Civics question 106 of 128

Why did the United States enter World War II?

Source: official USCIS question list for the 2025 version of the civics test. This site is independent and not affiliated with USCIS.

Background

Four answers are accepted: the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to support the Allied Powers, and to oppose the Axis Powers. Japan struck the naval base in Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941, killing about 2,400 Americans and destroying much of the Pacific fleet at anchor. Congress declared war on Japan the next day with a single dissenting vote, and Germany declared war on the United States three days later, which brought the country into the European fighting as well. Before that, opinion had run strongly against entry, though the country was already supplying Britain and the Soviet Union with weapons under Lend-Lease. Roughly sixteen million Americans served and just over 400,000 died.

This background section is written by US Citizenship Test Practice to explain the civics fact. It is not part of the USCIS question list, and the official answer above is the one to give at the interview.

Where this question sits

It is part of Recent American History and Other Important Historical Information, inside the American History section of the test.

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