Freedom's Daughters First Read

The following passage (paragraph 1) adds to the development of the text mainly by .

"In 1951, local blacks were barred from the hotel where the generals had rested, just as they were barred from Farmville’s restaurants, its drugstore counters, and its only movie theater, bowling alley, and swimming pool. And, of course, its all-white public schools. The school Barbara Johns attended, Moton High School, featured “temporary” buildings that were really just tar-paper shacks, and classrooms that were usually too stuffy and hot in the fall and spring and too cold in the winter."

• reflecting the progressive attitudes and culture of Farmville in the 1950s

• displaying the small-town feel of Farmville in the mid-twentieth century

• offering context on how African Americans were treated in Farmville during this period

• arguing the need for further urban development in rural Farmville

This excerpt is told in the ____ tense, from a(n) ____ point of view.

• past; first-person

• past; third-person

• present; third-person

• present; first-person

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage below (paragraphs 2-3)?

Vernon Johns was a hot-tempered crusader for civil rights, who railed at his congregation and other blacks for their complacency in the face of racial and other social injustice. Not much loved by the affluent black members of his church, he was destined to have a powerful influence on his young successor at Dexter Avenue, Martin Luther King, Jr.

When Johns visited Farmville, Barbara loved to hear him talk. “He was beyond the intellectual scope of everyone around the county,” she said. “I remember that white men would . . . listen to him speak and shake their heads, not understanding his language.”

Answer choices for the above question

• Vernon Johns promoted ideas that were seen as radical by his peers, but he did influence future civil rights leaders.

• As a student, Martin Luther King, Jr. studied philosophical and political thought under Vernon Johns

• Vernon Johns believed that peace and passive resistance were the best tools to achieve equal rights

• All of the above

Which of the following statements from the text best explains how and why Barbara Johns was inspired to fight for a better school?

• “An occasional motorist, driving by the school, would stop to ask the students what the shacks were.”

• When some teachers protested, Johns removed one of her shoes and smacked it on a bench, ‘I want you out of here!’ she shouted.

• “Although she had spent much of her early life there, Farmville was a place where Barbara Johns never really felt she belonged.”

• “Those activities made it possible for her to travel to other black high schools around the state. Many, she couldn’t help noticing, were in better shape than Moton.”

Which of the following inferences about Barbara Johns is best supported by the excerpt?

• She disliked the politicians in her town because they did not consider the interests of young African Americans

• She believed it was important to stand up for what one believes in, even if change is difficult.

• She thought that her school needed to improve their after-school programs in order to compete with other neighboring high schools.

• She was very inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr. and her Uncle Vernon in her fight for equal rights

Which quote from the excerpt best supports the correct answer to Question 5?

• “Not much loved by the affluent black members of his church, he was destined to have a powerful influence on his young successor at Dexter Avenue, Martin Luther King, Jr.”

• “At Moton High School, Barbara Johns participated in the drama club, the chorus, and the student council.”

• “Late that morning, Moton’s principal, Boyd Jones, received a phone call from one of the conspirators, advising him that two of his students were about to be arrested by police at the Greyhound bus station.”

• “The blacks, despite their resentment, did not dare complain too loudly. Barbara Johns could not understand such docility.”

Which of the following statements best conveys the central idea of this text?

• In heavily segregated Farmville, Virginia, Barbara Johns headed a protest for equal access to public spaces—such as parks, swimming pools, and schools—for African Americans.Incorrect. While Barbara Johns did head a protest for better conditions for her all-black school, this statement contains some incorrect ideas about the text.

  B. Barbara Johns, valedictorian and class president at Moton High School, led the fight to desegregate her all-white high school.

• Barbara Johns, valedictorian and class president at Moton High School, led the fight to desegregate her all-white high school.

• After the adults in her community failed to accomplish any change, Barbara Johns led fellow African American students in a strike for better school conditions.

• Martin Luther King, Jr. was heavily inspired by Vernon and Barbara Johns, a civil rights activist duo, who campaigned for equal access to schooling.

Which sentence from the excerpt best supports the correct answer to Question 7?

• “For years, the all-white school district had been promising the black community a new school, but somehow it was never built. The blacks, despite their resentment, did not dare complain too loudly.”

• “Joined by the other student organizers, she called for a student strike and produced hand-lettered picket signs proclaiming “We Want a New School or None at All” and “Down with the Tar-Paper Shacks.”

• “Pretty and bright, she had always been an outspoken child; family members said she took after her uncle Vernon, the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.”

• “At Moton High School, Barbara Johns participated in the drama club, the chorus, and the student council.”