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AP U.S. History Practice Quiz: Interwar Foreign Policy

Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026

Test your understanding with short quizzes. This quiz has 9 questions to check your progress.

Question 1 of 9

Which of the following best characterizes the United States' approach to foreign policy in the years immediately following World War I?

All Questions (9)

Which of the following best characterizes the United States' approach to foreign policy in the years immediately following World War I?

A) Complete withdrawal from all international affairs and trade.

B) A unilateral policy of engagement through economic and diplomatic means while avoiding binding alliances.

C) Aggressive military expansion to establish a global empire.

D) Full participation in collective security agreements and international organizations.

Correct Answer: B

The provided text states that the U.S. "pursued a unilateral foreign policy that used international investment, peace treaties, and select military intervention to promote an international order, even while maintaining U.S. isolationism." This describes a policy of selective engagement on its own terms, not complete withdrawal or full international cooperation.

The U.S. foreign policy of the 1920s presented a paradox because the nation simultaneously sought to:

A) Encourage global trade while imposing high tariffs on all imported goods.

B) Promote an international order through its own actions while formally maintaining a policy of isolationism.

C) Build up its military for intervention while signing treaties that outlawed war.

D) Advocate for self-determination for other nations while expanding its own colonial holdings.

Correct Answer: B

The content highlights this contradiction by stating the U.S. used tools like investment and treaties "to promote an international order, even while maintaining U.S. isolationism." This shows an effort to shape the world (promote order) while avoiding the political entanglements (isolationism) that come with formal alliances.

According to the provided text, what was the predominant American attitude toward the aggression of Nazi Germany and Japan for most of the 1930s?

A) Strong support for immediate military intervention.

B) General indifference, as events in Europe and Asia were seen as irrelevant.

C) Opposition to taking military action against the aggressor nations.

D) A desire to provide economic aid to Germany and Japan to promote peace.

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly states, "In the 1930s, most Americans opposed taking military action against the aggression of Nazi Germany and Japan..."

Which event served as the primary catalyst for shifting American public opinion from a policy of non-intervention to direct involvement in World War II?

A) The rise of Nazi Germany.

B) The signing of peace treaties in the 1920s.

C) The use of international investment as a foreign policy tool.

D) The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Correct Answer: D

The content specifies that American opposition to military action lasted "until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew the United States into World War II," identifying it as the turning point.

The widespread American opposition to military action in the 1930s reflects a dominant attitude that the nation's proper role was to:

A) Act as a global police force to stop aggression.

B) Focus on domestic issues and avoid entanglement in foreign wars.

C) Use its economic power to influence international events without military force.

D) Form a strong military alliance with other democracies.

Correct Answer: B

This question connects the specific attitude from the 1930s to the broader theme of the nation's role. The opposition to military action against foreign aggression is a clear expression of an isolationist stance, which prioritizes domestic concerns and avoids being drawn into conflicts abroad.

In the years following World War I, the United States used all of the following to promote its vision of an international order EXCEPT:

A) International investment.

B) Peace treaties.

C) Select military intervention.

D) Membership in the League of Nations.

Correct Answer: D

The text lists "international investment, peace treaties, and select military intervention" as tools of U.S. policy. The phrase "maintaining U.S. isolationism" refers to the well-known U.S. rejection of binding political commitments like membership in the League of Nations.

The foreign policy described for the post-World War I era suggests a fundamental difference in attitude between those who favored:

A) Economic expansion and those who favored military conquest.

B) Unilateral action and those who supported collective security through international bodies.

C) Supporting democracies and those who supported authoritarian regimes.

D) Intervention in Europe and those who focused solely on Asia.

Correct Answer: B

The text describes a "unilateral foreign policy" while "maintaining U.S. isolationism." This approach stands in direct contrast to a multilateral approach, such as joining the League of Nations, which is based on collective security. This reflects a key debate about the nation's proper role in the world.

How did the basis of U.S. foreign policy in the 1920s differ from the public sentiment that dominated the 1930s, according to the text?

A) The 1920s policy was actively interventionist, while the 1930s sentiment was purely isolationist.

B) The 1920s policy used non-military means to shape world events, while the 1930s sentiment rejected any involvement, even non-military.

C) The 1920s policy involved proactive, unilateral engagement, while the 1930s sentiment was a reactive opposition to military entanglement.

D) The 1920s policy was based on international cooperation, while the 1930s sentiment favored unilateral military action.

Correct Answer: C

In the 1920s, the U.S. proactively used tools like investment and treaties to create a favorable international order on its own terms ("unilateral"). In the 1930s, the dominant attitude was a more passive and reactive stance, specifically opposing military responses to the aggression of other nations, which is a hallmark of isolationism.

A continuity in American attitudes about its role in the world from the 1920s through the 1930s was a strong desire to:

A) Use the military to acquire new territories.

B) Promote American business interests abroad through investment.

C) Avoid being drawn into major foreign wars.

D) Create a global democratic alliance.

Correct Answer: C

The policy of "maintaining U.S. isolationism" in the 1920s and the popular opposition to "taking military action" in the 1930s both demonstrate a consistent underlying desire to avoid entanglement in another large-scale conflict like World War I.