Regents Prep: U.S. History & Government
Multiple-Choice Questions
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World War One: Question 1 of 34
The Fourteen Points and the Atlantic Charter were both
  1. statements of post-war goals for establishing world peace
  2. plans of victorious nations to divide conquered territories
  3. military strategies for defeating enemy nations
  4. agreements between nations to eliminate further development of weapons

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation: The Fourteen Points was Woodrow Wilson’s plan for a post-world war I world. It was designed to avoid future conflicts and ensure autonomy for peoples around the world. It was seen as too ambitious and unworkable. As a result the League of Nations was the only major provision of the 14 points to become reality. The Atlantic Charter was a World War II era agreement between FDR and Winston Churchill, establishing principles for building lasting peace and free governments around the world.


World War One: Question 2 of 34
“The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic."

-Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes


Which interpretation of the Bill of Rights does this statement illustrate?
  1. The needs of the government are more important than civil liberties.
  2. Constitutional protections of liberty are not absolute.
  3. The Supreme Court can eliminate freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights.
  4. The Bill of Rights does not safeguard individual liberties.

Correct Answer Number: 2

Explanation: Schenck’s speech was anti-government and ant-war (WWI). The ruling established the ability of the government to suppress speech and press that present a danger to it or its efforts.


World War One: Question 3 of 34
From 1914 to 1916, as World War I raged in Europe, Americans were not able to remain neutral in thought as well as action mainly because
  1. United States membership in military alliances required the nation to fight
  2. United States newspapers encouraged a policy of imperialist expansion
  3. the warring powers interfered with the United States right to freedom of the seas
  4. President Woodrow Wilson supported the war aims of Germany and Austria-Hungary

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation: During the First World War, the United States remained neutral for as long a time as possible. However, during the early part of the war in Europe the United States continued to trade heavily with the Allied nations (France and England mostly) and curbed trade with Germany and her allies. The British blockade had also begun to choke off supply lines to the Germans. The Germans reacted with a policy of ‘Unrestricted Submarine Warfare’ a policy by which any and all vessels into and out of England/France were subject to immediate sinking. This policy directly effected US trade and transport and had resulted in numerous American lives being lost (most famously in the sinking of the English luxury liner the Lusitania, which had Americans aboard when it sank).


World War One: Question 4 of 34
After World War I, the opposition of some Members of Congress to the Versailles Treaty was based largely on the idea that the Treaty
  1. did not punish the Central Powers harshly enough
  2. did not give the United States an important role in world affairs
  3. would require the United States to join the League of Nations and might result in a loss of United States sovereignty
  4. would require the United States to assume the cost of rebuilding the war-torn European economies

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation: The League of Nations was to be a worldwide peacekeeping body. Even though the league was the creation of United States President Woodrow Wilson, the US never became a member. Republican opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations doomed US membership on the basis of loss of sovereignty. Many Senators feared the Unites States being drawn into another wide scale conflict (like WWI) because of league participation involved acceptance of league decisions and actions.


World War One: Question 5 of 34
The "clear and present danger" ruling of the Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States illustrates the continuing conflict between
  1. free speech and governmental authority
  2. the use of search warrants and the rights of the accused
  3. state powers and Federal powers
  4. religious freedom and separation of church and state

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation: Schenck’s speech was anti-government and ant-war (WWI). The ruling established the ability of the government to suppress speech and press that present a danger to it or its efforts.


World War One: Question 6 of 34
President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were intended to
  1. make the United States, Great Britain, and France into leading world powers
  2. redistribute Germany’s colonies among the Allied nations
  3. prevent international tensions from leading to war
  4. punish Germany for causing World War I

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation: The Fourteen Points was Woodrow Wilson’s plan for a post-world war I world. It was designed to avoid future conflicts and ensure autonomy for peoples around the world. It was seen as too ambitious and unworkable. As a result the League of Nations was the only major provision of the 14 points to become reality.


World War One: Question 7 of 34
The "clear and present danger" ruling in the Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States (1919) confirmed the idea that
  1. prayer in public schools is unconstitutional
  2. racism in the United States is illegal
  3. interstate commerce can be regulated by state governments
  4. constitutional rights are not absolute

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation: Schenck’s speech was anti-government and ant-war (WWI). The ruling established the ability of the government to suppress speech and press that present a danger to it or its efforts. The court’s decision exemplifies the idea that rights guaranteed in the Constitution are by no means absolute and may be limited when they infringe on the rights of others or the collective good of the nation.


World War One: Question 8 of 34
A major reason for the isolationist trend in the United States following World War I was
  1. a desire to continue the reforms of the Progressives
  2. the public’s desire to end most trade with other nations
  3. the failure of the United States to gain new territory
  4. a disillusionment over the outcomes of the war

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation: The US Senate’s rejection of membership in the League of Nations and the Treaty of Versailles are the beginnings of the isolation typical of US foreign policy during the 1920’s and 30’s. The US also isolates itself economically, curbing international trade and imposing tariffs to exclude foreign goods. A series of isolationist, anti-immigration laws such as the National Origins Act and the Emergency Quota Act also serve to further isolate the US from the rest of the globe.


World War One: Question 9 of 34
"We are to be an instrument in the hands of God to see that liberty is made secure for mankind."

-President Woodrow Wilson


President Wilson tried to carry out the idea expressed in this quotation by
  1. protesting the sinking of the Lusitania
  2. proposing a program of civil rights for minorities in American society
  3. urging the Allies to adopt the Fourteen Points
  4. taking control of territories conquered in World War I

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation: The Fourteen Points was Woodrow Wilson’s plan for a post-world war I world. It was designed to avoid future conflicts and ensure autonomy for peoples around the world. It was seen as too ambitious and unworkable. As a result the League of Nations was the only major provision of the 14 points to become reality. The League of Nations was to be a worldwide peacekeeping body. Even though the league was the creation of United States President Woodrow Wilson, the US never became a member. Republican opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations doomed US membership on the basis of loss of sovereignty. Many Senators feared the Unites States being drawn into another wide scale conflict (like WWI) because of league participation involved acceptance of league decisions and actions.


World War One: Question 10 of 34
In stating the principle of a "clear and present danger" in Schenck v. United States, the Supreme Court established that
  1. constitutional rights are not absolute
  2. the Constitution guarantees the right to privacy
  3. Congress can pass a law to eliminate any part of the Bill of Rights
  4. all individual rights are eliminated during wartime

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation: Schenck’s speech was anti-government and ant-war (WWI). The ruling established the ability of the government to suppress speech and press that present a danger to it or its efforts. The Supreme Court agreed that the protection of the United States outweighed the individual right to speech and press. The ‘test’ by which speech and press were to be judged was the “clear and present danger” doctrine.


World War One: Question 11 of 34
Which action best demonstrated the United States effort to isolate itself from European conflicts after World War I?
  1. lowering tariff rates
  2. attempting to improve relations with Asia
  3. failing to sign international disarmament agreements
  4. refusing to join the League of Nations

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation: The League of Nations was to be a worldwide peacekeeping body. Even though the league was the creation of United States President Woodrow Wilson, the US never became a member. Republican opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations doomed US membership on the basis of loss of sovereignty. Many Senators feared the Unites States being drawn into another wide scale conflict (like WWI) because of league participation involved acceptance of league decisions and actions. This rejection of league membership and the Treaty of Versailles are the beginnings of the isolation typical of US foreign policy during the 1920’s and 30’s.


World War One: Question 12 of 34
Which generalization is consistent with the ruling of the United States Supreme Court in Schenck v. United States?
  1. The freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights are virtually unlimited
  2. Government has the right to suspend any rights at any time.
  3. Individual rights can be limited in the national interest
  4. The balance between individual rights and the general social welfare almost always favors individual rights.

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation: Schenck’s speech was anti-government and ant-war (WWI). The ruling established the ability of the government to suppress speech and press that present a danger to it or its efforts. The Supreme Court agreed that the protection of the United States outweighed the individual right to speech and press. The ‘test’ by which speech and press were to be judged was the “clear and present danger” doctrine.


World War One: Question 13 of 34
President Woodrow Wilson’s statement “The world must be made safe for democracy” was made to justify his decision to
  1. end United States imperialism in Latin America
  2. support tariff reform
  3. send troops into Mexico to capture Pancho Villa
  4. ask Congress to declare war against Germany

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation:


World War One: Question 14 of 34
President Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points were based on the belief that
  1. military strength is a nation’s best path to world peace
  2. isolationism should guide international relations
  3. the principle of self-determination should be applied to people of all nations
  4. industrial nations should have equal access to colonial possessions

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 15 of 34
The demand for German war reparations by the European Allies helps to explain the failure of the peace settlement following
  1. World War I
  2. World War II
  3. the Korean War
  4. the Vietnam War

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:


World War One: Question 16 of 34
What was a major reason for United States entry into World War I?
  1. to overthrow the czarist government of Russia
  2. to keep Latin America from being attacked by Germany
  3. to maintain freedom of the seas
  4. to break up the colonial empires of the Allies

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 17 of 34
Which situation was the immediate cause of the United States entry into World War I in 1917?
  1. The League of Nations requested help.
  2. The Maine was blown up in Havana Harbor.
  3. Nazi tyranny threatened Western democracy.
  4. German submarines sank United States merchant ships.

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation:


World War One: Question 18 of 34
Why did the Senate reject the Versailles Treaty (1919)?
  1. to keep the United States free from foreign entanglements
  2. to express opposition to the harsh sanctions imposed on Germany
  3. to avoid the dues for membership in the League of Nations
  4. to reduce United States military forces in Europe

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:


World War One: Question 19 of 34
Which argument did President Woodrow Wilson use to persuade Congress to enter World War I?
  1. making the world safe for democracy
  2. retaliating against the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor
  3. assisting the neutral nations with their defense
  4. removing the Nazi threat from the Western Hemisphere

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:


World War One: Question 20 of 34
Data from this graph support the conclusion that World War I
 

  1. caused the United States trade deficit to increase
  2. cost the United States many billions of dollars
  3. was a significant benefit to the American economy
  4. created an unfavorable balance of trade

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 21 of 34
In the case Schenck v. United States (1919), the United States Supreme Court settled the issue of limits on individual freedoms during wartime by establishing the
  1. clear and present danger test
  2. states’ rights principle
  3. separate but equal doctrine
  4. popular sovereignty principle

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:


World War One: Question 22 of 34
Many senators who opposed United States membership in the League of Nations argued that joining the League would
  1. involve the nation in future military conflicts
  2. reduce freedom of the seas
  3. end the country’s free-trade policy
  4. endanger the nation’s military preparedness

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:


World War One: Question 23 of 34
During World War I, many American women helped gain support for the suffrage movement by
  1. protesting against the war
  2. joining the military service
  3. lobbying for child-care facilities
  4. working in wartime industries

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation:


World War One: Question 24 of 34
Following World War I, the United States Senate refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles primarily because the treaty
  1. failed to include most of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points
  2. did not punish Germany for starting the war
  3. contained provisions that might lead the United States into foreign conflicts
  4. made no provision for reduction of military weapons

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 25 of 34
The migration of African Americans to the North during and following World War I was mainly a result of the
  1. success of military desegregation
  2. efforts of the civil rights movement
  3. availability of new factory jobs
  4. impact of affirmative action programs

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 26 of 34
One goal for a lasting peace that President Woodrow Wilson included in his Fourteen Points was
  1. establishing a League of Nations
  2. maintaining a permanent military force in Europe
  3. returning the United States to a policy of isolationism
  4. blaming Germany for causing World War I

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:


World War One: Question 27 of 34
The “clear and present danger” doctrine stated by the Supreme Court in the case of Schenck v. United States (1919) had an important impact on the Bill of Rights because it
  1. limited the powers of the president
  2. placed limits on freedom of speech
  3. clarified standards for a fair trial
  4. expanded the rights of persons accused of crimes

Correct Answer Number: 2

Explanation:


World War One: Question 28 of 34
During his reelection campaign in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson used the slogan, “He kept us out of war.” In April of 1917, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. What helped bring about this change?
  1. Bolshevik forces increased their strength in Germany and Italy.
  2. Britain was invaded by nations of the Central Powers.
  3. Russia signed a treaty of alliance with the Central Powers.
  4. Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare.

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation:


World War One: Question 29 of 34
The change in the nation’s attitude toward membership in the League of Nations and membership in the United Nations shows the contrast between
  1. neutrality and containment
  2. appeasement and internationalism
  3. isolationism and involvement
  4. interventionism and détente

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 30 of 34
A major reason the United States entered World War I was to
  1. gain additional colonial possessions
  2. react to the bombing of Pearl Harbor
  3. honor prewar commitments to its military allies
  4. safeguard freedom of the seas for United States ships

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation:


World War One: Question 31 of 34
At the beginning of World War I, President Woodrow Wilson followed a traditional United States foreign policy by
  1. refusing to permit trade with either side in the conflict
  2. sending troops to aid Great Britain
  3. declaring American neutrality
  4. requesting an immediate declaration of war against the aggressors

Correct Answer Number: 3

Explanation:


World War One: Question 32 of 34
“. . . There’s no chance of progress and reform in an administration in which war plays the principal part. . . .” — President-elect Woodrow Wilson, 1913 In this statement, President-elect Wilson was expressing the belief that
  1. the United States should enter World War I immediately
  2. reform movements are strengthened by war
  3. the nation will require a change in leadership if it goes to war
  4. the Progressive movement would be best served by continued peace

Correct Answer Number: 4

Explanation:


World War One: Question 33 of 34
In Schenck v. United States (1919), the Supreme Court decided that a “clear and present danger” to the country allowed the federal government to
  1. establish a peacetime draft
  2. restrict first amendment rights
  3. suspend habeas corpus
  4. limit minority voting rights

Correct Answer Number: 2

Explanation:


World War One: Question 34 of 34
One major reason the United States Senate refused to approve the Treaty of Versailles after World War I was that many senators
  1. were concerned about future United States obligations in foreign affairs
  2. rejected United States colonial practices in Asia
  3. wanted immediate repayment of war debts from France
  4. supported increased foreign aid to Germany

Correct Answer Number: 1

Explanation:




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