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 #211 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Which of these nations did not fight on the same side as the United States during World War I?

Possible Answers:

Austria-Hungary

Russia

Great Britain

Italy

France

Correct answer:

Austria-Hungary

Explanation:

World War I was fought between the Allied (Entente) Powers of Great Britain, France, and Russia against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire. Italy was originally part of the Central Alliance, but switched sides before committing troops, joining the Allied cause in 1915. In 1917, The United States joined the war on the side of the Allied Powers.

Example Question #1 : Summary Of U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “cash-and-carry” policy was important because

Possible Answers:

It helped fund social security programs for the elderly during the Great Depression

It allowed the United States to support the allied powers, but remain effectively neutral 

It allowed the United States to begin mobilizing for World War Two

It mandated that the United States would provide only financial aid to the allied powers and would remain out of World War Two

It ended several decades of the common practice of paying black employees less than white employees

Correct answer:

It allowed the United States to support the allied powers, but remain effectively neutral 

Explanation:

FDR’s “cash-and-carry” policy was an amendment to the Neutrality Act. Roosevelt pushed Congress to pass the measure so that the United States could support the allied powers without giving up their claims to neutrality. The “cash-and-carry” policy stated that warring nations could purchase arms from the United States, so long as they paid in cash and carried the weapons away on their own ships. 

Example Question #102 : U.S. Foreign Policy

Which United States President opened relations with the Communist Republic of China?

Possible Answers:

Harry S. Truman 

Richard Nixon

John F. Kennedy

Dwight Eisenhower 

Jimmy Carter

Correct answer:

Richard Nixon

Explanation:

Richard Nixon opened relations with Mao’s China when he visited Beijing in 1972. Prior to Nixon’s visit, relations between China and the United States had been extremely negative. The United States recognized the nationalist government of Taiwan as the legitimate government of China. Nixon’s visit, and Kissinger’s diplomacy, reversed this policy. At the time many people believed this to be one of the most important turning points in the Cold War. It did lead, eventually, to a massive growth in trade agreements and social exchange between the two nations and, some historians maintain, helped isolate the Soviet Union and bring about the end of the Cold War.

Example Question #1 : Summary Of U.S. Foreign Policy From 1899 To The Present

The Dawes Plan                            .

Possible Answers:

demanded that the matter of segregation be settled in the Supreme Court

Called for the repeal of Prohibition 

tried to assist the recovery of post-war European economies 

proposed to dramatically improve internal infrastructure 

recommended the establishment of a Federal department to deal with environmental issues

Correct answer:

tried to assist the recovery of post-war European economies 

Explanation:

The Dawes Plan, proposed in 1924, was an attempt to solve the massive economic and diplomatic problems caused by the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty declared Germany responsible for the outbreak of war and mandated that Germany pay reparations to Great Britain and France. Additionally, Britain and France owed a substantial amount of money to the United States. Germany, due to extreme economic difficulties, was largely unable to pay back the money. The Dawes Plan proposed that United States’ banks would lend money to Germany with a generous payment plan in place. The Germans would then in turn pay reparations to Great Britain and France, and they would pay back their debt to the United States. At the time it was enough to earn Dawes the Nobel Peace Prize; however, as you can imagine with such an obviously circular mechanism, it did not wholly work and was replaced in 1929 with a different plan. 

Example Question #213 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

The United States diplomatic policy of brinksmanship was most consistently applied to which country in the twentieth century?

Possible Answers:

Germany

China

Soviet Union

Vietnam

Japan

Correct answer:

Soviet Union

Explanation:

Brinksmanship refers to an aggressive form of diplomacy that requires pushing dangerous events to the brink of a declaration of war, in order to gain the most advantageous positing for aggressor. The policy, along with the corollary phenomenon called "Mutually Assured Destruction," defined the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War. The term began to be used during the Eisenhower administration and can be observed in numerous political crises of the twentieth century—for example, the Cuban Missile Crisis. 

Example Question #211 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

The League of Nations                       .

Possible Answers:

was included in the Treaty of Versailles, but failed to gain support from the United States Senate 

was included in the Treaty of Versailles and adopted by the United States Senate

was left out of the Treaty of Versailles 

was mentioned only in Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points, but failed to gain international support

was left out of the Treaty of Versailles, but gained international support in the 1920s

Correct answer:

was included in the Treaty of Versailles, but failed to gain support from the United States Senate 

Explanation:

In his famous “Fourteen Points” statement, issued at the end of World War I, Woodrow Wilson called for a united League of Nations to police global conflict and work towards a peaceful, cooperative world. The League was written into the Treaty of Versailles and established soon after; however, the Treaty of Versailles and the American entrance into the League of Nations failed to pass the United States Senate: without the membership of its primary charter member, the League was doomed to be ineffective. 

Example Question #212 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Which of the following was NOT a goal of the European Recovery Program of 1948, better known as the Marshall Plan?

Possible Answers:

To partner formerly Nazi held countries with the Soviet Union

To remove trade barriers present in European economies remaining after World War II

To rebuild economies ravaged by World War II throughout Europe

To halt the spread of Communism in Europe after the Allied Victory in World War II

To modernize the industry in European countries after World War II

Correct answer:

To partner formerly Nazi held countries with the Soviet Union

Explanation:

The European Recovery Program, colloquially named after U.S. Secretary of State George Marshall as "The Marshall Plan," was introduced in 1948 to support various Western European countries in their effort to rebuild after World War II. The Program gave direct economic and technological aid to any European country wishing to have it. All the Soviet controlled states refused the aid, as it meant US control over their economies. The Marshall Plan had multiple goals, including rebuilding damaged economies, strengthening democracies, improving the industry of Europe, and ultimately preventing the spread of communism.

Example Question #213 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Foreign policy in the 1920s was largely characterized by __________.

Possible Answers:

participation in the League of Nations

distinct isolationism

imperialist conflicts in the Pacific Ocean

intervention in Latin American conflicts

intervention in European conflicts

Correct answer:

distinct isolationism

Explanation:

In the aftermath of America's participation in World War I, many people in the country did not want to continue with Woodrow Wilson's vision of America's international role that got them into the war. The most profound statements were COngresses refusal to enter Wilson's pet project the League of Nations, and in the success of the Republican Party against Wilson's Democrats in Presidential elections. This meant the Foreign Policy lurched strongly towards the stance of isolationism, or trying not to get involved in any foreign conflicts.

Example Question #214 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev angered hardliners in his country, leading to the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, by agreeing to reduce the nuclear arsenal of the USSR and USA with American President __________.

Possible Answers:

Ronald Reagan

George W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

George H.W. Bush

Bill Clinton

Correct answer:

George H.W. Bush

Explanation:

In 1990, Mikhail Gorbachev was ousted in a coup by Soviet hardliners, a move which backfired and saw the dissolution of the USSR, because of his support for nuclear arms reduction with American president George H.W. Bush. While in domestic policy, Bush continued with the same programs as his predecessor, Ronald Reagan, but the fall of communism helped give the foreign policy of Bush a new direction.

Example Question #215 : Sat Subject Test In United States History

The concept of "dollar diplomacy" is best described as __________.

Possible Answers:

supporting opposition parties in foreign countries that more closely align with American interests

investing in foreign markets to boost the value of American currency

sending American troops across the globe to enforce U.S. foreign policy interests

giving money and aid to foreign governments to persuade them to be allies

avoiding entanglement in the affairs of foreign countries

Correct answer:

giving money and aid to foreign governments to persuade them to be allies

Explanation:

"Dollar diplomacy" was the prominent foreign policy approach favored by President William Howard Taft (1909-1913), but was widely used before and after Taft's term in office. The general principle of dollar diplomacy was that financial, rather than military, muscle was the most effective way of convincing foreign governments to support American interests.

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