SAT II US History : SAT Subject Test in United States History

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT II US History

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Example Questions

Example Question #22 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

United States Air Force was officially created immediately after __________.

Possible Answers:

World War II

the Vietnam War

World War I

the Korean War

the Spanish-American War

Correct answer:

World War II

Explanation:

Planes first became usable after the Wright Brothers' flight in 1903, and were instantly sought for military use. By World War I, all the major countries involved were using planes as military weapons in a number of ways. Despite America also using planes in World War I, the pilots were member of the Army, specifically the Air Corps. This model held until the Second World War, when an increased use of planes showed a need for better organization of their use. In the National Security Act of 1947, the United States Air Force was officially created as a separate branch of the armed forces.

Example Question #23 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Pacific Theater World War II was characterized by all of the following except __________.

Possible Answers:

wide use of airplanes to achieve military ends

the first use of nuclear bombs in warfare

large scale infantry warfare and hand to hand combat

primarily occurring between the United States and Japan

featuring large carrier battles in open water

Correct answer:

large scale infantry warfare and hand to hand combat

Explanation:

The Pacific Theater was one of the largest extended battlefields in world history. Primarily fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan, as their European allies were occupied in Europe, the battles in the Pacific were largely naval, and in particular featured a great number of aircraft carriers and airplanes, rather than infantry engagements or even tank battles. The Pacific Theater of the war ended fighting when the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the first use of nuclear weapons.

Example Question #24 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

"Throughout the years of negotiations, we have insisted on peace with honor."

The above quote was said at the end of the Vietnam War by __________.

Possible Answers:

Robert F. Kennedy

Richard M. Nixon

Lyndon B. Johnson

Hubert Humphrey

John F. Kennedy

Correct answer:

Richard M. Nixon

Explanation:

The phrase "peace with honor" became famous almost immediately after the Vietnam War ended. President Richard Nixon first spoke it in an address to the nation upon the offical signing of the Paris Peace Accords, which ended the Vietnam War. The highly controversial war became a key element of the 1972 Election, with Nixon eventually promising to end the war as soon as possible. On January 23, 1973, shortly after being inaugurated for a second term, Nixon uttered these words to the nation to let them know he had negotiated a peace with North Vietnam.

Example Question #25 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The 1978 Camp David Accords were negotiated by President Jimmy Carter between __________.

Possible Answers:

Israel and Palestine

Egypt and Israel

Egypt and Iran

Egypt and Palestine

Israel and Iran

Correct answer:

Egypt and Israel

Explanation:

From 1948, when the State of Israel was first established, until 1978, four large scale wars occurred between Israel and various Arab alliances, typically led by Egypt. By the 1970s, with Cold War tensions driving foreign policy decisions, American leaders sought a deeper peace in the Middle East. In 1977, President Carter invited Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to Camp David in Maryland. There, Carter helped negotiate a framework for a peace agreement between the two nations.

Example Question #26 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Atlantic Charter was drafted by __________.

Possible Answers:

Woodrow Wilson and Georges Clemenceau

Franklin D. Roosevelt and David Lloyd George

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Charles De Gaulle 

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill 

Woodrow Wilson and David Lloyd George

Correct answer:

Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill 

Explanation:

The Atlantic Charter was signed in 1941 by Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. It defined the allied goals for the structure and division of the post-war world. It was an idealistic document that aimed to ensure no territorial changes against the wishes of the people and the restoration of national self-government to those deprived of it. The Charter held significant influence in the break-up of European colonial ownership following the end of the war. 

Example Question #27 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The United States fought all of the following nations in World War II except __________.

Possible Answers:

Germany

Bulgaria

Japan

the Soviet Union

Italy

Correct answer:

the Soviet Union

Explanation:

The Second World War quickly became a conflict between two large groups of nations joined by treaties. While the U.S. remained a neutral nation in principle until attacked by Japan on December 7, 1941, the Roosevelt Administration was assisting the Allied Nations of Great Britain and France. After declaring war on Japan, the U.S. also declared war on the other Axis Powers of Germany and Italy, while fighting allies like Romania and Bulgaria later in the war. The Soviet Union and the United States became Allies during the War, although the seeds of Cold War antagonism underlined their alliance.

Example Question #28 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Allied Conference at Yalta was a meeting attended by which leaders?

Possible Answers:

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Franco

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Franco, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Spanish Prime Minister Francisco Franco, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer

Correct answer:

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin

Explanation:

The Yalta Conference was convened by Allied leaders Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, the respective leaders of America, Britain, and the Soviet Union.  These three nations were the leading powers of the Allied forces in World War II.  Adolf Hitler was still leader of Germany in February of 1945, and still fighting the Allies, so all answer choices with Konrad Adenauer should be eliminated.

Example Question #29 : Facts And Details In U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Which of the following countries was an ally of the United States in World War II?

Possible Answers:

France

Germany

Austria

Hungary

Japan

Correct answer:

France

Explanation:

The Axis Powers were, broadly speaking, America's opponents in World War II, but their exact allies were not always straightforward. Upon entering the war in December of 1941, the United States declared war on Japan, Germany, Italy, Romania, Hungary, and other Allied affiliated states. Those countries possessed by Germany were in a different condition, as the German speaking Austrians and Czechs were largely affilliated with the Nazis. France, however, saw a "Free French" army and shadow government form, which was a determined ally of the United States.

Example Question #171 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Which best describes President Harry Truman's role in the Potsdam Conference?

Possible Answers:

President Truman was brokering a peace deal between China and Japan.

President Truman was offering the US's unfettered support to the Soviet Union to take control of postwar Germany.

President Truman was conferring with Richard Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, and other scientists working on the Manhattan Project with regards to top secret plans for the atomic bomb.

President Truman was taking part in secret meetings to plot the assassination of Adolf Hitler.

President Truman was meeting with the leaders of the Soviet Union and Great Britain to discuss the territorial division of postwar Europe.

Correct answer:

President Truman was meeting with the leaders of the Soviet Union and Great Britain to discuss the territorial division of postwar Europe.

Explanation:

The Potsdam Conference was a meeting that occurred in 1945 among the so-called "Big Three:" Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (replaced on July 26 by Prime Minister Clement Attlee), and U.S. President Harry Truman, in Potsdam, Germany. The three leaders had gathered to discuss how to punish Germany after the war, establish order in Europe, and negotiate treaties.

Example Question #172 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

What was not a goal of the Treaty of Versailles?

Possible Answers:

To force Germany to give back territory acquired during the war

To end the war between Germany and the Allies

To make Germany pay reparations for damage caused during the war

To make sure that Germany did not attack Versailles during the war

To make sure Germany accepted former territories as sovereign nations

Correct answer:

To make sure that Germany did not attack Versailles during the war

Explanation:

The Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, was a peace treaty that ended the state of war following the devastation of World War I. It made sure Germany accepted all responsibility for damages during the war. The Treaty included provisions stating that Germany had to give back land acquired during the war, that Germany had to pay over 31 billion dollars, and that Germany allowed the countries it had acquired during the war to be sovereign nations included in the League of Nations.

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