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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. What did the "X" in the designation of an airplane signify?

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

3. Who was the professor that mentored Katherine Goble Johnson while she was in college?

4. Who did Dorothy Vaughan think the notice she saw on a bulletin board looking for mathematicians was meant for?

5. Why did the NAACP file a lawsuit against Booker T. Washington High School in Virginia?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

3. How did Dorothy Vaughan become Head of West Computing?

4. Why did millions of American women lose their jobs after V-J Day?

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

6. Why were Howard and Dorothy Vaughan an uneven match for one another?

7. Why was Dorothy Vaughan taking a risk when she decided to sign a lease on a house in Newport News?

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

9. Why were employees of NACA warned not to speak of their work outside the office during World War II?

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

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shetterly makes a case for historical events affecting the opportunities made available to African Americans and women in mathematics and science. Write an essay describing and discussing the ways in which the events occurring in the world created these opportunities. Why was it necessary to hire African American women at Langley? What demands were placed on the researchers at Langley that required additional employees? How did the civil rights movement affect the hiring and advancement of black women at Langley?

Essay Topic 2

Shetterly writes about the way that segregation affected black students both positively and negatively. Write an essay discussing the way segregation both helped and hindered black students. What were the negative effects? What were the positive effects?

Essay Topic 3

Shetterly writes about how the area surrounding Langley Research Center affected those working at Langley. Write an essay describing the area and the way it impacted lives of African Americans living and working in the area. What was the area like? What housing was available to African Americans? How did being located in a segregated area affect Langley Research Center?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 923 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample