Literary Analysis Practice

Paragraphs 1–8 contribute to the development of ideas in the selection by

• highlighting special achievements

• explaining what computing is

• providing background information

• focusing on different employees

Read the dictionary entry for the word disturbance.

disturbance \di -stur'bəns\ n 1. an interruption of flow 2. an altering of order or position 3. an upset of natural balance 4. a destruction of tranquility or calm

Which definition most closely matches the way the word disturbance is used in paragraph 6?

• Definition 1

• Definition 2

• Definition 3

• Definition 4

For which two reasons does the author use the word computer in paragraph 11?

• To contrast women’s mathematical tasks with men’s mathematical tasks

• To describe the tasks that female mathematicians did in the 1940s

• To illustrate the difficulty of performing mathematical operations

•  To suggest that engineers did more important work than computers

• To explain that the history of the personal computer began in the 1940s

Read the sentence from paragraph 11. 

Today we think of computers as machines, but in the 1940s, a computer was just someone whose job it was to do computations . . .

What is the effect of the author’s use of we in the sentence?

• It encourages the reader to view the past with nostalgia.

• It reminds the reader of the power of modern computers.

• It creates an informal tone that includes the reader in the narrative.

• It creates a formal tone that explains how computers were used by women.

Which detail from the selection best reveals how important the mission President Roosevelt gave the NACA was?

• African Americans were hired for positions typically only held by white people.

• Women were classified as “subprofessionals.”

• Women had been working at Langley since 1937.

• African Americans were assigned to work in a separate area from white people.

Read paragraph 15. Which word best describes the working conditions at Langley Laboratories?

• segregated

• hostile

• crowded

• casual

Which two sentences from the selection best support the main idea that women and African Americans made important contributions at the Langley Laboratory during World War II?

• Which two sentences from the selection best support the main idea that women and African Americans made important contributions at the Langley Laboratory during World War II?

  
  

• Which two sentences from the selection best support the main idea that women and African Americans made important contributions at the Langley Laboratory during World War II?

  
  

• Many of the African-American candidates had years of teaching experience as well as math and science degrees. (paragraph 14)

  
  

• The Langley Laboratory was operating around the clock to test airplanes to be flown by American soldiers in the war: everyone had a job to do. (paragraph 16)

  
  

• For the black women, the experience of working at a laboratory offered the chance to do interesting work that would help support the war effort. (paragraph 18)

  
  

Male and female mathematicians were treated differently at Langley Laboratory. Select the buttons to show their different treatments.

Groups:

(a) Male mathematicians at Langley Laborator

,

(b) Female mathematicians at Langley Laborat

• Most were paid more than “subprofessionals”

  
  

• Few granted title of “mathematician”

  
  Few granted title of “mathematician”

  
  

This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B.

Part A

Which word best describes the tone of paragraph 18?

• amazed

• disappointed

• respectful

• uncertain

Part B

Select the two phrases from paragraph 18 that best support the answer to Part A.

​ (a)   ​ ​ (b)  

• help support the war effort
• excellent mathematicians
• For the black women
• offered the chance
• the women of the new West Area Computing Office