2008 civics test · Question 83 · Recent American History

During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?

Official answer

  • Communism

What this means

During the Cold War, the main concern of the United States was communism.

The United States worried about the spread of communism, the political and economic system of the Soviet Union, to other countries. On the 2025 test, nuclear war is also accepted, since both sides had built up huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons and feared they might be used.

Both tests ask this the same way. Answer: communism (or, for 2025, the fear of nuclear war).

Why this is on the test

This question asks what worried the United States most during the Cold War, and both tests point to the same central fear.

How this question is asked

On the 2008 civics test, the officer asks up to 10 of the 100 questions out loud and you pass by answering 6 correctly. You answer in your own words. There is no multiple choice and nothing to write down for the civics portion.

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