WWII: Key Questions
1. Name the 3 countries on the Axis Powers.
-5 points
Germany, Italy, and Japan
8. What does neutrality mean in wartime?
+3 points
Not taking sides in a conflict.
13. What does imperialism mean?
+4 points
Expanding a country’s power by conquering other lands.
19. What was the attack on Pearl Harbor and when?
-7 points
A surprise Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941 on a U.S. naval base in Hawaii.
24. What does home front mean?
-20 Points
Civilian life and production during wartime.
2. Name the 3 countries in the Allied Powers.
+3 points
United States, Great Britain, USSR (Soviet Union)
8. What were the Neutrality Acts and why were they passed?
-5 points
Laws to prevent the U.S. from getting involved in foreign wars by limiting trade and military aid.
14. Why did Japan expand into China and Southeast Asia?
+20
To gain resources like oil, rubber, and raw materials.
20. Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor?
+12 points
To weaken U.S. naval power in the Pacific.
25. What was rationing?
+15 points
Limiting goods so enough could go to soldiers.
3. What type of government is Fascism, and how did it influence the Axis countries?
-2 points
Fascism is an authoritarian government where power is held by one leader and individual rights are limited. It encouraged strong nationalism, military buildup, and obedience to the state.
10. Why did Americans want to avoid another European war?
+10 points
Because of the heavy losses and disillusionment from World War I.
15. What was the Rape of Nanjing?
-13 points
A brutal massacre by Japanese troops in China involving mass killings and violence.
21. How did Pearl Harbor change public opinion?
Points -10
Americans strongly supported entering the war.
26. What role did women play?
-10 points
Worked in factories, shipyards, and offices (e.g., Rosie the Riveter).
4. What is a dictatorship, and how did it operate in Germany, Italy, and Japan?
-6
A dictatorship is when one person or small group has total control with no real opposition. In Axis countries, leaders controlled media, eliminated political rivals, and ruled by force.
11. What is isolationism, and how did it shape U.S. policy?
-5 points
A policy of avoiding foreign involvement; it led the U.S. to stay out of early WWII conflicts.
16. What is appeasement?
+8
Giving in to demands to avoid conflict (used by Britain and France toward Hitler).
22. What does “a date which will live in infamy” refer to?
+4 points
FDR’s description of December 7, 1941.
28. What was the Manhattan Project?
+8 points
The secret project to build the atomic bomb.
5. What is totalitarianism, and how is it different from democracy?
*Hint: U.S. practices democracy.
+9 points
Totalitarianism is when the government controls all aspects of life. Democracy allows citizens to vote and have freedoms; totalitarianism does not.
12. How did the Lend-Lease Act change U.S. involvement?
+10 points
It allowed the U.S. to supply weapons and goods to Allies without officially entering the war.
17. How did Germany’s invasion of Poland start WWII?
-7 points
It caused Britain and France to declare war on Germany.
23. Which countries did the U.S. declare war on?
-10 points
Japan, then Germany and Italy.
27. What were internment camps? Who was forced into them?
-10 points
Prison camps for Japanese Americans during the war.