Revision NotesExam QuestionsFlashcardsPast Papers
GCSEHistoryEdexcelModern Depth Study (Paper 3)Exam QuestionsThe USA, 1954–75: Conflict at Home & AbroadUS Involvement in the Vietnam War, 1954-1975

US Involvement in the Vietnam War, 1954-1975 (Edexcel GCSE History: Modern Depth Study (Paper 3)): Exam Questions

Exam code: 1HI0

20 mins20 questions
Easy
Medium
Hard
11 mark

  In which year did the Strategic Hamlet Program begin?

  • 1960

  • 1961

  • 1962

  • 1963

Choose your answer

21 mark

Which President initiated the Vietnamisation policy?

  • Richard Nixon

  • John F. Kennedy

  • Lyndon B. Johnson

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower

Choose your answer

31 mark

In what year was Diem overthrown?

  • 1961

  • 1962

  • 1963

  • 1964

Choose your answer

41 mark

What was Operation Ranch Hand?

  • A ground assault against the Vietcong.

  • A peace negotiation.

  • A US attack on Hanoi.

  • A chemical warfare program.

Choose your answer

51 mark

How did the US public react to televised scenes of the Tet Offensive?

  • They demanded an escalation of US involvement.

  • It increased anti-war sentiment.

  • They largely ignored the footage.

  • Many people became more pro-war.

Choose your answer

61 mark

Which substance was used in Operation Ranch Hand?

  • Napalm

  • Agent Orange

  • Tear gas

  • Mustard gas

Choose your answer

71 mark

When was the Nixon Doctrine announced?

  • 1967

  • 1968

  • 1969

  • 1970

Choose your answer

81 mark

Which President declined to seek re-election partly due to Vietnam War criticism?

  • John F. Kennedy

  • Richard Nixon

  • Dwight D. Eisenhower

  • Lyndon B.Johnson

Choose your answer

91 mark

Which of these tactics were used by Vietcong fighters?

  • Chemical warfare

  • Search and destroy

  • Aerial bombings

  • Booby traps

Choose your answer

101 mark

In what year did the Tet Offensive take place, marking a pivotal moment in the Vietnam War?

  • 1967

  • 1968

  • 1969

  • 1970

Choose your answer

11 mark

Why did President Kennedy increase involvement in Vietnam?

  • Due to his belief in the domino theory

  • To reduce US influence in Asia

  • To support North Vietnam

  • To gain popularity in Europe

Choose your answer

21 mark

Why did Vietnamisation fail?

  • US troops refused to train ARVN soldiers

  • Lack of ARVN motivation and widespread corruption

  • North Vietnam ceased fighting

  • Complete support from South Vietnamese citizens

Choose your answer

31 mark

What was the main goal of Vietnamisation?

  • Increase US troop presence

  • To negotiate with Vietcong leaders

  • Invade Cambodia

  • Shift fighting responsibility to ARVN

Choose your answer

41 mark

 What major consequence did the Tet Offensive have for the Vietcong?

  • Immediate US withdrawal

  • Recognition of the Vietcong as a political power

  • Significant troop loss

  • End of the South Vietnamese resistance

Choose your answer

51 mark

What was a critical problem with the ARVN during Vietnamisation?

  • Excessive loyalty to North Vietnam

  • Low morale and desertions

  • Lack of equipment

  • Few foreign advisors

Choose your answer

11 mark

Why was President Kennedy’s belief in the domino theory significant to US involvement in Vietnam?

  •  It reinforced his decision to avoid military action in Vietnam at all costs

  • It drove his commitment to halt the spread of communism in Southeast Asia

  • It made him indifferent to South Vietnamese affairs and focus on Europe

  • It led him to prioritise domestic issues, such as the civil rights movement, over foreign conflicts

Choose your answer

21 mark

What was the significance of the Nixon Doctrine to US foreign policy?

  • It marked a new US commitment to sending troops to all capitalist countries

  •  It indicated a shift to supporting allies without deploying American combat troops

  • It aimed to expand US control in Southeast Asia

  • It strengthened US-Soviet relations

Choose your answer

31 mark

Why is the term "Peace with Honor" significant in understanding Nixon's approach to the Vietnam War?

  • It represented a strategy to withdraw troops without admitting defeat

  • It implied an unconditional US victory

  • It indicated a desire for a permanent US presence in Vietnam

  •  It meant an increase in the US draft

Choose your answer

41 mark

Why was the Tet Offensive significant in influencing the US public’s attitude towards the Vietnam War?

  • The Vietcong suffered heavy losses

  • It led to media reports that were largely optimistic about the war's progress

  • It showed US troops desperately fighting in hundreds of locations when the American people had been told the Vietcong were on the verge of collapse

  • It resulted in a media blackout on war coverage by the US government

Choose your answer

51 mark

What was the lasting significance of the Strategic Hamlet Program on rural South Vietnamese communities?

  • It disrupted traditional village life and increased resentment against the US-backed government

  •  It successfully won over rural support for the South Vietnamese government

  • It eliminated Vietcong influence in rural areas

  • It improved economic conditions in the countryside

Choose your answer