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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was the name of the technologically advanced bombsight used by American bombers?

2. The frequency of prostitution and ephemeral romantic relationships would best be described as which of the following?

3. According to the author, what was the typical age of a soldier for the allies in WWII?

4. According to the stereotype about Chinese troops, they could survive indefinitely if provided with what?

5. How did most Americans regard Pearl Harbor?

Short Essay Questions

1. What problems did American arms and armaments suffer from in the early parts of WWII?

2. How did the American military cause reports of military blunders to be underplayed?

3. How did contemporaneous war histories depict military blunders?

4. According to the author, why does the human mind crave narrative order?

5. Why have nearly all nations historically favored younger soldiers?

6. What did Americans expect their participation in WWII to be like?

7. What types of hazing were most common?

8. What are recognition errors, and how are they caused?

9. What are the causes of the facelessness with with soldiers were treated in the second World War?

10. What beliefs did American have about the Japanese going into the war, and how did those beliefs change?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

High-mindedness dominated thought and writing about the war during its later years. Although not unique to World War II, the author asserts that it reaching its peak during this conflict. American citizens and soldiers had markedly different reactions to this approach.

1) Explain what the author means by "high mindedness."

2) Discuss why high-minded thinking about the war came to dominate in the media. What purpose did this serve?

3) Explain how the American public reacted to the increasing high-mindedness presented to them.

4) Describe the reaction of American soldiers to this increasingly abstract explanation for the war. Why couldn't they relate to these concepts, and what affect did this high-mindedness have on them?

5) Assess overall whether or not an emphasis on high-minded ideal was good or bad for the nation during the war.

Essay Topic 2

Military training was intended to create capable and obedient soldiers. The extreme demands of World War II required military training to be short and intense.

1) Explain the purpose of military training.

2) Describe, according to military thinking of the time, the ideal soldier after he has just completed training.

3) Explain how some of the difficulties of WWII affected military training.

4) Discuss the similarities between military training and public school systems of the 1940s and explain why this similarity existed.

Essay Topic 3

For the first time during World War II, soldiers were treated as perfectly uniform and interchangeable parts. This treatment gradually crept into the minds of the men, further damaging their sense of self-worth.

1) Explain the concept of individuality and its importance and prevalence in a Democracy like America.

2) Discuss how and why soldiers were treated as being faceless and non-unique for the first time during World War II.

3) Describe the impact that this treatment had on American soldiers, and what problems it caused for them.

(see the answer keys)

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