Question

1. why was the u.s. taken completely by surprise by the attack on pearl harbor? the u.s. was not at war with japan. japan had relatively few war planes. the u.s. had been preparing for an attack on the philippines. japan was not able to reach hawaii with its aircraft carriers.

Explanation:

To determine why the U.S. was surprised by the Pearl Harbor attack, we analyze each option:

• Option 1: Before the attack, the U.S. and Japan were not at war, so the U.S. didn't expect a direct attack, making this a valid reason.
• Option 2: Japan had a significant number of war planes for the attack, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: Preparing for a Philippines attack doesn't explain surprise at Pearl Harbor, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: Japan successfully reached Hawaii with aircraft carriers for the attack, so this is incorrect.

Answer:

A. The U.S. was not at war with Japan.