Name: _____________________________
Nonfiction Reading Test
Maginot Line
Directions: Read
the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer to the text
to check your answers when appropriate.
|
The Maginot Line was
one of the largest military structures ever built, second only to the Great
Wall of China. It was a series of bunkers, forts, turrets, and obstacles that
spanned more than 450 miles of France's border with Germany. Built between
1930 and 1940, it was one of the world's most impressive forts, yet it proved
to be almost useless.
The Maginot Line was
named after the man who argued for its construction, French Minister of War
Andr� Maginot. Andr� Maginot had fought with the French against the Germans in the
First World War. Much of this conflict took place along the Western Front,
which was a line of trenches across which the two sides faced one another.
Both sides dug in deep and each lost many men over little ground.
Conditions were horrid for all and there was a stalemate for many
years as neither side was able to move the other.
Maginot never forgot
these awful conditions. He wanted to build a line of defenses that would give
the French an advantage in a similar conflict. He feared, rightfully so, that
the Germans would attack France again. Germany's population nearly doubled
France's. The line of defenses that Maginot pictured would allow a smaller
French army to hold off a larger German force. In 1929, Maginot convinced the
French Parliament to fund his vision.
Though calling it a
line makes it seem thin, the Maginot Line was in fact quite deep. It was
fifteen miles wide at some points and varied in structure. There were
outposts disguised as houses. These were manned by troops and rigged with
explosives. There were antitank rails and obstacles. These were planted in
the ground to prevent tanks and trucks from passing. There were bunkers armed
with mounted machine guns and anti-tank guns. These were for pushing back
attackers. And there were many large and small fortresses along the line.
Each had mess halls, lots of supplies, and air conditioning. The Maginot line
would give the French a supreme edge in the case of a head-on invasion by the
Germans.
|
Unfortunately for the
French, the Germans did not attack head-on. They positioned a decoy army in
front of the line to distract the French. While the French waited, the
Germans snuck a larger force through Belgium. Belgium is France's northeastern
neighbor. The French did have some defenses along their border with Belgium,
but this part of the Maginot line was weak. The Germans made quick work of
these defenses. Within five days of their initial attack they were well into
France.
Once they were in
France, the Germans attempted to seize the main forts along the Maginot Line.
They were not successful. The forts had proved to be strong, but they failed
to hold back the Germans. The Germans had taken Paris, France's capital city.
Soon after the French commander ordered his men to stand down. He commanded
the French defenders to leave their bases along the Maginot Line. These
soldiers were then taken to POW camps.
While the Maginot Line
did not work in the way that the French had hoped, they did benefit by having
built it. Belgium and England were strong allies. England had pledged to
protect Belgium. Belgium declared itself a neutral country, one which wanted
to stay out of wars. When Germany invaded Belgium to bypass the Maginot Line,
they violated Belgium's neutrality. This led to England entering the war
sooner.
Though the Maginot Line is no longer used militarily, many of the buildings remain. Some of the forts are now wine cellars or mushroom farms. One was turned into a disco club. Today the Maginot Line is often used as a metaphor. People may refer to a failed project in which someone placed a lot of hope as a Maginot Line. Also, the Maginot Line lives on as the best-known symbol of the common saying that "generals always fight the last war." |
1. Which of the
following statements is true?
a. The Maginot Line
provided absolutely no benefit to the French.
b. The Maginot Line is
still used by the French army today.
c. Maginot's experiences
during WWI led to his support for the line.
d. The French were
betrayed by the Belgians during World War II.
C
2. Which best expresses
the author's purpose in writing the fourth paragraph?
a. To persuade readers
that the Maginot Line was not at all thin.
b. To inform readers of
the types of defenses along the Maginot Line.
c. To describe what the
inside of the Maginot Line looked like.
d. To compare and
contrast defenses along the Maginot Line.
B
3. Which best describes
the weakness of the Maginot Line?
a. It was built from
cheap material and could not resist attack.
b. Poor screening let
spies take control of the forts from within.
c. The line was not
fortified along France's border with Belgium.
d. The French
underestimated the power of newer German tanks.
C
4. Which of the
following is a false statement?
a. Andr� Maginot fought against the French in the First World War.
b. Andr� Maginot served as the Minister of War for France.
c. The Maginot
Line is named after Andr� Maginot.
d. After WWI, Andr� Maginot believed that Germany would attack France again.
A (he fought for France,
not Germany)
5. Which best explains
why Andr� Maginot wanted to build up France's defense
rather than their offense?
a. After WWI, France and
Germany became history's greatest allies.
b. France needed protection
from the Germans and the hostile Belgians.
c. Maginot feared that
French commanders might invade Germany if they had the power.
d. France had far fewer
people than Germany and needed to save manpower.
D
6. Which best defines
the meaning of the word stalemate as it is used in the second paragraph?
a. When troops lose
morale because they miss their families
b. When two sides are
locked in a draw
c. When breathing is
made difficult by foul odors
d. When one side has a
large advantage over the other
B
7. Which best expresses
the main idea of the last paragraph of this text?
a. It describes how the
Maginot Line is still used today.
b. It restates the main
points of the text.
c. It discusses how the
French used the Maginot Line during World War II.
d. It explains how the
Maginot Line is used as a symbol.
A
8. How did the French
lose control of the Maginot Line?
a. The Germans overtook
the fortresses with military power.
b. The Germans tunneled
into the fortresses using new technology.
c. The French were
starved out of the fortresses by German siege.
d. The French
surrendered the fortresses.
D
9. Which was not
part of Germany's strategy to invade France in World War II?
a. Position a decoy
force in front of the Maginot Line
b. Sneak troops into
France by tunneling underneath the Maginot Line
c. Bring a large army
through Belgium
d. Move very quickly
B
10. Which title best
expresses the main idea of this text?
a. Undefeatable: How
the Maginot Line Became the World's Strongest Fortress
b. Andr� Maginot: France's Greatest Patriot
c. Strong as the
Weakest Link: The Mighty Maginot Wall and Its Shortcomings
d. Blood Feud: The
History of War Between France and Germany
C
No comments:
Post a Comment