14 extra multiple-choice questions for The World after World War II (12th Standard History, Samacheer Kalvi), beyond the ones printed in the textbook — each with the correct option highlighted and a clear, worked explanation. Free to read in English and Tamil.
Q1
At the Potsdam meeting of July 1945, Churchill was later replaced by
- A. Clement AttleeCorrect
- B. Harry S. Truman
- C. George C. Marshall
- D. Bernard Baruch
Explanation. After Germany's defeat, Stalin, Truman and Churchill met at Potsdam near Berlin in July 1945 to discuss Germany's future. Churchill was later replaced at the meeting by Clement Attlee.
Q2
The 8,000-word 'Long Telegram' of 22 February 1946, which suggested that communist expansion be "contained", was sent by
- A. George KennanCorrect
- B. John Foster Dulles
- C. Bernard Baruch
- D. George C. Marshall
Explanation. George Kennan, the American charge d'affaires in Moscow, sent the Long Telegram to the State Department. He said the USSR saw no long-term peaceful coexistence with capitalism and advised containing communism.
Q3
Which of the following statements about Germany after the war is/are correct?
1. By the Yalta and Potsdam agreements Germany was divided into four zones.
2. In June 1948 the Russians stopped all road and rail traffic between West Berlin and West Germany.
3. The USSR set up the Federal Republic of Germany in August 1949.
- A. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1 only
Explanation. Germany was split into US, UK, French and USSR zones, and the Soviets blockaded West Berlin by land in June 1948. The Federal Republic (West Germany) was set up by the western powers; the USSR set up the GDR.
Q4
Match the organisation with its headquarters
(A) SEATO - 1. Paris
(B) CENTO - 2. Strasbourg
(C) Council of Europe - 3. Bangkok
(D) OECD - 4. Ankara
- A. A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1Correct
- B. A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
- C. A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
- D. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
Explanation. SEATO was headquartered at Bangkok, CENTO moved its headquarters to Ankara in Turkey, the Council of Europe sits at Strasbourg and the OECD has its headquarters in Paris.
Q5
Which one of the following was NOT a member of the Warsaw Pact signed in May 1955?
- A. Albania
- B. West GermanyCorrect
- C. Hungary
- D. Bulgaria
Explanation. The Warsaw Pact members were the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. It was the Soviet answer to West Germany joining NATO in 1955.
Q6
The word "brinkmanship", used constantly during the Cold War, comes from
- A. John Foster DullesCorrect
- B. George Kennan
- C. Winston Churchill
- D. Mikhail Gorbachev
Explanation. US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles told Life in 1956 that in diplomacy, if you are scared to go to the brink of war, you are lost. The 1962 Cuban missile crisis is the lesson's example.
Q7
The term "non-alignment" was coined in 1953 at the United Nations by
- A. V. K. Krishna MenonCorrect
- B. Jawaharlal Nehru
- C. Alfred Sauvy
- D. Josip Broz Tito
Explanation. The lesson states that V. K. Krishna Menon coined the term non-alignment in 1953 at the United Nations. Alfred Sauvy coined the term Third World in 1952.
Q8
Under the partition proposal recommended by the UN Special Committee on Palestine (UNSCOP), the Jewish state was to receive
- A. 45 percent of the land
- B. 55 percent of the landCorrect
- C. 85 percent of the land
- D. 5.8 percent of the land
Explanation. Although Arabs held about 85 percent of the land and Jews only about 5.8 percent, UNSCOP proposed 45 percent of the land for the Arab state and 55 percent for the Jewish state.
Q9
During the Suez Crisis of 1956, the peace force created by the UN General Assembly, sent with the consent of both sides, was called
- A. UNEFCorrect
- B. UNRWA
- C. UNSCOP
- D. UNESCO
Explanation. The General Assembly voted to create a United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF), a peace force rather than a fighting force. British and French troops left in December 1956 and Israeli forces in March 1957.
Q10
The People's Republic of China became a permanent member of the Security Council only from
- A. 1949
- B. 1955
- C. 1971Correct
- D. 1991
Explanation. When Mao formed a Communist government in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist China kept the seat. The USSR boycotted the Security Council over this; the People's Republic became a permanent member only in 1971.
Q11
Arrange the following in chronological order
1. Formation of EFTA
2. Schuman Plan
3. Britain's admission to the EEC
4. Treaty of Paris establishing the ECSC
- A. 2, 4, 1, 3Correct
- B. 4, 2, 1, 3
- C. 2, 4, 3, 1
- D. 2, 1, 4, 3
Explanation. Robert Schuman presented his plan on 9 May 1950, the ECSC treaty was signed at Paris on 18 April 1951, Britain organised EFTA in 1960, and Britain entered the EEC on 1 January 1973.
Q12
Assertion (A): In 1961 the French President Charles de Gaulle opposed Britain's entry into the EEC.
Reason (R): The economy of Britain was weak.
- A. Both A and R are correct; R explains ACorrect
- B. Both A and R are correct; R does not explain A
- C. A is correct and R is wrong
- D. A is wrong and R is correct
Explanation. The lesson says de Gaulle opposed Britain's 1961 bid because Britain's economy was weak. After his resignation, Edward Heath's diplomacy won entry on 1 January 1973 along with Ireland and Denmark.
Q13
Which of the following statements about the Hungarian Crisis of 1956 is/are correct?
1. On becoming premier again, Imre Nagy started introducing a multiparty system and set up a coalition government.
2. Soviet Russia sent its army into Hungary on 4 November and crushed the rebellion.
3. After the Russian veto, the General Assembly's resolution forced Soviet troops to leave Hungary.
- A. 1 and 2 onlyCorrect
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 3 only
Explanation. Nagy's multiparty reforms led the Soviets to crush the rising on 4 November. The Assembly passed the vetoed resolution, but nothing came of it, showing the UN was helpless against a determined Great Power.
Q14
In 1989, the free elections held in Poland were won by
- A. the Polish Solidarity movementCorrect
- B. the Communist Party
- C. the Cominform
- D. the Warsaw Pact
Explanation. The lesson calls 1989 a watershed year of the Cold War: in Poland's free elections the Polish Solidarity movement won, routing the Communists. The Berlin Wall fell in November 1989.
