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This test consists of 5 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer questions, and 10 short essay questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did Dorothy Vaughan sometimes put dinner on the table for her children and then walk around the block before eating?
(a) To prevent herself from talking about her classified work.
(b) To stay thin.
(c) To make sure they had enough to eat before she ate.
(d) Because she did not want to take out the frustrations of her day on them.

2. How did Shetterly know the woman that her father told her was a human computer, thus sparking her interest in the topic?
(a) The woman was her kindergarten teacher.
(b) The woman was her former Sunday School teacher.
(c) The woman was her mother's best friend.
(d) The woman was her former babysitter.

3. What did the researchers at Langley use to gain test results without the dangers of test flights?
(a) Unmanned aircrafts.
(b) Ground models.
(c) Computer simulations.
(d) Wind tunnels.

4. Who was West Computing's section head when Dorothy Vaughan first came to Langley?
(a) Margery Hannah.
(b) Virginia Tucker.
(c) Blanche Sponsler.
(d) Miriam Mann.

5. What nickname did Hampton, Virginia give itself in 1962?
(a) NASA Town.
(b) Moon Landing II.
(c) Astronaut Academy, USA.
(d) Spacetown, USA.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was special for the Vaughans and Manns about vacationing at Log Cabin Beach?

2. Who hid the "colored computers" sign from the cafeteria?

3. What did the personnel officer know would be necessary if he were to hire black women to work at Langley?

4. What notable member of the U.S. Navy visited Langley shortly before Dorothy Vaughan arrived?

5. How old was Katherine Goble Johnson when she entered college?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was it necessary for Melvin Butler to begin hiring black women as computers?

2. Why was Margery Hannah considered a pariah by some of her white coworkers?

3. Why did Joshua Coleman rent a house for his wife and children that was 125 miles away from their home?

4. What observation did black leaders make concerning the events occurring in Europe during World War II?

5. Why did William Claytor create special classes just for Katherine Goble Johnson?

6. What does Shetterly want for the women she writes about in Hidden Figures?

7. Why did Howard Vaughan refuse to move from Farmville to live with his family in Newport News?

8. Why was it so difficult for Dorothy Vaughan to leave Farmville for her new job at Langley?

9. How did the Jim Crow laws make public transportation difficult for both blacks and whites in Newport News?

10. How did designating women as "subprofessionals" help the laboratory?

(see the answer keys)

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