Unit Test
Which statement from "John Redding Goes to Sea" best supports the idea that the author, Zora Neale Hurston, was an independent woman who longed to escape her small hometown?
a.) "Pa, when ah gets as big as you Ah'm goin' farther than them ships. Ah'm goin' to where the sky touches the ground."
Read the excerpt from Brown v. Board of Education. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education. Why does the Supreme Court assert this fact?
c.) to highlight the significance of equal access to education
Read the poem "If We Must Die" by Claude McKay. If we must die—let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot. If we must die—oh, let us nobly die So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe; Though far outnumbered, let us still be brave, And for their thousand blows deal one death-blow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but—fighting back! What sentence best conveys the speaker's message?
d.) Nonviolence is the only way to prevent bloodshed.
Langston Hughes yearns for equality in the poem "I Dream A World," while in the poem "Democracy" he
d.) actively advocates the idea of fighting for equal treatment.
In what way are the lines of "The Weary Blues" similar to the lyrics of a blues song?
A.) The poem uses repetition to create meaning.
How does the mention of Governor Faubus in Jackie Robinson's letter to President Eisenhower strengthen the main argument of the letter?
A.) The reference highlights President Eisenhower's deep dislike of the governor and shows his willingness to remove him from office.
Read the excerpt from Black Boy. Then my father was called; he came forward jauntily, smiling. He tried to kiss my mother, but she turned away from him. I only heard one sentence of what he said. "I'm doing all I can, Your Honor," he mumbled, grinning. It had been painful to sit and watch my mother crying and my father laughing and I was glad when we were outside in the sunny streets. Back at home my mother wept again and talked complainingly about the unfairness of the judge who had accepted my father's word. What societal norm of the early twentieth century does this excerpt reflect?
C.) Judges spent a great deal of time reviewing court cases.
Read the excerpt from the US Supreme court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). The statute of Louisiana, acts of 1890, c. 111, requiring railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in that State, to provide equal, but separate, accommodations for the white and colored races, by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger coaches by a partition so as to secure separate accommodations; and providing that no person shall be permitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them, on account of the race they belong to; and requiring the officer of the passenger train to assign each passenger to the coach or compartment assigned for the race to which he or she belong; and imposing fines or imprisonment upon passengers insisting on going into a coach or compartment other than the one set aide for the race to which he or she belongs; and conferring upon officers of the train power to refuse to carry on the train passengers refusing to occupy the coach or compartment assigned to them, and exempting the railway company from liability for such refusal, are not in conflict with the provisions either of the Thirteenth Amendment or of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Which best explains why the Supreme Court's decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was unconstitutional?
a.) The Supreme Court's ruling allowed states to deny equal protection to any person within its jurisdiction.
The speaker in Hughes's poem "Democracy" encourages people to
a.) bravely stand up for what is right.
Read the excerpt from "Harlem. "Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over- like a syrupy sweet? Read the excerpt from "The Weary Blues." Droning a drowsy syncopated tuneRocking back and forth to a mellow croon In both poems, Hughes uses the imagery to
a.) establish tone.
Which best identifies Jackie Robinson's reason for writing his letter to President Eisenhower?
a.He hopes that the president will take immediate action to curb segregation laws at the federal level.
Read the excerpt from the Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson. . . . requiring the officer of the passenger train to assign each passenger to the coach or compartment assigned for the race to which he or she belong; and imposing fines or imprisonment upon passengers insisting on going into a coach or compartment other than the one set aide for the race to which he or she belongs. How does the excerpt relate to the premises of Brown v. Board of Education?
b.) The Brown case addresses whether public institutions can legally be divided by race.
What is the fundamental idea behind the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which is mentioned in Brown v. Board of Education?
b.) The Fourteenth Amendment secures the rights of citizenship to all Americans.
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail. "I have tried to stand between these two forces, saying that we need emulate neither the "do nothingism" of the complacent nor the hatred and despair of the black nationalist. How does King support this claim?
b.) by describing nonviolent direct action as a peaceful middle ground
Read the excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." You express a great deal of anxiety over our willingness to break laws. This is certainly a legitimate concern. How does King rebut his critics' claim?
b.) by questioning the fairness of the laws in a counterclaim
Read the excerpt from an argumentative essay on space exploration. We probably couldn't go to all the stars because they're too far away. It would take a long time to get there. The sentences need to be revised for this type of essay because they
b.) contain generalizations and contractions.
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson's letter to President Eisenhower. I respectfully remind you sir, that we have been the most patient of all people. When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years. Which best explains why Robinson includes this description of African Americans?
b.) to point out that African Americans have greatly suffered for far too long
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson's letter to President Eisenhower. When you said we must have self-respect, I wondered how we could have self-respect and remain patient considering the treatment accorded to us through the years. This excerpt contains an historical allusion to
c.) Robinson's belief that an end to segregation is impossible to achieve in the United States.
What is the plaintiffs' main concern about the state of public schools in Brown v. Board of Education?
c.) The schools were racially segregated, which led to a lower quality of education for some students in Topeka.
Read the excerpt from "I Dream a World" by Langston Hughes. A world I dream where black or white, Whatever race you be, Will share the bounties of the earth And every man is free, Where wretchedness will hang its head And joy, like a pearl, Attends the needs of all mankind— Of such I dream, my world! Based on the dreams that the speaker describes, it is reasonable to infer that the speaker
c.) lives in a time and place where equality does not exist.
Read the following excerpt taken from the US Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). The case coming on for a hearing before the Supreme Court, that court was of opinion that the law under which the prosecution had was constitutional, and denied the relief prayed for by the petitioner. Ex parte Plessy, 45 La.Ann. 80. Whereupon petitioner prayed for a writ of error from this court, which was allowed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.MR. JUSTICE BROWN, after stating the case, delivered the opinion of the court.This case turns upon the constitutionality of an act of the General Assembly of the State of Louisiana, passed in 1890, providing for separate railway carriages for the white and colored races. Acts 1890, No. 111, p. 152.The first section of the statute enacts"that all railway companies carrying passengers in their coaches in this State shall provide equal but separate accommodations for the white and colored races by providing two or more passenger coaches for each passenger train, or by dividing the passenger coaches by a partition so as to secure separate accommodations: Provided, That this section shall not be construed to apply to street railroads. No person or persons, shall be admitted to occupy seats in coaches other than the ones assigned to them on account of the race they belong to." The Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson was problematic because
d.) it was based on the belief that segregation was permissible as long as the facilities were equal.
Read the sentence. As the contractor looked at the dilapidated structure that stood on the empty lot, he noticed the cracks and holes in the roof and realized he had a great deal of work to do. Which word is closest in meaning to the underlined word?
d.) rundown
In Langston Hughes's poem "I Dream a World," the repetition of the word "dream" emphasizes
d.) the belief that dreams often remain unrealized due to oppression.
Read the excerpt from Jackie Robinson's letter to President Eisenhower. As the chief executive of our nation, I respectfully suggest that you unwittingly crush the spirit of freedom in Negroes by constantly urging forbearance and give hope to those pro-segregation leaders like Governor Faubus who would take from us even those freedoms we now enjoy. Your own experience with Governor Faubus is proof enough that forbearance and not eventual integration is the goal the pro-segregation leaders seek. Which best explains the purpose of Robinson's letter?
d.) to ask President Eisenhower about the eventual removal of all Jim Crow laws
Read the following excerpt from Jackie Robinson's letter to President Eisenhower. As the chief executive of our nation, I respectfully suggest that you unwittingly crush the spirit of freedom in Negroes by constantly urging forbearance and give hope to those pro-segregation leaders like Governor Faubus who would take from us even those freedoms we now enjoy. Your own experience with Governor Faubus is proof enough that forbearance and not eventual integration is the goal the pro-segregation leaders seek. To which specific historic event is Jackie Robinson referring to in the letter?
d.)the rumored fatal shooting in August 1943 of a white soldier, which culminated in race rioting across the nation
