Common Lit Article/Martin Luther King, Jr.

Which statement identifies the central idea of the text?

• Martin Luther King, Jr.'s commitment to nonviolent protest resulted in many achievements for African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.

• Despite Martin Luther King, Jr.'s passion for nonviolent protest, nonviolent protests were not enough to achieve what activists desired during the Civil Rights Movement.

• Martin Luther King, Jr.'s opinions and dreams were not widely accepted during his time.

• Martin Luther King, Jr.'s fight for equal rights for African Americans was supported by the government, both nationally and locally.

Which detail from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was at the same time one of the most beloved and one of the most hated men of his time." (Paragraph 2)

• "Since the end of World War II, there had been 60 unsolved bombings of African American churches and homes." (Paragraph 4)

• "Finally, President Johnson ordered the National Guard to protect the demonstrators from attack, and King was able to complete the long march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery." (Paragraph 6)

• "In 1964, he won the Nobel Peace Prize and was described as 'the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence.'" (Paragraph 8)

Part A: How does paragraph 3 contribute to the development of ideas in the text?

• It proves how intelligent Martin Luther King Jr. was from a young age.

• It shows how many world leaders ended up impacting the Civil Rights Movement.

• It shows how Martin Luther King Jr.'s upbringing contributed to his commitment to activism and religious leadership.

• It shows that Martin Luther King Jr.'s beliefs were not his own, but that his ideas were largely borrowed from other lesser-known leaders.

Part B: Which quote from paragraph 3 best supports the answer to Part A?

• "King was raised in an activist family. His father was deeply influenced by Marcus Garvey's Back to Africa Movement in the 1920s."

• "As a student, King excelled. He easily moved through grade levels and entered Morehouse College, his father's alma mater, at the age of fifteen."

• "While he was pursuing his doctorate at Boston University, he met and married Coretta Scott."

• "After receiving his Ph.D. in 1955, King accepted an appointment to the Dexter Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama."