History Exam MCQ's
a
By mid-1942, the home front began to get news from the war fronts that: a. some of the lines were holding at last. b. none of the lines were holding. c. only the lines in the Pacific were holding. d. only the lines in Europe were holding.
c
Following the Allied victory in Sicily: a. Mussolini's forces held off the Allied force advancing on Italy for fifteen months. b. Mussolini committed suicide. c. Italy joined the Allies. d. the Allies turned their attention to Egypt.
b
One thing the Japanese failed to do at Pearl Harbor was: a. to demand an unconditional surrender. b. to destroy the shore facilities. c. to send invading forces on the ground. d. to pack enough fuel to continue on to Americas mainland.
b
The America First Committee: a. pushed for more aid to Britain and France in order to defend America. b. argued that a Nazi victory in Europe would pose no threat to American national security. c. urged an immediate declaration of war on Germany. d. drew most of its support from the East and West Coasts and the South.
c
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.
a
The Battle of Leyte Gulf: a. was the largest naval engagement in history. b. caught Hitler by surprise. c. was a victory for the Japanese. d. began with a German submarine destroying the Mongoose,an American aircraft carrier, before it could get a single plane off the deck.
a
The Battle of Midway: a. was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. b. was fought in the Coral Sea. c. was fought to a draw. d. cost the United States almost one-third of its remaining naval force.
b
The Battle of the Atlantic involved: a. Germany's attempted invasion of Britain. b. German submarine warfare against Allied shipping. c. battles between fleets of rival aircraft carriers. d. massive losses of Allied troopships headed to Europe.
c
The Neutrality Act of 1935: a. was directed against Japanese action in China. b. allowed the American navy to stop and search German ships on the high seas. c. forbade the sale of arms and munitions to warring nations. d. stopped German and Italian military aid to Francisco Franco.
a
The Neutrality Act of 1939: a. allowed the United States to sell arms on a cash-and-carry basis to Britain and France. b. failed to pass Congress by only four votes. c. renewed Americas isolationist stance toward the war in Europe. d. was passed over Roosevelt's veto.
a
The Nye Committee: a. investigated the role of bankers and munitions makers in Americas entry into World War I. b. recommended that Europeans appease Hitler by allowing him to annex Czechoslovakia. c. compiled an official list of Americas international obligations under existing treaties. d. condemned the actions of the merchants of death, those foreign mercenaries who had committed atrocities against European civilians during World War I.
c
The Trades Agreement Act allowed the president to: a. lower tariff rates as much as 25 percent. b. suspend all tariffs. c. lower tariff rates as much as 50 percent. d. lower tariff rates as much as 75 percent.
c
The United States said 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 and Indochina. d. paid Britain and Holland for the oil and other resources it had taken from their colonies.
d
The congressional resolution for war: a. came just one week after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. b. passed by a margin of seven to one. c. came just after Italy and Germany showed their support for Japan by declaring war on America. d. reflected the mood of America, and American isolationism was cast aside.
c
The new strategy used in the Pacific in 1943 was: a. attacking only the smallest Japanese naval vessels. b. attacking the northern islands first, then moving southward. c. neutralizing the Japanese strongholds, leaving them to die on the vine. d. firebombing the islands to destroy all the foliage where Japanese could hide.
c
The primary reason President Truman ordered the use of atomic bombs was: a. his racist hatred of the Japanese. b. to justify the money spent on their development. c. to prevent an invasion of Japan. d. to get revenge for Pearl Harbor.
b
War Relocation Camps: a. were actually prisoner-of-war camps for captured Germans. b. housed over 100,000 Japanese-Americans during the war. c. helped the families of American servicemen cope with the absence of husbands and fathers. d. was the German euphemism for Nazi concentration camps.
b
When Germany attacked France in 1940: a. the fight soon developed into trench warfare. b. France was quickly and completely defeated. c. the Germans were turned back with heavy losses. d. Britain finally entered World War II.
b
When Germany began attacking American ships in 1941: a. Congress declared war on Germany. b. Congress in effect repealed the neutrality acts through new legislation lifting the ban on arms sales to belligerents. c. Roosevelt ordered ships to avoid combat zones. d. Roosevelt broke diplomatic relations with Germany.
d
Which of the follow William E. Borahing was not an isolationist in 19401941? a. William E. Borah b. Herbert Hoover c. Charles A. Lindbergh d. Wendell Willkie
a
During the war, domestic politics was marked by: a. a growing conservatism. b. continued concern for New Deal programs. c. the liberalization of southern Democrats. d. the decline of Republican power in Washington.
c
Just before D-Day, General Eisenhower: a. was confident of an easy victory. b. was replaced by Bernard Montgomery as Supreme Allied Commander. c. deceived the Germans as to where the landings would take place. d. met with Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to finalize war aims.
a
President Roosevelt died: a. less than a month before the surrender of Germany. b. less than a month after the surrender of Japan. c. while returning from the Yalta Conference. d. of leukemia.
b
The Battle of the Coral Sea: a. resulted in the sinking of four Japanese aircraft carriers. b. helped turn back the Japanese threat to Australia. c. allowed Japan to occupy the Philippines. d. was the second Japanese attack on Hawaii.
a
The Japanese surrender: a. allowed the emperor to keep his throne under the authority of an Allied supreme commander. b. came just hours after an atomic bomb virtually destroyed the city of Hiroshima. c. saved thousands of lives, because Americans had a second atomic bomb they threatened to use. d. left only Russia for the Allies to defeat to end World War II.
a
The Kellogg-Briand Pact: a. outlawed war among signatories as an instrument of national policy. b. reduced the Allied war debt. c. limited the size of Americas standing army. d. was defeated in the Senate.
a
The Lend-Lease Bill, introduced in Congress: a. authorized the president to sell, transfer, lend, lease, or otherwise dispose of other equipment and supplies to any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States. b. forbade the president to sell, transfer, lend, lease, or otherwise dispose of other equipment and supplies to any country whose defense the President deems vital to the defense of the United States. c. authorized the president to lend arms to only democratic countries. d. excluded communist countries from receiving any goods.
a
The Manchurian Incident clearly shows that the Japanese flagrantly violated all of the following except: a. the Five-Power Treaty. b. the Nine-Power Treaty. c. the Kellogg-Briand Pact. d. Japan's pledges as a member of the League of Nations.
d
The attack on Pearl Harbor: a. was a total surprise. b. damaged all eight battleships present. c. resulted in thousands of American casualties. d. is correctly represented by all the above statements.
c
The biggest reason Britain and France had trouble repaying their war debts to the United States was: a. Americas low tariff gave Europeans a cheap foreign market. b. the lack of American investments and loans abroad kept those nations starved for capital. c. they could pay the United States only as they collected reparations from Germany. d. the Johnson Debt Default Act doubled the interest on unpaid balances.
d
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. brought some 200,000 Mexican farmworkers into the western United States.
a
World War II resulted in: a. a huge increase in the national debt. b. runaway inflation that sapped civilian morale. c. around 1 million American deaths. d. all of the above.
d
In the Declaration of the United Nations, anti-Axis governments: a. revoked the Atlantic Charter. b. agreed on a strategy against Hitler. c. named Gen. H. H. Hap Arnold to head the Allied naval force. d. agreed not to seek a separate peace with common enemies.
d
In the Five-Power Naval Treaty, the signatories agreed to all the following provisions except to: a. refrain from further fortification of their Pacific possessions. b. build no capital ships for ten years. c. limit naval tonnage. d. assist one another in case of outside attack.
d
In the late summer of 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. congressional approval of a draft registration act. c. a renegotiated payment schedule of the Allies war debt from World War I. d. ninety-nine-year leases on a series of naval and air bases.
c
Japan withdrew from the League of Nations in 1933 when it was condemned for its aggression toward: a. Korea. b. India. c. China. d. Mongolia.
c
A concern for the growing power of what nation led to the Washington Armaments Conference? a. Britain b. Germany c. Japan d. Russia
c
A renewal of diplomatic relations between American and the Soviet Union came about: a. mainly because of the threat of Nazi Germany. b. under President Harding. c. in 1933. d. despite President Franklin Roosevelt's objections.
d
After World War I, the American Army had been: a. increased by several hundred thousand. b. increased by several million. c. decreased to 100,000. d. decreased to 175,000.
c
All of the following were conquered by the Nazi war machine except: a. France. b. Poland. c. the Soviet Union. d. Norway.
a
All of the following were members of the Axis pact except: a. Spain. b. Germany. c. Italy. d. Japan.
c
The Nine Powers Treaty pledged the signers to: a. support the Boxer Rebellion. b. withdraw all troops from Asia. c. support the principle of the Open Door. d. renounce the Open Door.
c
The Office of Price Administration: a. was designed to combat the serious wartime deflation. b. was designed to raise consumer prices. c. rationed tires, sugar, coffee, gasoline, and other items. d. is correctly represented by all the above statements.
a
At Yalta: a. FDR and Churchill were deeply concerned about postwar Poland. b. Stalin belligerently demanded the opening of a second front against the Germans. c. FDR remained a confident leader, the picture of good health. d. Chiang Kai-shek joined the Allied discussions.
d
Benito Mussolini's rise to power in Italy: a. followed the death of President Hindenburg. b. followed Hitler's rise in Germany. c. followed his successful invasion of Ethiopia. d. came about largely because he promised to restore order to a country torn by dissension.
d
President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill finally agreed to strike first: a. across the English Channel. b. on the Eastern front. c. against Japan. d. in North Africa.
b
The destruction of Hitler's last reserve units at the Battle of the Bulge: a. exposed his military inexperience. b. helped Germany regroup in Berlin. c. signaled the immediate end of the war. d. left open the door to Germany's heartland from the west.
b
The development of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima: a. was opposed by most Americans. b. was the responsibility of the Manhattan Project. c. was the responsibility of a group of scientists headed by Albert Einstein. d. began in the spring of 1945.
c
The W in WAC stood for: a. War. b. Western. c. Women's. d. World.
a
The area that experienced the fastest rate of urban growth during the war years was: a. the Far West. b. the upper Midwest. c. New England. d. the South.
b
One way in which the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was not a total success was that the Japanese: a. failed to disable the American planes lined up on the ground. b. ignored shore installations and oil tanks. c. did not immediately follow up with assaults on the Philippines, Guam, Hong Kong, and other American and British possessions in the Pacific. d. withdrew their attack before significantly damaging any of the battleships in the harbor.
b
Operation Overlord was the: a. top-secret work of American cryptanalysts (code breakers). b. D-Day invasion at Normandy. c. Allied invasion of North Africa. d. joint American-Russian effort to free Poland.
a
President Roosevelt was hesitant to intervene in the Spanish Civil War because: a. he wanted to keep the fight localized. b. the Neutrality Act of 1938 forbade intervention. c. Catholics favored the Spanish Republic. d. Germany and Italy were supporting the Spanish Republic.
a
President Roosevelt's so-called moral embargo: a. concerned shipments of arms to Spain. b. concerned shipments of arms to China. c. was violated by both Britain and France. d. was defeated in Congress.
a
The Battle of the Bulge: a. resulted in initial German advances. b. was the major Soviet victory over the Germans. c. convinced Eisenhower that the Americans should capture Berlin. d. boosted German power and morale.
d
The Good Neighbor Policy guided U.S. relations with Latin America during the presidency of: a. Warren Harding. b. Calvin Coolidge. c. Herbert Hoover. d. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
b
The total cost of World War II: a. included military expenditures and property losses for all involved nations of perhaps $100 million. b. included some 49 million military and civilian dead. c. was greater for the United States (in proportion to population) than for any other major power. d. is correctly described by all the above statements.
c
To ensure that Russia joined the war against Japan, in 1945 Roosevelt: a. threatened to use the atomic bomb on Russian targets. b. gave Russia the secrets of the American atomic bomb. c. made certain secret agreements concerning Russian territorial demands. d. promised to assume half of the Russian war debt.
d
Which of the following islands was the site of a major battle in the Pacific? a. Tarawa b. Iwo Jima c. Guadalcanal d. all of the above
a
Following their quick sweep across France, the Allies: a. lost momentum in the fall of 1944. b. just as quickly captured most of Germany. c. were forced to retreat to their pre-1944 lines. d. were surrounded and nearly defeated in Normandy.
b
American foreign policy in Latin America in the period between world wars included all the following except: a. withdrawing American marines from Nicaragua and Haiti. b. rejecting the Pan-American Conference. c. accepting the Clark Memorandum. d. abrogating the Platt Amendment.
d
Americas Good Neighbor Policy: a. allayed Canadian fears of American intervention. b. included American military and economic aid to the Allies. c. was demonstrated in 1926 when the United States sent marines to Nicaragua to help put down disorders. d. included nonintervention in Latin America.
a
FDR broke with tradition and sought a third term in 1940 due to: a. his concern about the war in Europe. b. his desire to secure a place in history. c. his knowledge that the Depression had not ended. d. the fact that the Democrats could find no other strong candidate.
b
How did Americans react to the news of the deployment of the atomic bomb? a. They were upset. b. They greeted the first news with elation. c. They had no public response. d. They were numb.
a
In the months after Americas involvement in World War II: a. news from the Pacific was all bad, according to President Roosevelt. b. the United States scored impressive victories in Guam and the Gilbert Islands. c. Japanese on the Philippines surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur. d. the Japanese were finally repelled from China.
b
In the presidential election of 1944: a. George Marshall was the Democratic candidate. b. Thomas Dewey was the Republican candidate. c. the Republican candidate was reelected. d. the Democrats argued that America needed younger men to replace the tired old leaders of the New Deal.
c
Of the following, the biggest single source of government financing for Americas war effort was: a. loans from financial institutions. b. the sale of public lands in the Northwest. c. increased federal taxes. d. the printing of more paper money.
b
One major motive for Japans expansionist policy was: a. its dream of global domination. b. its need for oil, rubber, and other key resources. c. its desire to impose Japanese culture on other Asians. d. its desire to liberate Asians from Western imperialism.
b
One reason for the U.S. diplomatic recognition of the Soviet Union was: a. Roosevelt's sympathy for Communism. b. both countries common concerns about Japanese expansion in Asia. c. Stalin's promise to hold democratic elections. d. All of the above statements are true.
a
The meeting of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to plan an invasion of France and a Russian offensive took place in: a. Teheran. b. Paris. c. Geneva. d. Casablanca.
c
The nation which suffered the greatest death toll in World War II was: a. Japan. b. Germany. c. the Soviet Union. d. France.
d
The proposed Ludlow Amendment: a. demonstrated American support for intervention in the Far East. b. would have required American firms to get congressional approval before selling war materials to any European belligerents. c. demanded immediate payment of the German war reparations. d. would have required a public referendum for a declaration of war except in case of attack on American territory.
a
The purpose of the War Production Board was to: a. direct industrial conversion to war production. b. finance the building of war plants. c. oversee military scientific research and development. d. publish and distribute American propaganda.
d
The zoot-suit riots were an episode of racial violence that erupted in: a. Washington, D.C. b. New York City. c. Detroit. d. Los Angeles.
a
. After the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1939, Roosevelt: a. no longer professed impartiality in the impending European struggle. b. maintained the status quo pertaining to Europe. c. asked the Germans for payment to the Czech people. d. rescinded the Neutrality Acts.
b
The Panay was an American ship: a. sent to help the anti-Franco forces in Spain. b. attacked by Japanese planes in China. c. sunk by a German submarine in the Atlantic. d. loaned to the British to use against the Nazis.
a
In early 1944, as a response to the Jewish refugee problem, Roosevelt: a. set up a War Refugee Board. b. suspended the quota system and opened America's borders. c. doubled the quota for Jews attempting to enter the United States. d. did nothing.
c
In response to Japanese encroachments in Indochina in 1940 and 1941, Roosevelt: a. ordered the strategic bombing of Japanese military sites. b. sent 200,000 troops to China. c. restricted oil exports to Japan. d. declared a naval blockade of Japan.
a
In response to a proposed march on Washington in 1941,President Roosevelt issued an executive order: a. prohibiting racial discrimination in defense work. b. desegregating the armed forces. c. forbidding right-to-work laws. d. allowing women into the military service.
b
In the 1938 agreement signed at Munich: a. Mussolini agreed not to invade Albania. b. Britain and France agreed to let Hitler have the Sudetenland. c. Japan joined Germany and Italy in the Anti-Comintern Pact. d. Hitler achieved the union of Austria and Germany.
