Chapter Chronology

Quiz for Beyond America’s Borders: “Nazi Anti-Semitism and the Atomic Bomb”

Select the best answer for each question. Click the “submit” button for each question to turn in your work.

Question

1. This essay supports which of the following historical arguments?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is d. The United States began working to develop an atomic bomb because scientists, many of whom were German Jewish refugees, worried that if they didn’t figure out how to make the bomb themselves, Hitler would do it first. In addition, many of the most important scientists who participated in the Manhattan Project were Jewish refugees. For these reasons, the essay argues that Hitler caused the United States to develop an atomic bomb.
Incorrect. The answer is d. The United States began working to develop an atomic bomb because scientists, many of whom were German Jewish refugees, worried that if they didn’t figure out how to make the bomb themselves, Hitler would do it first. In addition, many of the most important scientists who participated in the Manhattan Project were Jewish refugees. For these reasons, the essay argues that Hitler caused the United States to develop an atomic bomb.

Question

2. Why did hundreds of German Jewish intellectuals immigrate to the United States in the years leading up to World War II?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is c. In 1933, Hitler enacted the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, which required all non-Aryans to retire from the civil service. In effect, this meant that all Jewish people who worked for the state, including at universities, had lost their jobs overnight. Unable to make a living in Germany, hundreds of German Jewish intellectuals fled for the United States.
Incorrect. The answer is c. In 1933, Hitler enacted the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service, which required all non-Aryans to retire from the civil service. In effect, this meant that all Jewish people who worked for the state, including at universities, had lost their jobs overnight. Unable to make a living in Germany, hundreds of German Jewish intellectuals fled for the United States.

Question

3. What did refugee scientists in the United States worry would happen if a scientist who was loyal to Nazi Germany discovered how to take advantage of nuclear energy?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is b. In the 1930s, most scientists thought it was extremely unlikely that humans would be able to harness the immense amount of energy in the nuclear of an atom and use it to create an atomic bomb. Nevertheless, they worried about the possible consequences if, somehow, a scientist loyal to Germany and to Hitler figured out how to make such a bomb: it could have very well spelled the end of human existence.
Incorrect. The answer is b. In the 1930s, most scientists thought it was extremely unlikely that humans would be able to harness the immense amount of energy in the nuclear of an atom and use it to create an atomic bomb. Nevertheless, they worried about the possible consequences if, somehow, a scientist loyal to Germany and to Hitler figured out how to make such a bomb: it could have very well spelled the end of human existence.

Question

4. The government program tasked with developing an atomic bomb was known as

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is a. President Roosevelt convened the Manhattan Project in 1941 at the urging of a group of American scientists who told the president that it was imperative for the United States to develop an atomic bomb before Hitler did. The Manhattan Project included many of the Jewish refugee scientists who had fled Germany before World War II began. The Manhattan Project ultimately succeeded in developing an atomic bomb, and Hitler’s scientists never did.
Incorrect. The answer is a. President Roosevelt convened the Manhattan Project in 1941 at the urging of a group of American scientists who told the president that it was imperative for the United States to develop an atomic bomb before Hitler did. The Manhattan Project included many of the Jewish refugee scientists who had fled Germany before World War II began. The Manhattan Project ultimately succeeded in developing an atomic bomb, and Hitler’s scientists never did.

Question

5. Why didn’t the United States drop its atomic bomb on Germany during World War II?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct. The answer is d. The Manhattan Project did successfully develop an atomic bomb during World War II, but it was dropped over Japan rather than Germany. The United States did not drop a bomb on Germany because Germany had already surrendered before the Project completed the first bomb.
Incorrect. The answer is d. The Manhattan Project did successfully develop an atomic bomb during World War II, but it was dropped over Japan rather than Germany. The United States did not drop a bomb on Germany because Germany had already surrendered before the Project completed the first bomb.