SAT II World History : World War II

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

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Example Questions

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Example Question #3 : Russia In Wolrd War Ii

Operation Barbarossa was the code name for __________.

Possible Answers:

the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union during World War Two

the Nazi invasion of Poland during World War Two

the Soviet invasion of Poland during World War Two

the combined Nazi and Soviet invasion of Poland during World War Two

the Soviet invasion of the Balkans during World War Two

Correct answer:

the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union during World War Two

Explanation:

From 1939 to 1940, relations between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union were distrusting but in theory amicable. The two nations had signed a treaty promising not to attack one another and to work together to divide Poland between them. As their borders grew closer and closer, it became clear that neither Hitler nor Stalin was willing to maintain peace. Nazi Germany launched Operation Barbarossa in 1941 to try and swiftly take down the Soviet state; however, it became a war of attrition and ended with the destruction of the German army and the devastating Soviet march to Berlin.

Example Question #4 : Russia In Wolrd War Ii

Which of these statements about the Siege of Stalingrad is most accurate? 

Possible Answers:

It ended swiftly in victory for the German forces.

It ended, after several months, in victory for the German forces.

It resulted in defeat for the Nazis when the Soviet army was able to retake the city.

It resulted in defeat for the Soviets and allowed Hitler to control all of Western Russia until the end of the Second World War.

It represented the furthest that Nazi forces would push into Soviet territory.

Correct answer:

It represented the furthest that Nazi forces would push into Soviet territory.

Explanation:

The Siege of Stalingrad took place for six months from August of 1942 to February of 1943. It involved the forces of Nazi Germany laying siege to the Soviet city of Stalingrad. The Nazi forces inflicted heavy civilian casualties on the Soviet population, but were unable to hold the city for any length of time. The siege ended with the complete destruction of the Nazi Sixth Army and the forced retreat of Nazi forces out of Soviet territory.

Example Question #5 : Russia In Wolrd War Ii

Which of the following groups was largely free from persecution during the Great Purge of the Soviet Union?

Possible Answers:

Stalin's inner circle

Red Army leadership

Peasants and agricultural workers

Communist Party leadership

All of these groups were persecuted during the Great Purge.

Correct answer:

All of these groups were persecuted during the Great Purge.

Explanation:

The Great Purge is the name given to a campaign of political repression and widespread persecution undertaken by the government of Josef Stalin between 1936 and 1940. It involved the imprisonment or execution of Red Army leaders thought to be disloyal to Stalin, hundreds of thousands of members of the peasantry, members of the Communist Party leadership, and even some members of Stalin's inner circle. It had several consequences, not least of all the weakening of the Red Army, due to the massive loss of military experience caused by the execution of so many experienced military leaders.

Example Question #41 : Europe

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a treaty of non-aggression signed by which two nations in the buildup to World War Two? 

Possible Answers:

The Soviet Union and the United States

The United States and Germany

The Soviet Union and China

The Soviet Union and Poland

Germany and the Soviet Union

Correct answer:

Germany and the Soviet Union

Explanation:

The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was a treaty of non-aggression signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union in the month before World War Two began with Nazi invasion of Poland. As well as promising that the two nations would not attack each other during the coming conflict, it also secretly divided most of the nations of Eastern Europe into areas of Soviet and Nazi influence.

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