View a FREE sample

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

Short Answer Questions

1. When the city of Birmingham lost a case and had to open public-recreation to all its citizens, what did the authorities do?

2. Who is the person in Bull Connor's Birmingham that had been jailed several times and had had his home and church damaged by bombs?

3. MLK and his groups decided to limit the first few days' efforts of the campaign to what?

4. Who offered up their apartment for the revolution/campaign leaders to meet in in New York City?

5. Who did MLK hope would have been in the running of the run-off vote?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was the Negro's economic problem compounded by the emergence and growth of automation?

2. What is the new phenomenon that MLK mentions white men would gasp at?

3. How does MLK describe what it would be like to be a Negro baby born and brought up in Birmingham?

4. What are some of the questions that the girl and boy ask themselves?

5. What was George Wallace's inauguration vow?

6. What phrase did Fred Shuttlesworth use to describe Albert Boutwell and why?

7. What two concentric circles of segregation does MLK state that Negros live in?

8. What are some of the words that John F. Kennedy uttered on June 11th, 1963?

9. What happened soon after the Supreme Court had handed down a decree calling for desegregation of schools that discouraged MLK?

10. What would happen if a volunteer did not pass the strict test for service as a demonstrator?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Throughout the book we read about fear and experience this frequently. MLK mention's that Bull Connor's Birmingham had the silent password of fear. The black people were oppressed, so there was fear. Why does MLK say the white citizens were fearful? Why did the thought of change bring fear among Negros and white citizens too? Why and how did Bull Connor strike a sense of fear in the city? What other instances of fear do you find in the book?

Essay Topic 2

After MLK and the other leaders had decided to lead a demonstration on April 12th, they received what type of bad news? What did this news do to the hopefulness of the leaders? Why was MLK told that he could not go to jail now? What did MLK think about when he was presented with this news? MLK states that he walked to another room by himself. He says, "I think I was standing also at the center of all that my life had brought me to be." What does he mean by these words? Why did MLK not back down after the bad news, and why did he decide that he would have to go to jail if needed?

Essay Topic 3

Why do you think MLK begins the book the way he does? Does that help the reader "dive into" the full meaning? What do you think the purpose of telling us about the Negro boy and girl? What kinds of feelings do these "characters" evoke in the reader? Do you think there was any other effective way of beginning the book? If so, what other ideas do you have for an introduction? Do you think the introduction was perfect in creating the intended mood?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 950 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample