A Mad Dash to Disaster": The First World War

1. PART A: Which TWO of the following statement best summarize the central ideas of the?
A. WWI was caused exclusively by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
B. Historian Henry Kissinger was the most accomplished U.S. Secretary of State in
American history.
C. No one nation or group can be singled out to blame for the outbreak of WWI.
D. The roots of WWI were planted long before the assassination of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand.
E. Trench warfare, because it was so deadly, was outlawed in future warfare at the
Paris Peace Convention.
F. WWI permanently brought the U.S. out of isolation, deeply involving it in future
global matters, like WWII.

2. Part B: Which TWO of the following quotes best support the answer to Part A?
A. “A history-making diplomat as well as a historian, Kissinger concluded that no
country can be singled out, because ‘[e]ach of the major powers contributed a
quota of shortsightedness and irresponsibility’” (Paragraph 2)
B. “World War I (1914-1918) — which claimed 32 million military and civilian
casualties, impoverished Europe, destroyed three empires, and set the stage for
an even more savage World War II — had many roots.” (Paragraph 3)
C. “on June 28, 1914, a radical Serbian nationalist tossed a burning match by
assassinating Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne of yet another
European superpower, the Austro-Hungarian empire of the Habsburg
monarchy.” (Paragraph 7)
D. “What followed was a massacre that lasted an interminable four years, three
months, and eventually brought into the maelstrom two million American
‘doughboys.’” (Paragraph 16)
E. The heaviest and eventually decisive fighting was done on the Western front,
where French, British and eventually, American soldiers were locked in a
remorseless trench warfare with von Schlieffen’s army.” (Paragraph 18)
F. “in March 1917, President Woodrow Wilson had responded to the outrageous
sinking of four American ships by German submarines by abandoning the U.S.
policy of neutrality.” (Paragraph 21)

3. Why did the author most likely italicize the phrase “for any reason whatever” in Paragraph
4?
A. to emphasize that almost anything would provoke the allies to fight, and war
was basically inevitable
B. to propose the idea that the allied countries were eager to fight, regardless of
whom or what they would fight
C. to stress France’s and Russia’s militaristic mindsets and superiority at the time
D. to clarify that the alliance was actually very general and loose, not as binding as
it would later seem

4. PART A: What does the word “hazardous” most likely mean as used in paragraph 4?
A. unnecessary
B. risky
C. violent
D. preventative

5. PART B: Which of the following phrases best supports the answer to Part A?
A. “Faced by the fast-growing German empire” (Paragraph 4)
B. “Desperate for allies” (Paragraph 4)
C. “agreed to mobilize their armies” (Paragraph 4)
D. “this hair-trigger arrangement” (Paragraph 4)

6. According to the text, how did the Central Powers, especially Germany, react to the United
States’ entrance into the war?
A. Given how late the U.S. entered the war, the Central Powers largely did not see
the U.S. as a threat.
B. American declaration of war (as well as failing allies) prompted Germany to
launch an all-out, final offensive.
C. Germany was blamed for the U.S. joining the Allied forces and was essentially
abandoned by the other Central Powers.
D. Knowing the U.S. would be fighting in the West, the Central Powers began
focusing on gaining land in the other two fronts.

7. Which of the following best describe how the Schlieffen Plan shaped the overall war?
A. The Schlieffen Plan forced both the Central and Allied Powers to fight on two
fronts, exhausting them (especially Germany) and expanding the reach of the
horrors of the war.
B. The Schlieffen Plan meant that France and Russia, the targets of the plan, were
the first to fall to the Central Powers’ control.
C. The Schlieffen Plan forced Germany to fight on both sides, meaning that this
country conquered more land than the Allied Powers combined.
D. The Schlieffen Plan was an overall failure and fell apart after the first major
battle; neither side had to fight on multiple fronts, as planned, from that point
on.

8. Which of the following best describes the major irony of the Paris Peace Conference?
A. It was entirely run by the leader of the country that fought the briefest in the
war.
B. The United States was given a very large role in the Peace Conference even
though they supported Germany for the first half of the war.
C. Though called a “peace conference,” it was formed — at least by the European
Allies — with the intent to punish more than to seek peace.
D. Though called a “peace conference,” it was formed to reassess and strengthen
the alliances that caused WWI in the first place.