World War II Quiz Quiz Questions

1. Which spy worked for Nazi Germany while employed as valet to the British ambassador to neutral Turkey?

A Tokyo Rose B Cicero C Joseph Stansbury D John André

2. What site became the symbol of the first stage of Nazi killing during the Holocaust?

A Belzec B Babi Yar C Dachau D Ravensbrück

3. What is the name of the last major German offensive on the Western Front in World War II?

A Operation Barbarossa B Battle of Tannenberg C Operation Overlord D Battle of the Bulge

4. Which international accord established the legal foundation for the Nürnberg trials of Nazi war criminals?

A Yalta Agreement B Moscow Declaration C Potsdam Declaration D London Agreement

5. What city was the site of the 900-day siege during World War II?

A Leningrad B London C Stalingrad D Berlin

6. Which U.S. president won the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for his heroism during World War II?

A Ronald Reagan B John F. Kennedy C Donald Trump D Dwight D. Eisenhower

7. Which religious institution in Germany led the opposition to the Nazis?

A Confessing Church B German Evangelical church C Unitarianism D Roman Catholic Church

8. Which British prime minister is identified with initiating the policy of “appeasement” toward Germany in the period immediately preceding World War II?

A Winston Churchill B Neville Chamberlain C Joseph Chamberlain D Benjamin Disraeli

9. At which World War II conference did Allied leaders agree to demand unconditional surrender from the Axis powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan?

A Potsdam Conference B Casablanca Conference C San Francisco Conference D Yalta Conference

10. Which of these laws contributed to the Holocaust?

A April Laws B March Laws C Nürnberg Laws D Baumes Laws

11. Which of the following conditions in Germany helped lead to Adolf Hitler’s rise to power in the 1920s?

A Germans were angry about the nation’s failing economy. B German people were becoming more and more distrustful of other races and cultures. C Germans were angry about what all they were forced to give up in the Treaty of Versailles. D all of the above

12. Who rose to power as the Communist leader of the Soviet Union in the late 1920s following the death of Vladimir Lenin?

A Adolf Hitler B Nikita Khrushchev C Joseph Stalin D Benito Mussolini

13. How did America respond to the rise of communism, fascism, and ruling dictators across the globe throughout the 1920s and 1930s?

A America opted to remain neutral. B America quickly worked with allies to aggressively stand up to the oppressive regimes. C America sold vast amounts of weapons to any and all nations willing to buy them. D American supported some of these nations and spoke out against others.

14. What was the agreement reached between Britain, France, and Germany at the 1938 Munich Conference?

A The nations agreed to divide the European continent into three separate regions of control. B The three nations agreed to reinstate open trade. C The three nations agreed to avoid actions designed to entice American involvement in European affairs. D Britain and France agreed to appease Germany by giving into Hitler’s demands to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in exchange for an end to further German expansion.

15. What was the strategic motivation for the Soviet-German Non-Aggression Pact between Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin in August of 1939?

A Hitler and Stalin were longtime friends, the pact simply formalized their alignment. B Hitler wanted to invade Poland without Stalin feeling threatened. C Stalin wanted to attack Poland but did not want Hitler to mistake the action as a potential threat on Germany. D Hitler wanted Stalin’s help invading Poland.

16. What was the name given to Germany’s “lightning offensive” invasion strategy that involved moving troops and military weapons in large quantities and with startling speed?

A perestroika B Third Reich C blitzkrieg D Kristallnacht

17. Who were the nations that made up the Axis Powers of World War II?

A Germany, the Soviet Union, and Italy B Germany, the Soviet Union, Italy, and Japan C Germany, Italy, and Japan D Germany and Italy

18. What was the result of the Battle of Britain?

A Hitler relentlessly bombed and harassed Great Britain, but was not able to take control of the island nation. B Hitler laid waste to much of Britain’s major cities and industrial centers resulting in a reluctant British surrender. C The British decimated Hitler’s forces and immediately began a successful counter-offensive into mainland Europe. D French forces used the battle as a distraction to reclaim their country from the Nazi invaders.

19. How did America respond to the war in Europe in the late 1930s?

A America immediately joined in the conflict by sending weapons, money, and troops to England in large quantities. B America continued a policy of neutrality, but began putting pieces in place to prepare for war. C The American public and political leaders were largely unmoved by the war growing in Europe and felt little concern for its impact. D America doubled-down on even stricter neutrality policies to make it even more unlikely America would enter the European war.

20. What did the Lend-Lease Act of 1941 change in American foreign policy?

A The act allowed American business to take out loans from foreign banks for the first time since before World War I. B The act permitted the sale, lease, or loan of arms and funds to other countries as long as it would prove to be a benefit to America. C It shut down any bank with German or Italian holdings. D It allowed foreign nations to borrow American war experts as consultants in an effort to prevent further American involvement in the war.

21. What was Roosevelt’s response to the Japanese initial aggressions in the Pacific throughout 1940?

A Roosevelt imposed harsh economic sanctions upon Japan. B Roosevelt launched a full naval assault on Japan. C Roosevelt convinced Britain to lend ships and troops to help slow the Japanese expansion. D all of the above

22. What event finally led to America formally entering the war against the Axis Powers?

A the discovery of Nazi concentration and death camps throughout Europe B the formal request made by Winston Churchill to FDR C the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor D the sinking of an American passenger ship by a German U-boat

23. How did involvement in the war affect the American economy.

A America was unprepared for the economic burdens of war and fell into a recession. B The American economy remained largely isolated from foreign affairs and thus was unaffected by the war. C The war led to a boom in industrial production and a major increase in employment. D The American economy thrived during the war thanks to a renewed focus on agriculture rather than industry.

24. How did the war impact the lives of American women?

A Women joined the military in record numbers. B Women joined the work force in record numbers. C Women participated in war efforts at home like growing gardens and finding creative ways to do without rationed items. D all of the above

25. How were Japanese Americans treated during World War II?

A Tens of thousands of Japanese Americans served as American translators and spies in the counter-offensive against the Japanese. B Over 100,000 Japanese Americans were relocated to internment camps and held there for the majority of the war. C Japanese-Americans were able to find jobs in record numbers thanks to the large proportion of the American male population fighting overseas. D Japanese-Americans were treated no differently than any other American culture group during the war.

26. Where did the Allies choose to begin their joint assault against the European Axis powers in 1942?

A Japan B the English Channel C the border of the Soviet Union D Northern Africa

27. Which of the following best describes the Allied assault on Italy in 1943?

A The Allies lost a long campaign in Italy against a stalwart German and Italian force. B The Allies were able to force Mussolini to give up rather quickly, but Hitler and the Nazis continued to contest the territory for nearly a year. C The Allies were able to take control of Italy in only a few months. D The Allies were able to drive the German forces out of Italy rather quickly, but Mussolini and his forces prolonged the fight for another year and a half.

28. How effective were the German attacks on the major Soviet cities of Leningrad, Moscow, and Stalingrad?

A Germany was able to greatly cripple the Soviet war effort with successful sieges of the three crucial cities. B Germany was not able to take Leningrad, but by keeping Soviet forces occupied there, the German army was able to successfully take Moscow and Stalingrad. C Germany was able to take Moscow and Leningrad, but Stalingrad proved to be too formidable a challenge. D Germany was not able to capture and hold any of the three major Soviet cities and, as a result, wasted valuable time, soldiers, and resources.

29. What was the objective of the June 6, 1944 (D-Day) mission knows as Operation Overlord?

A The Allies aimed to push into German territory by crossing the Baltic Sea from Scandinavia. B The Allies aimed to push into German territory by crossing the English Channel from Britain. C The Allies aimed to push into German territory on the eastern front by crossing the Soviet border into Poland. D all of the above

30. Which of the following could be considered a major result of the Battle of the Bulge?

A Despite a strong initial surge, the Germans were defeated at the Battle of the Bulge and would never fully recover from the loss. B The Germans were successful in their attack into the Belgian front and were able to slow the Allies’ momentum. C The battle was a stalemate and neither side gained any ground. D none of the above

31. What was the aim of the Nazi “final solution”?

A to defeat the Allies and control all of the territory in mainland Europe B to totally eliminate the Jewish race C to assassinate the leaders of the Allied nations D all of the above

32. What was the outcome of the Yalta agreement between Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin in the winter of 1945?

A Roosevelt handed over control for rebuilding post-war Europe to Stalin and Churchill in exchange for total control over rebuilding the post-war Pacific. B Stalin agreed to join the war in the Pacific against Japan in exchange for some of the Asian territories that had been under German control. C Stalin would take the Soviet Union out of the war militarily, but would continue to contribute to the Allied cause financially. D Churchill and Stalin agreed to leave the fight in the Pacific entirely to the United States.

33. What was name given to General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz’s strategy for attacking the Japanese in the Pacific?

A blitzkrieg B island hopping C espionage D total war

34. What was the major significance of the American capture of Guam?

A Guam provided more of a moral victory for the Allies than a strategic one. B Guam was the first Pacific island captured by General MacArthur. C Guam gave the Allies a launching point close enough for aerial and naval attacks on the main Japanese islands. D Guam was only held by the American forces for a single day before being recaptured by the Japanese.

35. What was the purpose of the Potsdam Declaration made by the Allies in the summer of 1945?

A to declare the war in the Pacific was officially over B to give the Japanese a chance to surrender before Truman ordered the use of the atomic bomb C to announce a partnership between the Philippines and the Allies D to formally apologize for the use of the atomic bomb

36. What was the result of the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

A Over 100,000 people were killed by the bomb blasts and resulting radiation illnesses. B It would lead to the Japanese surrender less than two weeks later. C The ecological impact of the bombs’ radiation was felt for years and for miles beyond the initial blast radius. D all of the above

37. Which of the following best describes the end results of World War II?

A The Allies defeated the Axis Powers with a fairly insignificant cost to both human life and national resources. B The Allies defeated the Axis Powers in the largest and deadliest military conflict in history. C The Axis Powers were able to hold out against a stronger Allied force resulting in little change in the geopolitical landscape. D The Axis Powers were able to significantly expand their territorial holdings.

38. How were the Japanese and Nazi leaders treated by the global community following the end of World War II?

A Those leaders who were unable to disappear into exile were forced to stand trial for war crimes. B The vast majority of Axis leaders sought, and were granted, forgiveness for their acts during the war. C Most Axis leaders accepted responsibility for their actions and did not have to face consequences that were especially severe. D Only a handful of Axis leaders actually made it through the final days of the war alive.