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AP Modern World History Practice Quiz: Mass Atrocities After 1900

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

According to the provided text, the Nazi killing of the Jews during World War II is a primary example of which phenomenon?

All Questions (9)

According to the provided text, the Nazi killing of the Jews during World War II is a primary example of which phenomenon?

A) A successful popular revolution against a monarchy.

B) An atrocity resulting from the rise of an extremist group to power.

C) A conflict over colonial territories and resources.

D) A religious war between two established states.

Correct Answer: B

The text explicitly states that 'The rise of extremist groups in power led to the attempted destruction of specific populations, notably the Nazi killing of the Jews in the Holocaust during World War II'.

Which of the following events, occurring in the late 1970s, is cited as an example of genocide or the attempted destruction of a specific population?

A) The Holocaust in Europe.

B) The targeting of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

C) The mass atrocities in Cambodia.

D) The genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Correct Answer: C

The provided content specifically lists 'Cambodia during the late 1970s' as an example of genocide or ethnic violence.

Based on the text, what is identified as a primary cause for the mass atrocities that occurred in the 20th century?

A) The decline of global empires.

B) The rise of extremist groups to positions of power.

C) The failure of international trade agreements.

D) The rapid spread of new communication technologies.

Correct Answer: B

The text directly links the cause and effect: 'The rise of extremist groups in power led to the attempted destruction of specific populations...'

The targeting of the Tutsi in Rwanda, Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and Jews during the Holocaust all serve as examples of which of the following historical processes?

A) Cold War proxy conflicts.

B) Anti-colonial independence movements.

C) Genocide or ethnic violence.

D) State-led industrialization projects.

Correct Answer: C

The text groups these events together as 'Examples of genocide, ethnic violence, or attempted destruction of specific populations.'

According to the provided examples, which group was targeted during the genocide in Rwanda?

A) The Khmer Rouge

B) The Armenians

C) The Hutu

D) The Tutsi

Correct Answer: D

The text explicitly mentions the attempted destruction of the 'Tutsi in Rwanda' as an example of genocide.

A historian arguing that state ideology was a key factor in 20th-century mass atrocities would find the most direct support in which statement from the text?

A) Mass atrocities occurred in the period from 1900 to the present.

B) Examples include events in Cambodia during the late 1970s.

C) The rise of extremist groups in power led to the attempted destruction of specific populations.

D) Consequences of mass atrocities were varied.

Correct Answer: C

This statement provides the core argument linking a political cause (extremist groups in power, which are driven by ideology) to the outcome (destruction of populations), which directly supports the historian's thesis.

The text lists all of the following as locations of genocide or ethnic violence EXCEPT:

A) The Ottoman Empire

B) The Soviet Union

C) Rwanda

D) The British Raj

Correct Answer: D

The text provides examples of atrocities concerning Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, Ukraine in the Soviet Union, and Tutsi in Rwanda. The British Raj is not mentioned in the provided content.

Which of the following best synthesizes the main argument presented in the text about the relationship between political power and mass atrocities after 1900?

A) Mass atrocities are an inevitable consequence of warfare between nations.

B) The acquisition of state control by groups with radical ideologies was a precondition for several major genocides.

C) Ethnic violence primarily occurs in newly independent states struggling with post-colonial turmoil.

D) The international community was largely successful in preventing mass atrocities through diplomacy.

Correct Answer: B

The text's central thesis is that 'The rise of extremist groups in power led to' these atrocities. This synthesizes the cause (extremist/radical groups gaining state control) and the effect (genocide) presented across all the examples.

The mention of 'Ukraine in the Soviet Union' serves as an example of which of the following concepts?

A) A successful democratic transition.

B) A conflict driven by decolonization.

C) The attempted destruction of a specific population by a state.

D) A civil war between two equal political factions.

Correct Answer: C

The text includes 'Ukraine in the Soviet Union' in its list of 'Examples of genocide, ethnic violence, or attempted destruction of specific populations,' indicating it fits this category.