World Wars and Cold War

Question 1

What was a major reason for United States entry into World War I?

1) to overthrow the czarist government of Russia
2) to keep Latin America from being attacked by Germany
3) to maintain freedom of the seas
4) to break up the colonial empires of the Allies

Answer 1

3)to maintain freedom of the seas

Question 2

Which situation was the immediate cause of the United States entry into World War I in 1917?

1) The League of Nations requested help.
2) The Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor.
3) Nazi tyranny threatened Western democracy.
4) German submarines sank United States merchant ships.

Answer 2

4)German submarines sank United States merchant ship

Question 3

Which argument did President Woodrow Wilson use to persuade Congress to enter World War I?

1) making the world safe for democracy
2) retaliating against the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
3) assisting the neutral nations with their defense
4) removing the Nazi threat from the Western Hemisphere

Answer 3

1)making the world safe for democracy

Question 4

Many senators who opposed United States membership in the League of Nations argued that joining the League would

1) involve the nation in future military conflicts
2) reduce freedom of the seas
3) end the country’s free-trade policy
4) endanger the nation’s military preparedness

Answer 4

1)involve the nation in future military conflicts

Question 5

Following World War I, the United States Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles primarily because the treaty

1) failed to include most of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points
2) did not punish Germany for starting the war
3) contained provisions that might lead the United States into foreign conflicts
4) made no provision for reduction of military weapons

Answer 5

3)contained provisions that might lead the United States into foreign conflicts

Question 6

One goal for a lasting peace that President Woodrow Wilson included in his Fourteen Points was

1) establishing a League of Nations
2) maintaining a permanent military force in Europe
3) returning the United States to a policy of isolationism
4) blaming Germany for causing World War I

Answer 6

1)establishing a League of Nations

Question 7

During his reelection campaign in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson used the slogan, “He kept us out of war.” In April of 1917, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. What helped bring about this change?

1) Bolshevik forces increased their strength in Germany and Italy.
2) Britain was invaded by nations of the Central Powers.
3) Russia signed a treaty of alliance with the Central Powers.
4) Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare.

Answer 7

4) Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare.

Question 8

membership in the United Nations shows the contrast between

1) neutrality and containment
2) appeasement and internationalism
3) isolationism and involvement
4) interventionism and détente

Answer 8

3)isolationism and involvement

Question 9

A major reason the United States entered World War I was to

1) gain additional colonial possessions
2) react to the bombing of Pearl Harbor
3) honor prewar commitments to its military allies
4) safeguard freedom of the seas for United States ships

Answer 9

4) safeguard freedom of the seas for United States ships

Question 10

In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court decided that a “clear and present danger” to the country allowed the federal government to

1) establish a peacetime draft
2) restrict first amendment rights
3) suspend habeas corpus
4) limit minority voting rights

Answer 10

2)restrict first amendment rights

Question 11

A major cause of the growth of state and Federal highway systems after World War II was the

1) increased use of mass transit systems
2) growing prosperity of inner-city areas
3) rapid development of suburbs
4) return of city dwellers to farm areas

Answer 11

3)rapid development of suburbs

Question 12

The Lend-Lease Act and the Destroyers-for-Bases deal were adopted prior to World War II primarily because these actions would

1) help Allied nations without the United States entering the war
2) stop the spread of communism
3) convince the American people that war was necessary
4) create jobs to end the Great Depression

Answer 12

1) help Allied nations without the United States entering the war

Question 13

Which statement about Japanese Americans interned during World War II is most accurate?

1) Many were forced to return to Japan at the conclusion of the war.
2) No Japanese Americans were allowed to serve in the United States armed services during the war.
3) Most were released after signing a loyalty oath
4) Many lost their homes and businesses

Answer 13

4) Many lost their homes and businesses

Question 14

Which action best illustrates the policy of isolationism followed by the United States before it entered World War II?

1) signing of a collective security pact with Latin American nations
2) passage of neutrality legislation forbidding arms sales to warring nations
3) embargo on the sale of gasoline and steel to Japan
4) President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s exchange of American destroyers for British naval and air bases

Answer 14

2) passage of neutrality legislation forbidding arms sales to warring nations

Question 15

President Harry Truman justified using atomic bombs on Japan in 1945 on the grounds that the

1) world was ready for a demonstration of nuclear power
2) Axis powers deserved total destruction
3) early ending of the war would save many lives
4) American public demanded that the bombs be used

Answer 15

3) early ending of the war would save many lives

Question 16

Which precedent was established by the Nuremberg war crimes trials?

1) National leaders can be held responsible for crimes against humanity .
2) Only individuals who actually commit murder during a war can be guilty of a crime.
3) Defeated nations cannot be forced to pay reparations.
4) Defeated nations can be occupied by the victors.

Answer 16

1) National leaders can be held responsible for crimes against humanity .

Question 17

“The great rule of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible.”

This quotation supports a foreign policy of

1) imperialism
2) appeasement
3) neutrality
4) economic sanctions

Answer 17

3)neutrality

Question 18

As World War II was ending, the United States decided to join the United Nations mainly because the United States
sought to meet the American public’s overwhelming demand for free-trade agreements

1) wanted to continue to play the same role it had in the League of Nations
2) recognized that efforts to achieve world peace 3)required United States involvement
4) wanted to stop the growing influence of newly independent developing nations

Answer 18

3)required United States involvement

Question 19

The United States became involved in World War II primarily because

1) Germany refused to pay its debts from World War I
2) European democracies supported United States policies toward Germany and Japan
3) President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not enforce the Neutrality Acts
4) Germany and Japan achieved important military successes in Europe and Asia

Answer 19

4) Germany and Japan achieved important military successes in Europe and Asia

Question 20

Speaker A:”We must take action even if we are not sure it will work. To do nothing to stop them would be a repeat of the Munich mistake.”
Speaker B:”We must recognize the increasing interdependence of nations and join the United Nations.”
Speaker C:”Stopping the spread of communism can and must take several forms. We must be willing to do whatever is necessary.”
Speaker D:”Involvement in European affairs would be a mistake. We should not jeopardize our peace and prosperity over issues that Europe’s ambitions and rivalries control.”

The “Munich mistake” mentioned by speaker A refers to a policy of

1) interdependence
2) appeasement
3) balance of power
4) collective security

Answer 20

2) appeasement

Question 21

An immediate effect of the Lend-Lease program was that

1) Western Europe recovered from the damage caused by World War I
2) the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact
3) Japan declared war against the United States
4) the United States provided critical aid to Great Britain and the Soviet Union

Answer 21

4) the United States provided critical aid to Great Britain and the Soviet Union

Question 22

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 is an illustration of the

1) impact a single event can have on public opinion a time of crisis
2) effectiveness of a policy of appeasement in stopping aggression
3) success of the pacifist movement in the United States
4) role of communism as a negative influence in global affairs

Answer 22

1) impact a single event can have on public opinion a time of crisis

Question 23

he rulings of the Supreme Court inDred Scott v. Sanford (1857), Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), and Korematsu v. United States (1944) all demonstrate that the Supreme Court has

1) continued to extend voting rights to minorities
2) protected itself from internal dissent
3) sometimes failed to protect the rights of minorities
4) often imposed restrictions on free speech during wartime

Answer 23

3) sometimes failed to protect the rights of minorities

Question 24

World War I and World War II brought about changes for minorities and women because these conflicts led to

1)the creation of new job opportunities
20the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment
3)a greater number of high-level management positions
4) greater integration in housing and schools throughout the nation

Answer 24

1)the creation of new job opportunities

Question 25

After World War II, the Marshall Plan was proposed as a way to

1) improve diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union
2) help European nations recover economically
3) remove nuclear weapons from Western Europe
4) bring Nazi war criminals to justice

Answer 25

2)help European nations recover economically

Question 26

President Harry Truman supported a containment policy after World War II in an attempt to

1) limit the use of atomic bombs and other nuclear weapons
2) end colonialism in Africa and Asia
3) bring German and Japanese war criminals to justice
4) reduce the influence of the Soviet Union in European countries

Answer 26

4) reduce the influence of the Soviet Union in European countries

Question 27

In the period following World War II, the United States established a long-term military presence in West Germany in an effort to

1) support the unification of Europe, by force if necessary
2) stop communist expansion in Europe
3) prevent the renewal of German aggression in Europe
4) allow the United Nations to resolve international disputes

Answer 27

2)stop communist expansion in Europe

Question 28

What was one result of World War II?

1) The arms race ended.
2) The Cold War ended.
3) Communism was eliminated.
4) Two superpowers emerged.

Answer 28

4) Two superpowers emerged.

Question 29

Which federal policy was enacted during World War II and justified as a wartime necessity?

1) a ban on German-language books
2) internment of Japanese Americans
3) exclusion of Chinese immigrants
4) adoption of the quota system of immigration

Answer 29

internment of Japanese Americans

Question 30

One reason the Nuremberg trials following World War II were held was to

1)bring Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo to justice
2)force Japan to pay for the attack on Pearl Harbor
30make German leaders accountable for the Holocaust
4) punish the German government for bombing England

Answer 30

0make German leaders accountable for the Holocaust