Question 26
From June 1948 to May 1949, the citizens of West Berlin were supplied by an airlift. What circumstance was responsible for this?
German original: Vom Juni 1948 bis zum Mai 1949 wurden die Bürgerinnen und Bürger von West-Berlin durch eine Luftbrücke versorgt. Welcher Umstand war dafür verantwortlich?. In the test, all questions are asked in German.
Answer options
- For France, supplying the population of West Berlin by plane was more cost-effective.
- The American soldiers were afraid of attacks during land transport.
- For Great Britain, airlift supplies were quicker.
- The Soviet Union suspended all land transport. — Correct answer
Explanation
The Soviet Union blockaded all land routes to West Berlin in 1948-1949. The Western Allies supplied the 2 million West Berliners via an airlift. The blockade failed and was lifted in May 1949.
Key terms in this question
- Berlin — Berlin is the capital and most populous federal state of Germany. It is the seat of the Bundestag, the Federal President, and the Federal Government.
- Which — An interrogative word used to ask about a selection from a group (e.g., 'Which party won?').
- answer / response — An answer is a reaction to a question or statement that provides the requested information. It can be spoken or written.
- was / became — 'Wurde' is the simple past form of the German auxiliary verb 'werden', used to form the passive voice or express becoming. For example: 'Das Gesetz wurde verabschiedet' means 'The law was passed'.'
- female citizens — Female citizens are women who hold the nationality of a country or permanently reside in a community, with rights and responsibilities.
- citizen — A citizen is a person who holds the nationality of a country and therefore has certain rights and duties, such as the right to vote.
- Which / Who — An interrogative pronoun used to ask about a specific person or thing from a group. It is used to request a selection or distinction.
- were (passive past tense) — 'Wurden' is the past passive form of the German verb 'werden'. It is used to describe something that happened to multiple people or things in the past, e.g., 'The laws were passed.'