Chapter Twenty Four: The Nation at War, 1901-1920

Practice Quiz:

1. In what way was the construction of the Panama Canal as Roosevelt said, “the most important action in foreign affairs”?
a. It gave the United States control over world trade.
b. It gave the United States power over developments in Europe.
c. It kept the United States out of involvement in World War I.
d. It solidified American influence in Latin America.

2. In mediating the conflict between Russia and Japan, Roosevelt
a. showed little real interest in the final outcome.
b. tried to play both sides against the other with disastrous results.
c. angered Germany, who retaliated by sinking the Lusitania.
d. recognized the increasing importance of Japan.

3. Taft’s policy of “dollar diplomacy”
a. promoted American financial and business interests abroad.
b. was aimed, primarily, at helping underdeveloped countries.
c. resulted in less American influence in Latin America.
d. helped establish the prestige of the United States in Asia.

4. What were the tests of Wilson’s “moral diplomacy”?
a. When a cabinet member was caught in a financial scandal, Wilson’s pride in his morality was tested.
b. The exorbitant costs of moral reforms, such as Prohibition, tested Wilson’s resolve to continue “purity” reforms.
c. The conflicts with Mexico and World War I demonstrated that U.S. morality wouldn’t keep militarism under control.
d. The Hawaiian and Philippine annexations demonstrated to the world that U.S. morality didn’t actually exist.

5. How was the role of the United States in international affairs changing in the years immediately before the outbreak of World War I?
a. The United States was becoming more of a world power.
b. The United States had become the most powerful country in the world.
c. The United States was no longer an imperialist power.
d. The United States was becoming more and more isolated.

6. Compared with William Jennings Bryan, Robert Lansing
a. was more idealistic.
b. favored the German side in the war.
c. urged a strong stand against the Germans.
d. had little experience in foreign affairs.

7. In 1915, Wilson supported preparedness because of
a. the need to stimulate the American economy.
b. the growing German U-boat crisis.
c. his secret desire to violate the Sussex pledge.
d. Russia’s involvement in Pancho Villa’s raids into the United States.

8. How did the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917 change the course of the war?
a. Germany’s own people began to revolt, leading to a weakening of the axis powers, giving the allies an advantage.
b. The Polish people in Germany revolted, distracting German forces from fighting France and Britain and giving the allies an advantage.
c. Socialists in the United States refused to help with the war effort, inhibiting U.S. involvement and prolonging the war.
d. Russia dropped out of the war, so Germany could concentrate on fighting in the west.

9. The American Expeditionary Force was
a. primarily a volunteer army.
b. initially well prepared and trained for war.
c. led by John J. Pershing
d. a spearhead of elite commandos.

10. During World War I, the War Industries Board
a. controlled the entire war mobilization effort.
b. was led by Herbert Hoover.
c. oversaw the production of America’s factories.
d. failed to lead American industry effectively.

11. To finance the war effort, the U.S. government relied primarily on
a. higher income tax rates.
b. printing paper money for war debts.
c. sales of “Liberty Bonds.”
d. loans from foreign governments.

12. How did Wilson direct the United States’ involvement during the war?
a. He used much of his considerable personal fortune for propaganda.
b. He established agencies to focus factory, food, and mine production to the war effort.
c. He instituted and then increased personal and business income taxes.
d. He increased trade with Asia, Africa, and Europe.

13. How were average Americans asked to participate in the war effort?
a. The men were drafted as soldiers, and the women were drafted either as nurses or factory workers.
b. They were asked to save scraps of metal, rubber, and cloth to be turned into machines and weapons for war.
c. They were asked to conserve gasoline, meat, and wheat; they were encouraged to plant gardens to supplement their needs.
d. They were required to give a tenth of their income to the war effort, earning the name the “mandatory tithe.”

14. As a result of their participation in the war effort, African Americans
a. faced even worse discrimination in America.
b. became more accepting of the conditions they faced.
c. found greater acceptance of their place in American society.
d. were more and more inclined to fight discrimination.

15. Which was the only one of Wilson’s Fourteen Points to actually be implemented?
a. open diplomacy.
b. military disarmament.
c. removal of barriers to international trade.
d. establishment of an independent Poland.

16. How can American foreign policy be characterized in the years between 1901 and 1920?
a. aggressive and nationalistic
b. strongly influenced by isolationist tradition
c. geared toward cooperation and peace
d. not very reflective of the nation’s new economic power

17. Why did some congressmen oppose the formation of the League of Nations?
a. The League of Nations was an elitist group of nations that left out many poorer nations in the world.
b. The League of Nations was unconstitutional according to legal scholars.
c. The League of Nations was too expensive for the U.S. postwar economy.
d. The League was an international body that infringed upon American autonomy.

18. A major effect of the labor shortage caused by the war was
a. a dramatic rise in wages for all workers.
b. a great migration of southern African Americans to northern cities.
c. a worsening in government-labor relations.
d. a decrease in the number of working women.