Which Civil War strategy aimed to defeat the Confederacy by blockading ports and controlling the Mississippi River?

• A. Anaconda Plan
• B. Campaign
• C. Ironclad
• D. Reconstruction

Answer: (A)

The main idea tested is a Union strategy to suffocate the Confederacy by blocking ports and taking control of the Mississippi River. This plan, known as the Anaconda Plan, aimed to cut off the South’s ability to trade and import supplies by a naval blockade of southern ports, while also gaining control of the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy and disrupt overland movement of troops and resources. By constricting both sea routes and internal transport, the plan sought to wear down the Confederacy without relying on a single decisive battle. The other terms don’t fit: a campaign is a general series of battles, ironclads are armored ships used during the war, and Reconstruction refers to the period after the war to rebuild and redefine Southern society.