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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. How common was the use of alcohol as an anodyne?

2. In the iconic pre-war image discussed in Chapter 1, the soldiers are best described as being which of the following?

3. The drinking among servicemen when alcohol was freely available would best be described as which of the following?

4. Japanese troops were typically stereotyped as being what?

5. According to the author, what was the unstated purpose of the use of inveterate profanity?

Short Essay Questions

1. According to the author, what is the result on the battlefield of the relatively young age of soldiers and the violence of warfare?

2. What sort of information is regularly denied to the common soldier?

3. What qualities epitomized the American forces prior to their entry into WWII?

4. What was the doctrine of precision bombing?

5. What writer is a notable exception to the normal treatment of enlisted men, and how did he differ?

6. What problems did the doctrine of precision bombing face?

7. How was military jargon and vocabulary used to demean enlisted men?

8. What drinks were preferred by men from different nations in the war?

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

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Soldiers during the second World War had their self images systematically degraded and held in constant contempt.

1) Explain the concept of self-image and how it applies to the typical young American of the 1940s.

2) Discuss why it was necessary to destroy a soldier's self-image in order to cause that person to integrate well with the large machinery of the army of World War II.

3) Describe some of the effects that the aggressive campaign to destroy and degrade self-image had on common soldiers.

Essay Topic 2

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 3

Nations on all sides recruited soldiers around the age of 18, since young men were considered to be ideal soldiers. For better or worse, young men fought and won the war.

1) Explain why young men were considered to be ideal candidates for training as soldiers.

2) Why is it important for soldiers to exhibit aggression? Explain why young men around the age of 18 are prime candidates in this regard.

2) Discuss why military leaders believed young men to be easier to lead and less likely to question the purpose of the war. Was this supposition valid?

3) Discuss the use of very young soldiers by the axis powers late in the war. Was this type of recruitment immoral, or supportable given their circumstances?

(see the answer keys)

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