Lesson Y9-U02-L02

The M.A.I.N. Causes of WW1 Quiz: KS3 History, Unit 15

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson Y9-U02-L02, The M.A.I.N. Causes of WW1: 20 multiple choice questions for the KS3 History (National Curriculum), Unit 15: Year 9: WW1 Causes, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What do the four letters of the acronym M.A.I.N. stand for?

    • Militarism, aggression, isolation, nationalism
    • Militarism, alliances, imperialism, nationalism
    • Monarchy, armaments, industry, neutrality
    • Mobilisation, autocracy, imperialism, navy

  2. What was a dreadnought?

    • Biplane bomber
    • Stealth submarine
    • Super-battleship
    • Armoured tank

  3. From which year did the dreadnought battleship date?

    • 1871
    • 1914
    • 1906
    • 1882

  4. What was the name of the German war plan for a two-front war?

    • Schlieffen Plan
    • Plan XVII
    • Bismarck Plan
    • Hindenburg Line

  5. Roughly how many men could Germany mobilise by 1914?

    • About 1 million
    • About 400,000
    • About 4 million
    • About 40 million

  6. Why did rigid military war plans make international crises harder to stop?

    • Treaties were illegal
    • Mobilisation meant war
    • Troops refused orders
    • Telephones were banned

  7. A country demands colonies for raw materials and markets and competes with rivals for them. Which M.A.I.N. cause is this?

    • Alliances
    • Nationalism
    • Militarism
    • Imperialism

  8. A subject people demands independence from an empire and rallies behind its own national identity. Which M.A.I.N. cause is this?

    • Nationalism
    • Alliances
    • Militarism
    • Imperialism

  9. What term describes European powers competing to build overseas colonies?

    • Militarism
    • Imperialism
    • Isolationism
    • Nationalism

  10. In which years did the two Moroccan Crises take place?

    • 1908 and 1912
    • 1890 and 1898
    • 1914 and 1918
    • 1905 and 1911

  11. What was the main effect of the Moroccan Crises on Britain and France?

    • Caused a naval war
    • Broke the Entente
    • Strengthened their alliance
    • Created a trade ban

  12. Which of these was NOT a key reason European powers wanted colonies?

    • Ending European alliances
    • Trade markets
    • National prestige
    • Raw materials

  13. What did Italy's failure to fight alongside Germany in 1914 demonstrate?

    • Treaties were unbreakable
    • Alliances were unpredictable
    • Italy had no army
    • Germany won instantly

  14. What term describes extreme pride in one's nation and a desire for independence?

    • Nationalism
    • Feudalism
    • Capitalism
    • Socialism

  15. Which European empire deeply feared losing its Slav populations in the Balkans?

    • Austria-Hungary
    • Germany
    • Great Britain
    • France

  16. What did Serbian nationalists aim to create in the Balkans?

    • United Ottoman Empire
    • Balkan Republic
    • Greater Serbia
    • Austrian province

  17. Which concept led Russia to protect fellow Slav peoples in the Balkans?

    • Mercantilism
    • Imperialism
    • Pan-Slavism
    • Absolutism

  18. Which M.A.I.N. cause describes the rivalry between Britain and Germany over battleships?

    • Militarism
    • Nationalism
    • Alliances
    • Imperialism

  19. Which term describes a historical cause that builds up slowly over many years?

    • Long-term cause
    • Immediate trigger
    • Short-term cause
    • Catalyst event

  20. Which long-term cause acted as the 'chain' that could spread a small Balkan quarrel across Europe?

    • Nationalism
    • Alliances
    • Imperialism
    • Militarism

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