Deck 28: The Second World War

Question 1

In the presidential election of 1940, Franklin Roosevelt became the first president to win a third term.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

President Roosevelt did not intervene in the Spanish Civil War because:

A) Catholics favored the Spanish Republic
B) the Neutrality Act of 1938 forbade intervention
C) he accepted the French and British position that the western democracies should not intervene
D) Germany and Italy were supporting the Spanish Republic
E) his preference for Francisco Franco was not popular in the United States

Answer 2

he accepted the French and British position that the western democracies should not intervene

Question 3

The "good neighbor" polices of the 1920s and 1930s saw the United States permanently remove all its troops from Latin America.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The United States refused to implement any punitive measures against Japan following its establishment of a protectorate over French Indochina in 1941.

Question 5

What did the governments of Italy and Germany have in common by the 1930s?

A) Both had established communist forms of government.
B) Both had thriving liberal democracies.
C) Both had strong monarchies.
D) Both had established fascist forms of government.
E) Both went to war with the United States.

Question 6

By the autumn of 1941, the United States and Germany had reached an understanding to minimize their escalating naval confrontations.

Question 7

The Great Depression and the economic struggles it caused during the early 1930s generally made Americans

A) more supportive of foreign interventions
B) more isolationist in sentiment
C) more internationalist
D) more supportive of joining the League of Nations
E) more supportive of fascism in Europe

Question 8

America's Good Neighbor policy:

A) promoted free trade among the United States, Canada, and Mexico
B) promised aggressive military actions against any "bad neighbors" in the Western Hemisphere
C) supported the idea of nonintervention in Latin America
D) eliminated all military and other examples of a U.S. official presence in Latin America
E) negotiated an end to the war between Canada and Mexico

Question 9

Following the aerial Battle of Britain, Germany invaded England.

Question 10

At the 1933 Pan-American Conference, the United States supported a resolution that declared no nation had "the right to intervene in the internal or external affairs of another."

Question 11

The Atlantic Charter stated definitively that the United States would remain neutral in Britain's war against Germany.

Question 12

The agreements at Yalta Conference included Stalin's pledge to enter the war against Japan three months after Germany's defeat.

Question 13

The cash-and-carry provision of the 1937 Neutrality Law permitted belligerent nations to purchase American goods, including arms and munitions, as long as they were transported on the belligerent nation's own ships.

Question 14

During World War II, presidential authority expanded significantly.

Question 15

The Battle of Leyte Gulf underscored Japan's ability to continue its defense of the Philippines.

Question 16

Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor was only one part of a larger offensive launched into Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Question 17

An incident at the Marco Polo Bridge in 1937 triggered a full-scale war between Japan and French Indochina.

Question 18

By the end of World War II, over 6 million women had entered the workforce.

Question 19

American foreign policy in Latin America in the period between world wars included all the following EXCEPT:

A) withdrawing U.S. Marines from Nicaragua and Haiti
B) participation in Pan-American conferences
C) withdrawing U.S. Marines from Haiti
D) abrogating the Platt Amendment
E) insisting that the Monroe Doctrine provided a valid justification for intervention

Question 20

American isolationism declined in the turmoil of the Great Depression of the early 1930s.

Question 21

The Nye committee:

A) investigated and criticized the role that bankers and munitions makers played in America's entry into World War I
B) recommended that Europeans appease Hitler by allowing him to annex Czechoslovakia
C) compiled an official list of America's international obligations under existing treaties
D) praised the role that bankers and munitions makers played in applying their resources to protect national security
E) encouraged greater U.S. involvement in international affairs to stop the spread of fascism

Question 22

The passage of the lend-lease bill in 1941 signaled what about American opinion?

A) Internationalist sentiment was weakening.
B) The president lost control over Congress.
C) Isolationist strength was weakening.
D) Americans paid little attention to the European war.
E) Pacifism was resurgent.

Question 23

The 1939 Neutrality Act's cash-and-carry provision:

A) permitted the United States to sell arms to Britain and France as long as they paid up-front and allowed American ships to deliver the purchase
B) prohibited all arms exports, even to countries with cash who could carry them on their own ships
C) was removed from the final bill due to isolationist opposition to permitting any trade with warring nations
D) permitted the United States to sell arms to Britain and France if they paid up-front and carried their purchases on their own ships
E) permitted all trade, except arms and munitions, with warring nations who paid and carried their own goods

Question 24

The Marco Polo Bridge incident brought Japan to war against what country?

A) China
B) Britain
C) the United States
D) Korea
E) the Soviet Union

Question 25

The Panay incident:

A) sparked the war between Japan and China
B) was a Japanese attack on an American ship in China
C) sparked the war between Japan and the United States
D) was a Japanese attack on the British embassy in Tokyo
E) was an American attack on Japanese troops invading China

Question 26

Which of the following countries was NOT an Axis power by June 1941?

A) Italy
B) the Soviet Union
C) Hungary
D) Bulgaria
E) Romania

Question 27

In June 1941, Germany widened the war by:

A) declaring war on the United States
B) invading the Soviet Union
C) attacking Spain
D) invading Britain
E) declaring war on Poland

Question 28

Members of the America First Committee were likely to be all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) supporters of Roosevelt's foreign policy
B) opposed to risking conflict with Germany
C) supportive of isolationist policies
D) not worried about the threat that Nazi Germany posed to U.S. interests
E) opposed to U.S. assistance to Britain

Question 29

The German occupation of Czechoslovakia had what effect on Roosevelt?

A) It intensified his isolationist sentiments and desire to stay out of Europe's problems.
B) He no longer professed impartiality in the impending European struggle.
C) He worked to appease Hitler to avoid further conquests.
D) He blamed Czechoslovakia for provoking the attack.
E) He had Congress rescind the Neutrality Acts.

Question 30

In 1940, the Battle of Britain:

A) saw the British defeat a massive German land invasion of the British Isles
B) was the single greatest defeat that Britain faced during World War II
C) was mostly a propaganda war between Germany and Britain that saw little actual bloodshed
D) saw the British turn back a massive German air attack and force Germany to postpone its invasion plans
E) saw Winston Churchill earn distinction by shooting down fifty German fighters

Question 31

All of the following statements about the German blitzkrieg of spring 1940 are true, EXCEPT:

A) it followed an extended quiet period in the war following the invasion of Poland
B) it involved German attacks on France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands
C) France surrendered to Germany in just over two months
D) German troops cut off British troops and prevented them from providing assistance
E) Germany carefully avoided attacks on neutral nations and only targeted professed enemies

Question 32

During the Spanish Civil War:

A) Franklin Roosevelt advocated U.S. official support of the loyalist faction
B) the United States, Britain, Germany, and Italy all supported the government
C) Hitler and Mussolini helped the armed uprising led by Francisco Franco
D) the European democracies helped the armed uprising, whereas Germany and Italy refused to intervene
E) no outside powers intervened

Question 33

Franklin Roosevelt's opponent in the 1940 presidential election was:

A) Thomas Dewey
B) Wendell Willkie
C) Theodore Roosevelt
D) Herbert Hoover
E) Robert Taft

Question 34

Winston Churchill, who would become the British prime minister in 1940, described which agreement as "a defeat without a war"?

A) Kellogg-Briand Pact
B) Nine-Power Treaty
C) Trade Agreements Act
D) League of Nations charter
E) Munich Pact

Question 35

Through the lend-lease bill, passed in March 1934, "any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States":

A) could receive American military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials if they rented them at fair market value
B) could purchase American military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials made available through Canada
C) must declare war on Germany in order to be eligible for American material support
D) could receive military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials even if that country lacked the funds to pay for those items
E) was prohibited from receiving any American military equipment, supplies, and other necessary materials

Question 36

In late summer 1940, President Roosevelt agreed to send fifty "overaged" destroyers to Britain in return for:

A) Republican promises not to ask for a peacetime draft
B) for allowing the U.S. to build naval and air bases on British islands in the Caribbean
C) congressional approval of a draft registration act
D) fifty "outdated" British aircraft carriers
E) a renegotiated payment schedule of the Allies' war debt from World War I

Question 37

The Neutrality Act of 1935:

A) was directed against Japanese aggression in China
B) allowed the U.S. Navy to stop and search German ships on the high seas
C) permitted the United States to sell arms and munitions to warring nations to ensure the United States did not have to get involved
D) stopped German and Italian military aid to Francisco Franco
E) forbade the sale of arms and munitions to warring nations

Question 38

Germany's invasion of what country triggered the beginning of World War II in Europe?

A) Czechoslovakia
B) the Soviet Union
C) Britain
D) Poland
E) Austria

Question 39

Which of the following statements about the 1940 presidential election is true?

A) Franklin Roosevelt named a Republican as his vice-presidential running mate in the name of national unity.
B) Franklin Roosevelt became the first sitting president to lose a reelection bid in the midst of a national crisis.
C) Republican Thomas Dewey defeated Franklin Roosevelt in a landslide.
D) Franklin Roosevelt followed precedent and declined to run for a third term.
E) Franklin Roosevelt became the only president to run for and win a third term.

Question 40

The offensives Italy launched in 1940 against Greece and British forces in Egypt:

A) came with the help of German forces
B) prevented the Germans from suffering an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the British
C) proved to be a wildly successful demonstration of Italian power
D) forced France to enter the war
E) saw Italy surrender after being decisively defeated

Question 41

In early 1942, the biggest challenge the United States faced in the Atlantic was:

A) German-American disloyalty
B) German aircraft carrier attacks
C) German blitzkrieg
D) German espionage
E) German submarine warfare

Question 42

By November 1941, the United States insisted it would reopen trade with Japan only after that country:

A) gave up its recently acquired territory in New Zealand
B) signed an agreement not to attack Russia
C) withdrew completely from China
D) paid Britain and Holland for the oil and other resources it had taken from their colonies
E) compensated the United States for the loss of life and property during the Panay incident

Question 43

During the summer of 1941, the United States attempted to restrain Japanese expansion by:

A) restricting oil exports to Japan and freezing Japanese assets in the United States
B) ordering the strategic bombing of Japanese military sites
C) sending 200,000 troops to China and stationing a large naval force in the South Pacific
D) establishing a protectorate over China
E) declaring a naval blockade of Japan

Question 44

The Atlantic Charter:

A) was a joint British-American statement of anti-Axis war aims
B) reaffirmed American neutrality in the wars in Europe and Asia
C) is another name for the American declaration of war against Germany
D) advocated expanding the war in Europe to fight communism
E) was voted down by Congress

Question 45

What significant objective motivated Japanese expansion into Southeast Asia and the Pacific during 1940-1941?

A) an intention to provoke the United States to attack Japan first
B) the priority of defeating Chinese guerrilla fighters operating in Indochina
C) a desire to reobtain the Philippines from the United States, which had seized the islands from Japan
D) the hope of the Japanese Army to stage an invasion of Australia
E) the expansion's provision of access to vitally needed oil, rubber, and other strategic materials

Question 46

Following the Pearl Harbor attack:

A) American isolationism increased
B) a congressional resolution for war passed unanimously
C) the United States avoided involvement in the European conflict
D) Germany and Italy also declared war on the United States
E) Franklin Roosevelt resigned the presidency

Question 47

Which agency was created to direct industrial conversion to war production?

A) Commerce Department
B) Treasury Department
C) War Production Board
D) Office of Scientific Research and Development
E) Office of War Information

Question 48

Which of the following statements about the attack on Pearl Harbor is NOT true?

A) It was one part of a larger Japanese offensive launched into Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
B) A specific attack on Pearl Harbor had been long expected by American officials.
C) The attack killed more than 2,400 U.S. servicemen and sank nineteen ships.
D) The attack ignored onshore facilities and oil tanks.
E) The Japanese missed the U.S. aircraft carriers in the attack.

Question 49

From late 1941 into early 1942, World War II in the Pacific included:

A) a succession of Japanese victories that saw numerous Allied outposts fall
B) a string of American victories that put Japan on the defensive
C) the Japanese in the Philippines surrendering to General Douglas MacArthur
D) the Japanese invading and capturing Australia
E) China finally surrendering to Japan

Question 50

"War relocation camps":

A) were the bases that housed American servicemen before being sent to the front lines
B) were actually prisoner-of-war camps for captured Germans
C) was the German euphemism for Nazi concentration camps
D) helped the families of American servicemen cope with the absence of husbands and fathers
E) housed over 112,000 Japanese Americans during the war

Question 51

British and American differences over where to attack Germany first were resolved with the decision to launch an offensive:

A) across the English Channel
B) against Japan
C) in North Africa
D) in the Middle East
E) on the Eastern front

Question 52

Following the declaration of war:

A) a surge of volunteerism allowed the repeal of the Selective Service Act to end the draft
B) men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five were drafted
C) all men and women between the ages of eighteen and forty-five were drafted
D) men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five were drafted
E) the draft was enacted for the first time in American history

Question 53

The Atlantic Charter included all the following principles EXCEPT:

A) freedom of the seas
B) economic cooperation
C) the elimination of communism
D) self-determination for all peoples
E) a new system of international security

Question 54

By the autumn of 1941:

A) Congress declared war on Germany
B) the U.S. Navy was engaging the German Navy in the Atlantic
C) Roosevelt ordered ships to avoid combat zones
D) Roosevelt broke diplomatic relations with Germany
E) Congress passed legislation outlawing naval convoys

Question 55

The Office of Price Administration:

A) was designed to combat the serious wartime deflation
B) was designed to raise consumer prices
C) set price ceilings on and rationed highly demanded items such as tires, sugar, and gasoline
D) lacked any authority to set consumer prices or ration any items
E) set price ceilings and directed the rationing of all goods and items for sale in the wartime economy

Question 56

Which statement best describes the Native American experience in the armed forces during World War II?

A) Indian servicemen fought in segregated units with African Americans.
B) Indian servicemen were integrated into regular units.
C) Native Americans were ineligible for service in the armed forces.
D) Native Americans refused to serve in the armed forces.
E) Native Americans served but were exempt from fighting on the front lines.

Question 57

The bracero program:

A) led to the forced evacuation of over 100,000 Japanese Americans
B) was a reaction to the "zoot-suit" riots
C) allowed most recent immigrants to join the American armed services after a thorough background check
D) sought to mobilize Indian reservations in support of the American war effort
E) brought some 200,000 Mexican farmworkers into the western United States

Question 58

At the Battle of the Bulge:

A) the British repelled the German invasion force seeking to conquer Britain
B) the destruction of Germany's last reserve units left open the door to Germany's heartland from the west
C) the war ended in Europe when Hitler committed suicide
D) Germany's victory once again threatened an overall Allied defeat
E) German forces pushed the Allied amphibious invasion back into the English Channel

Question 59

Less than a month before the surrender of Germany:

A) President Roosevelt died in office
B) the war in Asia ended with the Japanese surrender
C) Hitler was captured by advancing Allied forces
D) atomic bombs were dropped on Japan
E) President Roosevelt lost his reelection bid

Question 60

In the presidential election of 1944:

A) Franklin Roosevelt chose not to run for a fourth term because of his health problems and progress toward winning the war
B) Franklin Roosevelt was defeated in his run for a fourth term as president
C) Harry Truman was elected president
D) Franklin Roosevelt won a fourth term as president
E) Republican Wendell Willkie opposed Democrat Franklin Roosevelt

Question 61

Describe America's early battlefield experiences during World War II. How did America fare in these initial battles?

Question 62

Following the conclusion of World War II, the two most powerful nations in the world were:

A) the United States and Britain
B) Japan and Germany
C) the United States and the Soviet Union
D) Germany and Britain
E) the United States and Japan

Question 63

Discuss the negotiations between the United States and Japan in 1940 and 1941. How did the actions of each contribute to war?

Question 64

Discuss America's industrial and economic mobilization for World War II and explain how it proved essential to the eventual Allied victory.

Question 65

Discuss America's attempt at neutrality in the 1930s. How did government policies help steer America away from global conflict? Were these measures successful?

Question 66

The use of atomic bombs against Japan had what significance?

A) They prevented the Soviets from entering the war in Asia.
B) They shocked Germany into surrendering before facing the same fate.
C) They killed the Japanese emperor and paved the way for surrender.
D) According to military planners, it saved an estimated 250,000 Allied casualties and even more Japanese losses.
E) They rendered the entire island of Honshu inhabitable for twenty-three years.

Question 67

Following the defeat of Germany:

A) came the shocking realization of the full extent of the Holocaust
B) Hitler was executed after his conviction of war crimes
C) the Prussian monarchy was restored to the German throne
D) the Allies established a liberal democratic government with its capital in Berlin
E) Franklin Roosevelt died in office

Question 68

What were the effects of the war on American women and minority groups in the United States? Would you describe the overall effects as positive, negative, or some mixture? Why?

Question 69

What was the Good Neighbor policy? How did it reflect the general foreign-policy mood of the nation?

Question 70

Describe the Atlantic Charter and explain its significance.

Question 71

Describe the major steps in America's move away from neutrality between 1935 and 1941.

Question 72

Discuss the Japanese invasion into China during the 1930s. How did this aggression impact the future of peace in the world?

Question 73

What role did the issue of war debt and reparations play in the heightening American isolation and anti-American feeling after World War I?

Question 74

What factors influenced the Allied victory in the Pacific? Which factor do you think was the most significant? Explain your position.

Question 75

Describe the agreements made during the war that shaped the postwar world. In your view, did Roosevelt "sell out" to the Soviets?

Question 76

Detail the expanding Axis power in the 1930s. What did its expansion signal for the future of the world?

Question 77

Why did America drop the atomic bomb on Japan? Was the action justified?

Question 78

The Potsdam Declaration:

A) accepted the Japanese surrender and allowed the emperor to remain on the throne "subordinate to the authority of the Allied occupation"
B) is the formal name for the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan
C) threatened that Hiroshima and Nagasaki faced an "atomic holocaust" if Japan did not surrender
D) demanded that Japan surrender or face "prompt and utter destruction"
E) presented Japan's terms for surrendering to the Allied powers

Question 79

The country that suffered the most deaths in the fighting of World War II was:

A) the United States
B) Germany
C) Japan
D) Britain
E) the Soviet Union

Question 80

How significant a role did the demand for strategic and military resources like oil play in the origins of World War II? How did decisions about strategic and military resources influence the road to war?