The Second World War · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Second World War: causes and consequences

History · The Modern World · ages 15-16
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which grouping correctly names the main Axis powers and several major Allies during the war?

    • Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan. Allies: Britain, France, China, Soviet Union, United States.
    • Axis: Germany, China, Japan. Allies: Britain, France, Italy, Soviet Union, United States.
    • Axis: Britain, Italy, Japan. Allies: Germany, France, China, Soviet Union, United States.

  2. How did the 1919 settlement and the Great Depression help the Nazis gain support in Germany?

    • Treaty resentment encouraged support for cooperation with the states that imposed the settlement.
    • Treaty resentment and unemployment helped Nazi promises of national recovery gain public support.
    • Depression unemployment strengthened confidence in the existing government and its economic policies.

  3. The war in Europe began in 1939, and Germany and Japan both surrendered in 1945.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which sequence correctly dates full-scale war in China, the European outbreak and the widening Pacific war?

    • 1937: war in China; 1939: invasion of Poland; 1941: Pacific war widens.
    • 1937: invasion of Poland; 1939: Pacific war widens; 1941: war in China.
    • 1937: Pacific war widens; 1939: war in China; 1941: invasion of Poland.

  5. Which explanation best accounts for civilian deaths in occupied communities during the Second World War?

    • Occupying authorities caused civilian deaths mainly through accidental damage during nearby battles.
    • Occupying authorities caused civilian deaths through starvation, forced labour and organised mass murder.
    • Occupying authorities caused civilian deaths mainly through bombing rather than control of food and labour.

  6. Which statement correctly describes territorial and political changes at the war's end in 1945?

    • Germany was occupied; Poland's borders moved west; the United States and Soviet Union emerged strongest.
    • Germany was occupied; Poland's borders moved east; the United States and Soviet Union emerged strongest.
    • Germany was occupied; Poland's borders moved west; Britain and France emerged as the strongest powers.

  7. A student says the Great Depression brought every Axis regime to power. Which fact directly challenges that claim?

    • Hitler became Germany's chancellor in 1933, after the Depression had begun.
    • The United States entered the war in 1941, after the Depression had begun.
    • Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922, before the Depression had begun.

  8. A historian links both world wars within one era of conflict. Which question best tests the political connection taught in the lesson?

    • How closely did the wars match in length and in the dates when countries entered them?
    • How closely did the wars match in their lists of allies and military opponents?
    • How did grievances from the first war's settlement influence politics before the second?
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Second World War: causes and consequences W1-mt_BKXKdNc51v-s1

  1. Axis: Germany, Italy, Japan. Allies: Britain, France, China, Soviet Union, United States. · Germany, Italy and Japan were the main Axis powers. Britain, France, China, the Soviet Union and the United States were major Allies, entering at different times.
  2. Treaty resentment and unemployment helped Nazi promises of national recovery gain public support. · Nazis used treaty grievances and unemployment to attract support for promises of recovery. Cooperation with the treaty's authors or confidence in the existing government describes a different political response.
  3. True · Germany invaded Poland in September 1939. Germany surrendered in May 1945. Japan announced surrender in August and signed its formal surrender in September 1945.
  4. 1937: war in China; 1939: invasion of Poland; 1941: Pacific war widens. · Full-scale war between Japan and China began in 1937. Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Japan's attacks widened the Pacific war in December 1941.
  5. Occupying authorities caused civilian deaths through starvation, forced labour and organised mass murder. · Occupation brought starvation, forced labour and mass murder. Battlefield accidents and bombing also killed civilians, but neither explains these policies imposed on occupied communities.
  6. Germany was occupied; Poland's borders moved west; the United States and Soviet Union emerged strongest. · Germany was occupied, Poland's borders shifted westward, and the United States and Soviet Union emerged strongest. The alternatives change either the border direction or the leading powers.
  7. Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922, before the Depression had begun. · Mussolini took power before the Depression began in 1929. Hitler's later appointment does not contradict the claim, and US entry concerns an Allied country joining the war.
  8. How did grievances from the first war's settlement influence politics before the second? · The proposed political link concerns earlier treaty grievances influencing later politics. Comparing durations or coalition lists examines similarities rather than that causal connection.
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