She thinks she didn’t do very well in acting class. c. She didn’t go to class. She doesn’t have time to watch the Academy Awards

44 TOEFL EXAM ESSENTIALS

c. killing of Native Americans by Europeans d. introduction of horses by Spanish

11. From the students’ comments, we can infer that a. European settlement drastically changed Native Amer- icans’ way of life.

b. European settlers found few inhabitants when they

arrived.

c. Europeans did not benefit from contact with Native

Americans. d. Native Americans had one culture and language. Questions 12 through 16 are based on the following mini- lecture: The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted only thirteen days. But those thir- teen, terrifying days make up the world’s closest brush with the threat of nuclear war. There were several events that unfolded during the Cuban Missile Crisis. First, on October 14, 1962, U.S. spy planes flying over Cuba spotted Soviet missile installations under construction. The mis- siles were intermediate- and medium-range; they could carry nuclear weapons within the range of U.S. cities—putting the people of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles at risk. After con- sidering a surprise air strike, President Kennedy decided to announce a naval blockade of Cuba. But before he began the naval blockade, Kennedy made a worldwide radio and TV address on October 22. In the address, he told the public about the discovery of the missiles and demanded that the Soviet Union remove them. He said that the LISTENING 45 United States would regard a missile attack from Cuba the same as an attack from the Soviet Union, and that it would respond accordingly. The days after the speech were tense. Kennedy didn’t know how the Soviet Union would respond. Finally, after thirteen days, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles if the United States promised not to invade Cuba. One interesting fact is that, unknown to the U.S. government at the time, 40,000 Soviet soldiers were stationed in Cuba and armed with nuclear weapons. This information has only come to light recently when U.S. and Soviet files about the incident have become declassified. An ironic result of the crisis was that even though Khrushchev’s actions helped protect the world from nuclear war, they made him look weak to younger Soviet leaders. He was removed from power. 12. What is the speaker’s main point? a. Thirteen days is not a long time.

b. The Soviet threat during the Cuban Missile Crisis was

not real.

c. The Cuban Missile Crisis put the world at risk of

nuclear war.

d. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a significant historical

event.

13. According to the speaker, President Kennedy a. knew that Khrushchev would back down.

b. didn’t think the situation was very serious. c. viewed the crisis as a conflict between Cuba and the United States only.

d. believed the crisis was principally between the United

States and the Soviet Union.