Name: _______________________________
Date: ______________
Social Studies Quiz: War Part 1—Foreign Policy, Spanish American War, WWI
Read each of the following questions/statements carefully and circle the best answer choice.
1. Which of the following is a cause of the
Spanish American War?
A. a revolt against Queen Liliuokalani of
Hawaii
B. the Japanese bomb Havana Harbor in
Cuba
C. Cuba’s fight for independence from
Spain’s rule
D. Russia purchases Alaska & Puerto Rico
2. “Yellow Journalism” was used to gain
American support for Cuban rebels in
their fight for independence from Spain.
What is “Yellow Journalism”
A. political cartoons that report news
B. exaggerated news reports
C. truthful news reports
D. communistic slant on news reports
3. In February of 1898, a United States
battleship mysteriously exploded in
Havana Harbor, Cuba. Three months
later, America declared war on Spain.
What was the name of this battleship that
sunk?
A. North Carolina
B. Arizona
C. Maine
D. California
4. Which of the following nations gained
independence after the Spanish American
War?
A. Cuba
B. Guam
C. Philippines
D. Puerto Rico
5. Which of the following was not a result
of the Spanish American War?
A. Cuba received its freedom from Spain.
B. Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico
became possessions of the U.S.
C. Cuba became a United States territory
D. United States became a world power.
6. A person who supports the expansion of
a nation by taking over foreign lands
could be called an _______________.
A. enemy of manifest destiny
B. anti-imperialist
C. isolationist
D. imperialist
7. Which of the following events is seen as
an immediate cause of World War I?
A. sinking of the Lusitania
B. attack on the battleship Maine
C. German use of unrestricted submarine
warfare
D. assassination of Archduke Ferdinand of
Austria-Hungary
8. Which were the leading Allied Powers at
the start of WWI?
A. Great Britain, France, Russia
B. Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Germany
C. Denmark, Netherlands
D. Spain, Italy, Ottoman Empire
9. When World War I broke out in Europe,
the United States adopted/followed which
foreign policy approach?
A. militarism
B. isolationism
C. imperialism
D. Manifest Destiny
10. Which of the following was not a reason
for the United States entering WWI?
A. discovery of the Zimmerman telegram
B. Germany’s unrestricted submarine
warfare
C. assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
D. sinking of the Lusitania
11. Which of the following was not a part of
President Wilson’s Fourteen Points?
A. huge reparations paid by Germany
B. promoting self-determination
C. establishing a League of Nations to keep
world peace
D. removing the causes of the war
12. Which of the following shows WWI
events in the correct sequence (order)?
A. assassination of Archduke Ferdinand,
Europe becomes a powder keg, Treaty
of Versailles, Zimmerman telegram
B. assassination of Archduke Ferdinand,
sinking of the Lusitania, Wilson’s 14
Points, signing of Armistice
C. sinking of the Lusitania, U.S. enters the
war, assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand, Treaty of Versailles
D. U.S. enters the war, Europe becomes a
powder keg, sinking of the Lusitania,
Wilson’s 14 Points
13. On which country did America declare
war in April of 1917?
A. Italy
B. Germany
C. Russia
D. Luxemburg
14. Which country is not part of the Central
Powers during WWI?
A. Austria-Hungary
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. Ottoman Empire
15. Which technique did the U.S. government
use to drum up citizens’ support for the
war?
A. distributing propaganda
B. burning the flags of countries allied with
the Central Powers
C. organizing U-boat festivals where
citizens could pretend to fire at enemy
ships
D. promising to send entire families to
Europe during the war instead of
separating them
16. The long stalemate on the Western Front
during WWI was a result of which
military strategy?
A. submarine warfare
B. trench warfare
C. nuclear warfare
D. air raids
17. Which of the following was not a
provision of the Treaty of Versailles?
A. all of President Wilson’s Fourteen Points
must be followed by both Allied and
Central Powers
B. Germany must accept total blame for
starting WWI
C. Germany must pay reparations for war
damages
D. Austria-Hungary is divided into four
nations
18. Pres. Wilson’s declaration of war stated
that “…we shall fight for …democracy,
for the right…to have a voice in their
own governments…to make the world
itself at last free.” What foreign policy
approach does this best represent?
A. isolationism
B. internationalism
C. imperialism
D. assassination
19. Which country is labeled with the
number 3 on the map to the right?
A. Germany
B. France
C. United States
D. Netherlands
20. Which country is labeled with the
number 6 on the map to the right?
A. Germany
B. Ottoman Empire
C. Russia
D. United States
21. Which country is labeled with the
number 1 on the map to the right?
A. Great Britain
B. Italy
C. United States
D. Austria-Hungary
22. What peacekeeping organization did
Woodrow Wilson propose in his Fourteen
Points?
A. United Nations
B. League of Nations
C. Organization of American States
D. Warsaw Pact
25. Who was President of the United States
during World War I?
A. Theodore Roosevelt
B. William McKinley
C. Woodrow Wilson
D. Charles Fairbanks
23. The main causes of WWI were:
A. Industrialization, Collective Security,
Alliances, Militarism
B. Isolationism, Revolution, Alliances,
Industrialization
C. Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism,
Nationalism
D. Internationalism, Assassination, Manifest
Destiny, Nationalism
24. The United States did NOT join the
League of Nations because
A. The U.S. Senate failed to ratify the
Treaty of Versailles
B. Monroe Doctrine forbade American
involvement in world affairs
C. The U.S. was not given equal power
within the organization
D. Germany did not have the money to pay
back all reparations
26. This poster illustrates one reason the
United States became involved inA. The Spanish-American War
B. International economic interests
C. Gaining superpower status
D. World War I
27. The United States involvement in World
War I was partly due to its economic and
political ties toA. Germany
B. Great Britain
C. Russia
D. Serbia
28. What was the purpose of the
Zimmermann Telegram?
A.
Serbia had to pay retribution to AustriaHungary for the assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand.
B.
It encourages yellow journalism
throughout World War I.
C.
It stated if Mexico joined the Central
Powers, Germany would aid in regaining
land lost to America.
D.
The Monroe Doctrine was expanded to
prevent European involvement in Latin
America.
Okay, back to the old stuff!
29. Immigrants in the late 19th century would
most likely have been employed in which
type of job?
A. manager
B. specialized craft worker
C. unskilled factory worker
D. salesperson
30. In 1939, John Steinbeck published The
Grapes of Wrath, a novel about poor
migrant workers trying to survive during
_____________________.
A. World War I
B. the Cold War
C. the Great Depression
D. the Spanish American War
31. What was granted in 1920 by passing the
19th amendment to the Constitution?
A. Women’s suffrage
B. Abolition of slavery
C. Prohibition repealed
D. Right to bear arms
32. Armed resistance of Native Americans to
white settlement of their lands in the West
ended __________________________.
A. when Geronimo was captured by the
U.S. army
B. with the Massacre at Wounded Knee
C. at the Battle of Little Bighorn
D. when the Nez Perce fled to Canada
33. What is the land the U.S. government
required Native Americans to move onto
called?
A. Indian Territory
B. public land
C. land cession
D. reservation
34. Who is the artist known for painting
scenes of the Great Migration?
A. Georgia O’Keeffe
B. Aaron Copeland
C. Jacob Lawrence
D. Bessie Smith
35. The main purpose for organizing labor
unions was to ___________.
A. offset the imbalance of power: protect
workers’ rights and improve working
conditions
B. provide labor (scabs) when workers went
out on strike
C. allow business owners to share
information with each other
D. eliminate immigrants from workforce
36. Jane Addams, Lincoln Steffens, Upton
Sinclair, and Lewis Hine were all working
to reform problems during the Gilded
Age. What was this group of activists
(and others like them) was collectively
known as?
A. nativists
B. abolitionists
C. human rights activists
D. progressives
37. Which labor union was founded by
Samuel Gompers in 1886 during the
Gilded Age?
A. United Auto Workers (UAW)
B. American Federation of Labor (AFL)
C. Knights of Labor
D. Congress of Industrial Organizations
(CIO)
38. All of the following describe the physical
features/climate of the Great Plains
except?
A. massive redwoods
B. dust storms and low rainfall
C. erosion from water and wind
D. flatlands elevating from east to west
39. The fifty states can be grouped into
regions based on specific characteristics.
In which geographic region is Virginia
located?
A. Northeast
B. Midwest
C. Southwest
D. Southeast
40. Which muckraker exposed unsanitary
practices in Chicago’s meatpacking
industry during the Progressive Era?
A. Upton Sinclair
B. S. S. McClure
C. Henry Frick
D. Ida Tarbell
41. Pittsburgh was a major hub for the steel
industry during the Gilded Age. For what
was the city of Detroit known?
A. automobiles
B. textiles
C. oil
D. meatpacking
42. San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle
are in which U.S. region?
A. Southwest
B. Rocky Mountains
C. Southeast
D. Pacific
43. One settlement house, known as Hull
House, was founded byA. Jane Addams
B. Frederick Douglas
C. John Adams
D. Thomas Edison
44. The shipping and railroad business is
associated with which successful
business person?
A. Alexander Graham Bell
B. Susan B. Anthony
C. Cornelius Vanderbilt
D. Cyrus McCormick
45. How did the rise of mechanization
influence Henry Ford?
A. He began using assembly lines to
build automobiles
B. He was able to effectively
communicate with other automobile
manufactures
C. Investment in air travel became his
life-long passion
D. He became more effective in dealing
with organized laborers
46. All of the following were causes of the
Great Depression EXCEPTA. Prohibition
B. Overspeculation on stocks
C. Collapse of the banking system
D. High Tariffs
47. One of the results of the New Deal was a retirement insurance program for every American
worker. This program is called _______________________.
A. National Recovery Act
B. Social Security
C. Works Progress Administration
D. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
48. Which of the following groups kept themselves in power by helping the poor in exchange for
vote?
A. monopolies
B. political machines
C. reformers
D. progressives
The late 1800s saw the rise of big business. Big business leaders such as Rockefeller, Carnegie, and
Vanderbilt used their profits to buy up smaller companies and expand their empires. They created
huge corporations like Carnegie Steel and Standard Oil. The federal government had a hand in
helping these businesses to grow by not regulating business practices. For example, it did not stop
companies from forming monopolies.
49. According to this excerpt, the federal government ___________.
A. regulated big corporations
B. favored small businesses
C. did not support industrial growth
D. did not regulate business practices
50. The timeline notes important events in the American West. Which event was an attempt by
Congress to encourage settlement of the Great Plains?
A. Passage of the Homestead Act
B. Passage of the Dawes Act
C. Battle of the Little Bighorn
D. Massacre at Wounded Knee