AP World History Exam: The 20 th Century

1) Which of the following was NOT an event leading to the outbreak of World War I?A) The assassination of the Austrian archdukeB) Austriaʹs declaration of war on SerbiaC) Franceʹs invasion of BelgiumD) The rise of the alliance system

2) By 1915, conflict on the Western FrontA) had become a shifting game of rapid maneuver with few major battles.B) had resulted in victory for the British and French troops, who pushed

the exhausted enemy to the borders of Germany.C) had settled into a deadly stalemate in which hundreds of thousands of

lives were expended for a few feet of trench.D) had resulted in massive food shortages in both France and Great

Britain.

3) Which of the following statements concerning the global aspects of World War I is most accurate?A) The British dominions of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand

remained aloof and virtually untouched by the war.B) American businessmen prior to 1917 profited by selling goods to both

sides and by taking advantage of European distractions to seize new world markets.

C) The United States aggressively entered the war in 1914 to demonstrate its new position as a world power.

D) Most colonies of Europe refused to fight and die for their “mother” country.

4) By 1917 the war on the Eastern FrontA) had stagnated into a stalemate in which neither side had an advantage.B) led to a major revolution in Russia that toppled the tsarist government.C) resulted in a massive Russian offensive fueled by the numerical

superiority of Russian armies.D) had developed into trench warfare similar to the Western Front.

5) Which of the following was NOT included in the final set of treaties that ended World War I?A) A League of Nations was formed, but the United States refused to join.B) Russia was rewarded for its service to the Allies by the grant of

substantial territories in Poland and the Baltic Republics.

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C) Germany was forced to accept blame for the war and to pay huge reparations to the victorious Allies.

D) Austria-Hungary was divided up into a Germanic Austria as well as the independent states of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.

6) The British promised support for a Jewish settlement in the Middle East in theA) Sinai Resolution B) Exodus Pact C) Fourteen Points D) Balfour

Declaration

7) As a direct consequence of the warA) womenʹs participation in the labor force increased greatly.B) womenʹs participation in the labor force increased only slightly.C) womenʹs participation in the labor force decreased significantly.D) womenʹs participation in the labor force stayed basically at the same

levels.

8) The sea warfare during World War I consisted largely ofA) major surface battles between the fleets of Britain and Germany.B) a single major battle in which the German fleet destroyed the Russian

navy.C) German submarine warfare.D) the British attempt to destroy the Russian fleet in the Mediterranean.

9) The mid-1920s in western Europe could best be described as a period ofA) war and destruction. B) stability and optimism. C) depression and

unemployment. D) international tensions building between East and West.

10)What event historically triggered the Great Depression?A) World War II B) World War I C) U.S. stock market crash D) The attack on Pearl Harbor

11)Which of the following did NOT occur in the West in the 1920s?A) An American named Charles Lindbergh completed the first solo flight

across the Atlantic Ocean.B) Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler rose to power as part of the fascist

movement in Western Europe.C) New luxury items like automobiles and radios were mass-produced and

more readily available to people of the middle-class.D) Women felt more empowered and gained voting rights in the U.S.,

Germany, and Great Britain.

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12)Which of the following was NOT a popular cultural phenomenon in the West during the 1920s?A) television B) radio C) automobiles D) “talkies”

13)Which of the following countries was NOT a member of the Axis powers?A) The Soviet Union B) Italy C) Germany D) Japan

14)Hitler came to power in GermanyA) with the support of communists.B) as a result of entirely legal and constitutional means.C) after a short, but violent, overthrow of the constitutional government.D) after a lengthy civil war between forces of conservatives and

communists.

15)Who was the leader of fascist Italy?A) Benedetto Croce B) Benito Juarez C) Benito Mussolini D) Erwin

Rommel

16)In order to avoid a two-front war, Hitler signed a nonaggression pact with this country in 1939.A) Spain B) France C) The United States D) The USSR

17)Universally recognized as the greatest naval battle in history, the Japanese fleet was effectively put out of commission atA) Midway B) Tarawa C) Coral Sea D) Iwo Jima

18)Japanʹs surrender in the Pacific was precipitated byA) the use of atomic weapons on the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima by

the U.S.B) a massive land and sea assault on the Japanese home islands.C) the loss of the Philippines to the U.S.D) the loss of China to combined British and American forces.

19)This combined Allied invasion of northern France in June 1944 began the liberation of western Europe from the Nazis.A) Battle of the Bulge B) Battle of Midway C) Operation Barbarossa D)

D-Day

20)Hitler’s decision to invade this country in 1941 overextended the Nazi war machine and is usually seen as a strategic mistake for Germany in World War II.A) France B) The Soviet Union C) Britain D) Poland

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21)Which of the following statements concerning warfare in the European theater during World War II is most accurate?A) France mounted a fanatic defense of its home territories, only

succumbing to the Nazi advance in 1944.B) British resistance crumbled before the air assaults of Germany, and an

amphibious assault knocked the British from the war.C) From 1939-1941, Nazi Germany quickly conquered most of continental

Europe using “blitzkrieg” tactics with tanks and airplanes.D) The war quickly turned into a trench warfare stalemate with both sides

working to gain additional allies.

22)Though the United States supported the Allies, they did not officially enter World War II untilA) Japan invaded China in 1937.B) Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941.C) Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia in 1938.D) Germany declared war on the United States in 1942.

23)Hitler promoted the Nazi ideology that many of Germany’s problems were caused byA) socialists and capitalists.B) Jews and communists.C) Jews and Czechs.D) fascists and communists.

24)The mass murder of 6 million Jews living in Nazi occupied areas from 1938-1945 is calledA) The Holocaust B) The Munich Pact C) Kristallnacht D) Auschwitz

25)All of the following groups were targeted by Hitler in the mass executions that would become known as the ʺfinal solutionʺ EXCEPTA) musicians B) homosexuals C) Gypsies D) mental deviants

26)Where was the focal point of the cold war in Europe immediately after World War II?A) France B) Germany C) Hungary D) Czechoslovakia

27)Which of the following statements concerning the German government after World War II is most accurate?A) Germany remained divided among three Western powers until 1980.B) During the cold war, France, Britain, and the United States merged their

territories to form the Federal Republic of Germany.C) Germany fell under the direct government of the Soviet Union along

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with the rest of eastern Europe.D) Germany reunited in 1960 after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

28)The independent labor movement in Poland that challenged Soviet dominance was calledA) Comintern B) Solidarity C) Izvestia D) Pravda

29)Despite the loosening of Soviet control over eastern Europe following Stalinʹs death, what aspects of Soviet domination continued to be enforced?A) Single-party dominance and military alignment with the Soviet UnionB) Centralized economic planningC) Total rejection of CatholicismD) Agricultural collectivization

30)What Russian leader significantly altered political, diplomatic, and economic policies in the Soviet Union after 1985?A) Yuri Andropov B) Leonid Brezhnev C) Mikhail Gorbachev D) Nikita

Krushchev

31)Which of the following was NOT considered a “hot spot” during the Cold War? (hot spot meaning area of tension between the US and USSR)A) Paris B) Berlin C) Vietnam D) The Korean Peninsula

32)In 1949, democracies in Europe and the Americas formed ___________ in order to oppose the threat of communist aggression; the Soviet Union responded by signing the _______ Pact in 1955 with members of Eastern Europe.A) the European Union; WarsawB) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO); WarsawC) the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); ParisD) the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); Warsaw

33)Americans introduced all of the following reforms to Japan during their occupation EXCEPTA) giving women the vote.B) abolishing Shintoism as a state religion.C) outlawing labor unions.D) making the emperor a symbolic figurehead.

34)In 1949, communists led by this man achieved victory in China.A) Chiang Kai-shek B) Ho Chi Minh C) Kim Il-Sung D) Mao Zedong

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35)In the 1960s, the United States waged an unsuccessful guerilla war in the small Asian nation of _______; in the 1980s, the Soviet Union did the same in the Middle Eastern nation of _________.A) Korea; IraqB) Korea; AfghanistanC) Vietnam; AfghanistanD) Vietnam; Iraq

36)Maoʹs 1958 program of pushing industrialization through small-scale projects integrated into the peasant communes was calledA) the May Fourth program.B) ʺThousand Flowers Bloom.ʺC) the Great Leap Forward.D) The Long March

37)A common technique among communist nations in the 20th century were state-run economic development initiatives calledA) five-year plans B) Bolshevism C) Mass Lines D) shock therapy

38)The communist leader of North Vietnam from 1945-1969 wasA) Zhou Enlai B) Ho Chi Minh C) Chiang Kai-shek D) Deng Xiaoping

39)The term perestroika refers toA) a new freedom to comment and criticize the Soviet government.B) economic restructuring and more leeway for private ownership.C) the Soviet space program.D) the establishment of a liberal democracy.

40)In 1991, what occurred in East and West Germany?A) The Berlin Wall was officially dismantled.B) The tense “Berlin Crisis” began, which almost led to nuclear war.C) East Germany boycotted the Summer Olympics held in Munich.D) East and West Germany reunited, creating one German nation.

41)A communist revolution took place on this island nation in 1959, only 90 miles off the coast of the United States.A) Hawaii B) Cuba C) Haiti D) Puerto Rico

42)The common thread running through all of the military regimes of Latin America wasA) they were all supported by the United States.B) they were all supported by the working populations.C) they were all reform-minded.

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D) they were all nationalistic.

43)Which of the following statements concerning military governments in Latin America after 1960 is most accurate?A) Military governments tended to favor labor and the working classes at

the expense of the traditional oligarchy.B) Political repression and torture were often used to silence critics.C) None of the military governments was successful in introducing social

or economic reforms.D) Military governments were uniformly surrogates for conservatives in

Latin American society.

44)Which of the following statements most accurately reflects the progress of democratization in Latin America in the 1980s?A) Despite return to democratic government in many Latin American

countries, problems with populist movements, threats from military leaders, inflation, and the drug trade weakened the new regimes.

B) Once democratic governments were restored in much of Latin America, the influence of the U.S. in the region began to wane.

C) The return of democracy to Latin America was so universal that military governments ceased to exist.

D) Democratic governments in the 1980s ceased to be troubled by the existence of leftist, guerilla movements.

45)What led to the U.S. return to more aggressive policies regarding Latin America including direct military intervention following World War II?A) The desire to contain communism and the cold warB) The discovery of uranium in MexicoC) The increasing intervention of Japan into Latin American economiesD) The alliance of many Latin American countries with fascist

governments during the war

46)Which of the following statements concerning women in Latin American politics and society is most accurate?A) Nowhere in Latin America did women achieve the right to vote before

1955.B) Women tended to join the national political parties, where traditional

prejudices against women in public life limited their ability to influence programs.

C) Women continued to be excluded from the Latin American industrialized labor force, although they played a major role in agricultural production.

D) Women were unwilling to challenge the traditions that kept them out of

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the political arena.

47)Besides Cuba, what country today is still communist?A) Armenia B) Turkey C) Russia D) China

48)Why have ethnic rivalries and communal violence been endemic in decolonized African states?A) The level of civilization in Africa was more primitive at the time of

colonization.B) Tribal life in Africa was traditionally more violent than other cultures.C) Africans received training and weapons from European colonists.D) Europeans hastily colonized Africa and established boundaries without

reference to ethnic groups or cultural homogeneity.

49)One of the most common elements of African and Asian governments since decolonization isA) the creation of liberal democracies.B) military takeovers.C) communism.D) stable economic systems.

50)Who was brought to power in 1979 in Iran through a radical revolution?A) Saddam Hussein B) Hosni Mubarak C) Ayatollah Khomeini D) Gamal Abdul Nasser

51)Which of the following was NOT a common theme of the 20th century?A) An international struggle between communism and democracy.B) The pursuit of colonies by the world’s great Western powers.C) Liberal movements in the western democracies that resulted in more

rights for minorities.D) Violent global wars and extreme ideologies.

52)From 1948-1994, an intense policy of racial segregation and discrimination was enforced by the government of South Africa. This policy was known asA) apartheid B) Jim Crow laws C) Afrikaaner D) social Darwinism

53)What major event occurred in November 1989 that hastened the end of the Cold War?A) The Korean peninsula was reunited into one democratic state.B) The USSR officially dissolved.C) The Berlin Wall was dismantled.D) Soviet troops withdrew from all Eastern Bloc nations.

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54)The increased interconnectedness of all parts of the world is calledA) gradualism B) universalism C) Spaceship Earth D) globalization

55)After the end of the cold war, which of the following countries remained a superpower?A) the United States B) Russia C) China D) Great Britain

56)What event is traditionally seen as the beginning of the Global War on Terror?A) The Al-Quaeda attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993.B) The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.C) The Persian Gulf War of 1991.D) The Al-Quaeda attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.

57)Which of the following statements concerning the break-up of the USSR is most accurate?A) Though the Soviet Union officially dissolved in 1991, almost all of the

former Soviet Republics united to form the modern nation of Russia.B) Though the Soviet Union officially dissolved in 1991, Russia’s

governing style and economic practices were still strongly communist.C) Though the largest Soviet republic – Russia – abandoned communism

after 1991, many of the former Soviet republics in eastern Europe continued to practice communism until the mid-1990s.

D) In 1991 the USSR formally dissolved and saw many former republics, such as the Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Russia become independent nations.

58)What was the most fearful scenario in a full-scale war between the US and USSR?A) the use of nuclear weaponsB) assassination of national leadersC) a long, drawn-out guerilla war on U.S. soilD) a large and devastating global conflict similar to World War II

59)Which of the following is NOT a 21st century technology that is rapidly changing society?A) the Internet B) television C) cellular phones D) personal computers

60)The radicalization of what religion is seen as a threat to Western society and ideals in the 21st century?A) Christianity B) Hinduism C) Confucianism D) Islam

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Please answer the following on the back of your scantron. If your answer is not at least four complete sentences, it will be counted WRONG!

61)In what ways was the Berlin Wall a strong and accurate symbol for the larger Cold War?

62)Describe the political, social, and economic attributes of the so-called First World, Second World, and Third World.

63)Describe some common themes in African and Latin American nations from 1945-1991. These can be political, economic, and/or social themes.

64)Describe the differences between communist societies vs. democratic societies.

65)List and describe several important results of World War II.

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66)The above image is most likelyA) a Japanese propaganda poster used in World War II.B) a Chinese communist propaganda poster used in the 1950s.C) a South Korean propaganda poster used during the Korean War.D) an anti-American propaganda poster used during the Vietnam War.

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67)The pie chart above is most likely showingA) different groups who immigrated to the United States in the 1940s.B) the diverse ethnicity of the Soviet army in World War II. C) the different ethnic groups who were victims of the Holocaust

perpetrated by Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s.D) the percentage of East Germans who fled to West Berlin before 1961.

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1914 1990

68)The two maps above best demonstrateA) how Africa was rapidly decolonized by European powers after World

War II.B) how Africa’s economy was ravaged by World War I.C) the vast number of African troops that served in World War I.D) that Belgium controlled the richest portions of Africa.

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69)The above picture isA) a civil rights rally in the 1970s American south.B) an anti-communist demonstration in 1970s West Berlin.C) a Vietnam War protest on a 1970s college campus.D) a women’s rights rally in 1970s America.

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70)The headline above is from a 1948 British newspaper, reporting the founding of the new Israeli nation in the Middle East. How will most Arabs react to the foundation of Israel?A) Arabs will be vehemently opposed to the Jewish state and take up arms,

but be defeated by the Israeli army.B) Arabs will be vehemently opposed to the Jewish state and take up arms,

forcing Israel to surrender claims to their Jewish homeland by 1950.C) Though Arabs will be vehemently opposed to the founding of Israel,

they will take no direct military action until 1967.D) Though uneasy about the new nation of Israel, most Arab states

recognize the new nation and set-up diplomatic relations.

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