During which crisis did the United States impose a naval blockade around Cuba to pressure the removal of Soviet missiles?

• A. Bay of Pigs
• B. Cuban Missile Crisis
• C. Launch of Sputnik
• D. Interstate Highway Act

Answer: (B)

This question centers on the Cuban Missile Crisis and the U.S. response of a naval blockade aimed at forcing the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba. In October 1962, after U.S. intelligence confirmed Soviet missile sites in Cuba, President Kennedy declared a naval quarantine around Cuba to prevent further missile deliveries. The move was a show of resolve and a way to pressure the Soviets into negotiating without immediately escalating to war. The crisis was eventually resolved through a diplomatic agreement: the Soviets would dismantle their Cuba-based missiles, the United States would not invade Cuba, and there was a secret understanding to withdraw U.S. missiles from Turkey in the future. This event is a classic example of Cold War brinkmanship, where military power and diplomacy are used together to resolve a high-stakes confrontation.

For context, the other events are unrelated to this scenario: one involved a failed attempt to overthrow Castro, another was the Soviet Union’s space program, and the last was a major domestic infrastructure program in the United States.