Chapter Twenty Seven: American and the World, 1921-1945

Practice Quiz:

1. As a result of the Nye Committee’s findings,
a. Congress passed the neutrality acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937.
b. Secretary of State Kellogg signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
c. bankers and munition makers were hailed as heroes.
d. the pacifist movement in America dwindled significantly.

2. Why were Americans worried about Hitler’s attacks on Britain, in particular?
a. America had an alliance with Britain that could force the nation into the war
b. Many Americans still had family members living in Britain
c. If Hitler took Britain, he would have access to an atom bomb
d. If Hitler took Britain, he could use the British navy to attack the Americas

3. President Franklin Roosevelt’s Lend-Lease policy
a. ensured British access to American war supplies.
b. placed restrictions on materials the United States could ship to Britain
c. encountered almost no opposition from American congressmen
d. was strongly supported by American isolationists

4. During 1940-1941, President Roosevelt attempted to halt Japanese aggression in Asia by
a. applying economic pressure on Japan through a trade embargo
b. waging a clandestine, undeclared war against Japanese naval forces in the Pacific
c. signing mutual defense pacts with other Asian nations
d. securing legislation allowing him to send troops to China

5. When the United States and the Dutch East Indies banned trade with Japan, the Japanese lost their source of _______, which led them to attack the United States.
a. oil.
b. ammunition
c. steel
d. rubber

6. What event brought the United States into World War II?
a. The Italian attack on Austria
b. The German invasion of Poland.
c. The first mass executions of Jews
d. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

7. What was the greatest single advantage that the United States and its allies had during World War II?
a. The allies began military confrontations with the Axis powers immediately, before they could gain much ground in Europe or Asia
b. The allies were genuinely willing to work together to defeat their enemies, whereas the Axis powers fought separate wars.
c. The Germans and Japanese made slow progress in conquering more lands in Europe and the Pacific
d. All of the Axis powers suffered from ineffective leadership and poor strategizing

8. Russia looked forward to __________ after its victory in World War II.
a. establishing communist regimes in eastern Europe
b. establishing trade routes with Britain and the United States
c. receiving monetary compensation from the United Nations
d. establishing a popular, democratic government

9. The United States looked forward to ________ after its victory in World War II.
a. controlling post-war governments in Germany and Italy
b. breaking up the Soviet Union
c. seizing German resources
d. controlling the Pacific

10. Which statement best describes the migration of the American population during World War II?
a. Rural areas lost population while coastal areas gained population.
b. People moved from urban to rural areas to help grow food to support the troops
c. The South and West lost population as millions moved to states in the Northeast
d. The United States lost population as millions moved to Canada

11. Which of the following statements describes a social problem during World War II?
a. California’s economy almost collapsed since it lacked wartime industries
b. There was insufficient housing for workers in cities with wartime industries
c. Fewer couples were getting married due to the uncertainties of wartime
d. Middle-aged, married women were edged out of the workforce by single women

12. The Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) was a federal agency designed to protect
a. children from abusive working conditions
b. workers in wartime industries from harsh working conditions
c. women from discrimination in the workplace
d. African Americans from discrimination in the workplace

13. What caused riots in both Los Angeles and Detroit in 1943?
a. food shortages
b. abusive labor conditions
c. racial tensions
d. strong anti-war sentiments

14. What does the term “D-Day” mean?
a. the day President Roosevelt died
b. the day Hitler committed suicide
c. the day the Allies invaded Nazi-occupied Europe
d. the day the Germans surrendered to the Allies

15. Why was the Battle of the Bulge an important battle during World War II?
a. It was the battle that drew the United States into the war
b. It was Hitler’s first loss in the war, showing the world that he could be beaten
c. It was the first time the allies gained significant ground in Europe
d. The Allied victory exhausted Hitler’s reserves and fatally weakened his army

16. Compared with the American military contribution to the defeat of Germany, the Soviet Union’s military contribution was
a. significantly smaller.
b. about the same.
c. significantly larger.
d. impossible to determine.

17. The Soviet Union experienced a diplomatic triumph when Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met in 1945 at the
a. Munich Convention
b. Yalta Conference
c. Casablanca Meeting
d. London Symposium

18. President Truman’s primary motive for using nuclear weapons against Japan was to
a. prevent the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagaski.
b. kill as many Japanese as possible.
c. impress the Soviet Union.
d. end the war as quickly as possible.