In 1960, a U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, heightening Cold War tensions between the United States and the USSR.

• A. Cuban Missile Crisis
• B. U-2 incident
• C. Bay of Pigs Invasion
• D. Soviet invasion of Hungary

Answer: (B)

This item tests your ability to identify a specific Cold War incident from a brief description. In 1960, a U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, and the American pilot was captured. The United States had been denying that the mission was anything more than a weather flight, but the downing exposed an espionage operation and publicized U.S. covert tactics. This event heightened tensions between the United States and the USSR, contributed to the collapse of the planned Paris summit, and underscored the risk of high-altitude intelligence gathering during the Cold War.

The other events listed happened in different years or contexts: the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in 1962 and involved missiles in Cuba; the Bay of Pigs Invasion occurred in 1961 in Cuba; the Soviet invasion of Hungary happened in 1956. This description fits the U-2 incident.