RI 8.1 – Citing Textual Evidence

What textual evidence best supports the idea that Katherine Johnson was an exceptional student?

• "She graduated from high school at 14 and sped on to graduate from college at age 18."

• "She says she 'counted everything,' from steps to silverware."

• "Her family moved to Institute, West Virginia, so she could continue her education."

• "She decided to spend the next several years caring for her children at home and working as a teacher."

Based on the text, why was Dorothy Vaughan’s leadership role significant?

• A. She became the first African American woman to fly in space.

• B. She supervised a group of African American mathematicians despite racial segregation.

• C. She was the first woman at NASA to work on rocket designs.

• D. She petitioned the government to change the hiring process for women in NASA.

What evidence from the text shows how NASA engineers viewed Dorothy Vaughan’s team?

• They were required to use separate facilities from their white colleagues.

• NACA engineers came to value her group of computers and often requested them specifically for difficult projects.

• She worked hard to make sure the government hired and promoted women and minorities.

• She decided to serve NASA as the Federal Women’s Program Manager.

What detail from the text supports the idea that John Glenn trusted Katherine Johnson’s calculations?

• She graduated from high school at 14 and sped on to graduate from college at age 18.

• John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, specifically requested that Johnson do all the calculations for his famous orbital mission.

• She helped with Space Shuttle missions and authored or co-authored 26 research reports.

• Johnson stood out as an impressive computer.

How did Mary Jackson’s efforts to become an engineer reflect the larger struggle for equality?

• A. She became the first woman to work on aeronautics research.

• B. She had to petition the city government to attend classes at a segregated school to earn her degree.

• C. She worked as an engineer for almost two decades before leaving NASA.

• D. She preferred to stay in her role as a mathematician instead of pursuing engineering.

What was a major effect of NASA's adoption of electronic computers?

• NASA engineers were no longer needed for calculations.

• John Glenn requested that Katherine Johnson verify the automated calculations before his mission.

• Dorothy Vaughan lost her job because computers replaced human mathematicians.

• NASA stopped hiring women as "computers" for space missions.

How did discrimination impact Dorothy Vaughan’s career advancement?

• A. She was denied the opportunity to work as a mathematician.

• B. She was given extra responsibilities as an unofficial supervisor but was not promoted until years later.

• C. She was required to train only white employees in programming.

• D. She was transferred to a different department to prevent her from advancing.

How did the challenges faced by Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson contribute to NASA’s success?

• A. They fought against discrimination, which led NASA to cancel segregated policies.

• B. Their mathematical contributions helped ensure successful space missions and advancements in aeronautics.

• C. They demanded equal pay, which forced NASA to restructure its salary system.

• D. They developed the first space shuttle without male engineers’ assistance.

The author includes a section on each woman separately rather than combining their stories into one section because their distinct experiences merit individual attention.

• Because their distinct experiences merit individual attention.

• Because combining them would have been simpler.

• Because the author did not have enough information to combine them.

• Because a combined story would have been too confusing.

What is the purpose of the text?

• To provide a clear and detailed account of each woman’s individual contributions and struggles.

• To make it easier for readers to skim through the text quickly.

• To compare and contrast their intelligence levels.

• To create suspense about which woman contributed the most.