Question

Which factors contradict the claim that few people outside of the ranks of Nazi leadership knew of the Holocaust before the liberation of concentration camp prisoners by Allied forces in 1945?

Correct:
Incorrect:

1. The soldiers responsible for the capture and deportation of Jewish communities in Nazi-held areas openly discussed the existence of death camps.
2. There were nearly 42,000 extermination camps, ghettos, and slave-labor sites throughout Nazi-controlled Europe.
3. Only elite SS officers participated in mass killings of Jewish prisoners.
4. The construction, maintenance, and provisioning of concentration camps required support from local communities.
5. Survivors like Primo Levi published detailed accounts of their experiences in the death camps.
6. The Polish government-in-exile sent an envoy to the United States to report on Nazi plans of genocide.

Answer 1

Correct:
2, 4, 6
Incorrect:
1, 3, 5

Answer 2

Correct (these contradict the “few people knew” claim)
1. The soldiers responsible... — True in effect: perpetrators, local police, transport personnel and collaborators who carried out roundups and deportations knew what was happening and rumors about “death camps” circulated; that shows knowledge extended beyond top leadership.
2. There were nearly 42,000 extermination camps, ghettos, and slave‑labor sites... — The figure is often cited (more precisely: tens of thousands of camps, ghettos and forced‑labor sites when counted together) and, while calling them all “extermination camps” is misleading, the sheer scale and geographic spread makes secrecy from local populations and many officials implausible.
4. The construction, maintenance, and provisioning... — True: rail workers, local administrations, suppliers, civilian contractors and camp guards were involved in the camp system, implying broader awareness and participation beyond elite SS leaders.
6. The Polish government‑in‑exile sent an envoy... — True: the Polish government‑in‑exile and couriers (e.g., Jan Karski) relayed eyewitness reports of mass murder to Allied governments in 1942–43, which contradicts the idea that almost nobody outside Nazi leadership knew.

Incorrect (these do not contradict the claim)
3. Only elite SS officers participated... — False: mass killings involved a wide range of perpetrators (SS, Ordnungspolizei, Einsatzgruppen, auxiliaries, local collaborators), so the statement would support the “few people knew” claim only if it were true, but it isn’t.
5. Survivors like Primo Levi published detailed accounts... — While survivor testimony is crucial, Primo Levi’s well‑known accounts were published after liberation (Levi’s If This Is a Man appeared in 1947). Post‑liberation publications do not show widespread pre‑liberation public knowledge.