Which battle involved the Marine defense of Wake Island after the attack on Pearl Harbor?

• A. Battle of Tarawa
• B. Battle of Wake Island
• C. Battle of Guadalcanal
• D. Battle of Belleau Wood

Answer: (B)

This question tests recognizing the early Pacific battles where Marines defended a key outpost right after Pearl Harbor. The stand on Wake Island was the Marine defense against a Japanese assault from December 1941, with U.S. Marines and civilian personnel holding out for about two weeks before the island fell. That defense became a powerful symbol of American resolve early in the war, illustrating how entrenched positions could delay an enemy and boost morale despite eventual surrender.

Other battles listed took place in different places or times: Tarawa happened in 1943 as a brutal island assault in the Gilbert Islands; Guadalcanal was a major campaign in the Solomon Islands during 1942–43; Belleau Wood was a World War I battle in 1918 in France.