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

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How did Margery Hannah treat the black computers?
(a) As equals.
(b) She went out of her way to be extra nice to them.
(c) She ignored them.
(d) As inferiors.

2. At the time when black women began working at Langley, what was considered the highest level of employment a black woman could achieve?
(a) Nurse.
(b) School teacher.
(c) Maid.
(d) Mathematician.

3. How did Shetterly know the woman that her father told her was a human computer, thus sparking her interest in the topic?
(a) The woman was her former Sunday School teacher.
(b) The woman was her former babysitter.
(c) The woman was her kindergarten teacher.
(d) The woman was her mother's best friend.

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

5. At what age did Dorothy Vaughan graduate from high school?
(a) 15.
(b) 18.
(c) 16.
(d) 17.

6. What was the name of the group of black pilots whose exploits were closely followed by the black community during World War II?
(a) The Negro Air Patrol.
(b) The Tuskegee Airmen.
(c) The Black Panthers.
(d) The African American Airmen.

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

8. Why did Dorothy Vaughan sometimes put dinner on the table for her children and then walk around the block before eating?
(a) Because she did not want to take out the frustrations of her day on them.
(b) To make sure they had enough to eat before she ate.
(c) To stay thin.
(d) To prevent herself from talking about her classified work.

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

10. What position was Dorothy Vaughan promoted to under Margery Hannah?
(a) Mathematician.
(b) Engineer.
(c) Head computer.
(d) Shift supervisor.

11. In 1970, what percentage of engineers in America were black?
(a) 10%.
(b) 5%.
(c) 25%.
(d) 1%.

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

13. What was the name of the pilot who broke the sound barrier?
(a) Harry Byrd.
(b) Chuck Yeager.
(c) Thomas Byrdsong.
(d) John Glenn.

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

15. What did the local living around Langley Research Center call the people who worked at Langley because of their eccentric behavior?
(a) NACA nerds.
(b) NACA nuts.
(c) Space cadets.
(d) Airheads.

Short Answer Questions

1. What was Asa Phillip Randolph's position when he threatened to lead a march on Washington if war jobs were not opened to blacks?

2. What laws were being used in an attempt to dismantle black communities after World War II ended?

3. What were the employees at Langley warned against doing outside of the workplace during World War II?

4. What was Dorothy Vaughan's summer job before she began working at Langley?

5. How did Dorothy Vaughan find a place to stay when she arrived in Newport News?

(see the answer keys)

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