A Hidden Figure of the Space Race: Katherine G. Johnson

What subject did Katherine G. Johnson show an incredible talent for from an early age?

• A. social studies

• B. biology

• C. Latin

• D. math

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The text describes a sequence of events in Johnson's career and life. How did Johnson's career change in 1952?

• A. She went from working as a data analyst to teaching physics.

• B. She went from teaching to analyzing data in NACA's laboratory.

• C. She went from working as a librarian to working in a laboratory.

• D. She went from working for an airline to working for NACA.

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Read the following sentences from the text:

“The United States wanted to be the first country to have a successful human space flight. Katherine G. Johnson contributed greatly to this effort. She wrote research papers that laid out many of the mathematical equations necessary for space travel.”

What can you conclude about Johnson based on this information?

• A. Johnson wanted to use her math skills to help the Soviet Union.

• B. Johnson was prevented from using her math skills to help the United States.

• C. Johnson used her math skills to help the United States achieve one of its goals.

• D. Johnson's favorite part of her job at NASA was the people she met there.

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"[John Glenn] was set to be the first American to orbit around the Earth. But he did not trust all of the electronic machines that would control the path of his spaceship... Glenn asked the engineers for Katherine G. Johnson’s help. He trusted her to check every single mathematical

equation. She checked the numbers, and Glenn’s mission was a success!"

How might the author describe Johnson's role in Glenn's mission?

• A. Glenn trusted Johnson's abilities as a mathematician, so she was central to his mission.

• B. Glenn did not know Johnson so he did not know whether she was good at math.

• C. Johnson did not know about Glenn's mission until it was too late to help him.

• D. Glenn was rude to Johnson, so she refused to help him with his mission.

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What is the main idea of this text?

• A. In the Space Race, the United States competed with the Soviet Union to be the first country to put someone on the moon.

• B. The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, or NACA, was the earlier version of NASA, today's space organization.

• C. Johnson graduated from West Virginia State College with highest honors, which means she got good grades while she studied there.

• D. Johnson worked hard and overcame discrimination to become a successful mathematician who helped with NASA's space missions.

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Reread these sentences from the text:

"Johnson was born on August 26, 1918. At the young age of 13, she already showed an incredible talent for math."

Which word(s) explain the meaning of she?

• A. Johnson

• B. born on

• C. young age

• D. incredible talent

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