World War II: A Multiple-Choice Quiz and Study Guide for Students and Homeschoolers

Dorothy is a Master Gardener, former newspaper reporter, and the author of several books. Michael is a landscape/nature photographer in NM.

Preparing for a Test on World War II?

This hub was created as a tool (study guide of sorts) for high school students who are studying World War II. Regardless of your grade level, the facts of the war are the same. I have selected questions that you most likely can expect to see on a test. I can't guarantee that these are the questions you will be tested on. as each teacher is different, but I have tried to include the pertinent facts to give you an understanding of the war and the earlier events that led up to the war. I hope this helps in your testing! Keep taking the quiz over and over until you can make 100% consistently. You can take the quiz as many times as you need to.

The Quiz

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

1. When did World War II break out in Europe?
   • September 11, 1939
   • September 1, 1939
   • December 7, 1941
   • September 1, 1940
2. What caused World War II to begin?
   • Hitler's German Army invaded Poland
   • The United States dropped bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
   • Japan invaded Poland
   • The Germans attacked the United States
3. The period of inactivity from the outbreak of the war until spring of 1940 was known as what?
   • The Fake War
   • The Artificial War
   • The War of Words
   • The Phony War
4. In the Spring of 1940, German forces struck which five countries?
   • Belgium, France, Poland, Denmark and the United States
   • Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France
   • The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Japan and Norway
   • Japan, the United States, Belgium, France and Norway
5. During the German invasion, what caused the French army to fall apart?
   • They ran out of money for the war effort
   • They were tired of fighting
   • Low morale, primitive communications, and divided command
   • They did not like fighting the Germans
6. The rapid advance by the German Army was based on speed and surprise. What was this offensive called?
   • Shock and Awe
   • Blitzkrieg
   • Advance Initiative
   • The German Attack
7. Why did the British evacuate their forces from Dunkirk after the Germans invaded?
   • Primitive communications
   • They wanted to get out of the war
   • Most of the soldiers were killed
   • Most of their equipment was lost
8. Who was the President of the United States during World War II?
   • Theodore Roosevelt
   • Grover Cleveland
   • Franklin Roosevelt
   • Woodrow Wilson
9. Which countries did the United States fight during World War II?
   • Germany, Japan and Italy
   • Great Britain, Japan and Germany
   • Poland, Great Britain and Japan
   • Italy, Japan and Poland
10. How many people died in World War II?
    • 7.2 million
    • 720,000
    • 72,000
    • 72 million
11. When Roosevelt died in office, who became the President of the United States?
    • Woodrow Wilson
    • Harry S Truman
    • Dwight D. Eisenhower
    • Grover Cleveland
12. When did America enter World War II?
    • December 7, 1941
    • December 1, 1941
    • December 7, 1942
    • December 11, 1939
13. The Battle of Midway was an important victory for the United States in the Pacific. Why?
    • It was considered the bloodiest battle of the war
    • It meant that the war was half over
    • The Japanese surrendered after that victory by the United States
    • It was regarded as the turning point for the allied forces fighting the Japanese in the Pacific
14. Who were the Navajo Code Talkers and how did they contribute during World War II?
    • A group of Navajo tribal elders who assisted with the war effort
    • They were young Navajo men who transmitted secret communications on the battlefields of WWII
    • Navajo tribe members who took up arms and fought during World War II
    • Navajo elders who created a secret code for the American soldiers
15. Many Hollywood celebrities (and Bugs Bunny) encouraged Americans to buy what during World W
    • Stocks
    • Property
    • Automobiles
    • War bonds
16. Why was buying war bonds important to Americans?
    • They enabled a lot of Americans to get rich quick
    • They kept the government from shutting down
    • Buying bonds helped to provide food and clothing to the needy
    • They were seen as a way to remove money from circulation as well as reduce inflation
17. Which countries were considered "Allies" during World War II?
    • Germany, Japan and Russia
    • Italy, Germany and Japan
    • England, the United States, Russia and France
    • The United States, Russia, France and Germany
18. Which countries comprised the "Axis" during World War II?
    • Germany, Italy and France
    • Germany, Italy and Japan
    • Japan, France and England
    • The United States, France and Germany
19. What was the forced relocation and confinement of Japanese Americans during World War II called?
    • Internship
    • Deterrent
    • Internment
    • Prison
20. Why did Allied leaders agree to divide post-war Germany into 4 sectors?
    • Administrative purposes
    • Germany wanted to be divided into sectors
    • The United States wanted to control one of the sectors
    • Germany was to be divided into four separate countries and renamed
21. What did the Nazis call their plan to murder the entire Jewish population of Europe and the Soviet Union called?
    • The Holocaust
    • The Final Solution
    • The Ultimate Solution
    • The Jewish Elimination
22. When a large number of Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normany, what was this called?
    • A-Day
    • B-Day
    • C-Day
    • D-Day
23. When was D-Day?
    • October 31, 1945
    • December 25, 1941
    • June 6, 1944
    • March 17, 1942
24. What was the December 1944 battle called during which the Allies fought off the last major offensive by the Germans?
    • Battle of the Bulge
    • Battle of the Atlantic
    • Battle of Britain
    • Battle of the Coral Sea
25. The first combat action U.S. soldiers participated in during WWII was the invasion of N. Africa. What was this called?
    • Operation Flame
    • Operation Water
    • Operation Torch
    • Operation North Africa
26. When did Adolf Hitler come into power in Germany?
    • July, 1935
    • July, 1921
    • June, 1929
    • June, 1936
27. When did Benito Mussolini seize power in Italy?
    • October 31, 1924
    • December 25, 1921
    • November 24, 1923
    • October 31, 1922
28. Hitler bestowed a title upon himself that means leader. What was this title?
    • President
    • Fuehrer
    • Governor
    • World Leader
29. What was the label that Hitler put upon his new government?
    • The Democratic Party
    • Communism
    • The Fourth Estate
    • The Third Reich
30. Which country did Mussolini invade in 1935?
    • Ethiopia
    • Germany
    • Japan
    • Australia
31. Which international organization condemned this invasion?
    • The United Nations
    • The International League
    • The League of Nations
    • The Communist Party
32. In 1936, German troops aggressively moved into an area known as what?
    • The Demilitarized Zone
    • The Zone of Demarcation
    • The Twilight Zone
    • The Zone of Entitlement
33. When these troops were moved into the area, what was the reaction by France and England?
    • They declared war upon Germany
    • They retreated
    • They did nothing
    • They pulled out of the war altogether
34. What was the reason neither France nor England responded to this act of aggression by Hitler?
    • France and England were too busy fighting each other
    • The two countries didn't perceive this act as a threat
    • France was suffering from serious political in-fighting and that Britain was in the grips of an economic depression
    • Both countries were suffering from a depression
35. In March of 1938, Germany annexed what country?
    • Austria
    • Hungary
    • Czechoslovakia
    • Poland
36. How did France and England react to this annexation?
    • It was the end of the war
    • They declared war on Germany
    • They had Hitler assassinated
    • It was the end of Appeasement
37. What did the Japanese do when the League of Nations condemned their annexation of Manchuria?
    • They withdrew from the League of Nations
    • They did nothing
    • They reversed the annexation
    • They formed the United Nations
38. What country did Japan invade in 1937?
    • Austria
    • Great Britain
    • China
    • The Netherlands
39. What was the military alliance called between Italy, Japan and Germany?
    • They were called the Allied Powers
    • The Agreement Between Countries
    • They were called the Axis Powers
    • The Alliance
40. What was signed in 1941 by President Roosevelt to prevent discrimination in the defense industry?
    • The Equal Employment Opportunity Act
    • Executive Order 8802 (The Fair Employment Act)
    • Executive Order 9982
    • The Civil Rights Act
41. What was the treaty of Versailles?
    • It was the treaty that ended World War II
    • It was the treaty that ended the Cold War
    • It was the treaty that ended the World War I
    • It was the treaty that ended the Civil War
42. When did the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor?
    • December 7, 1941
    • December 7, 1942
    • December 7, 1943
    • December 7, 1940
43. What two countries fought to control British air space in the Battle of Britain in 1940?
    • Great Britain and Spain
    • Germany and Italy
    • Great Britain and Germany
    • Great Britain and the United States
44. Where did the Allied forces drop atomic bombs in Japan?
    • Okinawa and Tokyo
    • Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    • Hiroshima and Okinawa
    • Nagasaki and Tokyo
45. After World War II, which two countries were established as the dominant world superpowers?
    • Germany and France
    • Germany and the Soviet Union
    • The Soviet Union and the United States
    • The United States and Italy
46. Why did Germany begin invading neighboring countries in 1939?
    • To expand their borders and establish Germany as a major world power
    • Hitler wanted to make other countries think his army was stronger than it was
    • He didn't have a reason
    • To make the United States of America mad
47. Which country was the primary initiator of World War II?
    • Japan
    • France
    • Italy
    • Germany
48. Which country was the primary initiator of World War II in the Pacific?
    • Japan
    • Italy
    • Germany
    • The United States

Answer Key

1. September 1, 1939
2. Hitler's German Army invaded Poland
3. The Phony War
4. Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium and France
5. Low morale, primitive communications, and divided command
6. Blitzkrieg
7. Most of their equipment was lost
8. Franklin Roosevelt
9. Germany, Japan and Italy
10. 72 million
11. Harry S Truman
12. December 7, 1941
13. It was regarded as the turning point for the allied forces fighting the Japanese in the Pacific
14. They were young Navajo men who transmitted secret communications on the battlefields of WWII
15. War bonds
16. They were seen as a way to remove money from circulation as well as reduce inflation
17. England, the United States, Russia and France
18. Germany, Italy and Japan
19. Internment
20. Administrative purposes
21. The Final Solution
22. D-Day
23. June 6, 1944
24. Battle of the Bulge
25. Operation Torch
26. July, 1935
27. October 31, 1924
28. Fuehrer
29. The Third Reich
30. Ethiopia
31. The League of Nations
32. The Demilitarized Zone
33. They did nothing
34. France was suffering from serious political in-fighting and that Britain was in the grips of an economic depression
35. Austria
36. It was the end of Appeasement
37. They withdrew from the League of Nations
38. China
39. They were called the Axis Powers
40. Executive Order 8802 (The Fair Employment Act)
41. It was the treaty that ended the World War I
42. December 7, 1941
43. Great Britain and Germany
44. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
45. The Soviet Union and the United States
46. To expand their borders and establish Germany as a major world power
47. Germany
48. Japan

"In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the war continues after that, I have no expectation of success."

"You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass."

"I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve." [upon learning of the success of the Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor]

                                                               -Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto

Read What Other Hubbers Have Written About World War II

• World War II: Hitler and Spain
  Spain's status during the course of World War II was ambiguous. In one sense, it was a mere spectator; standing on the sidelines, and yet its strategic importance was potentially enormous. Hitler knew this and sought to try and take advantage of it.
• World War II: Fall of Singapore
  1942 was a pivotal year in the Second World War for a number of reasons. But for Britain's Empire it marked the beginning of the end when it lost the jewel in its Asian crown, Singapore.
• Courage Knows No Color: Three Artillery Heroes of Wo...
  In the first of a series of articles on Medal of Honor winners from the artillery branch, we look at three heroes from World War II.

© 2011 Mike and Dorothy McKenney

Comments

conradofontanilla from Philippines on May 05, 2013:

The Japanese launched a sneak attack on Pearl Harbor Hawaii on December 7,1941 then attacked the Clark airfields in Pampanga province the following day. Most of the parked spitfire warplanes of the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFE) were destroyed but some were able to fly to engage the Tora Tora's in a dog fight. Jesus Villamor, a Filipino ace, was able to shoot down several Tora tora with himself unhurt. He joined the company of Gen. MacArthur to Australia and lead the team to pave the way for the return of MacArthur to the Philippines in 1945.

Corregidor Island was armed with big guns, fortified with barracks, shelter and hospital that served as headquarters of Gen. MacArthur who started from here in his escape to Australia. Corregidor guards the mouth of Manila Bay that is why the Japanese ground forces could not be landed directly to Manila which was their main target. They had to be landed in Lingayen gulf up north. As they proceeded to Manila they were met by the USAFFE, a combination of Americans and Filipino soldiers, in Bataan. Fierce batttles lasted for two months that saw the defeat of USAFFE, who as prisoners of war were forced to march to Capas, Tarlac in what is now called the Death March. Therefore, the schedule of the Japanese imperial army was delayed by two months, otherwise it could have expanded to occupy Australia. Gen. MacArthur made Australia his base to assemble the forces that countered the Japanese. Even if defeated in Bataan, USAFFE was able to save Australia for the Southwest Pacific theatre command for Gen. MacArthur. He used the same route from Lingayen to Manila used by the Japanese invaders to retake Manila. MacArthur was ready for the final assault on Japan from Luzon, Philippines when the atomic bombs were dropped in Nagasaki and Hiroshima in August 1945 that lead to the surrender of Japan. MacArthur was against the use of the bombs as it proved too indiscriminate in killing civilians along with soldiers. Japan could have been conquered by the Navy commanded by Admiral Chester Nimitz and armed forces commanded by Gen. MacArthur.

Ronald E Franklin from Mechanicsburg, PA on May 05, 2013:

Good quiz

conradofontanilla from Philippines on September 22, 2011:

For World War II, I got a score or 81% (9 mistakes out of 48) in my first try compared with the average score of 84%. I got more correct answers for the Pacific theater than for the European theater. That's my stock knowledge from my fourth year high school back in 1966 when WWII was part of our course in World History. Again, I enjoy my first crack!