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Pearl Harbor: Day of Infamy Trivia Quiz

December 7th,1941 will forever be remembered as a day of imfamy.

A multiple-choice quiz by beterave. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
beterave

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
332,651

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1612

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 67 (8/10), Guest 67 (9/10), Guest 104 (7/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. War between the the United States and the Empire of Japan seemed inevitable. Where did the United States expect the Japanese to strike first? Hint

Midway Islands

Guam Island

Philippines Islands

Wake Island

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. What was the majority mood of the American public prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor? Hint

it is unclear

hawkish

isolationist

clearly divided

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Question 3 of 10

3. What did the Japanese call the operation that was to attack Pearl Harbor? Hint

operation C

Operation P

Operation Z

Operation H

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Question 4 of 10

4. Who was in command of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl harbor on the morning of December 7th, 1941? Hint

Admiral Halsey

Admiral Kelly

Admiral Nimitz

Admiral Kimmel

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which US destroyer sighted a Japanese submarine on the morning of December 7th, 1941? Hint

USS Cassidy

USS Ward

USS Burton

USS Morgan

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Question 6 of 10

6. Why were the aircraft on the airfields parked side by side on December 7th, 1941? Hint

for an upcoming inspection

it was regulation

to prevent sabotage

for parade purposes

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Question 7 of 10

7. A US radar station at Opana Point detected the oncoming first wave of Japanese planes. Why was this warning ignored? Hint

It was assumed to be an incoming flight of US B-17s.

The duty officer was asleep

No one on duty received the warning

The radar technicians ignored the signal

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. Where did the majority of the deaths occur during the attack on Pearl Harbor? Hint

at Ford island Naval base

at Hickam Field

aboard the USS Arizona

aboard the USS Oklahoma

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Question 9 of 10

9. The Japanese failed to destroy any of the US carriers based at Pearl Harbor. Were they aware that they were not in port? Hint

No, their spy network made a huge mistake

There was no Japanese spy network operating there

It is unclear what their spy network reported

Yes, their spy network told them they were not in port

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Why did the Japanese fail to launch another strike after the initial strike at Pearl Harbor? Hint

Nagumo felt it was unnecessary

The first wave lost too many planes

No one recommended another strike

Nagumo did not wish to risk his fleet

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 08 2024 : Guest 67: 8/10
Dec 08 2024 : Guest 67: 9/10
Dec 05 2024 : Guest 104: 7/10
Dec 05 2024 : Guest 104: 9/10
Dec 04 2024 : Guest 75: 9/10
Dec 04 2024 : Guest 72: 9/10
Dec 01 2024 : Guest 107: 3/10
Nov 30 2024 : Guest 12: 3/10
Nov 25 2024 : Guest 72: 9/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. War between the the United States and the Empire of Japan seemed inevitable. Where did the United States expect the Japanese to strike first?

Answer: Philippines Islands

US Naval intelligence expected an attack in the Philippines first if hostilities broke out between the two countries. No one believed Pearl Harbor was within reach of an attack despite the fact that it was proved it was vulnerable by a carrier strike during war games.

2. What was the majority mood of the American public prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Answer: isolationist

Prior to Pearl Harbor the majority of the American people were isolationist and wanted no part in another war. Many sympathized with the Allies and wanted to help, but the majority wanted no part in another European war.

3. What did the Japanese call the operation that was to attack Pearl Harbor?

Answer: Operation Z

The Japanese Combined Fleet (Kido Butai) that was assembled to attack Pearl Harbor was called Operation Z. It centered around the carriers Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu, Shokaku, Soryu, and the Zuikaku.

4. Who was in command of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl harbor on the morning of December 7th, 1941?

Answer: Admiral Kimmel

Admiral Husband Kimmel was in command of the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on the morning of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Regretfully, he was also made the scapegoat along with General Short for this disaster.

5. Which US destroyer sighted a Japanese submarine on the morning of December 7th, 1941?

Answer: USS Ward

The USS Ward (DD-139) sighted a midget submarine on the morning of December 7th. The USS Ward is given credit with firing the first shots at the Japanese by America in WWII.

6. Why were the aircraft on the airfields parked side by side on December 7th, 1941?

Answer: to prevent sabotage

The aircraft at Bellows, Ford, and Hickam Airfields were parked side by side in order to prevent sabotage. No one believed an attack was possible, but sabotage was possible. Instead, the neatly parked aircraft made excellent targets for the Japanese Zeros.

7. A US radar station at Opana Point detected the oncoming first wave of Japanese planes. Why was this warning ignored?

Answer: It was assumed to be an incoming flight of US B-17s.

The radar technicians had never seen such a large signal and passed the information to the officer on duty. The officer on duty assumed it was an incoming and scheduled flight of B-17s arriving from the mainland.

8. Where did the majority of the deaths occur during the attack on Pearl Harbor?

Answer: aboard the USS Arizona

The majority of the deaths occurred aboard the USS Arizona. A Japanese dive bomber scored a hit on the battleship igniting a magazine. Over 1,000 crew members perished.

9. The Japanese failed to destroy any of the US carriers based at Pearl Harbor. Were they aware that they were not in port?

Answer: Yes, their spy network told them they were not in port

The Japanese had an extensive spy network operating out of Hawaii. The Japanese spy network informed them that the Enterprise, Lexington and Saratoga were not in port days before the attack. Despite this, they decided to proceed with the attack.

10. Why did the Japanese fail to launch another strike after the initial strike at Pearl Harbor?

Answer: Nagumo did not wish to risk his fleet

Admiral Nagumo did not launch another strike despite being informed that another one was necessary because he did not wish to risk his fleet. In hindsight, his judgment was sound because he had no idea where the US carriers were.

Source: Author beterave

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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