"Letter From Birmingham Jail" Vocabulary and Comprehension

Which of the following is not a step in Dr. King's nonviolent campaign?

• negotiation

• collection of facts

• direct action

• disappointment

To whom is the Letter from Birmingham Jail addressed?

• ministers who criticized King's efforts
• whites who arrested King for no reason
• his coworkers in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
• his wife and his lawyer

Why was King in Birmingham?

• he was invited to help fight the segregation there

• he lived there

• he gave a speech there but drove over the speed limit on his way out of town

• he picked Birmingham as the next place to hold a non-violent protest

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice...

• ...in some places."

• ...in the south."

• ...everywhere."

• end of sentence.

What is a moratorium?

• a temporary stoppage

• an unjust law

• a burial site

• an unacceptable excuse

In his opening paragraph, King says that he rarely pauses to answer criticisms, but he is replying to the clergymen because

• their actions were unwise and untimely.

• their letter shows them to be extremists.

• he believes them to be sincere and good.

• he wants his letter to bring about change.

What does King mean in lines 37–38 when he says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”?

• All citizens are equally threatened by justice.
• Discrimination does not exist in rural areas.
• All laws are unfair and should be ignored.
• Everyone is affected when one person is hurt.

Which word means 'to agree'?

• concur

• query

• status quo

• futility

Which word means 'a question'?

• concur

• query

• status quo

• futility

Which word means 'the existing state of things'?

• concur

• query

• status quo

• futility