Question 1

NATO was primarily formed to stop the spread of Communism in Asia. True or False?

Accepted Answer

Key Takeaway: NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was signed in 1949 by eleven Western European nations and the United States and primarily formed to stop the spread of Communism in Europe.

Question 2

Which of the following was a result of the 1938 Munich Pact?
A)Franco's rise to power in Spain
B)Mussolini's rise to power in Italy
C)German invasion of Czechoslovakia
D)Treaty of nonaggression between Germany and the USSR

Accepted Answer

A result of the 1938 Munich Pact was the German invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938.
Key Takeaway: In the early weeks and months of World War II, most of Western Europe was trying to avoid a war with Germany. To appease the swiftly-rising county, Great Britain, France, and Italy signed the Munich Pact with Germany in 1838. The Munich Pact gave the "Sudetenland" (most of what is now Western Czechoslovakia, though at the time associated with Bohemia) to Germany if they promised to avoid further aggressive policies in Europe.
In March of 1939, Germany betrayed the pact and invaded Czechoslovakia.

Question 3

Who or what is the main focus of groups like neo-fascists and the neo-Nazis?
A)Jews
B)Evangelicals
C)Immigrants, particularly Asian and African
D)Women

Accepted Answer

Immigrants, particularly Asian and African, are the main focus of groups like neo-fascists and the neo-Nazis.
Key Takeaway: Neo-Nazism often refers to modern social movements who work to revive Nazi thought or some variant. In addition to targeting Jews, neo-Nazis also frequently target African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Catholics, gay people, and anyone who claim to have different religious or political opinions. American neo-Nazi groups are often quite public about their beliefs and consistently maintain active ties to groups in Europe.

Question 4

Where were Jewish people most persecuted in the later half of the 19th century?
A)Russia
B)North America
C)Northern Europe
D)The Ottoman Empire

Accepted Answer

During the later half of the 19th century, Jewish people were most persecuted in Russia.
Key Takeaway: In the late 1800s, Jewish people who resided in the villages in western Russia suffered terribly violent attacks, called pogroms. Very often, these pogroms were actually sanctioned by the Russian government. Although anti-Semitism was prominent elsewhere too, it was never as brutally violent as it was in Russia.

Question 5

Which of the following conditions affected Cambodia in the 1970s and Rwanda in the 1990s?
A)High rates of infection from AIDS
B)Communist revolution
C)Violence due to genocide
D)Invasion by Europeans

Accepted Answer

Both Cambodia and Rwanda experienced violence due to genocide in the 1970s and 1990s respectfully.
Key Takeaway: The dictator Pol Pot led the Khmer Rouge in the systematic murder of more than two million people in Cambodia during the mid-1970s. Similarly, more than one million people were murdered in Rwanda in 1994, in systematic violence directed toward ethnic Tutsis. Note that although AIDS did kill huge numbers of people in Africa in the 1990s, it was not yet a worldwide epidemic in the 1970s.

Question 6

Which city became the center for High Renaissance culture in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries? A)Paris B)London C)Florence D)Rome

Accepted Answer

Rome became the center for High Renaissance culture in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries. Key Takeaway: The High Renaissance refers to the culmination of the art of the Italian Renaissance between 1450 and 1527. It is generally agreed that the High Renaissance emerged in the late 1490s, when Leonardo da Vinci finished painting his Last Supper. In addition, the Vatican paintings by Michelangelo and Raphael also represent the High Renaissance style of painting. Because Pope Julius II patronized many artists during this time, the movement was centered in Rome. Culture during the Renaissance had previously been centered in Florence.

Question 7

Starting in the late 1800s, which was the most effective nationalist group to oppose British rule in India?
A)The Indian Liberation Army
B)The Muslim League
C)The Tamil Tigers
D)The Indian National Congress

Accepted Answer

Starting in the late 1800s, the Indian National Congress was the most effective nationalist group to oppose British rule in India.
Key Takeaway: Founded in 1885, the Indian National Congress was mostly made up of educated, English-speaking members of the upper classes. Perhaps the most famous of the Indian National Congress's members was a lawyer named Mohandas K. Gandhi. Gandhi believed in and advocated for nonviolent resistance to British rule.

Question 8

In the late 1800s, which Filipino guerilla leader fought the Spanish and then the United States?
A)Edward Ramos
B)Emilio Aguinaldo
C)Ferdinand Marcos
D)Mateo Buenviaje

Accepted Answer

In the late 1800s, the Filipino guerilla leader Emilio Aguinaldo fought the Spanish and then the United States.
Key Takeaway: Emilio Aguinaldo was an independence leader, a politician, and a Filipino general who played a key role in the Philippine Independence movement. Until 1901, Emilio Aguinaldo fought the American takeover of the Philippines. The United States forces suppressed Aguinaldo's solders in their campaign to colonize the Philippines and to have a key naval base in the Pacific.

Question 9

Which institution administered Great Britain's colony in India during the first half of the 1800s?
A)The Bank of England
B)The British East India Company
C)The British crown
D)The British Army

Accepted Answer

The British East India Company administered Great Britain's colony in India during the first half of the 1800s.
Key Takeaway: The British East India Company was a British joint-stock company that was formed in order to pursue trade with the East Indies, but that ended up mainly trading with India and China instead. The Company came to neglect its grade duties and instead ruled huge parts of India, exercising great military power and assuming administrative roles. The Company was frequently granted special rights and privileges, including trade monopolies and exemptions and remained a powerful force in and over India for more than 200 years.

Question 10

Between the years of 1700 and 1900, England, Scotland, and Wales experienced huge population growth in their cities, many of which reached more than 100,000 inhabitants by 1900. What was the main reason for this?
A)Less famine, due to an increase in food supply
B)A massive decline in disease, coupled with advances in medical technology
C)The Industrial Revolution
D)A better and more even population distribution in the numbers of men and women

Accepted Answer

Between the years of 1700 and 1900, England, Scotland, and Wales experienced huge population growth in their cities, many of which reached more than 100,000 inhabitants by 1900. The main reason for this was the Industrial Revolution. Key Takeaway: Europe during the 18^th century was dominated by the end of the Age of Enlightenment and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution, especially, saw huge rises in urban growth, employment, and overall population, due to new technology, social reforms, and health care. During this time, Europe's population doubled, from roughly 100 million to nearly 200 million. This happened all over Europe, including in England, Scotland, and Wales which saw many of their own cities double or even triple in size by 1900.

Question 11

What is the most likely number of slaves taken from Africa to the Americas between the late 1400s and late 1800s?
A)1 million
B)3 million
C)6 million
D)12 million

Accepted Answer

The most likely number of slaves taken from Africa to the Americas between the late 1400s and late 1800s is 12 million people.
Key Takeaway: It is not actually known how many slaves were taken from Africa to the Americas between the late 1400s and the late 1800s. However, historians have determined that at least 12 million people were taken. 2 million slaves were taken from Africa in the 1800s alone.

Question 12

Who was the first Russian leader who openly discussed Stalin's "crimes"?
A)Stalin
B)Yeltsin
C)Lenin
D)Khrushchev

Accepted Answer

Khrushchev was the first Russian leader who openly discussed Stalin's "crimes."
Key Takeaway: Nikita Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during the Cold War era and served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Openly discussing Stalin's crimes, Khrushchev was responsible for the de-Stalinization of the Soviet Union, for supporting the Soviet space program, and for slowly liberalizing the Soviet Union's domestic policy. Khrushchev was removed from power by his own party in 1964.

Question 13

Of the following nations, which was able to save nearly its entire Jewish population from being exterminated during the Holocaust?
A)England
B)Denmark
C)Hungary
D)Switzerland

Accepted Answer

Denmark was able to save nearly its entire Jewish population from being exterminated during the Holocaust.
Key Takeaway: During the holocaust, the Danish government was extremely helpful towards the Jewish minority residing within their country. The resistance movement in Denmark performed an extensive and impressive rescue operation that managed to get most of their Jewish population to Sweden before the Germans could round them up, thus saving nearly the entire group from being exterminated.

Question 14

Where did the Mongols remain a strong political force for more than 200 years following their conquest?
A)China
B)Russia
C)Persia
D)Egypt

Accepted Answer

The Mongols remained a strong political force in Russia for more than 200 years following their conquest.
Key Takeaway: The Mongols conquered China, Russia, Persia, the Mesopotamia, and Northern India, among other places, but the Golden Horde of Russia had loose political influence until about the 1400s. In 1480 CE, Ivan the Great finally stopped playing tribute to the Mongols, whose influence in many other areas had lost its power, as well.

Question 15

True or False:Both Hitler and Mussolini personally hated Jews.
A)True
B)False

Accepted Answer

False. Although Hitler personally hated Jews, Mussolini did not.
Key Takeaway: Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and was one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism. Mussolini remained in power until he was replaced in 1943. Italian Fascism included elements of anti-communism, censorship of subversives, expansionism, nationalism, and general social progress. In the years following the creation of his fascist ideology, Mussolini gained great admiration from many political figures, including Adolf Hitler. Hitler and Mussolini were both major figures in the Axis powers during World War II, but unlike Hitler, Mussolini did not personally have an anti-Semitic compulsion.

Question 16

Which city was the site of the worst siege not only of the World War II era, but of the entire modern era?
A)Nagasaki
B)Leningrad
C)Stalingrad
D)Dresden

Accepted Answer

Leningrad was the site of the worst siege of not only World War II, but the entire modern era.
Key Takeaway: In 1941, German troops surrounded Leningrad, the Soviet Union's second-largest city. Leningrad never surrendered, but it remained under siege until January of 1944. More than 1 million people died during this time, most of either winter cold or starvation.

Question 17

What type of government did Spain evolve into after the death of General Franco in 1975?
A)Family dictatorship
B)Socialist state
C)Constitutional monarchy
D)Parliamentary republic

Accepted Answer

Spain evolved into a constitutional monarchy after the death of General Franco in 1975.
Key Takeaway: Francisco Franco was a Spanish military general, dictator, and eventual regent of Spain from 1947 until his death in November 1975. During his reign, Spain's governance went through various phases. The most common ideological feature of his time was that Spain should maintain a strong sense of nationalism and protection of her integrity. In addition, Franco's regime continually changed with, at various times, pro-Catholic, anti-communist, anti-Masonic, and traditional values. After Franco's death, Spain evolved into a constitutional monarchy.

Question 18

Which of the following cities was the center of the East African slave trade?
A)Nairobi
B)Mombasa
C)Zanzibar
D)Sofala

Accepted Answer

Zanzibar was the center of the East African slave trade.
Key Takeaway: The growth of plantation agriculture in the Arab-East African region led to a large resurgence in the slave market in that area. The center of trade in this time was located in Zanzibar. It remained a thriving slave market until it was finally shut down in 1873.

Question 19

Who was the first person to isolate radium?
A)Thomas Edison
B)James Clark Maxwell
C)Alexander Graham Bell
D)Marie Curie

Accepted Answer

Marie Curie was the first person to isolate radium.
Key Takeaway: Marie Curie was an immensely-famous physicist and chemist who was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity. The first person to isolate radium, Curie was also the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes, in both chemistry and physics. Her major accomplishments include the creation of radioactive theory, techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two new elements: radium and polonium.

Question 20

Who succeeded Sun Yat-sen as the leader of the Nationalist Party in China?
A)Chiang Kai-shek
B)Mao Tse-tung
C)Lu Hsun
D)Zhou Enlai

Accepted Answer

Chiang Kai-shek succeeded Sun Yat-sen as the leader of the Nationalist Party.
Key Takeaway: Sun Yat-sen died of cancer in 1925, leaving the leadership of the Nationalist Party in China to Chiang Kai-shek. A Western-educated officer who later became a big anti-Communist, Chiang Kai-shek tried to create a constitutional government in the 1920s. A politically stable China was never in the cards for Chiang Kai-shek, though, due to intense warlord anarchy and a growing threat of invasion from the Japanese.

Quiz 4: History

NATO was primarily formed to stop the spread of Communism in Asia. True or False?

Which of the following was a result of the 1938 Munich Pact?

Who or what is the main focus of groups like neo-fascists and the neo-Nazis?

Where were Jewish people most persecuted in the later half of the 19th century?

Which of the following conditions affected Cambodia in the 1970s and Rwanda in the 1990s?

Which city became the center for High Renaissance culture in the late 15th and early 16th centuries?

Starting in the late 1800s, which was the most effective nationalist group to oppose British rule in India?

In the late 1800s, which Filipino guerilla leader fought the Spanish and then the United States?

Which institution administered Great Britain's colony in India during the first half of the 1800s?

Between the years of 1700 and 1900, England, Scotland, and Wales experienced huge population growth in their cities, many of which reached more than 100,000 inhabitants by 1900. What was the main reason for this?

What is the most likely number of slaves taken from Africa to the Americas between the late 1400s and late 1800s?

Who was the first Russian leader who openly discussed Stalin's "crimes"?

Of the following nations, which was able to save nearly its entire Jewish population from being exterminated during the Holocaust?

Where did the Mongols remain a strong political force for more than 200 years following their conquest?

True or False:Both Hitler and Mussolini personally hated Jews.

Which city was the site of the worst siege not only of the World War II era, but of the entire modern era?

What type of government did Spain evolve into after the death of General Franco in 1975?

Which of the following cities was the center of the East African slave trade?

Who was the first person to isolate radium?

Who succeeded Sun Yat-sen as the leader of the Nationalist Party in China?

Which city became the center for High Renaissance culture in the late 15^th and early 16^th centuries?