Question

Which of the following can be used to investigate the reason the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sparked World War I?
• the nationality of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassin
• knowledge of the Schlieffen Plan
• the role that East African soldiers played in the war
the collapse of the alliance system

Answer 1

Yes — useful to investigate:
- the nationality of the assassin — yes. Princip’s Bosnian-Serb identity and links to Serbian nationalist groups (the Black Hand) help explain Austria-Hungary’s reaction and its blaming of Serbia.
- knowledge of the Schlieffen Plan — yes. The plan helps explain why Germany quickly attacked France through Belgium, turning a regional Austro-Serbian crisis into a wider European war.
- the collapse of the alliance system — yes. Mutual defense commitments and mobilization timetables among the great powers explain how a local conflict escalated into general war.

No — not useful for that question:
- the role that East African soldiers played in the war — no. That concerns conduct and personnel during the war, not the causes of why the assassination triggered a continent‑wide war.