Louis Armstrong

Which of the following best identifies the central idea about Armstrong in the text?

• He succeeded internationally as a jazz musician and introduced new styles of music.

• He didn't realize his full potential until he was as adult due to hardships as a child.

• He is a well-remembered musician, but his style is no longer practiced today.

• He used his popularity to address injustices during the Civil Rights Movement.

Which detail from the text supports the idea that Armstrong was a successful musician and has contributed to other types of music?

• "Armstrong himself had to leave school in 5th grade to work and earn money for the family."(paragraph 2)

• "One of their pieces, “West End Blues,” is considered to be one of the most artful pieces of jazz, and it brought greater respect to the musical style and introduced it to a wider audience." (paragraph 6)

• "In the 1940s he recognized that swing music’s days were numbered, so he formed a smaller band that he would play with for the rest of his career." (paragraph 7)

• "... but after he saw the consequences of school segregation on TV, he made a public statement against segregation." (paragraph 9)

How does the description of Armstrong's neighborhood in paragraph 2 contribute to the author's description of Armstrong's life?

• it shows the difficulties he had to experience at a young age

• it suggests that he got into fights when he was younger

• it proves that he didn't feel at home in his neighborhood

• it provides reasoning for why he was motivated to leave his neighborhood

What is the author's purpose in this text?

• to convince the reader to like jazz music

• to give information about Louis Armstrong

• to show Louis Armstrong as a hard-working person

• to tell a story about Louis Armstrong

Which of the following statements would be included in a summary of the text?

• Louis Armstrong is the best musician ever.

• Louis Armstrong has influenced other musicians and styles of music.

• Louis Armstrong has always played music.

• Louis Armstrong had lots of friends and mentors.

Which of the following is evidence from Armstrong's life to prove that Armstrong did not allow a hardship in his music career to hold him back?

• He had a rough childhood, and because of that, he wrote really sad and depressing music.

• He decided to quit swing music because not many people liked it.

• When swing music was slowly fading away, he formed a band that he ended up playing with for the rest of his career.

• He had several strong relationships with other musicians, but they ended with Armstrong being a solo singer.

Which piece of evidence shows that Armstrong impacted other musicians?

• "He revolutionized jazz from a folksy group performance to an individual performance."

• "He was very good at musical improvisation, not only on his trumpet but also in singing."

• "He influenced and set the bar for dozens of famous musicians after him, including Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra."

• "Armstrong made scat singing an important part of jazz and blues music."

What happened during Armstrong's childhood?

• he left New Orleans

• he did very well in school

• he learned how to play music

• he never got in trouble

Throughout Armstrong’s career, he…

• explored different styles of music.

• struggled with reading music.

• tried to branch away from Jazz.

• continued to work with Joe Oliver.

After Armstrong’s heart attack, he…

• took a break from making music.

• retired from performing.

• committed himself to social activism.

• continued to produce music and perform.