In 1941 America had a surplus of oil totaling how many barrels per day?

• A. 1.8 million
• B. 3.7 million
• C. 5.0 million
• D. 2.2 million

Answer: (B)

The main idea being tested is how large the United States’ daily oil surplus was in 1941—the amount produced beyond what the country consumed each day. In that year, production was high enough that the excess over domestic needs was about 3.7 million barrels per day. This sizeable surplus meant the U.S. could supply oil to allies and stockpile for wartime needs even before entering World War II, highlighting the country’s immense oil-producing capacity at the time. Other figures would imply a noticeably smaller or larger gap between production and domestic use, but the commonly cited historical measure of the surplus is around 3.7 million barrels per day.