SAT II World History : SAT Subject Test in World History

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

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Example Questions

Example Question #51 : 1900 C.E. To Present

The Battle of Britain involved which of the following?

Possible Answers:

The liberation of Ireland from German forces

German air force attacks on British cities

British surrender to the combined forces of Germany and Italy

German naval forces gaining control of the English Channel

A German land invasion of the south coast of England from Normandy

Correct answer:

German air force attacks on British cities

Explanation:

The Battle of Britain was a prolonged campaign by the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) to bomb Britain into submission. The battle was primarily fought in the air between the Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force. 

Example Question #11 : World War Ii

Which British wartime Prime Minister encouraged the policy of appeasement towards German aggression?

Possible Answers:

David Lloyd George

Winston Churchill

Bertrand Russell

Neville Chamberlain

Clement Attlee

Correct answer:

Neville Chamberlain

Explanation:

Neville Chamberlain was Prime Minister of Britain from 1937 to 1940. He supported and encouraged other countries to sign the Munich Agreement, which allowed Germany to annex the Sudetenland (a region of Czechoslovakia with many ethnic-German inhabitants). This policy of "appeasement"—letting Hitler have some territory in the hope that this would quell his ambitious aggression—is generally considered a massive failure considering what was to follow, but at the time, Chamberlain was celebrated as a visionary hero.

Example Question #12 : World War Ii

The Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was designed to __________.

Possible Answers:

extend the German reparations payments for another two decades 

provide for a Republican government in Vichy France 

shore up the American west coast in case of an attack by the Japanese navy or air force

provide for the construction of British and American military bases in North Africa and the Middle East 

provide supplies to the British despite their inability to pay for them

Correct answer:

provide supplies to the British despite their inability to pay for them

Explanation:

In the early years of World War Two, Roosevelt and the American government maintained an official policy of neutrality. However, unoficially Roosevelt was firmly on the side of Churchill and the British. The Lend-Lease Act of 1941 was a way to provide war supplies to the British despite Britain's lack of credit. It was a precursor to direct American involvement in the conflict. 

Example Question #11 : World War Ii

The Battle of Britain was fought primarily between __________.

Possible Answers:

British destroyers and German fighter planes and u-boats 

the British and American armies and the Germany army and air force

the German Luftwaffe and the British Navy

the British army and the German army and air force 

the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force

Correct answer:

the German Luftwaffe and the Royal Air Force

Explanation:

The Battle of Britain was fought in the summer and autumn of 1940, shortly after Nazi Germany occupied France. The Battle was fought in the skies above Britain and the English Channel between the German Luftwaffe (air force) and the Royal Air Force of Britain. The Germans hoped to achieve aerial supremacy over the British in preparation for a later land invasion of the island. However, they eventually resorted to trying to terror bomb the British public into submission. The Battle ended in victory, at enormous cost, for the British. But, it also filled the British public with a resolve that would prove enormously important throughout the rest of the war, as for a time Britain stood alone against Nazi Germany in Europe. 

Example Question #12 : World War Ii

The Maginot Line was designed to prevent __________  during the Second World War. 

Possible Answers:

Italian attacks on France

French attacks on Germany

French attacks on Italy

German attacks on France

German attacks on Poland

Correct answer:

German attacks on France

Explanation:

The Maginot Line was a series of defensive fortifications established by the French on their borders with Germany and Switzerland. The French experience of World War One taught them that solid and well-established defensive fortifications would be vital to protecting France in any future European conflict. The French established the Maginot Line to discourage or prevent German attacks on France.

Example Question #12 : World War Ii

Which of the following individuals was called the "Desert Fox" and fought for Germany in North Africa during the Second World War?

Possible Answers:

Rudolph Hess

Hienrich Himmler

Joseph Goebbels

Hermann Goring

Erwin Rommel

Correct answer:

Erwin Rommel

Explanation:

Erwin Rommel, usually referred to as just Rommel or the "Desert Fox," was a German military leader during the Second World War. He became famous among the Allied powers for his brilliant leadership and diplomatic decorum. He was a war hero to Nazi Germany, but he also loathed Hitler, and when his loathing became public knowledge, he was pressured to commit suicide by the German high command on pain of having his family executed and took his own life.

Example Question #13 : World War Ii

The Nuremberg Laws __________.

Possible Answers:

declared antisemitism illegal in German territory

None of the other answer choices is correct. 

installed Hitler as leader of the German nation

ordered the systematic execution of all German Jews

deprived German Jews of citizenship

Correct answer:

deprived German Jews of citizenship

Explanation:

The Nuremberg Laws were established in 1935 by the German Nazi Party. The laws declared that all Jews in Germany were no longer German citizens and deprived Jews of certain human rights. It was not until the so-called "Final Solution" that the systematic execution of Jews began.

Example Question #14 : World War Ii

The 1939 Nonagression Pact was signed between Germany and which of the following countries?

Possible Answers:

Italy

Britain

Japan

The United States

The Soviet Union

Correct answer:

The Soviet Union

Explanation:

In 1939, the Germans and the Soviet Union signed a nonagression pact promising that they would not attack each other during the Second World War. The secret treaty was effective for a time but was ended by Hitler's planned invasion of Russian territory. 

Example Question #13 : World War Ii

In 1923, Adolf Hitler called for an overthrow of the German government by the Nazi party. This attempt resulted in __________.

Possible Answers:

Hitler assuming Chancellorship of Germany and preparing the German nation for war

failure and imprisonment for Hitler

civil war in Germany that would wage for several years in the lead up to World War Two

the assassination of the German King and the royal family 

the complete suspension of freedoms of press, speech, and assembly in Germany

Correct answer:

failure and imprisonment for Hitler

Explanation:

In 1923 Hitler was a well-known and charismatic political speaker in Germany, but he was not yet the powerful leader that popular history remembers. He attempted to organize an overthrow of the German government by the Nazi Party, but he misjudged the moment and the revloution was a spectacular failure. Hitler was tried and imprisoned, but the momentum for his cause continued to build as many millions of Germans began to sympathize with Hitler. He spent his time in prison writing Mien Kempf which clearly outlines his horrifying philosophy. 

Example Question #1 : Russia In Wolrd War Ii

In addition to agreeing not to attack one another, the 1939 German-Russian Nonagression Pact also attempted to do which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Plan an invasion of Finland and Sweden

Divide Poland between the two powers

Address the problems perceived as surrounding the Serbian minority in the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Split the atom and develop an atomic bomb

Isolate Britian from European diplomacy

Correct answer:

Divide Poland between the two powers

Explanation:

The nonagression pact signed between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939 involved both powers pledging not to attack each other. It also featured a plan to divide the nation of Poland between the two powers during the Second World War.

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