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Quiz on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail

Total questions: 25

Worksheet time: 18mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What organization did Dr. King serve as president of?

a)

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

b)

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

c)

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

d)

Congress of Racial Equality

2.

What are the four basic steps in a nonviolent campaign according to Dr. King?

a)

Collection of facts, negotiation, self-purification, direct action

b)

Petition, rally, negotiation, resolution

c)

Protest, negotiation, litigation, reconciliation

d)

Boycott, sit-ins, marches, speeches

3.

Why was Dr. King in Birmingham?

a)

He was on vacation

b)

He was attending a conference

c)

He was visiting family

d)

He was invited by a local affiliate to engage in a nonviolent direct action program

4.

What did the merchants promise during the negotiation sessions?

a)

To hire more black employees

b)

To remove racial signs from stores

c)

To lower prices for black customers

d)

To donate to civil rights organizations

5.

What was the result of the merchants' promises?

a)

The promises were renegotiated

b)

The promises were broken

c)

The promises were kept

d)

The promises were partially fulfilled

6.

What does Dr. King say about privileged groups?

a)

They often give up their privileges voluntarily

b)

They seldom give up their privileges voluntarily

c)

They are usually supportive of civil rights

d)

They are always willing to negotiate

7.

According to Dr. King, what must freedom be?

a)

Earned through hard work

b)

Negotiated peacefully

c)

Demanded by the oppressed

d)

Given voluntarily by the oppressor

8.

What does Dr. King say about the word 'Wait'?

a)

It is a sign of progress

b)

It is a call to patience

c)

It often means 'never'

d)

It is a sign of hope

9.

What metaphor does Dr. King use to describe the word 'Wait'?

a)

A comforting blanket

b)

A tranquilizing Thalidomide

c)

A gentle breeze

d)

A soothing balm

10.

How long have African Americans waited for their rights according to Dr. King?

a)

100 years

b)

200 years

c)

400 years

d)

340 years

11.

What does Dr. King compare the pace of African American progress to?

a)

A slow river

b)

A snail's pace

c)

A horse and buggy pace

d)

A turtle's pace

12.

What does Dr. King say about the nations of Asia and Africa?

a)

They are moving with jetlike speed toward independence

b)

They are moving slowly toward independence

c)

They have already achieved independence

d)

They are struggling for independence

13.

What does Dr. King say about those who have never felt segregation?

a)

They understand the struggle

b)

They are supportive of civil rights

c)

They are empathetic to the cause

d)

They find it easy to say 'wait'

14.

What does Dr. King describe as a 'degenerating sense'?

a)

A sense of hopelessness

b)

A sense of anger

c)

A sense of nobodiness

d)

A sense of fear

15.

What does Dr. King hope the clergymen can understand?

a)

The need for patience

b)

The importance of negotiation

c)

The value of waiting

d)

The legitimate and unavoidable impatience

16.

What does Dr. King say about the 'cup of endurance'?

a)

It is always full

b)

It runs over

c)

It is never empty

d)

It is half full

17.

What does Dr. King say about the 'bleakness of corroding despair'?

a)

It is a call to action

b)

It is a sign of weakness

c)

It is a temporary feeling

d)

It is an abyss of injustice

18.

What does Dr. King say about the 'stinging darts of segregation'?

a)

They are a minor inconvenience

b)

They are a thing of the past

c)

They are painful and persistent

d)

They are easy to ignore

19.

According to Dr. King, what is the purpose of nonviolent direct action?

a)

To avoid confrontation

b)

To create tension that forces negotiation

c)

To replace negotiation with violence

d)

To immediately achieve all demands

20.

What does Dr. King suggest about the response of the white moderate?

a)

They prefer order over justice

b)

They are indifferent to segregation

c)

They are quick to support justice

d)

They lead the civil rights movement

21.

How does Dr. King describe the impact of segregation on children?

a)

It causes them to develop a sense of inferiority

b)

It leaves them unaffected

c)

It encourages them to wait patiently

d)

It inspires them to fight for justice

22.
What protest would Martin Luther King have opposed?
a)
Sit-In
b)
Bus Boycott
c)
March on Washington
d)
Race Riots
23.

Which method for achieving civil rights is most associated with Martin Luther King, Jr.?

a)

Using peaceful protests and acts of civil disobedience.

b)

Obtaining signatures to petition for a referendum.

c)

Pursuing litigation through the court system.

d)

Recalling officials in special elections.

24.

What is a strength of nonviolent protest (aka "civil disobedience")? 

a)

It clearly shows who the aggressor is and who is being attacked.

b)

It often generates publicity and gets people's attention.

c)

It can persuade people to join your cause.

d)

All of the above.

25.

_____________________ is a peaceful, or non-violent, form of protest in which protestors refuse to comply with unjust laws.

a)

Civil Disobedience

b)

Armed Rebellion

c)

Willful Compliance

d)

Mass Incarceration