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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In what year did the first female computing pool begin working at Langley?

2. How much was Dorothy Vaughan offered in pay to work at Langley in comparison to her teaching job?

3. Which of the following planes was used in the bombing of Japan?

4. What neighborhood near Langley did Dorothy Vaughan eventually permanently settle in?

5. What did Langley do in hopes of turning the computers into junior engineers?

Short Essay Questions

1. What was the attitude of the male engineers when a human computer made an error?

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

3. Why did Miriam Mann object to the "colored computers" sign in the cafeteria?

4. How did the Depression affect black teachers like Dorothy Vaughan?

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

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

7. What was the goal of NACA during World War II?

8. Why did Dorothy Vaughan work in the laundry at Camp Pickett in the summers?

9. What did some supervisors at Langley do to encourage talented female computers to remain on the job?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shetterly writes that black Americans often put limitations on themselves. What does Shetterly mean by this? What limitations did black Americans place on themselves? What was the cause? How did some of the characters in Hidden Figures fight against this self-limitation?

Essay Topic 2

Shetterly periodically introduces a new individual in the book, which helps to move the story forward into the future. Write an essay describing the way in which Shetterly introduces individuals and how that keeps the timeline of the book moving forward. Why does Shetterly introduce individuals in the way she does? How does her introduction of new individuals show the way in which the work one woman did helped the next woman to succeed?

Essay Topic 3

Shetterly dedicates an entire chapter to Mary Jackson’s son entering a soap box derby. Write an essay explaining the purpose of this chapter. How does the chapter relate to the themes of the book? What information about the individuals focused on does Shetterly communicate through this chapter? What information does the chapter communicate about racial relations during the time period?

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