Deck 23: The Second World War at Home and Abroad, 1939-1945

Question 1

______________ was a turning point in the Pacific war and relieved the Japanese threat to the U.S. Navy base at Honolulu.

A) The Battle of the Coral Sea
B) The Battle of Guadalcanal
C) The Battle of Midway
D) The Battle of Okinawa

Answer 1

The Battle of Midway

Question 2

During the Second World War, women in the workforce ______________________.

A) were primarily employed in skilled jobs at defense plants
B) received pay equal to that received by men doing the same job
C) were never allowed to take jobs in heavy industry
D) entered the labor force in increasing numbers and often found new employment opportunities

Answer 2

entered the labor force in increasing numbers and often found new employment opportunities

Question 3

Which pact was signed in March of 1940 between the Soviet Union and Hitler shortly before Germany invaded Poland in 1939?

A) Non-Aggression Pact
B) Norris-La Guardia Pact
C) Lend-Lease Pact
D) Reciprocal Trade Agreements Pact

Answer 3

Non-Aggression Pact

Question 4

In producing Liberty ships, Kaiser shipyards ________________.

A) was unable to supply the navy with the cargo ships required to transport troops and war material to the front
B) emphasized speed of production over quality
C) lost its government contract because of cost overruns
D) found it difficult to retain workers because of unsafe working conditions and low wages

Question 5

In 1943, which of the following stalled German advances in eastern Europe and was in large part responsible for placing German forces on the defensive?

A) The Allied invasion of Poland
B) The liberation of France
C) The battle for Aachen
D) The battle for Stalingrad

Question 6

If the United States was to become the "great arsenal of democracy," it had to ______________________.

A) take and maintain control over the important oil fields in the Middle East
B) successfully convert major industries from production of consumer goods to production of military materiel
C) convince corporate leaders to finance the retooling of their factories for the production of war materiel
D) solve transportation problems between the United States and Europe

Question 7

What was a feature of the bracero program?

A) Against the wishes of the Mexican government, Congress excluded immigrant Mexican workers in the United States from minimum-wage requirements.
B) Mexican farm workers were admitted to the United States on short-term work contracts to fill agricultural jobs left vacant by Americans.
C) By agreement between Mexico and the United States, citizenship was extended to Mexicans illegally residing in the United States in 1942.
D) Against the wishes of the Mexican government, Congress provided for the deportation of Mexicans who had illegally entered the United States.

Question 8

Cooking fat saved by housewives during the Second World War________________.

A) was used by the food industry in making ready-to-eat meals for soldiers
B) was processed to produce glycerin, which was used in making black powder for bullets
C) was used at military hospitals
D) was used to make fuel for military vehicles

Question 9

During the Second World War, the federal government __________________.

A) helped some workers in defense plants by offering federally funded childcare centers
B) offered health care to all workers in defense-related industries
C) established a higher minimum wage for workers in defense-related industries than in industries deemed nonessential to the war effort
D) fully funded the pension plans for workers in defense-related industries

Question 10

In December of 1940, Roosevelt pledged that America would serve as a _______.

A) powerful nation in the upcoming conflict
B) anchor of hope for the world
C) great arsenal of democracy
D) beacon of liberty

Question 11

What was a consequence of the Doolittle raid?

A) It convinced Japanese leaders to relinquish control over outlying Pacific islands and concentrate on defending Japan's home islands.
B) It convinced military commanders of America's forces in the Pacific that Japan was capable of bombing raids against the West Coast of the continental United States.
C) The raid, which convinced Japanese commander Yamamoto that he needed to lure the United States into a decisive conflict, led to the Battle of Midway.
D) Its success gave American forces in the Pacific confidence that Japan's air-defense system had been destroyed.

Question 12

Issued by President Roosevelt in 1941, Executive Order No. 8802 __________________.

A) fully integrated the United States armed forces
B) offered direct assistance to African Americans who wanted to move out of the South
C) created a presidential commission to study and recommend ways to alleviate wage discrimination based on race and sex
D) prohibited racial discrimination in the employment of workers in war industries and in the government

Question 13

U)S. strategy during the Second World War called for _____________________.

A) the United States to concentrate its forces in the Pacific while Great Britain and Russia fought the war in Europe
B) the defeat first of Germany and then of Japan
C) a buildup of armaments in the Western Hemisphere so that the United States could withstand an Axis attack
D) a negotiated settlement in Europe, if possible, while seeking the unconditional surrender of Japan

Question 14

By the end of the Second World War, the United States was producing 40 percent of the world's weaponry. How was this accomplished?

A) The weapons industry relied on robotics.
B) Workers in defense plants were given monetary bonuses when they exceeded production quotas.
C) The assembly-line process of mass production was used in many defense-related industries.
D) Military personnel were used to increase the work force and speed up production in defense-related industries.

Question 15

In 1942, Prime Minister Winston Churchill rejected Stalin's appeal that Allied forces open a second front against Germany because Churchill _____________________.

A) wanted to protect British interests in the Mediterranean and Middle East by halting German advances in North Africa
B) wanted to strengthen Allied air forces over the English Channel to stop German bombing raids against London
C) believed it was more important to liberate France
D) did not want to draw Allied forces away from the war against Japan in the Pacific

Question 16

Which of the following is true of the War Labor Disputes (Smith-Connally) Act of June 1943?

A) It authorized the president to seize and operate certain strike-bound plants.
B) It suspended labor's right to strike for the duration of the war.
C) It imposed a wage and price freeze for the duration of the war.
D) It created an arbitration board separate from the NWLB to settle all labor disputes.

Question 17

Which initiative achieved the world's first sustained nuclear chain reaction in 1942 at the University of Chicago?

A) United States Mapping Mission
B) Army Nuclear Power Program
C) The Manhattan Project
D) United States Army Art Program

Question 18

The primary task of the War Production Board was to ______________________.

A) decide where to build new factories for war production
B) determine how to finance the production of war equipment
C) allocate resources and coordinate production among the nation's factories as they converted from civilian to military production
D) set the wage scale that would attract workers to jobs in defense plants

Question 19

Which of the following is true of government military contracts during the Second World War?

A) They greatly enriched neighborhood enterprises.
B) They were equally distributed among all businesses.
C) They were awarded to companies with the lowest profit margin and the highest research and development expenditures.
D) Most were awarded to the nation's top one hundred corporations.

Question 20

In the matter of closed-shop versus open-shop arrangements in industry, the National War Labor Board __________________.

A) refused to deal with the issue, leaving the matter up to the various states
B) was intimidated by John L. Lewis into requiring workers in industries receiving government contracts to join a union
C) demonstrated that it was dominated by corporate interests by not requiring workers in major industries to join a union
D) forged a workable compromise by allowing unions to enroll as many new members as possible but not requiring workers to join a union

Question 21

Which of the following is true of the Office of Price Administration?

A) It lost the support of the public because of a bribery scandal that involved the agency's director.
B) Its blatant favoritism toward business interests undermined its credibility.
C) It established a nationwide rationing program for certain consumer goods.
D) It reluctantly introduced rationing during the last months of the war.

Question 22

When the Korematsu case came before the Supreme Court, ____________________.

A) the court refused to hear the case until after the war was over
B) the court ruled that the policy of internment was unconstitutional
C) the court upheld the government's policy of internment
D) the court sent the case to a lower court for review, where it was allowed to languish until the end of the war

Question 23

Why was sugar rationed in the United States during the Second World War?

A) Sugar was used by Allied soldiers to win over the civilian populations in liberated European cities.
B) Sugar was used to produce alcohol, which was used in the manufacturing of weapons.
C) Large quantities of sugar were necessary as a quick energy source for soldiers.
D) Sugar was used to make fuel for military vehicles.

Question 24

Which of the following is true of the "Double V" campaign?

A) It was a campaign waged by American labor leaders to convince men that work in defense-related industries was just as important in the war effort as military service.
B) It was an attempt by African-American leaders to force the nation to confront the parallels between the racist doctrines of the Nazis and racial segregation in the United States.
C) It was an effort by leaders of the women's movement for working women to receive pay equal to that of their male counterparts.
D) It was a propaganda campaign undertaken by the War Information Bureau to convince the American public that the war in Europe was just as important as the war in the Pacific.

Question 25

Which of the following statements concerning the wartime economy is true?

A) The national debt skyrocketed during the war years.
B) Roosevelt secured passage of a steeply graduated corporate and private income tax to finance the war.
C) Net corporate profits fell dramatically during the war years.
D) From 1939 to 1945, employees' wages and salaries declined.

Question 26

As a result of wartime revenue acts, ____________________.

A) the government was able to fund the war fully through increased taxes
B) corporations paid more in taxes than did individual workers
C) rises in the real income of Americans declined due to tax increases
D) the number of Americans paying income tax increased significantly

Question 27

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the public's attitude toward women entering the labor force during the war years?

A) Women who seek gainful employment usually do so because they have not been able to find a husband.
B) Women cannot adequately perform men's work because they lack sufficient physical strength.
C) Women should enter the labor force for the duration of the war, but they should return to the home when the war is over.
D) Women make better workers than men because of their determination to prove themselves.

Question 28

Why was the Office of War Information created?

A) It was responsible for deciphering Japanese and German diplomatic codes.
B) It gathered military intelligence to help battlefield commanders.
C) It was established to gather information on civilians suspected of aiding the enemy.
D) It was in charge of domestic propaganda to build public support for the war.

Question 29

During the Second World War, the personal income of most American workers___________________.

A) declined in real terms because of higher taxes
B) increased, but was eaten up by the high rate of inflation
C) was lower than that of workers in other industrialized nations
D) reached new highs

Question 30

Where did Americans first see the horrors of Nazi death camps?

A) In newsreels at movie theaters
B) In pictorial magazines such as Life
C) On television in the 1950s
D) In brochures printed and distributed by the government

Question 31

Which of the following was used as a reason to keep the armed forces racially segregated throughout the Second World War?

A) The commitment of African Americans to the war effort was in question.
B) The integration of military installations would challenge segregation by law in the southern states and possibly provoke racial violence.
C) Because African Americans were the only service personnel who could not be assigned to combat duty, they had to be assigned to all-black support units.
D) African Americans were not considered citizens of the United States and, therefore, had to be separated from other military personnel.

Question 32

What organization had the enormous task of allocating resources and coordinating production among thousands of independent factories in 1942?

A) Defense Business Board
B) United States Access Board
C) Military Intelligence Board
D) War Production Board

Question 33

The internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War was based on ____________________.

A) conviction for espionage and sedition
B) well-documented conspiracies to sabotage the American war effort
C) their ethnic origin
D) evidence of their support for the Japanese war effort against the United States

Question 34

The Zoot Suit Riot occurred in what city?

A) Detroit
B) Los Angeles
C) New York
D) San Francisco

Question 35

How did the composition of families change during the Second World War?

A) The divorce rate consistently declined.
B) The marriage rate substantially decreased.
C) The marriage rate increased but the birth rate declined.
D) Both the marriage rate and the birth rate rose.

Question 36

What was true of the American military during the Second World War?

A) It remained segregated by race throughout the war.
B) The Air Force was the first service to allow enlistment of African Americans.
C) African Americans could enlist only in the Army.
D) African Americans were not allowed to serve in combat.

Question 37

The Alien Registration Act of 1940 ___________________.

A) required that all immigrants from enemy nations be transferred to internment centers for the duration of the war
B) prohibited the employment of Americans of German, Italian, or Japanese descent in defense-related industries
C) made it illegal to advocate the overthrow of the U.S. government by force or violence
D) required all immigrants to take an oath of loyalty to the American government or face deportation

Question 38

The "Grand Alliance" was composed of all of the following countries EXCEPT

A) Germany
B) Russia
C) United States
D) Britain

Question 39

How did some movie theaters support the war effort against Germany and Japan?

A) They showed short film biographies of American soldiers.
B) They displayed the pictures of orphaned European children who were available for adoption.
C) They had contests to see which patron could come closest to forecasting the date on which the war would end.
D) They held "plasma premiers" at which patrons could donate blood to the Red Cross as the price of admission.

Question 40

Why did the War Production Board redesign men's suits during the Second World War?

A) To emphasize in a symbolic way, the wartime sacrifices expected of the civilian population
B) To indicate the need for a disciplined appearance during wartime
C) To reduce the time consumed producing consumer clothing, thus freeing workers to concentrate on making military uniforms
D) To conserve wool for military use

Question 41

Why was the American fleet caught by surprise when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor?

A) Cryptographers erred in translating the Japanese message and believed that the Japanese planes were on their way to the Philippines.
B) President Roosevelt deliberately did not warn the fleet that an attack was imminent.
C) Faulty radar equipment prevented detection of Japanese aircraft as they approached the naval base.
D) The message warning of the imminence of a Japanese attack was transmitted by a slow method and arrived too late.

Question 42

After Japan entered the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy, President Roosevelt __________________.

A) waged an undeclared war against Japanese naval forces in the Pacific
B) secured legislation that gave him the power to enforce the Open Door policy in the Far East
C) imposed an embargo on shipments of aviation fuel and scrap metal to Japan
D) signed mutual defense treaties with Far Eastern nations threatened by Japanese aggression

Question 43

What was the primary purpose of the Lend-Lease Act?

A) To sell arms to the nations of Europe
B) To stop Japanese expansion in Asia
C) To make military supplies available to an impoverished England
D) To aid the Chinese in building up their military forces

Question 44

Which of the following was a consequence of the loss of the destroyer Reuben James?

A) After considerable debate, Congress approved a declaration of war against Germany.
B) Congress approved a revision of the Neutrality Acts to permit the transport of munitions to England on armed American merchant ships.
C) The United States broke diplomatic relations with Germany.
D) By joint resolution, Congress ended the use of American naval vessels to convoy British merchant ships carrying munitions.

Question 45

What is the historical significance of "D-Day"?

A) It was the day Normandy was invaded by Allied troops.
B) It was the day Germany surrendered.
C) It was the day North Africa was invaded by the western Allies.
D) It was the day Italy was captured by British and American forces.

Question 46

Discuss the strategy undertaken by American forces in the Pacific theater, and explain how that strategy carried America to victory over Japan in the Second World War.

Question 47

President Roosevelt described which of the following as "a date which will live in infamy?"

A) The date on which the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor
B) The date on which the British and the French allowed Hitler to take the Sudeten region of Czechoslovakia
C) The date on which the Japanese army seized Manchuria
D) The date on which Italy attacked Ethiopia

Question 48

Examine the relations among the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union during the Second World War. What were the major differences among the Big Three? How were those differences resolved?

Question 49

What agreement was reached at the Yalta Conference?

A) The United States and Great Britain would enter into a treaty of friendship with Mao Zedong of China.
B) Poland would become a protectorate under Russian domination and with a pro-Soviet government.
C) Germany would be divided into two zones, one controlled by the western Allies and the other by the Soviet Union.
D) Russia would declare war on Japan shortly after Hitler's defeat.

Question 50

What was achieved at the Dumbarton Oaks conference in 1944?

A) The strategy for the defeat of Japan was outlined.
B) The United Nations Organization was approved in principle by the Allies.
C) Details concerning Germany's postwar status were finalized.
D) The timetable for extending independence to former colonies was worked out.

Question 51

Which of the following was a consequence of the Tehran Conference of December 1943?

A) Stalin announced that the Soviet Union would withdraw from the Grand Alliance if it could secure a separate peace with Germany.
B) Churchill and Roosevelt agreed that the next major Allied campaign would be a strike against Vienna through the Balkans.
C) Stalin, over the objections of Churchill and Roosevelt, insisted that Russian troops would enter the war in the Pacific in January 1944.
D) The three Allied leaders finally agreed that Operation Overlord would be launched in early 1944.

Question 52

In 1939, Jewish refugees arriving in the United States on the St. Louis were ______________________.

A) forced to return to Europe
B) taken as prisoners after the ship was fired on by a German destroyer
C) allowed to enter the United States
D) given honorary Canadian citizenship and allowed to enter that country

Question 53

Which of the following was a major factor that shaped the agreements reached by the Allies at Yalta?

A) Stalin's insistence that China be recognized as a major power
B) The military positions of the Allies
C) Roosevelt's ill health
D) Dissension between Roosevelt and Churchill over German reparations

Question 54

How did the Allies respond to mounting evidence that Hitler intended to exterminate the Jews?

A) Only the United States went out of its way to welcome Jewish refugees.
B) The British agreed to open Palestine to Jewish settlement.
C) British and American representatives met in Bermuda to discuss the plight of the Jews, but offered no concrete plan of assistance.
D) The United States persuaded Latin American countries to open their doors to Jewish refugees.

Question 55

President Roosevelt responded to the Japanese invasion of French Indochina in July 1941 by ____________________.

A) adopting a wait-and-see attitude
B) freezing Japanese assets in the United States
C) sending American troops to Thailand
D) breaking diplomatic relations with the Japanese

Question 56

What impact did military service during the war have on American men?

A) Most felt that their war years were wasted, and they returned home angry and disillusioned.
B) Most did not want to return to their civilian lives and made a career out of the service.
C) Many became disillusioned with the American political system.
D) Many became less prejudiced after having served with people from backgrounds and cultures different from their own.

Question 57

When a German submarine fired on the American destroyer Greer, _______________________.

A) Germany declared war with the United States
B) England demanded the Lend-Lease Act be revoked
C) President Roosevelt granted the navy the authority to fire first when threatened
D) President Roosevelt asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany

Question 58

Which of the following most accurately describes the relationship among the Allies during the Second World War?

A) The relationship reflected the closeness of friends locked together in a mutual quest for survival.
B) It was a hostile relationship, with each nation openly criticizing the failings of the others.
C) Cooperation among the Allies was undermined by an undercurrent of suspicion.
D) Only after D-Day did the relationship become one of complete trust.

Question 59

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on American industry.

Question 60

The Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 _______________________.

A) prohibited the drafting of American men into the armed forces until Congress adopted a formal declaration of war
B) required the racial integration of the armed forces of the United States
C) was the first peacetime military draft in American history
D) allowed women as well as men to be drafted into the armed forces of the United States

Question 61

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on the world community of nations and on the international balance of power.

Question 62

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on organized labor in the United States.

Question 63

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on African Americans.

Question 64

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on the family and on the lives of children.

Question 65

Examine the role and evaluate the performance of the federal government as the coordinator and overseer of America's war effort during the Second World War. What were the consequences of the role assumed by the government and the actions taken?

Question 66

Discuss the events and developments that led to war between the United States and Japan in 1941.

Question 67

Examine the Yalta Conference in terms of the goals of each of the Allies, the constraints that operated to prevent each from attaining its goals, and the strengths and weaknesses of the final agreement.

Question 68

Explain the contributions made by women in the wartime work force, and describe the response of the public to their efforts.

Question 69

Analyze the ways in which an unprepared United States readied itself for war after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.

Question 70

Explain the response of the United States to the persecution of European Jews during the Second World War.

Question 71

Examine the decision by the United States to drop the atomic bomb on Japan.

Question 72

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on the American economy.

Question 73

Discuss the nature and purpose of the internment of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. How did the Supreme Court respond to the policy?

Question 74

Describe what soldiers in World War II endured in battle and how that compared to depictions in propaganda and mass media.

Question 75

Discuss the impact of the Second World War on Mexican Americans.