AP World History : War and Civil Conflict 1900 to Present

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP World History

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

Example Question #1 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

Belief in the "domino theory" encouraged US involvement in ongoing conflicts in __________.

Possible Answers:

Puerto Rico

Guam

France

Vietnam

Philippines 

Correct answer:

Vietnam

Explanation:

The "domino theory" refers to the belief that if one country adopts communism (or "falls" to it), then its neighboring countries will "fall" too. It was used to justify intervening in the fight between Communist North Vietnam and non-Communist South Vietnam. 

Example Question #2 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

Kaiser Wilhelm II led the German empire during which war?

Possible Answers:

World War II

World War I

The Crimean War

The Franco-Prussian War

The 100 years War

Correct answer:

World War I

Explanation:

Kaiser Wilhelm II was the last German emperor, and was deposed in 1918 after a 30 year reign. 

Example Question #3 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

Mutually Assured Destruction is a concept most closely linked to which 20th century conflict?

Possible Answers:

World War II

The Vietnam War

The Cold War

The Korean War

World War I

Correct answer:

The Cold War

Explanation:

Mutually Assured Destruction refers to the prevalent philosophy during the Cold War that if either the USSR or the USA launched a nuclear attack, the other could retaliate with sufficient speed and power that both would be destroyed. This kept the Cold War from erupting into nuclear conflict.

Example Question #4 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

In both the Franco-Prussian war and the Russo-Japanese war, machine guns were existent but largely ineffective because they were placed with the artillery, which meant that at the beginning of major battles they were destroyed before they could be used. This gave war planners the false assumption that they were ineffective, which contributed to a huge loss of life when they were finally placed correctly during the ____________.

Possible Answers:

First World War

Chinese Civil War

Persian Gulf War

Russian Revolution

Battle of Midway

Correct answer:

First World War

Explanation:

During World War I, huge losses were incurred by combatants when they sent unarmored soldiers against machine guns.

The Russian Revolution was bloody, but grew out of World War I.

The Chinese Civil War was bloody, but by that time military planners already knew how to deal tactically with machine-guns.

By the time of the Battle of Midway, war planners already knew the effectiveness and danger of machine-guns.

By the time of the Persian Gulf war, war planners were using global positioning systems (GPS) and air strikes, machine-guns were already well understood.

Example Question #5 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

The Chinese Civil War can be categorized most correctly as __________.

Possible Answers:

a long civil war punctuated by a Japanese invasion in the middle

a civil war instigated primarily by the Japanese invasion

a war in which all participants were staunchly pro-communist

a war in which all participants were staunchly anti-communist

a short civil war which ended for good when the Japanese invaded

Correct answer:

a long civil war punctuated by a Japanese invasion in the middle

Explanation:

The Chinese Civil War lasted almost half a century, in the middle of which the Japanese invaded.

After the Japanese invasion, many factions within the Chinese civil war joined forces against the invaders, but fighting resumed once the Japanese had been defeated.

Although the Japanese invasion certainly changed the dynamic of China's Civil War, the war began before the Japanese invasion.

Some factions within the Chinese Civil War were anti-communist, while others were supported by Moscow and pro-communist.

Example Question #6 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

The assassination of which world leader lead to the beginning of World War I? 

Possible Answers:

Czar Nicholas II of Russia 

Kaiser Wilhelm I of Germany 

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy 

George V of England 

Archduke Franz-Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary 

Correct answer:

Archduke Franz-Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary 

Explanation:

When Archduke Franz-Ferdinand of the Austria-Hungary Empire visited the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, he was assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrillo Princip. As a result, Germany aligned with Austria-Hungary against Serbia (and it's major ally Russia), and soon nations were taking sides and war broke out. This assassination was the spark that ignited the growing nationalist and militaristic tendencies that had been growing throughout the end of the 19th century.  

Example Question #7 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

Trench Warfare, first widely used in WWI, features all of the following except _____________.

Possible Answers:

Air to ground combat

Significantly higher death rates per battle

Hand to hand combat

The widespread use of machine guns and poison gas 

A "technology over tactics" strategy 

Correct answer:

Hand to hand combat

Explanation:

Advances in technology led to a completely new style of warfare that came with the turn of the 20th century. While hand to hand combat fell out of style, armies would dig trenches to protect their front lines, which they would defend with Machine guns and heavy artillery. The result were vast stretches of "no man's land" between trenches that were virtually deserted for fear of being gunned down. These mass killing technologies led to significantly higher death rates.

Example Question #8 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

What concept describes warfare the enlists all of a country's resources including its citizens, media, food supplies, and economy? 

Possible Answers:

Supply War

Trench warfare

Citizen's War

People's War

Total War

Correct answer:

Total War

Explanation:

WWI brought the concept of Total War to new heights, in this global war the conflict stretched far beyond the military. Factories were re-purposed for the war effort, propaganda was spread, and food was rationed. In many nations conscription was established to recruit more actively for the armed forces. 

Example Question #9 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

The Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919 and most largely affected what nation?

Possible Answers:

Austria-Hungary

Serbia

Germany

Russia

France

Correct answer:

Germany

Explanation:

The Treaty of Versailles placed almost total blame for WWI on Germany and imposed major punishments on them including: stripping them of domestic and oversees territories, limiting the size of the military, imposing harsh economic sanctions. Resentment born from this treaty would eventually cause Hitler's rise to power and World War II. 

Example Question #10 : War And Civil Conflict 1900 To Present

What famous invasion of the Normandy beaches was led by the Allied Forces during World War II?

Possible Answers:

J-Day

D-Day

VJ-Day

V-Day

Correct answer:

D-Day

Explanation:

D-Day was the military for what became the famous invasion of Normandy, France, by the Allied Powers to attempt to begin the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. V-Day refers to Victory Day, or the day the Axis powers surrendered to the Allied powers.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors