Consider the following countries : I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

Lists Bulgaria as a member of the Warsaw Pact (Soviet-aligned military bloc), which establishes its Cold War alignment opposite NATO.

A student could use the fact that many former Warsaw Pact states shifted alliances after 1990 to check whether Bulgaria later sought Western institutions like NATO.

Notes that many Baltic and East European states wanted to join the European Union and become part of NATO after the Soviet bloc ended.

One can extend this pattern to ask whether Bulgaria — an East European state — followed the same trajectory and then verify its NATO accession date from an external source.

Shows Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007, indicating a westward/European integration trajectory in the post-Cold War period.

Given EU accession often coincided with Euro-Atlantic integration for several states, a student could check whether Bulgaria also joined NATO (using a map or timeline of NATO enlargements).

Provides context about NATO as the US-Western security organisation formed in response to Communist expansion.

Using this definition, a student can infer that former Communist-aligned countries were candidates for NATO membership after the Cold War and then look up Bulgaria specifically in NATO enlargement records.

Includes an exercise prompt to 'Trace the background of the formation of NATO', highlighting that NATO enlargement and its rivals (e.g., Warsaw Pact) are a topic to study.

A student could follow that suggested line of study to compare timelines of NATO enlargement with Bulgaria's post-1990 political changes to assess likelihood of membership.

States of post‑Cold War Europe (example: Croatia) are noted as joining European institutions (Croatia became the 28th EU member in 2013), suggesting integration into Euro‑Atlantic structures.

A student could use this pattern plus a map/timeline of post‑1991 European states to check whether Croatia followed the common path of EU entrants also joining NATO.

The snippet states that many Baltic and East European states wanted to join the EU and 'become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)', establishing a general rule that post‑Soviet/ Eastern European countries sought NATO membership.

Apply this rule to Balkan successor states of Yugoslavia (including Croatia) to infer they were candidates for NATO accession and then verify with accession dates.

Mentions NATO intervention in the Yugoslav conflicts and bombing of Yugoslavia — indicating NATO engagement in the Balkans and operational relations with successor states like Croatia.

From NATO's active role in the region, a student could reasonably investigate whether Balkan states (Croatia among them) later formalized ties by joining NATO.

Describes NATO expansion implications (West Germany joining NATO provoked a Warsaw Pact response), illustrating that NATO has historically expanded by incorporating European states.

Use the general pattern of NATO expansion into Europe to consider whether later European entrants (e.g., former Yugoslav republics) were admitted to NATO and check specific membership records for Croatia.

Defines NATO as an organisation formed because Western European countries felt insecure and sought US-led collective security.

A student could use this rule to check whether Serbia is typically categorised with the 'Western European' states that originally joined NATO or with other regional groupings.

Lists members of the Warsaw Pact (Soviet-aligned Eastern European states), illustrating a Cold War divide between NATO and Soviet blocs.

A student can place Serbia (and its predecessors) on a Cold War map to see whether it fell into NATO, Warsaw Pact, or a non-aligned category, which informs likelihood of NATO membership.

Notes that after the Soviet bloc ended, many Baltic and East European states sought to join NATO.

A student can compare Serbia's post-Cold War political trajectory (whether it is one of those East European applicants) against the list of states that joined NATO to judge membership probability.

Discusses Serbia's historical conflicts in the Balkans, indicating Serbia is a Balkan state with its own regional history distinct from Western Europe.

A student could use basic geography (Balkan location) plus this regional history to check whether Balkan states were NATO members or not, narrowing the search for Serbia's status.

Mentions Serbia explicitly in the context of early 20th-century wars, confirming Serbia is a distinct historical polity in Europe rather than a Baltic/East European Soviet-bloc state.

A student can combine this identification with knowledge of which European countries joined NATO to assess whether Serbia appears among NATO member states.

Shows Sweden's European integration milestone (joined the EU in 1995), placing it among European states that might or might not join NATO.

A student could compare lists/maps of EU members versus NATO members to see whether Sweden appears in both.

Explains that after the Soviet bloc ended, several Baltic and East European states sought NATO membership — establishes a pattern of post‑Cold War European states joining NATO.

A student could apply this pattern to Western/Nordic Europe and check if Sweden followed that same post‑Cold War joining trend using a NATO membership list or map.

Describes NATO's expansion (e.g., West Germany joining) provoking counter‑alliances, indicating NATO has added European states beyond its original members.

A student could use the pattern of NATO expanding to check whether other European countries (including Sweden) were later added by consulting an expansion timeline or map.

Notes that Denmark and Sweden resisted certain EU integration steps (Maastricht/euro), suggesting Sweden has been cautious about supranational commitments.

Using this inclination toward caution, a student might hypothesize Sweden historically maintained neutrality and then verify via a NATO membership roster or timeline.

Shows Sweden participates in international coalitions (e.g., climate alliance) alongside other European states, indicating active international engagement but not necessarily NATO membership.

A student could note that participation in other multilateral groups does not imply NATO membership and thus check a definitive NATO member list to confirm Sweden's status.