Canadian Citizenship Practice Test 2025

What marked the beginning of the Cold War?

1. The formation of NATO

2. The invention of basketball

3. Liberated countries joining the communist bloc controlled by the Soviet Union

4. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles

The correct answer is: Liberated countries joining the communist bloc controlled by the Soviet Union

The Cold War was a period of political and military tension between the opposing ideologies of communism and capitalism that lasted from the late 1940s to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The beginning of this conflict can be attributed to the Soviet Union's expansion and control over countries in Eastern Europe after World War II. This is represented in the option C, where liberated countries chose to join the communist bloc controlled by the Soviet Union. Option A, the formation of NATO, was a direct response to this expansion and served as a defensive alliance for Western democracies. Option B, the invention of basketball, has no relation to the start of the Cold War. Option D, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, took place after World War I and had no direct impact on the beginning of the Cold War. Therefore, the correct answer is C.