UPSC World History – Chapter 12: The Second World War (20 MCQs)

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UPSC World History – Chapter 12: The Second World War (20 MCQs) – 20 questions, subject: History. Every question has the correct answer with a one-line explanation; tap "Show Answer". Free practice for TNPSC, UPSC, SSC, Bank and RRB exams – Shanmugam IAS Academy, Coimbatore.

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1.  

The Second World War began with the German invasion of:

Correct Answer: B [Poland]

Explanation:

1 September 1939.

2.  

The Atlantic Charter (1941) was issued by:

Correct Answer: A [Roosevelt and Churchill]

Explanation:

Roosevelt and Churchill issued the Atlantic Charter in August 1941 after meeting at sea off Newfoundland.

3.  

Operation Barbarossa was the German invasion of:

Correct Answer: B [the Soviet Union]

Explanation:

22 June 1941.

4.  

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor took place on:

Correct Answer: A [7 December 1941]

Explanation:

Japan's carrier aircraft attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, bringing the US into the war.

5.  

The naval battle that turned the tide in the Pacific in June 1942 was:

Correct Answer: C [Midway]

Explanation:

At Midway in June 1942 the US Navy sank four Japanese aircraft carriers, and Japan lost the initiative in the Pacific.

6.  

The Allied landing in Normandy (D-Day) took place on:

Correct Answer: B [6 June 1944]

Explanation:

Allied forces landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944, opening the second front in western Europe.

7.  

The IMF and the World Bank were created at the conference of:

Correct Answer: C [Bretton Woods]

Explanation:

1944.

8.  

Who among the following did NOT attend the Yalta Conference (1945)?

Correct Answer: C [Truman]

Explanation:

he attended Potsdam.

9.  

The Indian judge who gave a dissenting judgment at the Tokyo war crimes trials was:

Correct Answer: D [Radhabinod Pal]

Explanation:

Justice Radhabinod Pal, India's member of the Tokyo Tribunal (1946–48), wrote a famous dissent acquitting all the accused.

10.  

Consider the following statements:

1. Hiroshima was bombed on 6 August 1945.
2. Japan formally surrendered on 2 September 1945.
3. The USSR never declared war on Japan.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: B [1 and 2 only]

Explanation:

Hiroshima was bombed on 6 August and Japan signed the surrender on 2 September 1945; statement 3 is false.

11.  

Assertion (A): Hitler could invade Poland in 1939 without fear of a two-front war.

Reason (R): Germany had signed a non-aggression pact with the USSR in August 1939.

Correct Answer: A [Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A]

Explanation:

The Nazi–Soviet Pact of 23 August 1939 neutralised the USSR, so Hitler could attack Poland without an eastern front.

12.  

The battle regarded as the greatest turning point on the Eastern Front was:

Correct Answer: C [Stalingrad]

Explanation:

At Stalingrad (August 1942–February 1943) the Red Army encircled and destroyed the German Sixth Army.

13.  

The UN Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 at:

Correct Answer: B [San Francisco]

Explanation:

Fifty nations signed the UN Charter at the San Francisco Conference on 26 June 1945.

14.  

The extermination camp at Auschwitz was associated with:

Correct Answer: D [the Holocaust]

Explanation:

Auschwitz in occupied Poland was the largest Nazi extermination camp, central to the murder of about six million Jews.

15.  

The Japanese advance into India was halted in 1944 at:

Correct Answer: D [Imphal and Kohima]

Explanation:

British and Indian forces defeated the Japanese offensive at Imphal and Kohima between March and July 1944.

16.  

Arrange the following in chronological order:

1. D-Day landing
2. Fall of France
3. Battle of Stalingrad ends
4. Pearl Harbor

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: C [2-4-3-1]

Explanation:

1940, 1941, 1943, 1944.

17.  

The Nuremberg Trials dealt with:

Correct Answer: C [Nazi leaders]

Explanation:

The International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg (1945–46) tried the leading Nazi leaders for crimes against peace and humanity.

18.  

VE (Victory in Europe) Day is observed on:

Correct Answer: B [8 May]

Explanation:

1945.

19.  

Which British Prime Minister replaced Churchill during the Potsdam Conference?

Correct Answer: D [Clement Attlee]

Explanation:

Labour won the 1945 election during the Potsdam Conference, and Clement Attlee replaced Churchill as Prime Minister.

20.  

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted in:

Correct Answer: A [1948]

Explanation:

The UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 December 1948.

➤ Full notes, maps, tables, a reason for every option and Mains PYQs – U05 · World History (UPSC book, ₹249): www.shanmugamiasacademy.in/study-materials/upsc-world-history

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