Question 1

True or false: The United Nations authorized the use of force against Iraq in Resolution 678.

Accepted Answer

True. UN Resolution 678, passed in November 1990, authorized member states to use 'all necessary means' to eject Iraq from Kuwait.

Question 2

True or false: Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces during the 1991 Gulf War.

Accepted Answer

False. Saddam was not captured until December 2003, during the Iraq War. In 1991, he remained in power and escaped coalition forces.

Question 3

True or false: The Gulf War was the first major conflict where stealth aircraft were used in combat.

Accepted Answer

True. The F-117 Nighthawk first saw combat in the 1989 invasion of Panama, but the Gulf War was its first major deployment, where it struck high-value targets in Iraq with unprecedented precision.

Question 4

True or false: Iraq invaded Kuwait because Kuwait was overproducing oil and driving down prices.

Accepted Answer

True. Iraq accused Kuwait of slant-drilling and exceeding OPEC quotas, which hurt Iraq's oil revenues—a key reason for the invasion.

Question 5

True or false: The Gulf War's ground combat phase lasted 100 hours.

Accepted Answer

True. The ground offensive began February 24, 1991, and a ceasefire was declared on February 28, exactly 100 hours later, making it one of the shortest major ground wars.

Question 6

True or false: Iraq used chemical weapons against coalition troops during the 1991 war.

Accepted Answer

False. Iraq did not use chemical weapons in 1991; they had used them earlier against Iran and Kurds, but feared massive retaliation this time.

Question 7

True or false: The 'Highway of Death' was the nickname given to the road where retreating Iraqi forces were bombed by coalition aircraft during the 1991 Gulf War.

Accepted Answer

True. Highway 80, leading from Kuwait City toward Basra, was attacked by US-led coalition air forces as Iraqi troops fled Kuwait in February 1991, earning the grim moniker.

Question 8

True or false: The coalition included troops from every Arab nation except Egypt.

Accepted Answer

False. Egypt was a key coalition member, sending troops. Many Arab nations joined, but Iraq's allies like Jordan and Yemen did not.

Gulf War 1991 Trivia Questions