Question 1

Why did Stalin stop Soviet troops from coming to the aid of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944?
A)He wanted the Polish government in exile to be weak in order to make the Soviet occupation of Poland easier.
B)He told his generals that the uprising was being led by kulaks and therefore was anti-revolutionary.
C)He had to divert units south to stop a German advance through the Ukraine.
D)The United States asked him to stop so resources could be diverted for D-Day.
E)Winter was approaching and Soviet tanks had to be retrofitted for the advance into Germany.

Accepted Answer

Stalin did not want a strong, independent Polish government to emerge from the Warsaw Uprising. He wanted the Soviet occupation of Poland to be easy to establish and maintain. Therefore, he refused to provide military aid to the Polish resistance fighters in Warsaw.

Question 2

After conquering France in June 1940,Germany divided the nation into an occupied zone and a free zone with its capital at what town?
A)Marseille
B)Vichy
C)Lyon
D)Weimar
E)Verdun

Accepted Answer

Germany established the Vichy regime in the southern portions of France, with its capital at the town of Vichy.

Question 3

What best describes the Maginot Line?
A)a line of soldiers positioned along the English channel to defend against German aggression
B)a line of bunker-like fortifications built by France that ran from Switzerland to the Belgian frontier
C)a German battle tactic which involved organizing soldiers in long lines
D)an alliance between France,Belgium,and Spain
E)Chamberlain's plan to strike and defeat Germany quickly

Accepted Answer

The Maginot Line was a line of bunker-like fortifications built by France that ran from Switzerland to the Belgian frontier. Its purpose was to defend against potential German aggression.

Question 4

Which nation destroyed the French fleet at Mersel-Kébir in July 1940 and why?
A)Germany,as it saw a chance to destroy French naval power
B)Italy,to clear the way for an invasion of North Africa
C)Germany,to prevent the French fleet from falling into British hands
D)Britain,to get revenge on France for its surrender
E)Britain,to prevent the French fleet from falling into German hands

Accepted Answer

Britain attacked the French fleet at Mersel-Kébir to prevent it from falling into German hands after France's surrender to Germany in June 1940. This was part of a broader strategy to ensure that the French fleet would not be used against the British by the Axis powers.

Question 5

Who replaced Neville Chamberlain as the prime minister of the United Kingdom following Germany's occupation of Denmark and victory in Norway?
A)Clement Attlee
B)Winston Churchill
C)John Maynard Keynes
D)Wallis Simpson
E)David Lloyd George

Accepted Answer

Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as the prime minister of the United Kingdom following Germany's occupation of Denmark and victory in Norway.

Question 6

Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with what nation in August 1939,clearing the way for his invasion of Poland?
A)the United Kingdom
B)the United States
C)France
D)Czechoslovakia
E)the Soviet Union

Accepted Answer

Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with the Soviet Union in August 1939, dividing up territories in Eastern Europe between the two countries and allowing Hitler to invade Poland without fear of Soviet intervention. This pact lasted until June 1941 when Hitler broke the agreement and invaded the Soviet Union.

Question 7

Why did allied governments do little to publicize the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of Jews?
A)They planned to get justice after the war and thought it would be easier if there were less media attention.
B)Newspapers and radios were shut down during the war.
C)They wanted to wait for more evidence before doing anything.
D)They thought calls to aid Jews directly might distract from the war effort.
E)The media remained independent during the war,so there was little the governments could do.

Accepted Answer

Allied governments were focused on the war effort and did not want to divert attention or resources towards aiding Jews directly. They also feared that direct appeals for help might be seen as a distraction from the overall war effort.

Question 8

What were the German Einsatzgruppen?
A)mobile killing units that carried out the initial massacres of Jews
B)commando units that led the Blitzkrieg in 1940
C)advanced tanks used in World War II
D)commissars appointed to military units that ensured soldiers followed Nazi edicts
E)special units trained for desert warfare in North Africa

Accepted Answer

The Einsatzgruppen were mobile killing units that operated in German-occupied territories during World War II. They were responsible for carrying out the initial massacres of Jews and other targeted groups.

Question 9

At the 1938 Munich conference,the United Kingdom and France agreed to partition what nation in order to appease Hitler?
A)Czechoslovakia
B)Austria
C)Poland
D)Hungary
E)Switzerland

Accepted Answer

The 1938 Munich conference was held to address Hitler's desire for the annexation of the Sudetenland, an area in western Czechoslovakia inhabited by a German-speaking minority. In order to appease Hitler and avoid war, the United Kingdom and France agreed to allow Germany to annex the Sudetenland. This effectively partitioned Czechoslovakia, making it weaker and more vulnerable to further German aggression.

Question 10

The concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau became the biggest site for what new German policy in 1942?
A)preparations for the invasion of the Soviet Union
B)a shift of resources from civilian consumption to war production
C)the training of collaborators for conquered European nations
D)assembly-line-like murders of Jews
E)the expropriation of property from defeated nations

Accepted Answer

Auschwitz-Birkenau became the biggest site for the assembly-line-like murders of Jews under the Nazi policy of the "Final Solution." This policy aimed at the extermination of European Jews and other persecuted groups, resulting in the deaths of an estimated six million people during the Holocaust.

Question 11

Which European nation was the first combatant to face total war due to bombing of its capital by enemy aircraft?
A)Germany
B)France
C)Italy
D)Britain
E)the Soviet Union

Accepted Answer

Britain was the first combatant to face total war due to the bombing of its capital, London, by enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Germany had already faced significant bombing in its cities during the Spanish Civil War and early campaigns of World War II, but had not yet experienced total war on its territory. Italy was also bombed by Allied aircraft, but did not face the same level of sustained and intense bombing as Britain. France and the Soviet Union faced significant damage and destruction during the war, but were not the first to face total war due to bombing of their capitals.

Question 12

The head of the collaborationist French government,Marshal Pétain,worked together with the Nazis for what reason?
A)He wanted Germany to defeat France's old enemy,the United Kingdom.
B)He shared the Nazis' anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist attitudes.
C)He hoped to again command troops in the field.
D)He thought the French people deserved to suffer for their defeat.
E)He thought he could attain additional territory for France through collaboration.

Accepted Answer

Marshal Pétain shared the Nazis' anti-Semitic and anti-Marxist attitudes, which is why he collaborated with them. He believed that by collaborating with the Germans, he would be able to protect France's national identity and traditional values.

Question 13

What was Hitler's response to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941?
A)He feared the war was lost because the United States had declared war on Germany.
B)He attempted to forge a temporary truce with the Soviet Union to move his forces west.
C)He contacted Franklin Roosevelt to ask for an end to hostilities between Germany and the United States.
D)He closed several concentration camps,fearing the American reaction.
E)He declared war on the United States,thinking the American public would not support American forces fighting in Europe.

Accepted Answer

Hitler declared war on the United States, thinking that the American public would not support American forces fighting in Europe. Hitler believed that the United States was already overextended and would not be able to commit significant forces to the European theater of war. However, this decision ultimately proved to be a critical mistake and hastened Germany's defeat.

Question 14

What name,meaning "lightning war," was given to Germany's motorized warfare tactics?
A)Wehrmacht
B)Weserübung
C)Barbarossa
D)Blitzkrieg
E)Drang nach Osten

Accepted Answer

Blitzkrieg literally means "lightning war" and was the name given to Germany's motorized warfare tactics during World War II. It involved a sudden, unexpected attack using tanks, planes, and infantry to quickly penetrate enemy lines and exploit weaknesses, without giving the opposition time to react or regroup.

Question 15

Which nation used the "Enigma" machine to decipher intercepted enemy code?
A)Germany
B)France
C)Britain
D)the United States
E)the Soviet Union

Accepted Answer

Britain used the "Enigma" machine to decipher intercepted enemy code during World War II.

Question 16

Why did the Nazis keep some Jews alive in ghettos and concentration camps?
A)They thought some Jews were better than others and did not deserve to be killed.
B)They needed some Jews to work as slave laborers.
C)They hoped some Jews would collaborate and could move out of Europe after the war.
D)They planned to train a Jewish commando unit for use against the Soviet Union.
E)The surviving Jews were to be part of a Nazi racial breeding program.

Accepted Answer

The Nazis kept some Jews alive in ghettos and concentration camps because they needed them to work as slave laborers for the war effort. They also later used this labor for building the infrastructure of the Third Reich.

Question 17

After quickly defeating France in mid-1940,Germany next planned for an invasion of what nation,which would begin with an aerial battle lasting several months?
A)Britain
B)the Netherlands
C)the Soviet Union
D)Greece
E)Finland

Accepted Answer

Germany's plan for the invasion of Britain, also known as Operation Sea Lion, included a massive aerial assault consisting of waves of bombers targeting airfields, ports, and other strategic targets. The battle for air superiority would then pave the way for a subsequent amphibious invasion of the country.

Question 18

What non-European nation joined Germany and Italy in the "Axis"?
A)China
B)the United States
C)South Africa
D)Canada
E)Japan

Accepted Answer

Japan joined Germany and Italy in the "Axis".

Question 19

What nation did Germany annex in the 1938 Anschluss,explicitly violating the Treaty of Versailles?
A)Austria
B)Czechoslovakia
C)Hungary
D)Luxembourg
E)Poland

Accepted Answer

Germany annexed Austria in the 1938 Anschluss, violating the Treaty of Versailles which forbade Germany from uniting with Austria.

Question 20

By what name was Josip Broz,the commander of anti-Nazi partisans in Yugoslavia,better known?
A)Ustasa
B)Chetnik
C)Tito
D)De Gaulle
E)Moulin

Accepted Answer

Josip Broz was better known as Tito.

Quiz 26: World War Ii

Why did Stalin stop Soviet troops from coming to the aid of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944?

After conquering France in June 1940,Germany divided the nation into an occupied zone and a free zone with its capital at what town?

What best describes the Maginot Line?

Which nation destroyed the French fleet at Mersel-Kébir in July 1940 and why?

Who replaced Neville Chamberlain as the prime minister of the United Kingdom following Germany's occupation of Denmark and victory in Norway?

Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with what nation in August 1939,clearing the way for his invasion of Poland?

Why did allied governments do little to publicize the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of Jews?

What were the German Einsatzgruppen?

At the 1938 Munich conference,the United Kingdom and France agreed to partition what nation in order to appease Hitler?

The concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau became the biggest site for what new German policy in 1942?

Which European nation was the first combatant to face total war due to bombing of its capital by enemy aircraft?

The head of the collaborationist French government,Marshal Pétain,worked together with the Nazis for what reason?

What was Hitler's response to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941?

What name,meaning "lightning war," was given to Germany's motorized warfare tactics?

Which nation used the "Enigma" machine to decipher intercepted enemy code?

Why did the Nazis keep some Jews alive in ghettos and concentration camps?

After quickly defeating France in mid-1940,Germany next planned for an invasion of what nation,which would begin with an aerial battle lasting several months?

What non-European nation joined Germany and Italy in the "Axis"?

What nation did Germany annex in the 1938 Anschluss,explicitly violating the Treaty of Versailles?

By what name was Josip Broz,the commander of anti-Nazi partisans in Yugoslavia,better known?