DSST History of the Vietnam War Exam Practice Test 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Dien Bien Phu marked the end of the French colonial rule in Vietnam. The best way to explain Dien Bien Phu is:
- where French and Viet Minh leaders met to discuss French preparations to leave Vietnam
- battle in which combined Viet Cong and Viet Minh forces overwhelmed the French position with a flanking action combined with a heavy artillery barrag
- battle in which the Viet Cong were defeated by their Viet Minh counterparts
- Attacking Viet Minh forces tunneled behind the French defences and overran the French position. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Attacking Viet Minh forces tunneled behind the French defences and overran the French position.
Explanation: <br> An important concept to know is that Ho Chi Minh’s original guerrilla army was termed the Viet Minh. The Viet Cong (or Vietcong) was a term used much later when the Americans had arrived in the country. While both terms refer to Ho’s guerrilla fighters, the use of one term will define the struggle against the French and the other will describe the conflict against the Americans.
Question 2: Despite American training and equipment, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam is unable to combat the Viet Cong insurgency. With increasing strength and influence, the Viet Cong announced the formation of the National Liberation Front (NLF), which would serve as the...
- Augment from US military forces
- Political arm of Viet Cong (Correct answer)
- Regular army of Viet Cong
- Guerilla combatants of Viet Cong
Correct answer: Political arm of Viet Cong
Explanation: <br> The National Liberation Front served as political arm of the communist Viet Cong to put an end to Diem regime. Yes, NLF is not an army or combatants. And, no, this is not the National Football League in the USA.
Question 3: The colonial French were reinstated as Vietnam's rulers:
- by eliminating the armies of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) at Dien Bien Phu
- because Ho Chi Minh believed that the French would keep Vietnam's economy stable in the postwar years
- Ho Chi Minh and his followers consented to the provisions of a French-Vietnamese agreement. (Correct answer)
- The Great Powers of Britain, France, and the United States agreed to work together to combat the Japanese occupiers of Vietnam.
Correct answer: Ho Chi Minh and his followers consented to the provisions of a French-Vietnamese agreement.
Explanation: <br> The situation in Vietnam at the end of World War II was muddled, to say the least. Ho probably made the smart move in compromising with the French colonialists so that he could get rid of Chiang’s Chinese forces who occupied the north. The British were in control of the country below the 16th parallel. Ho regarded French colonial rule as the least of all evils, knowing it would be temporary, and because he gained considerable autonomy for Vietnam with the agreement
Question 4: When the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin, the Vietnam War escalated. As a result, this President issued orders to bomb North Vietnam in a systematic manner.
- President John F. Kennedy
- President Lyndon Johnson (Correct answer)
- President Ronald Reagan
- President Richard Nixon
Correct answer: President Lyndon Johnson
Explanation: <br> The question's challenge here is to recall when USS Maddox was sent. Remember that the vessel was sent for an intelligent mission following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. So the will be his successor President Lyndon Johnson.
Question 5: The French commanders at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu were confident that they could defeat the Viet Minh and begin peace talks because:
- They felt that the Viet Minh would be unable to provide food, weapons, and other military supplies to their forces due to overextended supply lines. (Correct answer)
- they (the French) vastly outnumbered the Viet forces
- They were well "dug in" and fought from a stronghold with plenty of artillery.
- They were a more capable and well-trained fighting force.
Correct answer: They felt that the Viet Minh would be unable to provide food, weapons, and other military supplies to their forces due to overextended supply lines.
Explanation: <br> The French command was significantly outnumbered at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, so “B” would be the wrong choice. The French also respected the fighting abilities of their foes and considered them a match for their own experienced forces; therefore, answer “D” is a false statement. While option “C” is a largely true statement, the Viet Minh were also entrenched around the hillsides and had artillery at their disposal. In fact, the Viets had accomplished a miracle of supply; they had plenty of ammo, artillery, and fighters, and were very well supplied. Answer “A” is the right answer; that’s what the French believed. They were wrong, of course.
Question 6: The Vietnamese communists' Tet Offensive failed to overturn the South Vietnamese government, but it was considered a strategic victory for the North because...
- It was a crucial turning point as the Communist Republic of China finally recognize North Vietnam
- Subsequent treaties were signed splitting North and South Vietnam along the 17th parallel latitude
- The coordinated surprise attack drove the final wedge in the unstable alliance between the South Vietnam and United States (Correct answer)
- Viet Cong troops reoccupy their lost territory with workforce and supplies delivered via Ho Minh Trail through Cambodia and Lao
Correct answer: The coordinated surprise attack drove the final wedge in the unstable alliance between the South Vietnam and United States
Explanation: <br> The massive surprise attack, Tet Offensive, by North Vietnamese was a turning point to the unstable alliance between U.S. and South Vietnam as Americans changed their perception on war drawing withdrawal of support to South Vietnam. Although the North was not successful in reacquiring territories and getting resources, it was a first step in changing the war.
Question 7: Operation Vulture could have changed the tide in favor of the surrounded French soldiers at Dien Bien Phu if it had been successful. The code name for Operation Vulture was:
- Foreign Legion fighters carried out a specialized tactical operation to break the Viet Minh chain of command by assassinating General Giap.
- a canceled French military operation in which 30,000 more French, Algerian, and British troops would parachute into a position to assault General Giap's army from behind
- General Eisenhower's intention to dispatch 200 bombers from Manila to annihilate Giap's army. (Correct answer)
- an attempt by the British to counter Giap's attacks on the French position by strafing Viet Minh ranks with fast British Spitfires
Correct answer: General Eisenhower's intention to dispatch 200 bombers from Manila to annihilate Giap's army.
Explanation: <br> General Eisenhower ultimately decided against implementing a plan to send 200 bombers from Manila to destroy Giap’s forces.
Question 8: Vietnam acquiesced to foreign authority at first, but eventually fought back. Political upheavals against French reliance and Japanese occupation, as well as communist insurgency, erupted as a result. What fundamental changes in Vietnam's political landscape occurred after World War II, when the monarchy was abolished?
- Chinese dynasties began to govern the Vietnamese
- Japanese empire gained control over Vietnam
- The first election in Vietnam was held
- Vietnam was proclaimed a republic (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Vietnam was proclaimed a republic
Explanation: <br> So use your visuals here, when do these events took place? Well, after the end monarchial regime in Vietnam, the Republic of Vietnam was finally established. For this type of questions, your familiarity with the significant events will give you the right . Before World War II, Vietnam is under domination of the French. It falls on the hands of Japanese forces during the war but through the resistance of communist group founded by Ho Chi Minh, he freed the country from colonialism and proclaimed establishment of Republic of Vietnam.
Question 9: The country of Vietnam was divided at the 16th parallel for the following reasons:
- the people of South Vietnam preferred the traditional French colonial government to government by the Viet Minh leaders and wanted a country apart from the North
- American officials at the Geneva Conference insisted on a separate Buddhist state
- of an agreement signed between the Great Powers at the Geneva Conference of 1954 (Correct answer)
- the French offensive stalled there
Correct answer: of an agreement signed between the Great Powers at the Geneva Conference of 1954
Explanation: <br> The country was partitioned merely as the result of an agreement between the major powers. However, the United States was not a signatory to the Geneva agreement, leaving open the option of future military aid to South Vietnam.
DSST History of the Vietnam War Exam Practice Test 2
Dien Bien Phu marked the end of the French colonial rule in Vietnam.
The best way to explain Dien Bien Phu is: