U.S. in WWII

Why did Roosevelt and the other Allied leaders decide to pursue a "Europe First" strategy in the war?

• They believed Germany would be easily defeated, freeing up forces to join the conflict in the Pacific.

• They underestimated Japan's ability to project military force in the Pacific.

• They felt that Germany posed the greatest long-term threat to all parties involved.

• They needed to wrest control of the Suez Canal and the oilfields in the Middle East from Italy first.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was made Supreme Commander of Allied Forces following

• his heroic conduct in Guam and the Philippines.

• his decisive victory at the Battle of Guadalcanal.

• his successful campaigns in North Africa and Sicily.

• his skillful handling of the Allid offensive at Normandy.

Admiral Nimitz was able to secure a decisive victory against the Japanese naval forces at the Battle of Midway because

• the Japanese were not expecting a U.S. offensive there.

• U.S. code breakers had intercepted the Japanese plans.

• all of Japan's aircraft carriers were mistakenly directed to Guam.

• Japan had committed too many of its resources to defending Hong Kong.

The Tuskegee Airmen were

• a group of volunteer fighter pilots who fought the Japanese in the Pacific.

• a joint U.S.-British squadron that airlifted supplies to the troops in North America.

• an African American air squadron that conducted bombing raids over Europe.

• a German airborne force who rescued Mussolini from a mountaintop fortress in Italy.

What were the reasons behind the U.S. assault on the island of Guadalcanal?

• To rescue U.S. prisoners of war who were being held captive there.

• To force Japan into fighting a two-front war and gain strategic positions from which to attack.

• To provide support to the Filipino rebels there who were putting up resistance to the Japanese.

• To destroy Japan's most important naval outpost and eliminate their ability to launch further airstrikes.

The main function of the federal Office of War Information was to

• collect money for the war effort through the sale of war bonds.

• boost morale of troops by sending popular entertainers oversees.

• generate support for the war effort and boost morale through the media.

• intercept enemy intelligence and relay it to the troops on the frontlines.

How was the federal government able to borrow money from U.S. citizens?

• through the sale of government issued war bonds

• through the sale of coupon books for consumer goods

• through the American Lend-Lease Act

• through the enlistment of volunteers to work government jobs

Why were Japanese Americans interned during World War II?

• There were several well-publicized cases of Japanese American spies being caught operating in the United States.

• Without any significant factual evidence, the government perceived Japanese Americans as being a threat to national security.

• The safety of Japanese Americans was threatened because most of the Japanese American community lived in war zones.

• Japanese Americans feared that Japan would try to punish them for siding with the United States in the war.

What demographic effects did the war have on northern cities such as Detroit and Chicago?

• The population plummeted due to people going to fight overseas.

• A large number of African Americans left there to work in shipyards on the West Coast.

• A large number of African Americans migrated there from the South to work in the factories.

• The population stayed roughly the same as auto factories were converted to produce munitions.

The so-called Zoot Suit Riots in Los Angeles in 1943 were a result of

• racial tensions related to the huge influx of laborers from Mexico.

• the enforced rationing of consumer goods.

• opposition to policies requiring racial segregation of factory workers.

• the establishment of internment camps for resident aliens.