At the close of 1916, after more than two years of fighting during World War I, neither side was close to victory.
Explanation:
1. True: Both the Allied Powers (including countries like France, Russia, and the United Kingdom) and the Central Powers (including Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) had been engaged in a stalemate with no clear victory in sight by the end of 1916.
2. Factors contributing to the lack of a clear victory included the development of trench warfare, which led to a deadlock on the Western Front with neither side gaining significant ground, as well as the costly battles that resulted in heavy casualties without decisive outcomes.
3. The battles of Verdun and the Somme in 1916, among others, highlighted the immense human cost of the war and the challenges faced by both sides in achieving a breakthrough.
4. The situation in 1916 set the stage for further conflict and developments in the war, eventually leading to the continuation of hostilities until the war's conclusion in 1918.
Therefore, the statement that neither side was close to victory at the close of 1916 is true based on the historical context of World War I during that period.
