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This test consists of 15 multiple choice questions and 5 short answer questions.

Multiple Choice Questions

1. What notable member of the U.S. Navy visited Langley shortly before Dorothy Vaughan arrived?
(a) U.S. General Frank Knox.
(b) Chief Frank Knox.
(c) Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox.
(d) Captain Frank Knox.

2. Who was the head computer when Langley began hiring black women?
(a) Blanche Sponsler.
(b) Dorothy Vaughan.
(c) Virginia Tucker.
(d) Mary Jackson.

3. What were the employees at Langley warned against doing outside of the workplace during World War II?
(a) Socializing with people of different races.
(b) Talking about their work.
(c) Telling people there were black women working at Langley.
(d) Letting anyone know where they worked.

4. How old was Katherine Goble Johnson when she entered college?
(a) 17.
(b) 15.
(c) 22.
(d) 19.

5. What oath did Dorothy Vaughan have to take upon beginning her job at Langley?
(a) The U.S. Civil Service oath.
(b) The Mathematician's oath.
(c) The Segregated Workplace oath.
(d) The NACA Loyalty oath.

6. What nickname did Hampton, Virginia give itself in 1962?
(a) Moon Landing II.
(b) Spacetown, USA.
(c) Astronaut Academy, USA.
(d) NASA Town.

7. What was special for the Vaughans and Manns about vacationing at Log Cabin Beach?
(a) Miriam and Dorothy could talk openly about their work.
(b) Blacks and whites vacationed together there without segregation laws.
(c) It was the only place they were able to socialize with one another.
(d) There were no "colored" signs.

8. How many more children did Dorothy and Howard Vaughan have after Dorothy moved to Newport News?
(a) Three.
(b) Two.
(c) One.
(d) Zero.

9. What was the name of the senator from Virginia who vehemently opposed the Fair Employment Practices Committee?
(a) Melvin Butler.
(b) Harry Byrd.
(c) Thomas Byrdsong.
(d) Woodrow Wilson.

10. What did James Thompson call the idea that black Americans had to fight in the war for victory overseas and at home for victory over oppression?
(a) The Double V.
(b) The Constant Battle.
(c) The Black Man's Battle.
(d) The Double War.

11. What neighborhood near Langley did Dorothy Vaughan eventually permanently settle in?
(a) Stuart Gardens.
(b) Newsome Park.
(c) Aberdeen Gardens.
(d) Copeland Park.

12. Where did Mary Jackson attend college?
(a) Howard University.
(b) Virginia State University.
(c) Hampton Institute.
(d) Spelman College.

13. What was the original name of NASA?
(a) NAPA.
(b) NASP.
(c) NAACP.
(d) NACA.

14. In what year did the first female computing pool begin working at Langley?
(a) 1953.
(b) 1943.
(c) 1935.
(d) 1971.

15. Who was the man that was promoted to head the Stability Analysis section despite the fact that he had not finished college?
(a) R.T. Jones.
(b) Harry Byrd.
(c) Melvin Butler.
(d) Thomas Byrdsong.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why did Dorothy Vaughan sometimes put dinner on the table for her children and then walk around the block before eating?

2. What trial was Langley drawn into because of a suspected connection to one of the employees there?

3. What state was Katherine Goble Johnson from?

4. How many women, both black and white, were working as computers when Dorothy Vaughan started at Langley?

5. What was Dorothy Vaughan's connection to Katherine Goble Johnson before working at Langley?

(see the answer keys)

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