Brown v. Board of Education

The syllabus at the beginning of the text presents

• background information.

• a dissenting opinion.

• a rationale.

• a summary.

In paragraph 3 of the opinion, Chief Justice Warren summarizes the

• nature and history of the cases being heard

• arguments for and against hearing the cases.

• history of Court rulings related to the Fourteenth Amendment.

• deliberations of the justices with regard to the merits of the cases.

According to paragraph 4 of the opinion, what reason did the plaintiffs give for wanting their cases heard before the Supreme Court?

• Segregated schools needed to be made equal.

• Segregated schools were not equal and could not be made equal.

• Segregated schools offered equal education but not equal rights.

• Segregated schools guaranteed them equal protection of the laws.

The Supreme Court was unable to use information about the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment to help them make a determination on Brown v. Board of Education because

• the information was biased.

• the information was too vague.

• the information was inconclusive.

• the information was no longer relevant.

In lower-court rulings that denied relief to the plaintiffs, federal district courts cited the "separate but equal" doctrine that was announced in

• the First Amendment.

• Plessy v. Ferguson.

• Sweatt v. Painter

• the Fourteenth Amendment.

Paragraph 10 discusses an important issue that influenced the Court's ruling. Which statement BEST sums up the Court's thoughts on that issue?

• The importance of having an education depends on the extent to which a child intends to make use of that education

• The opportunity for an education should be made available to all children who demonstrate the intellectual capacity to succeed.

• The importance of an education in preparing a child to succeed in life requires that the opportunity for learning be made available to all children on equal terms.

• Education has become an important American value, as evidenced by the fact that school attendance has been made compulsory for all children.

Which legal precedent does Chief Justice Warren cite in paragraph 12 to support the Court's reliance on intangible considerations in reaching its final opinion?

• Supreme Court rulings involving institutions of higher learning

• lower-court rulings involving tangible separate-but-equal factors

• lower-court rulings in which the separate-but-equal doctrine was overturned

• Supreme Court rulings in cases involving children in grade school and high school

The Court's point of view with respect to the segregation of children in public schools is stated in

• paragraph 6 of the syllabus.

• paragraph 9 of the opinion.

• paragraph 11 of the opinion

• paragraph 14 of the opinion.

Which paragraph from the opinion most effectively explains why the Court ruled that segregated schools deprive children of equal educational opportunities?

• paragraph 11

• paragraph 13

• paragraph 15

• paragraph 18

What is the tone of the written opinion?

• erudite, scholarly

• metaphoric, literary

• technical, legal

• conversational, unemotional