Lesson 2K.1.1

2K.1.1 Great Power rivalries and entry into war, c1890–1917 Quiz: AQA History, Unit 21

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 2K.1.1, Great Power rivalries and entry into war, c1890–1917: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA History (7042), Unit 21: 2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which alliance, formed in 1879, bound Germany to Austria-Hungary by c1900?

    • The Anglo-French Entente
    • The Franco-Russian Alliance
    • The Dual Alliance
    • The Triple Entente

  2. Which two powers, alongside Britain, made up the Triple Entente by 1907?

    • Germany and Austria-Hungary
    • France and Austria-Hungary
    • Italy and the Ottoman Empire
    • France and Russia

  3. Which Great Power was a liberal democracy in c1890-1900 according to the specification?

    • Germany
    • Britain
    • Austria-Hungary
    • Russia

  4. Which event triggered the July Crisis of 1914?

    • The Agadir Crisis of 1911
    • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo
    • The Bosnian Crisis of 1908
    • The Russo-Polish War of 1920

  5. Which military plan involved a rapid German invasion of Belgium and France in 1914?

    • The Anaconda Plan
    • The Schlieffen Plan
    • The Dawes Plan
    • The Zimmermann Plan

  6. Which crisis of 1908-1909 followed Austria-Hungary's annexation of a Balkan territory?

    • The Tangier Crisis
    • The Second Balkan War
    • The First Moroccan Crisis
    • The Bosnian Crisis

  7. Which crisis of 1911 involved a German gunboat sent to the Moroccan port of Agadir?

    • The Agadir Crisis
    • The Tangier Crisis of 1905
    • The Bosnian Crisis
    • The Sarajevo Crisis

  8. Germany's Schlieffen Plan required a rapid invasion of which neutral country to attack France?

    • Denmark
    • The Netherlands
    • Switzerland
    • Belgium

  9. A historian argues that Germany's alliance with Austria-Hungary made a Balkan conflict more dangerous. Which feature best supports this view?

    • Russia's alliance with Japan
    • Germany's trade agreements with Britain
    • The mediation of the League of Nations
    • Germany's unconditional backing of Austria-Hungary in any dispute

  10. Which power's economic position was being challenged by a rising German economy by 1900?

    • Austria-Hungary
    • The Ottoman Empire
    • Italy
    • Britain

  11. The Schlieffen Plan envisaged defeating France within roughly how long before turning east?

    • About six days
    • About six months
    • About six weeks
    • About six years

  12. During the Agadir Crisis of 1911, which two powers' rivalry over Morocco was at the centre of the dispute?

    • Italy and Austria-Hungary
    • France and Germany
    • Britain and Russia
    • Spain and the Ottoman Empire

  13. Why were the First and Second Balkan Wars (1912-1913) significant for the Great Powers?

    • They removed the Ottoman Empire from Europe entirely
    • They led directly to the British declaration of war
    • They ended the Triple Alliance
    • They raised tension by shifting the Balkan balance of power

  14. Which decision most directly brought Britain into the general European war in August 1914?

    • Declaring war after Germany invaded Belgium
    • Declaring war after the assassination at Sarajevo
    • Withdrawing from the Entente with France
    • Joining the Triple Alliance

  15. Which motive is most associated with Italy's entry into the war on the Allied side in 1915?

    • Hopes of gaining territory from Austria-Hungary
    • Obligations under the Dual Alliance
    • Defence of Belgian neutrality
    • Support for Russian expansion in the Balkans

  16. Which factor was a major reason for the entry of the USA into the war in 1917?

    • Britain's naval building programme of 1889
    • Russia's withdrawal from the Triple Entente
    • German unrestricted submarine warfare against shipping
    • The First Balkan War of 1912

  17. Which factor best explains why the July Crisis escalated into a general European war rather than remaining a Balkan conflict?

    • Interlocking alliances and rigid mobilisation timetables
    • The unanimous decision of a League of Nations to intervene
    • Britain's rapid withdrawal from the Entente
    • Serbia's acceptance of every Austro-Hungarian demand

  18. Which sequence best reflects the stages by which the July Crisis escalated in 1914?

    • Ultimatum, assassination, Russian peace treaty, Italian war
    • Assassination, ultimatum, Russian and German mobilisation, war declarations
    • Balkan Wars, Agadir Crisis, Bosnian Crisis, assassination
    • Assassination, Schlieffen Plan, Balkan Wars, Dual Alliance

  19. Which Great Power's naval building programme in the early 1900s provoked a naval race with Britain?

    • France
    • Germany
    • Austria-Hungary
    • Russia

  20. Which best describes the 'Scramble for Africa' as a source of rivalry in c1890-1900?

    • Competition among European powers for African colonies
    • A Russian drive to annex Ottoman territory in North Africa
    • A League of Nations system to share African territory
    • A campaign led by the USA to end the slave trade in West Africa

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