SAT II World History : 1900 C.E. to Present

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #8 : The Americas In World War I

The Sussex Pledge related to which aspect of German-American relations during World War One?

Possible Answers:

America's trading relationship with Western Europe

America's promise to provide aid and military support to Germany in exchange for German territory in Africa and the Caribbean

America's promise not to persecute German citizens living in the United States

German unrestricted submarine warfare

Germany's attempts to bring Mexico into a war with the United States

Correct answer:

German unrestricted submarine warfare

Explanation:

The Sussex Pledge was issued by the German government in 1916. It was issued in response to a statement made by President Woodrow Wilson that the United States would enter the war if Germany did not stop its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. The Sussex Pledge promised to stop sinking American ships and to allow partial freedom of the seas; however, the German government rescinded the policy in January of 1917, believing that they could win the war by preventing France and England from trading with the United States. This backfired and caused the United States to join the war on the side of the Allied Powers. 

Example Question #9 : The Americas In World War I

The Supreme Court case, Schenck v. United States, relates to the __________.

Possible Answers:

suspension of freedom of assembly during World War One

internment of German-Americans during World War One

implementation of the draft during World War One

internment of Japanese-Americans during World War One

conversion of private property to public property for the purposes of facilitating the production of war materials 

Correct answer:

implementation of the draft during World War One

Explanation:

The Supreme Court case, Schenck v. United States (1919), relates to the implementation of the draft during World War One. Specifically, the court ruled that men who were encouraging young men to resist the draft were violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and endangering the safety and security of the nation.

Example Question #10 : The Americas In World War I

Which of the following individuals is the American senator who led the battle to prevent the United States from joining the League of Nations in the aftermath of World War One?

Possible Answers:

Henry Cabot Lodge

Theodore Roosevelt

William Jennings Bryan

Charles Curtis

William Randolph Hearst

Correct answer:

Henry Cabot Lodge

Explanation:

The League of Nations was an important component of Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points and the Treaty of Versailles. It was meant to serve as a sort of proto-United Nations, designed to facilitate freedom of trade and prevent war; however, it was doomed to failure from the very start due, in part, to the efforts of one American senator. Henry Cabot Lodge was the Senate Majority Leader at the time that the Treaty of Versailles appeared before the Senate for ratification. He wanted the treaty amended to ensure that America would remain isolationist and not involved in the League of Nations. His refusal, along with others', to support the League of Nations ensured that the treaty was never ratified in the United States' Senate. 

Example Question #11 : North And South America

In what year did the American Expeditionary Force begin fighting on the front line in large numbers during the World War One? 

Possible Answers:

1918

1917

1915

1914

1916

Correct answer:

1918

Explanation:

Although the United States declared war on Germany and the Central Powers in April of 1917, the first members of the American Expeditionary Force did not join the fighting until October of that year. Even then, there were barely tens of thousands of Americans fighting on the Western front, among millions of British, French, and Germans (as well as various citizens of those countries' colonial empires). By the spring of 1918, the number of Americans on the Western front was in the millions, and they decisively turned the tide of the war.

Example Question #12 : North And South America

The Selective Service Act, passed in 1917, allowed the Federal government to __________.

Possible Answers:

compel young men to enlist in the army 

suspend freedom of the press during World War One 

declare war on Germany 

force state governments to contribute money and munitions to the war effort 

suspend freedom of speech during World War One 

Correct answer:

compel young men to enlist in the army 

Explanation:

The Selective Service Act of 1917 allowed the Federal government to compel young men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for draft eligibility. Over two-and-a-half million Americans were drafted under the Selective Service Act.

Example Question #13 : North And South America

During World War One, Mexico __________.

Possible Answers:

adopted a consistent position of neutrality

joined the war on the side of the Allies in 1917 at the same time as the United States 

declared war on the Central Powers in 1915, but never sent any troops to Europe 

joined the war on the side of the Central Powers in 1917 and attacked American troop carriers 

refused to trade with the Central Powers, but otherwise remained out of the global conflict 

Correct answer:

adopted a consistent position of neutrality

Explanation:

During World War One, Mexico adopted a position of consistent neutrality. They traded with both the Allied and Central Powers and refused invitations from the Germans to declare war on the United States and vice versa. 

Example Question #14 : North And South America

Which of these countries was the only Latin American country to declare war on Germany during World War One? 

Possible Answers:

Brazil

Colombia

Argentina

Chile

Mexico

Correct answer:

Brazil

Explanation:

For the most part, Latin America remained wholly neutral throughout World War One. The German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare tested this neutrality, as did Britain's policy of seizing ships bound for the Central Powers. Diplomatic relations were frequently strained, but none of the countries thought it in their best interest to declare war, except for Brazil. Following a series of German attacks on Brazilian merchant ships in 1917, the country declared war on Germany. 

Example Question #15 : North And South America

Which of the following individuals was the Mexican revolutionary who led a raid into American territory in 1916 that almost led to a war with the United States?

Possible Answers:

Pancho Villa

Simón Bolívar

Che Guevara

Emiliano Zapata

Benito Juárez

Correct answer:

Pancho Villa

Explanation:

In 1916, the Mexican revolutionary known usually by his nickname, Pancho Villa, led a raid into American territory in New Mexico and Texas, during which American citizens were murdered. He was pursued by the American general, John J. Pershing, and the conflict almost led to a full-scale war between the United States and Mexico. This conflict abated, however, when the United States declared war on the Central Powers and joined World War One.

Example Question #16 : The Americas In World War I

The primary goal of the Committee on Public Information during World War One was __________.

Possible Answers:

to monitor the behavior of media members to ensure they were offering support to the Allied war effort

to monitor the behavior of government officials to ensure they were acting in the best interests of the United States 

to ensure that the troops were provided with enough food and supplies to comfortably survive the passage across the Atlantic 

to spread propaganda to encourage public support for the war effort 

to spread propaganda to foment insurrection and discourage support for the war effort 

Correct answer:

to spread propaganda to encourage public support for the war effort 

Explanation:

The Committee on Public Information was led by Chairman George Creel. It was set up in 1917 to encourage public support for the American war effort. This goal was mostly achieved through widespread propaganda campaigns linking the war effort to patriotism and nationalism. 

Example Question #16 : North And South America

People of __________ ancestry were forcibly interned in the United States during the Second World War.

Possible Answers:

German

Italian

Japanese

Chinese

Russian

Correct answer:

Japanese

Explanation:

During the Second World War, people of Japanese ancestry—both citizens of Japan living in America and Japanese-Americans—were sent to camps where they were forcibly interned until the war was over. Even though people of Germans and Italian descent might have been perceived as being the United States' combatants as much as people of Japanese descent, individuals of German or Italian descent were more difficult to identify racially and not interned. In recent years, the United States' internment of people of Japanese descent during World War Two has been widely condemned as unneccesary and a violation of the same rights for which the United States was fighting.

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