The 1980s and 1990s: new technology, the end of the Cold War and the Gulf War

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The end of the Cold War, 1985 to 1991 (cards A to D). Card A, President Ronald Reagan at the Brandenburg Gate, West Berlin, June 12, 1987 (excerpt): "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Card B, dates, in our words: Mikhail Gorbachev became the Soviet leader in March 1985. Reagan and Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty on December 8, 1987. On November 9, 1989, the East German government opened the border and crowds took down the Berlin Wall. Germany was united again on October 3, 1990. On December 25, 1991, Gorbachev resigned and the Soviet Union came to an end. Card C, the treaty in practice, in our words: the INF Treaty took effect on June 1, 1988, and gave the two sides three years to destroy intermediate-range missiles. By then the Soviet Union had destroyed 1,846 missiles and the United States 846, a total of 2,692. Card D, President Reagan on signing the treaty, December 8, 1987 (excerpt): "On the Soviet side, over 1,500 deployed warheads will be removed, and all ground-launched intermediate-range missiles, including the SS-20's, will be destroyed. On our side, our entire complement of Pershing II and ground-launched cruise missiles, with some 400 deployed warheads, will all be destroyed."

2. 1.

   Card A is Reagan's speech of June 12, 1987. Which use of it is sound, Ari asks?

   • As weak evidence, since a speech made in Berlin was aimed at the crowd
   • As evidence of what Reagan urged, set against what happened later
   • As evidence of Gorbachev's reply, since the speech addresses him directly
   • As evidence of why the Wall opened, since the opening followed his appeal
3. 2.

   Reagan spoke on June 12, 1987, and the Wall opened on November 9, 1989. With card B's other events, what does the gap suggest, Bo asks?

   • The speech started a process that card B's events carried out, so it explains the opening
   • Other events fell between them, so the speech alone cannot explain the opening
   • The gap is too long for any link, so the speech can be set aside
   • The INF Treaty explains the opening, since it was the main event between them
4. 3.

   Which statement best fits cards A and B on why the Wall opened, Esme asks?

   • Reagan's appeal was the cause, since card A is the one card that asks for it
   • Reagan's appeal was one of several events, and the cards do not rank them
   • Gorbachev's rise in 1985 was the cause, since a new leader opened the way for the rest
   • The INF Treaty was the cause, since it was signed nearest the opening
5. 4.

   Card C says the Soviet Union destroyed 1,846 missiles and the United States 846. Read with card D, which explanation fits, Jun asks?

   • The Soviet side destroyed 2.2 times as many because it held 2.2 times the warheads
   • The Soviet side held more of these missiles; card D points the same way
   • The treaty bore harder on the Soviet side, which makes the exchange unequal
   • The Soviet side fell behind the treaty schedule, so it had more left to destroy
6. 5.

   A student subtracts card D's promised warheads from card C's missiles destroyed to see whether the promise was kept. What is wrong with that, Kira asks?

   • Card D is a speech, so its numbers cannot be checked against anything
   • They count different things, and card D is a forecast made at the signing
   • Nothing: warheads and missiles count the same thing, so the check is fair
   • Card C counts just the Soviet side, so it cannot be compared
7. 6.

   The treaty took effect June 1, 1988, with three years to destroy the missiles. What follows from when the Soviet Union ended, Milo asks?

   • About seven months after the deadline, so the cuts were done while it stood
   • It ended seven months after the deadline, so its end made the cuts possible
   • It ended about seven months before the deadline, so its end cut the destruction short
   • It ended about five months after the deadline of June 1, 1992
8. 7.

   A student writes, "Reagan's Berlin speech ended the Cold War." How strong is that claim given cards A to D, Noah asks?

   • Weak: card A was written by Gorbachev and not by Reagan himself
   • Strong: Reagan and Gorbachev signed a treaty the same year, which shows the speech worked
   • Strong: the Cold War ended in the years after the speech and no card gives a rival cause
   • Weak: the speech made a request, and the cards show other steps and later dates
9. 8.

   Card D gives over 1,500 Soviet and about 400 US deployed warheads. Card C gives 1,846 and 846 missiles. Which statement is supported, Pia asks?

   • The Soviet figure was larger in warheads but the US figure was larger in missiles
   • The two ratios are equal, so the cards count the same thing twice
   • The Soviet figure was larger in both, by a bigger ratio for warheads than for missiles
   • The Soviet figure was larger in both, by a smaller ratio for warheads than for missiles
10. 9.

    A student says, "The Wall's opening on November 9, 1989 reunited Germany." What do the dates in card B show, Tala asks?

    • Unification followed the opening, so the opening caused it
    • Unification came with the end of the Soviet Union in 1991
    • Unification came nearly eleven months later, so the opening began a process
    • The opening made unification certain, since crowds took down the Wall that day
11. 10.

    Which question can cards A to D answer, and which can they not, Zee asks?

    • They give the date the Soviet Union ended, not why it ended
    • They show whether Reagan's speech hastened it, since card A calls for an opening
    • They show whether the INF Treaty weakened it, since the treaty came first
    • They give why it ended, since card B ends with Gorbachev resigning