World War II — World History Practice Worksheet

Grades 9–11 Medium difficulty 10 problems

World War II (1939–1945) was the deadliest conflict in history, fought between the Allied powers (including Britain, the Soviet Union, and the United States) and the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan). Its roots lay in the harsh Treaty of Versailles (1919), a worldwide economic depression, and the rise of fascist dictators such as Adolf Hitler in Germany.

Germany invaded Poland in September 1939, starting the war in Europe. Major turning points included the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943), where the Soviet Union stopped the German advance; the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), which brought the United States into the war; and D-Day (June 6, 1944), when Allied forces landed in Normandy to liberate Western Europe.

During the war, Nazi Germany carried out the Holocaust, the systematic murder of six million Jews along with millions of other victims. The war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945 (V-E Day). Japan surrendered in August 1945 (V-J Day) after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The war's aftermath included the founding of the United Nations and the start of the Cold War.

Skills practiced

  • Explaining the causes of World War II
  • Identifying Allied and Axis powers
  • Analyzing major turning points of the war
  • Understanding the Holocaust and its human impact
  • Evaluating the war's global consequences
Name: Date: Period:

Practice Worksheet: World War II

Instructions: Solve each problem carefully. Show all work clearly. Write your final answer in the space provided or on a separate sheet as directed.

  1. 1.Explain the significance of the Treaty of Versailles in contributing to the outbreak of World War II. Identify at least two specific provisions of the treaty and describe how each one created conditions that led to the war.

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 2.Which of the following was a primary reason for the United States' decision to enter World War II?
    1. A. The sinking of the Lusitania
    2. B. The German invasion of Poland
    3. C. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
    4. D. The fall of France to Germany

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 3.Describe the policy of appeasement as practiced by European leaders in the 1930s. Provide one specific example of appeasement and explain why this policy ultimately failed to prevent war.

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 4.Which of the following events is considered the turning point of the war in the Pacific?
    1. A. The Battle of Midway
    2. B. The Battle of Iwo Jima
    3. C. The D-Day invasion
    4. D. The Battle of the Bulge

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 5.What was the significance of the D-Day invasion (Operation Overlord) on June 6, 1944? Explain its strategic importance for the Allied forces in Europe.

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 6.Which of the following best describes the purpose of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941?
    1. A. To provide military aid to Allied nations without requiring immediate payment
    2. B. To establish the United Nations organization
    3. C. To declare war on Germany and Japan
    4. D. To create a military alliance between the United States and the Soviet Union

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 7.Compare and contrast the Allied strategy in the European theater with the strategy in the Pacific theater. Identify at least one major military campaign or battle from each theater and explain how the strategies differed.

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 8.What was the Holocaust? Describe the systematic persecution and murder of six million Jews and other targeted groups by the Nazi regime, and explain how the international community responded to these atrocities after the war.

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 9.Which of the following conferences was held to discuss the post-war reorganization of Europe and the establishment of the United Nations?
    1. A. The Yalta Conference
    2. B. The Munich Conference
    3. C. The Potsdam Conference
    4. D. The Tehran Conference

World War II — Practice Worksheet (continued)

  1. 10.Write a well-organized essay in which you analyze the major factors that contributed to the Allied victory in World War II. Consider military strategy, industrial production, leadership, and international cooperation in your response. Use specific historical examples to support your argument.

Answer Key

  1. 1.
    Final answer: The Treaty of Versailles contributed to World War II by imposing harsh terms on Germany. Two key provisions include: (1) the war guilt clause (Article 231), which forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war, creating deep resentment among the German people; and (2) the massive reparations payments, which crippled the German economy and led to hyperinflation and economic instability. These conditions fostered political extremism and allowed Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party to rise to power by promising to restore German pride and overturn the treaty.
  2. 2.
    The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, directly led to the United States declaring war on Japan and entering World War II.
    Final answer: c. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Answer Key (continued)

  1. 3.
    Final answer: Appeasement was the policy of giving in to aggressive demands by dictators to avoid conflict. The most notable example was the Munich Agreement of 1938, in which Britain and France allowed Hitler to annex the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia in exchange for his promise to make no further territorial demands. This policy failed because it emboldened Hitler, who violated his promise by invading the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939 and then invading Poland in September 1939, which triggered the war.
  2. 4.
    The Battle of Midway (June 1942) was a decisive naval victory for the United States that crippled the Japanese carrier fleet and shifted the balance of power in the Pacific.
    Final answer: a. The Battle of Midway
  3. 5.
    Final answer: D-Day was the largest amphibious invasion in history, involving Allied forces landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. Its significance was that it opened a second front in Western Europe, forcing Germany to fight a two-front war. This invasion led to the liberation of France and the eventual defeat of Nazi Germany, as Allied forces pushed eastward toward Germany while the Soviet Union advanced from the east.

Answer Key (continued)

  1. 6.
    The Lend-Lease Act allowed the United States to supply weapons, equipment, and supplies to Britain, the Soviet Union, and other Allied nations, strengthening their war efforts before the U.S. formally entered the war.
    Final answer: a. To provide military aid to Allied nations without requiring immediate payment
  2. 7.
    Final answer: In the European theater, the Allies used a strategy of defeating Germany first, focusing on North Africa, then Italy, and finally the D-Day invasion of Western Europe. Key campaigns included the Battle of Britain and the D-Day invasion. In the Pacific, the Allies used an island-hopping strategy, capturing key islands to establish bases for bombing Japan and eventually invading the Japanese mainland. Key battles included Midway, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima. The European strategy emphasized a coordinated ground offensive with the Soviet Union, while the Pacific strategy relied heavily on naval and air power.

Answer Key (continued)

  1. 8.
    Final answer: The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews and millions of others, including Romani people, disabled individuals, political prisoners, and Slavic peoples, by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. It involved ghettos, mass shootings, and death camps such as Auschwitz. After the war, the international community responded by establishing the Nuremberg Trials, which held Nazi leaders accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and by supporting the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 as a homeland for Jewish survivors.
  2. 9.
    Held in February 1945, the Yalta Conference brought together Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin to discuss the post-war reorganization of Germany and Europe and to plan the creation of the United Nations.
    Final answer: a. The Yalta Conference

Answer Key (continued)

  1. 10.
    Final answer: A strong essay should include the following points: Military strategy: The successful D-Day invasion, the island-hopping campaign in the Pacific, and the Soviet Union's Eastern Front offensive. Industrial production: The United States' massive industrial capacity ("Arsenal of Democracy") produced vast quantities of ships, planes, tanks, and weapons, outproducing the Axis powers. Leadership: Strong Allied leaders such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin who coordinated strategy and maintained morale. International cooperation: The Grand Alliance between the U.S., Britain, and the Soviet Union, along with the Lend-Lease program and joint military operations, demonstrated effective cooperation despite ideological differences. Specific examples: The Battle of Stalingrad, the Normandy invasion, the Manhattan Project, and the contributions of the Soviet Red Army in defeating Germany. A well-organized essay should have a clear thesis, supporting paragraphs with evidence, and a conclusion.
Download PDF

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Saying the war began with Pearl Harbor rather than the invasion of Poland in 1939
  • Confusing D-Day with V-E Day
  • Forgetting the Soviet Union's role in defeating Germany
  • Thinking the Holocaust was separate from Nazi ideology and the war
  • Believing the Treaty of Versailles helped prevent future wars

Generate your own like this

Want a fresh set of world war ii problems at your chosen difficulty? Use WorksheetSmith to compile a custom, print-ready PDF in seconds.

Generate a custom World War II worksheet

Related worksheets

Last updated: 2026

Open the WorksheetSmith worksheet app