SAT II World History : SAT Subject Test in World History

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

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Other Southwest Asian History From 1900 C.E. To Present

The Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by a member of

Possible Answers:

the transnational Islamist group Al Qaeda.

the Palestine Liberation Organization.

the Israeli far right.

the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

his own bodyguards.

Correct answer:

the Israeli far right.

Explanation:

Yitzhak Rabin was assasinated in Tel Aviv, Israel, on November 4, 1995, after a rally to celebrate the signing of the Oslo Accords, which were the first agreements between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The attempt by the Rabin government to establish a peace with the PLO and help establish a Palestinian state was immensely unpopular among the far-right elements of Israeli society. Rabin's assassin Yigal Amir was associated with various groups and has to this day expressed no regret for the assasination.

Example Question #2 : Other Southwest Asian History From 1900 C.E. To Present

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 intended to __________.

Possible Answers:

create a Jewish homeland in Palestine

provide greater voting rights to the British working class

remove all Jewish communities from Central Europe

emancipate women in British society

provide a lasting peace in Europe after World War One

Correct answer:

create a Jewish homeland in Palestine

Explanation:

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 was a letter written by a member of the British government to a wealthy leader of the British-Jewish community. It promised to create, or help create, a Jewish homeland in Palestinian territory. It was the first official step on the path to the creation of Israel. 

Example Question #3 : Other Southwest Asian History From 1900 C.E. To Present

Who was the first Prime Minister of India after India gained its independence from Britain?

Possible Answers:

Indira Gandhi

Jawaharlal Nehru

Mahatma Gandhi

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

V. P. Singh

Correct answer:

Jawaharlal Nehru

Explanation:

India gained its independence from Britain in 1947. The first Prime Minister was Jawaharlal Nehru, who ruled for fifteen years. Nehru led India in the direction of a planned economy and leaned more towards communism than capitalism, although his commitment was never absolute.

Example Question #4 : Other Southwest Asian History From 1900 C.E. To Present

The Lahore Conference of 1940 __________.

Possible Answers:

Culminated in a massive religious riot in the streets of Lahore and Calcutta that killed tens of thousands

argued against the partition of India into a Hindu-dominated country and a Muslim-dominated country

was established to combat rising poverty in the Indian subcontinent

contended that the time was not right for an independence movement and argued that Indians should remain loyal to the British Empire

advocated for the creation of a separate Muslim state for Muslims in India

Correct answer:

advocated for the creation of a separate Muslim state for Muslims in India

Explanation:

The Lahore Conference of 1940 advocated for the creation of a separate Muslim state within the Indian subcontinent, what would later come to be Pakistan and Bangladesh. The partition of India into India and Pakistan resulted in the deaths of countless Indian people and the forced migration of millions.

Example Question #1 : Africa From 1900 C.E. To Present

Haile Selassi reigned from 1930 to 1974 as the emperor of which African nation?

Possible Answers:

Kenya

Liberia

Egypt

Ethiopia

Morrocco

Correct answer:

Ethiopia

Explanation:

Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He is notable for his defense of Ethiopia against Mussolini's Italian invasion and for modernizing Ethiopia into the twentieth century.

Example Question #11 : Africa And Southwest Asia

The Union of South Africa was primarily a direct result of __________.

Possible Answers:

the construction of the Suez Canal 

the Treaty of Tordesillas 

the Second Boer War 

the fall of the British Empire after World War Two 

the Berlin Conference 

Correct answer:

the Second Boer War 

Explanation:

The Union of South Africa was a direct result of the conclusion of the Second Boer War, in which the British Empire defeated the Afrikaner settlers of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. The Union of South Africa would later become the Republic of South Africa and would be dominated by apartheid policies and racial disorder until the early 1990s.

Example Question #12 : Africa And Southwest Asia

The Second Boer War, 1899-1902, was fought between ________.

Possible Answers:

British and Afrikaners 

Afrikaners and South Africans 

South Africans and Dutch 

British and South Africans 

British and Americans 

Correct answer:

British and Afrikaners 

Explanation:

The Second Boer War was fought between the British Empire and Afrikaner settlers of the Orange Free State and the South African Republic. It ended in victory for the British Empire, but did little to change the social, political, or economic situation in South Africa. 

Example Question #192 : 1900 C.E. To Present

The independence of Ghana (Gold Coast) in 1957 demonstrates __________.

Possible Answers:

the beginning of African decolonization

how uninterested European powers were in their African colonies

the end of French colonization

the ability of democracy to prosper in newly independent nations

the direct involvement of America in African decolonization

Correct answer:

the beginning of African decolonization

Explanation:

Leader Dr Kwame Nkrumah eventually named himself President for Life in Ghana a few years after independence. Ghana was a former-British colony, and European powers had mixed feelings about their imperial holdings and were not often eager to let them go (see, for instance: Algeria and Kenya). America played less of a role in Ghanan independence, but they did send congratulations to Ghana once they achieved it. 

Ghana was the first of the European African colonies to gain independence in the era of decolonization that began after World War II. 

Example Question #1 : Christianity

Roman Catholicism is the chief religion in the Philippines because

Possible Answers:

it was ruled by Spain for hundreds of years.

it received Christian refugees from the Islamic conquests.

it was rejecting its colonially imposed religion.

it was influenced by Portuguese missionaries from the 1600s.

of a mass conversion after the conversion of a ruler.

Correct answer:

it was ruled by Spain for hundreds of years.

Explanation:

Spain ruled the Philippines from 1521-1898, making the islands one of Spain's early overseas possessions, and one it held as long as any other. Spain's dominant Catholicism was a large element to its rule of the Philippines. To this day, the Philippines is over 80% Roman Catholic.

Example Question #1 : Christianity

Christianity first emerged as a fringe religion in which of the following empires?

Possible Answers:

The Assyrian Empire

The Seljuk Empire

The Greek Empire

The Parthian Empire

The Roman Empire

Correct answer:

The Roman Empire

Explanation:

The religion of Christianity first emerged in the Roman Empire two thousand years ago. It was spread originally by Paul the Apostle around the various cities and empires of the Near East and the Mediterranean, but was only a fringe religion for the first two or three centuries of its existence.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors