The McCarran-Walter Act)"; course topic 8.3
  • What was the purpose of the loyalty security program that President Truman created for the federal government in November 1946? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Harry S. Truman: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.3
  • Which industry did the House Committee on Un-American Activities investigate in 1947? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Harry S. Truman: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.3
  • Which spy case of the early Cold War ended with executions in 1953? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Harry S. Truman: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.3

Topic 8.4: Economy after 1945 6

  • Strikes swept the coal, steel, railroad and auto industries in late 1945 and 1946. How did Congress respond in 1947? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Harry S. Truman: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.4
  • What did the interstate highways begun in 1956 do to American cities? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Dwight D. Eisenhower: Domestic Affairs"; National Interstate and Defense Highways Act (1956), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.4
  • What part did veterans play in the housing market after World War II? Servicemen's Readjustment Act (1944), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.4
  • Which experience shaped President Eisenhower's belief that highways mattered for national defense? National Interstate and Defense Highways Act (1956), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.4
  • Which years does the Census Bureau give for the baby boom? U.S. Census Bureau, "By 2030, All Baby Boomers Will Be Age 65 or Older"; Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.4
  • Why did planners in the Roosevelt administration begin work during the war on what became the G.I. Bill of 1944? Servicemen's Readjustment Act (1944), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.4

Topic 8.5: Culture after 1945 3

  • Betty Friedan wrote in The Feminine Mystique (1963) of the suburban wife: "she was afraid to ask even of herself the silent question" whether this was all. What was Friedan challenging? Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (1963), Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.5
  • What did millions of American families buy for the first time in the booming economy of the 1950s? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Dwight D. Eisenhower: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.5
  • Why do the four debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 mark a change in American politics? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "John F. Kennedy: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 8.5

Topic 8.6: Early steps in the civil rights movement 6

  • In 1957 President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Why was the act significant? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Dwight D. Eisenhower: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.6
  • The President's Commission on Civil Rights issued its report in October 1947. What was the report called, and what did it propose? Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces (1948), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.6
  • What did the Supreme Court order in its second Brown decision, on May 31, 1955? Brown v. Board of Education (1954), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.6
  • What was the "Southern Manifesto" of 1956? Library of Congress, The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom, "Civil Rights Era (1950-1963)"; course topic 8.6
  • Who were the "Dixiecrats" of 1948? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Harry S. Truman: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.6
  • Why did President Truman act on civil rights in 1948 by executive order? Executive Order 9981: Desegregation of the Armed Forces (1948), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.6

Topic 8.7: America as a world power 7

  • The Alliance for Progress (1961 to 1969) has been called "a Marshall Plan for Latin America." What fear lay behind it? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Alliance for Progress and Peace Corps, 1961-1969"; course topic 8.7
  • In April 1955 representatives of twenty-nine Asian and African governments met at Bandung, Indonesia. What did most of those countries have in common? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Bandung Conference (Asian-African Conference), 1955" and "Decolonization of Asia and Africa, 1945-1960"; course topic 8.7
  • President Jimmy Carter said in his inaugural address (January 20, 1977): "Because we are free, we can never be indifferent to the fate of freedom elsewhere." What did he make the cornerstone of his foreign policy? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Carter and Human Rights, 1977-1981" and "The Panama Canal and the Torrijos-Carter Treaties"; course topic 8.7
  • President Kennedy set up the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961. What was one of its stated goals? Executive Order 10924: Establishment of the Peace Corps (1961), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.7
  • What did the Eisenhower Doctrine of 1957 offer to countries of the Middle East? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "The Eisenhower Doctrine, 1957"; course topic 8.7
  • What did the Limited Test Ban Treaty of 1963 forbid? Test Ban Treaty (1963), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.7
  • What happened at the Bay of Pigs on April 17, 1961? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "The Bay of Pigs Invasion and its Aftermath, April 1961-October 1962"; course topic 8.7

Topic 8.8: The Vietnam War 6

  • After the French garrison at Dien Bien Phu fell on May 7, 1954, what did the conference at Geneva decide about Vietnam? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Dien Bien Phu and the Fall of French Indochina, 1954"; course topic 8.8
  • American and South Vietnamese forces repelled the Tet Offensive of early 1968. Why is it still counted as a turning point against the war? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive, 1968"; course topic 8.8
  • How did President Eisenhower explain why the fate of Vietnam mattered to the rest of Southeast Asia? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Dien Bien Phu and the Fall of French Indochina, 1954"; course topic 8.8
  • What did President Nixon mean by "Vietnamization"? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Richard Nixon: Foreign Affairs"; course topic 8.8
  • What was Operation Rolling Thunder, which President Johnson authorized on February 13, 1965? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Foreign Affairs"; course topic 8.8
  • What were the Pentagon Papers, parts of which were leaked to the press in June 1971? National Archives, "Pentagon Papers"; Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Richard Nixon: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.8

Topic 8.9: The Great Society 5

  • At the foot of the Statue of Liberty in October 1965, President Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act. What did it change? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Domestic Affairs"; Chinese Exclusion Act (1882), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.9
  • Federal aid to schools had long been blocked by a dispute over parochial schools. How did the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 get past it? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.9
  • President Lyndon Johnson, University of Michigan (May 22, 1964): "The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice." In which three places did he say the work would begin? Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks at the University of Michigan (1964), The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; course topic 8.9
  • What is the difference between the two programs created by the Social Security Amendments of 1965? Medicare and Medicaid Act (1965), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.9
  • Which program of early education for poor children came out of the War on Poverty? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.9

Topic 8.10: The African American civil rights movement (1960s) 8

  • Besides outlawing literacy tests, what did the Voting Rights Act of 1965 provide? Voting Rights Act (1965), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.10
  • How did supporters of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 overcome the filibuster by southern Democrats in the Senate? Civil Rights Act (1964), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.10
  • How was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) formed? National Archives, African American Heritage, "The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)"; course topic 8.10
  • In Greenwood, Mississippi, on June 16, 1966, Stokely Carmichael of SNCC led a rally in the chant "We want Black Power!" What did the slogan signal? Stokely Carmichael, "Black Power" (1966), editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; National Archives, "The Black Panther Party"; course topic 8.10
  • In July 1967 President Johnson named the Kerner Commission to study the riots in American cities. What did it report? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.10
  • Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail (April 16, 1963): "We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and God-given rights." To whom was he replying? Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail (1963), with the editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.10
  • What were the Freedom Riders of 1961 trying to do? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "John F. Kennedy: Domestic Affairs"; Library of Congress, The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom; course topic 8.10
  • Who first proposed the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom of August 28, 1963? Official Program for the March on Washington (1963), National Archives, Milestone Documents; course topic 8.10

Topic 8.11: The civil rights movement expands 6

  • American Indian activists occupied Alcatraz Island from November 20, 1969, to June 11, 1971. Which change in federal policy followed? National Park Service, Alcatraz Island, "We Hold the Rock"; course topic 8.11
  • Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment in 1972. Why did it not become part of the Constitution? National Archives, "The Equal Rights Amendment"; course topic 8.11
  • How did a ban on sex discrimination in employment come to be part of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Library of Congress, The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom, "The Civil Rights Act of 1964"; course topic 8.11
  • What did Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez launch in 1962? National Park Service, "Dolores Huerta"; course topic 8.11
  • What happened at the Stonewall Inn in New York City in the early hours of June 28, 1969? National Park Service, Stonewall National Monument, "Learn About the Park"; course topic 8.11
  • With which movement is Betty Friedan, the author of The Feminine Mystique, often credited? Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique (1963), editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.11

Topic 8.12: Youth culture of the 1960s 3

  • In his address on Vietnam of November 3, 1969, President Nixon appealed to "the great silent majority." Whom was he trying to counter? Richard Nixon, Address on the Vietnam War (1969), editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.12
  • In June 1962 a group of college students met at Port Huron, Michigan, to write a manifesto for Students for a Democratic Society. What did they call for? Students for a Democratic Society, The Port Huron Statement (1962), with the editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.12
  • Why is the Port Huron Statement tied to the counterculture of the 1960s? Students for a Democratic Society, The Port Huron Statement (1962), editor's introduction, Teaching American History, Ashland University; course topic 8.12

Topic 8.13: The environment and natural resources 5

  • What did Congress establish at President Carter's urging to clean up toxic waste sites? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Jimmy Carter: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.13
  • What was the subject of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (1962)? U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "The Origins of EPA"; course topic 8.13
  • Which new department did President Carter create as part of his effort to reduce dependence on imported oil? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Jimmy Carter: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.13
  • Which president proposed the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Richard Nixon: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.13
  • Why did Arab members of OPEC impose an oil embargo on the United States in 1973? Office of the Historian, U.S. Department of State, "Oil Embargo, 1973-1974"; course topic 8.13

Topic 8.14: Society in transition 8

  • George Wallace ran for president as a third-party candidate in 1968. On what had he built his following? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Richard Nixon: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 8.14
  • How did Congress respond to Watergate in the years that followed? U.S. Senate, "Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities"; course topic 8.14
  • President Jimmy Carter (July 15, 1979): "We respected the Presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate." What did he tell the nation it was suffering from? Jimmy Carter, Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals (1979), The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara; course topic 8.14
  • Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona won the Republican nomination in 1964 with the words "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice." Which part of the party did he speak for? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Lyndon B. Johnson: Campaigns and Elections"; course topic 8.14
  • What did President Gerald Ford announce on September 8, 1974, one month after taking office? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Gerald Ford: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.14
  • What did the White House tapes show when President Nixon at last handed them over in 1974? U.S. Senate, "Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities"; course topic 8.14
  • What happened at the American embassy in Tehran in November 1979? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Jimmy Carter: Foreign Affairs"; course topic 8.14
  • What is "stagflation," the condition that set in during the Nixon years? Miller Center, University of Virginia, "Richard Nixon: Domestic Affairs"; course topic 8.14

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to Unit 8 (Period 8: 1945-1980) of the College Board's AP U.S. History Course and Exam Description, effective fall 2026, https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/ap-us-history-course-and-exam-description.pdf, read 2026-10-08. Each fact was read on 2026-10-08 in the public page named under its question: the National Archives' Milestone Documents and research pages, the Office of the Historian of the U.S. Department of State, the Miller Center of the University of Virginia, the U.S. Senate, the Library of Congress, the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Census Bureau, The American Presidency Project (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Teaching American History (Ashland University). Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under each question.

How it works

This APUSH Period 8 practice test has 79 questions of our own on 1945 to 1980, from containment and the Red Scare to Watergate and the energy crisis. It is unofficial, and this site is not affiliated with the College Board, the owner of AP.

Read the full guide

What Period 8 covers

Unit 8 of the College Board's course description, read October 8, 2026, has fifteen topics. Thirteen have a set here: the Cold War (10), the Red Scare (6), the postwar economy (6), culture (3), early civil rights (6), America as a world power (7), Vietnam (6), the Great Society (5), the civil rights movement of the 1960s (8), its widening to other groups (6), youth culture (3), the environment (5) and the 1970s (8). Context and continuity, the first and last topics, run through the others. The numbers are our choice; the description weights no topic.

Where the answers come from

The link under each answer opens the page it rests on: a National Archives document, a State Department history, a Miller Center essay.

  • Keep two timelines side by side, foreign and domestic: Korea with McCarthy, Vietnam with the Great Society, the oil embargo with Watergate.
  • For each civil rights gain, name the branch that acted: Truman's order of 1948, the Court in Brown, Congress in 1964 and 1965.

Questions and answers

What is Period 8 in APUSH?

Period 8 is 1945 to 1980: the Cold War from containment to the invasion of Afghanistan, the Red Scare, postwar prosperity, the civil rights movement and the movements that followed it, the Great Society, Vietnam, and the troubled 1970s.

Is an APUSH Unit 8 test the same as a Period 8 test?

They are the same thing. Unit 8 of the course is Period 8, so the questions on this page fit either name.

How much of the APUSH exam is Period 8?

From 10 to 17% of the exam, according to the College Board's course page. The course description gives Unit 8 fifteen topics and about 20 class periods.

Does APUSH Period 8 include the Vietnam War?

Yes. Vietnam is a topic of its own in Unit 8, and six questions here follow it from Dien Bien Phu in 1954 through Rolling Thunder, the Tet Offensive and Vietnamization to the Pentagon Papers.

Are these real AP exam questions?

No. Real AP questions belong to the College Board and none is used or reworded here. Each question is written from the topics of Unit 8, and its facts are checked on the public page named under it.

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