Deck 35: America in World War II

Question 1

While American workers were committed to the war effort, wartime strikes prompted temporary government takeovers of

A) telephones and public utilities.
B) automobile and truck manufacturing.
C) shipping and shipbuilding.
D) the weapons manufacturing industry.
E) the coal mines and railroads.

Answer 1

the coal mines and railroads.

Question 2

The minority group most adversely affected by Washington's wartime policies was

A) German Americans.
B) African Americans.
C) Japanese Americans.
D) American Indians.
E) Italian Americans.

Answer 2

Japanese Americans.

Question 3

As World War II began for the United States in 1941, President Roosevelt

A) led a seriously divided nation into the conflict.
B) endorsed the same kind of government persecution of German-Americans as Wilson had in World War I.
C) called the American people to an idealistic crusade for democracy with the same rhetoric that Wilson had used in World War I.
D) decided on a strategy of giving top priority to the war in Europe while putting the Pacific war on the back burner.
E) declared a strategy of attacking Italy and Japan first while leaving the more potent Hitler for later.

Answer 3

decided on a strategy of giving top priority to the war in Europe while putting the Pacific war on the back burner.

Question 4

Despite the loss of manpower to the war, American farmers managed to provide abundant food supplies through

A) bringing new farm acreage into production.
B) improved technology and fertilizer along with the use of Mexican laborers.
C) improving the efficiency of agricultural processing plants.
D) using crop rotation techniques along with the soil bank.
E) using their wives and daughters to bring in the crops.

Question 5

During World War II, approximately ____ women served in the United States armed forces in noncombatant roles.

A) 25,000
B) 100,000
C) 200,000
D) 500,000
E) 1.5 million

Question 6

During World War II,

A) Americans suffered serious shortages of food and consumer goods.
B) Americans enjoyed record prosperity and large corporate profits.
C) corporate profits and average wages declined.
D) more American women entered the workforce than in any other nation.
E) many Americans came to resent the large role of big government in their lives.

Question 7

When the United States entered World War II in December 1941,

A) it took nearly two years for the country to unite.
B) the conflict soon became an idealistic crusade for democracy.
C) the primary goal was to stop Hitler's massacre of European Jews.
D) a majority of Americans had no clear idea of what the war was about.
E) the idea of allying with the Communist Soviet Union was repugnant.

Question 8

African Americans did all of the following during World War II except

A) fight in integrated combat units.
B) fight for equal hiring in wartime defense industries.
C) move north and west in large numbers.
D) form a militant organization called the Congress of Racial Equality.
E) experience racial violence in Detroit and elsewhere.

Question 9

Overall, most ethnic groups in the United States during World War II

A) were further assimilated into American society.
B) were not allowed to serve in the military.
C) had their patriotism questioned as in World War I.
D) turned away from Roosevelt toward the Republican party.
E) served in ethnically distinct military units.

Question 10

In the 1800s the Japanese government drove many Japanese farmers off their land by

A) confiscating property for military bases.
B) forcing them to work in factories.
C) conscripting them into the military.
D) imposing a steep land tax.
E) refusing to let them grow rice.

Question 11

In the period from 1885 to 1924, Japanese immigrants to the United States were

A) poorly educated.
B) primarily from the island of Hokkaido.
C) some of the poorest people to enter the country.
D) primarily shopkeepers and tradespeople.
E) select representatives of their nation.

Question 12

Once at war, America's first overpowering challenge was to

A) pass a conscription law.
B) raise an army and navy.
C) extend aid to the Soviet Union.
D) develop atomic weapons.
E) retool its industry for all-out war production.

Question 13

Because of the changes in the American economy and the invention of new technology, by 1970 ____ of all blacks lived outside the South.

A) 25 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 90 percent
E) less than 10 percent

Question 14

The employment of more than six million women in American industry during World War II led to

A) equal pay for men and women.
B) a greater percentage of American women in war industries than anywhere else in the world.
C) the establishment of day care centers by the government.
D) a reduction in employment for black males.
E) a strong desire of most women to work for wages.

Question 15

Match each of the wartime agencies below with its correct function:

A) A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
B) A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
C) A-2, B-4, C-3, D-1
D) A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
E) A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3

Question 16

The northward and westward migration of African Americans accelerated during and immediately after World War II because

A) the southern system of segregation was declared illegal.
B) Latinos were replacing blacks in the southern work force.
C) mechanical cotton pickers came into use.
D) northern and western cities welcomed black workers.
E) southern state governments pressured blacks to leave.

Question 17

About half of women war workers left the labor force at the end of World War II because of

A) union demands.
B) employer demands that they quit.
C) male discrimination on the job.
D) government requirements to hire veterans.
E) family obligations.

Question 18

During World War II, American Indians

A) demanded that President Roosevelt end discrimination in defense industries.
B) rarely enlisted in the armed forces.
C) moved south to replace African American laborers.
D) moved off the reservations in large numbers.
E) promoted the recovery of tribal languages.

Question 19

Which one of the following is least related to the other three?

A) Smith-Connally Act
B) A. Philip Randolph
C) Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters
D) racial discrimination in wartime industry
E) proposed "Negro March on Washington."

Question 20

Japanese Americans were placed in concentration camps during World War II

A) due to numerous acts of sabotage.
B) in retaliation for the placement of Americans in concentration camps by the Japanese.
C) as a result of anti-Japanese prejudice and fear.
D) because most were Japanese citizens.
E) because they refused to serve in the American military.

Question 21

The Japanese advance in the Pacific was finally halted in the Battle of

A) Leyte Gulf.
B) Bataan and Corregidor.
C) the Coral Sea.
D) Midway.
E) Guadalcanal.

Question 22

By the end of World War II, the heart of the United States' African American community had shifted to

A) Florida and the Carolinas.
B) southern cities.
C) the Pacific Northwest.
D) midwestern small towns.
E) northern cities.

Question 23

The advance of the German General Erwin Rommel was finally turned back in 1942 by

A) the American General Dwight Eisenhower in Morocco.
B) the British General Bernard Montgomery in Egypt.
C) the Russian General Georgi Zhukov at Stalingrad.
D) the American General George Patton in Italy.
E) the American General Douglas MacArthur in New Guinea.

Question 24

In waging war against Japan, the United States relied mainly on a strategy of

A) heavy bombing from Chinese air bases.
B) invading Japanese strongholds in Southeast Asia.
C) advancing across a broad front in the South Pacific.
D) "leapfrogging" across the South Pacific while bypassing Japanese strongholds.
E) turning the Japanese flanks in New Guinea and Alaska.

Question 25

Arrange these wartime conferences in chronological order: (A) Potsdam, (B) Casablanca, (C) Teheran.

A) A, B, C
B) C, B, A
C) B, C, A
D) B, A, C
E) A, C, B

Question 26

The Japanese made a crucial mistake in 1942 in their attempt to control much of the Pacific when they

A) failed to conquer Australia.
B) unsuccessfully attacked the oil-rich Dutch East Indies.
C) overextended themselves instead of digging in and consolidating their gains.
D) began relying on their air force instead of their navy.
E) attacked Alaska and Hawaii.

Question 27

Approximately ____ of the cost of World War II was paid by the federal income tax and other taxes, the rest of the war's cost was paid by borrowing.

A) 1/3
B) 1/4
C) 2/5
D) 1/2
E) 3/4

Question 28

The major consequence of the Allied conquest of Sicily in August 1943 was

A) a modification of the demand for unconditional surrender of Italy.
B) the overthrow of Mussolini and Italy's unconditional surrender.
C) the swift Allied conquest of the Italian peninsula.
D) a conflict between Churchill and General Eisenhower over the invasion of the Italian mainland.
E) the threat of a Communist takeover of the Italian government.

Question 29

The most economically disturbing development that accompanied the World War II prosperity was

A) the increasing gap between rich and poor.
B) the decline of American agriculture.
C) the continually rising inflation.
D) the dependence of the economy on female workers.
E) the dependence on military spending to maintain full employment.

Question 30

The Allies postponed opening a second front in western Europe until 1944 because

A) they hoped that Germany and the Soviet Union would cripple each other.
B) the United States was giving strategic priority to the Pacific War.
C) the Soviet Union requested a delay until it could join the campaign.
D) they believed that North Africa was more strategically vital.
E) the British were reluctant and preferred to attack the "soft underbelly" of Europe.

Question 31

The first naval battle in history in which all the fighting was done by carrier-based aircraft was the Battle of

A) Leyte Gulf.
B) Bataan and Corregidor.
C) the Coral Sea.
D) Midway.
E) Iwo Jima.

Question 32

At the wartime Teheran Conference,

A) the Soviet Union agreed to declare war on Japan within three months.
B) Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union agreed to divide postwar Germany into three separate occupied zones.
C) the Soviet Union agreed to allow free elections in Eastern European nations that its armies occupied at the end of the war.
D) plans were made for the opening of a second front in Europe.
E) it was agreed that five Great Powers would have veto power in the United Nations.

Question 33

The conquest of ____ in 1944 was especially important because from there Americans could conduct round-trip bombing raids on the Japanese home islands.

A) Guadalcanal
B) Wake Island
C) New Guinea
D) Okinawa
E) Guam

Question 34

Hitler's advance in the European theater of war crested in late 1942 at the Battle of ____, after which his fortunes gradually declined.

A) the Bulge
B) Stalingrad
C) Monte Cassino
D) Leningrad
E) El Alamein

Question 35

The Allied demand for unconditional surrender was sharply criticized because

A) many believed it would stiffen enemy resistance and complicate postwar reconstruction.
B) it would impose unnecessary humiliation on the proud Germans and Italians.
C) it would play into the hands of the Soviets by allowing them to advance far into central Europe.
D) it would mean a war of total destruction with high civilian casualties.
E) it would discourage anti-Hitler resisters in Germany.

Question 36

Arrange these events in chronological order: (A) the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, (B) the surrender of Nazi Gemany, (C) D-Day, (D) Invasion of Italy.

A) D, C, B, A
B) A, C, B, D
C) B, D, A, C
D) C, A, D, B
E) A, D, B, C

Question 37

President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill announced at their wartime conference in Casablanca that their principal war aim was to

A) destroy the last remnants of European imperialism.
B) promote the national independence of all European nations.
C) bring democracy and free markets to Europe and East Asia.
D) force the unconditional surrender of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
E) create an effective postwar Atlantic alliance.

Question 38

The real impact of the Italian front on World War II was that it

A) delayed the D-Day invasion and allowed the Soviet Union to advance further into Eastern Europe.
B) prevented the rise of communism in Italy after the war.
C) enabled the Americans to appease both British and Soviet strategic demands.
D) enabled the United States to prevent Austria and Greece from falling into Soviet hands.
E) destroyed the monastery of Monte Cassino and other Italian artistic treasures.

Question 39

After the Italian surrender in August 1943,

A) the Allies quickly conquered Rome and the rest of Italy.
B) the Soviets accepted the wisdom of delaying the invasion of France and pursuing the second front in Italy.
C) the British demanded the restoration of the monarchy in Italy.
D) the Americans withdrew from Italy to prepare for D-Day.
E) the German army poured into Italy and stalled the Allied advance.

Question 40

The cross-channel invasion of Normandy to open a second front in Europe was commanded by General

A) George Patton.
B) Dwight Eisenhower.
C) Douglas MacArthur.
D) Bernard Montgomery.
E) Omar Bradley.

Question 41

The building of the atomic bomb was greatly aided by

A) American spies who gained information on the Nazi nuclear project.
B) the discovery of large uranium deposits in New Mexico.
C) the Soviets, who were at work on an atomic bomb project of their own.
D) European refugee scientists who had escaped from Hitler.
E) the successful testing of an atomic device at the University of California.

Question 42

Which of the following was not among the qualities of the American participation in World War II?

A) a group of highly effective military and political leaders
B) an enormously effective effort in producing weapons and supplies
C) a higher percentage of military casualties than any other Allied nation
D) the preservation of the American homeland against invasion or destruction from the air
E) the maintenance and re-affirmation of the strength of American democracy

Question 43

The primary focus of the Democratic Convention in 1944 was

A) the struggle to "dump" Henry Wallace as FDR's vice president.
B) questions about FDR's poor health and who would succeed him.
C) whether Roosevelt would accept a fourth term.
D) whether Roosevelt was a strong enough candidate to defeat Governor Thomas Dewey.
E) whether Senator Harry Truman was qualified to be president.

Question 44

In the 1944 campaign, President Roosevelt relied heavily on the political strength of

A) Democratic political bosses.
B) his vice-presidential candidate Harry Truman.
C) the smugness and complacency of Governor Thomas Dewey.
D) his own physically vigorous and dynamic campaign.
E) organized labor unions.

Question 45

Action by the United States against Adolf Hitler's campaign of genocide against the Jews

A) was reprehensibly slow in coming.
B) included the admission of large numbers of Jewish refugees into the United States.
C) involved the bombing of rail lines used to carry victims to the Nazi death camps.
D) was slow in coming, because the United States did not know about the death camps until near the end of the war.
E) was a major reason the United States fought World War II.

Question 46

The "unconditional surrender" policy toward Japan was modified by

A) assuring the Japanese that there would be no "war crimes" trials.
B) guaranteeing that defeated Japan would be treated decently by American occupiers.
C) agreeing not to drop more than two atomic bombs on Japan.
D) agreeing to let the Japanese keep Emperor Hirohito on the throne.
E) permitting the Japanese to retain a strong army but no real navy.

Question 47

As a result of the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa,

A) the Japanese abandoned their use of suicide planes.
B) Admiral William F. "Bull" Halsey lost his first naval engagement.
C) Japan was nearly able to take Australia.
D) the United States could bomb Japan from land bases.
E) Japan was finished as a naval power.

Question 48

The Potsdam conference

A) gave Eastern Europe and eastern Germany to the Soviet Union and western Germany to the British and Americans.
B) brought France and China in as part of the Big Five.
C) concluded that the Soviet Union would enter the war in the Pacific.
D) was Franklin Roosevelt's last meeting with Churchill and Stalin.
E) issued an ultimatum to Japan to surrender or be destroyed.