Deck 23: World War II

Question 1

At the end of World War II, the United States

A) found its influence in world affairs considerably diminished.
B) had become a debtor nation.
C) no longer pursued a foreign policy of isolation from the world.
D) returned to its traditional isolationist policy.

Answer 1

no longer pursued a foreign policy of isolation from the world.

Question 2

In its relations with Latin America during the Franklin Roosevelt administration, the United States

A) continued to implement the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
B) intervened in Cuba to protect American investments.
C) broke diplomatic relations with Mexico when the Mexican government nationalized property owned by American oil companies.
D) reversed the earlier policy of intervention in Latin America.

Answer 2

reversed the earlier policy of intervention in Latin America.

Question 3

The United States responded to the Spanish Civil War by

A) remaining neutral.
B) providing humanitarian aid to victims.
C) secretly aiding Franco.
D) giving arms to the anti-fascist forces.

Answer 3

remaining neutral.

Question 4

The U.S. Congress responded to developments in Europe between 1933 and 1937 by

A) providing military aid to England.
B) declaring war on Germany.
C) approving disarmament agreements.
D) passing a series of neutrality acts.

Question 5

Franklin Roosevelt's decision to change America's foreign policy during the 1930s was based on

A) his irritation with the isolationists.
B) aggression by certain European countries.
C) militarism in America.
D) his realization that the New Deal had failed.

Question 6

World War II officially began with the

A) bombing of Great Britain.
B) invasion of the Soviet Union.
C) invasion of Poland.
D) sinking of the Bismarck.

Question 7

After his reelection in 1940, FDR's response to the developments in Europe was to

A) support the Lend-Lease Act in order to aid the British war effort.
B) aid Germany as much as possible without involving the United States in the war.
C) develop a carefully planned strategy to deal with the problems of war in Europe.
D) maintain strict neutrality.

Question 8

Japan's master plan for the Far East

A) was designed to accommodate American interests in the region.
B) had little effect on East-West relations.
C) called for the right to self-determination for all Asians.
D) brought them eventually into confrontation with the United States.

Question 9

According to the authors of the textbook, President Franklin Roosevelt

A) did not know that the Japanese planned to attack Hawaii.
B) deliberately provoked an attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor to force American entry into World War II.
C) ordered military leaders to prepare for a possible attack on Pearl Harbor.
D) anticipated that the Japanese would attack Hawaii.

Question 10

In his effort to mobilize the American economy for the war effort during World War II, FDR

A) was generally successful in achieving his goals.
B) openly antagonized American businessmen.
C) refused to support a policy of rationing.
D) condemned the efforts of the War Production Board.

Question 11

During World War II, labor unions in the United States

A) failed to gain any wage increases for their members.
B) increased in membership.
C) in general, refused to cooperate with the war effort.
D) agreed fully with the government's labor policy.

Question 12

The impact of World War II on American society

A) led to a reduction of inflation.
B) retarded the growth of labor unions.
C) increased the number of Americans who had to pay an income tax.
D) loosened government control over the economy.

Question 13

During World War II, in general, the American people

A) were acutely aware of the horror and destruction of the war.
B) supported the war through purchase of war bonds.
C) increased their spending on consumer goods.
D) had little personal experience with the tragedy of the war.

Question 14

In America during World War II, generally

A) there was little sense of involvement in the war effort because none of the fighting occurred in the United States.
B) people of all ages joined in supporting the war effort.
C) only the young supported the war enthusiastically.
D) the government found it difficult to promote support for the war effort.

Question 15

During World War II, the ethnic group that faced the most difficult test of loyalty to the United States were the

A) Germans.
B) Japanese.
C) English.
D) Swedes.

Question 16

After the outbreak of war between the United States and Japan in 1941,

A) the civil rights of German Americans and Italian Americans were restricted, as were those of Japanese Americans, because Germany and Italy were allied with Japan.
B) the U.S. government carefully protected the civil rights of Japanese living in the United States.
C) Japan launched an attack on the California coast.
D) the United States forced most Japanese in the United States to move from their homes.

Question 17

As a result of their threat in 1941 to mobilize a march on Washington by 100,000 people, black leaders

A) obtained FDR's agreement to initiate a policy eliminating discrimination in the employment of defense workers.
B) were unable to obtain any concessions from President Roosevelt because of his dependence on southern votes.
C) brought about an executive order immediately desegregating the United States armed forces.
D) successfully ended discrimination in the United States.

Question 18

For Mexican Americans, World War II

A) brought increased economic opportunity.
B) provided few changes in their lifestyle.
C) was a distant event that had little effect on them.
D) was a time when they faced little discrimination.

Question 19

In its impact on American society, World War II

A) increased the mobility of the American people.
B) decreased the mobility of the American people.
C) required few adjustments in American family life.
D) eliminated prejudice among Americans because they were all fighting for the same cause.

Question 20

During World War II, American family life was characterized by

A) sharply increased consumption because the war provided jobs for more people.
B) little change.
C) a declining birthrate.
D) an increase in the number of marriages.

Question 21

During World War II, women workers in the United States

A) did not work in heavy industry because it was considered unladylike.
B) were more likely to be married than single.
C) encountered little prejudice in the workplace.
D) were almost exclusively single.

Question 22

Once World War II was over, most American women

A) found attitudes toward them radically altered.
B) had many new opportunities for equal treatment in the workplace.
C) were expected to return to their traditional roles in the home.
D) fought to maintain the opportunities acquired during the war.

Question 23

An extremely important aspect of entertainment among American civilians and soldiers during World War II was

A) television.
B) the speakeasy.
C) rock-and-roll music.
D) motion pictures.

Question 24

Mexican Americans who became soldiers in the United States Army during World War II

A) constituted a very small percentage of the military.
B) often returned to civilian life with a new sense of self-esteem.
C) escaped from the prejudice they had experienced as civilians.
D) proved to be inferior fighters.

Question 25

Navajo Indian soldiers during World War II made excellent members of the Signal Corps because

A) they were particularly talented in using electronic equipment.
B) the Navajos could learn Japanese more easily than other Americans.
C) they were more readily accepted by white soldiers than other minority soldiers.
D) the Japanese had difficulty understanding the Navajos' native language.

Question 26

Black American soldiers during World War II

A) faced little prejudice from white soldiers, unlike in World War I.
B) had a higher percentage of casualties than white soldiers.
C) often recognized the paradox of fighting for freedom when they enjoyed little freedom in the United States.
D) served in integrated units.

Question 27

As part of the U.S. military during World War II, women

A) were given regular military status.
B) were allowed to be nurses, but not doctors.
C) were able to dispel the belief that women had different capabilities than men.
D) participated as combat troops.

Question 28

Allied strategists in World War II decided

A) to concentrate their forces against Japan before challenging the Germans.
B) to concentrate their forces against the Germans first.
C) there was little possibility that Germany might invade Great Britain.
D) that a German defeat of the Soviets would be unimportant.

Question 29

In 1942, the Allies

A) suffered numerous military disasters.
B) won several major battles in Italy.
C) succeeded in defending the Philippines.
D) kept the Germans from invading the Soviet Union.

Question 30

Roosevelt's political decisions regarding the war

A) often differentiated between "good" and "bad" governments.
B) were dictated by his desire to win.
C) were dictated by his humanitarian ideals.
D) were supported by American liberals.

Question 31

All of the following statements are true about the background of Dwight D. Eisenhower EXCEPT:

A) He was born in Texas and raised in Kansas.
B) He trained soldiers in Texas during World War I.
C) He was considered an expert planner and organizer.
D) He was a brilliant field commander.

Question 32

All of the following are true about the Normandy landing on D-Day EXCEPT:

A) Too many supplies appeared to land at the start of the invasion.
B) Over a million men would land on the beach over one month's time.
C) The United States would retreat over the course of six months back to France.
D) It took 11,000 planes and 600 ships to support the invasion.

Question 33

The bombing of Dresden

A) had no strategic purpose for the Allies.
B) was the most destructive bombing campaign of the war.
C) included three waves of planes dropping incendiary bombs, igniting major fires in the city.
D) All of the above.

Question 34

In early 1945, the United States recaptured

A) Hawaii.
B) Alaska.
C) the Philippines.
D) Australia.

Question 35

How many terms did Roosevelt serve as president?

A) one
B) two
C) three
D) four

Question 36

Which of the following men did Roosevelt drop as his vice-presidential candidate in 1944?

A) Adlai Stevenson
B) Henry Wallace
C) Dwight D. Eisenhower
D) Richard Nixon

Question 37

What was the significance of the Bretton-Woods Conference in 1944?

A) It established the World Bank.
B) It established the International Monetary Fund.
C) It fixed the rate of international exchange based on the U.S. dollar.
D) All of the above.

Question 38

All of the following statements are accurate regarding the Manhattan Project EXCEPT:

A) It was organized in 1941.
B) It was a program to create a nuclear bomb before Germany.
C) The scientists working on the project assumed they were perfecting a military weapon.
D) The program was public and not secret.

Question 39

Who made the final decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan?

A) General George C. Marshall
B) General Dwight D. Eisenhower
C) President Franklin D. Roosevelt
D) President Harry S Truman

Question 40

Why did Americans think that using nuclear bombs against Japan was necessary?

A) A land invasion of Japan would cost many American lives.
B) Some wanted revenge for Pearl Harbor.
C) Some wanted to drop the bomb to justify its expensive cost and development.
D) All of the above.

Question 41

Prior to 1939, many Americans had hoped that Germany and the Soviet Union would go to war with each other.

Question 42

Even though the United States had not officially declared war against Germany, by autumn of 1941 the two countries were essentially at war with each other in the North Atlantic.

Question 43

George C. Marshall became the top general in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Question 44

The U.S. and British forces invaded Sicily in 1943.

Question 45

In July of 1943, the Allies invaded Russia.

Question 46

The Pacific War was often brutal and dehumanizing, leading to many atrocities by U.S. troops.

Question 47

The Allies dropped over 1.5 million tons of bombs on Europe to win World War II.

Question 48

The United States remained far ahead of Germany in the production of rockets during World War II.

Question 49

Just before Christmas in 1944, the Germans launched a major offensive known as the "Battle of the Bulge" that stalled the Allied advance.

Question 50

The United States dropped four atomic bombs on Japanese cities during World War II.

Question 51

Trace the major events in Europe between 1933 and the German invasion of Poland in 1939 that led to war and discuss the reaction of the American people and their government to those events.

Question 52

Discuss the efforts of President Franklin Roosevelt to help the Allied Powers after the German invasion of Poland and prior to the American decision to enter the war.

Question 53

Trace the events between 1937 and 1941 that led to war between the United States and Japan.

Question 54

Discuss the efforts made by the Franklin Roosevelt administration to mobilize the American economy in support of the war effort after the United States entered World War II in 1941.

Question 55

Pretend that you were a typical 20-year-old Japanese American in 1942. Describe the circumstances in which you lived at that time.

Question 56

Imagine yourself a typical black adult living in the North during World War II. Describe the environment in which you lived and your feelings about your situation.

Question 57

As a typical working-class American living in an industrial center during World War II, write a diary describing the conditions under which you live and the adjustments that your circumstances require of your family.

Question 58

Suppose you were a reporter for a magazine in 1944 who had been assigned to write an article on the American woman in that year. Indicate the main facts that you would include in such an article.

Question 59

Describe, in general, the Allied strategy for winning World War II and discuss the implementation of that strategy in Europe.

Question 60

Suppose you had been President Franklin Roosevelt at the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Explain what your concerns would have been regarding the war at the time of the conference, what you hoped to achieve there, and to what extent you were able to obtain your goals.

Question 61

Roosevelt extended Hoover's ________ policy in Latin America.

Question 62

In 1939, the Jewish refugee from Nazi Germany ________ and other scientists warned President Roosevelt that the Germans were working to develop an atomic bomb.

Question 63

The Republican candidate for president in 1940 was ________ of Indiana.

Question 64

In the battle of the ________ in May 1942, the United States inflicted heavy damage on Japanese carriers.