"MLK's Letter from a Birmingham City Jail"

As explained by Martin Luther King Jr., what is the purpose of nonviolent direct action?

• It creates an environment of tension in which no one is willing to negotiate.

• It delays negotiation until people are ready to confront an issue.

• It prevents negotiations from taking place.

• It dramatizes an issue so that it can no longer be ignored.

Communities in the South refused to address the problems of inequality and racism. What solution did Martin Luther King Jr. propose?

• Take violent direct actions so that people are forced to pay attention.

• Take nonviolent direct action so that the problem cannot be ignored.

• Wait for community leaders to agree to peaceful negotiations.

• Work and preach against violent tension within the communities.

Thinkers and leaders other than Martin Luther King Jr. have created tension to bring about change. What evidence from the passage supports this statement?

• "Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths. . ."

• "You may well ask, Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches, etc.? Isn't negotiation a better path? You are exactly right in your call for negotiation."

• "I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word tension."

• "Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue. . ."

Which audience member did Martin Luther King Jr. most likely target when writing this letter?

• people who supported his work

• people who lived in the North

• people who fought for civil rights

• people who questioned his methods

What is the main idea of this excerpt from King's letter?

• Without violent tension and fighting, change would be too slow.

• Nonviolent direct action is needed to bring about change.

• Negotiation is a better method than direct action to cause change.

• Socrates also used nonviolent tension to bring about change.

Read the following sentences: "Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored."

As used in this sentence, what does the word "dramatize" mean?

• make the situation seem funny and less important.

• write a play or a musical about a situation.

• make a situation seem more important or serious.

• pay no attention to a situation, problem or issue

Choose the answer that best completes the sentence below.

Martin Luther King Jr. preached against violent tension, ____________ he believed strongly in nonviolent tension.

• so

• then

• like

• but