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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Who did Dorothy Vaughan think the notice she saw on a bulletin board looking for mathematicians was meant for?

2. How did Dorothy Vaughan get from her hometown to her new job at Langley?

3. What was the name of Langley Research Center's newsletter?

4. What notable member of the U.S. Navy visited Langley shortly before Dorothy Vaughan arrived?

5. Which of the following planes was used in the bombing of Japan?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why did Dorothy Vaughan work in the laundry at Camp Pickett in the summers?

2. Why was it so difficult for Dorothy Vaughan to leave Farmville for her new job at Langley?

3. How did the Depression affect black teachers like Dorothy Vaughan?

4. What was the attitude of the male engineers when a human computer made an error?

5. Why was Dorothy Vaughan taking a risk when she decided to sign a lease on a house in Newport News?

6. Why was it necessary for Melvin Butler to begin hiring black women as computers?

7. Why were employees of NACA warned not to speak of their work outside the office during World War II?

8. How did Dorothy Vaughan become Head of West Computing?

9. What was the goal of NACA during World War II?

10. Why was Margery Hannah considered a pariah by some of her white coworkers?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Shetterly periodically introduces a new individual in the book, which helps to move the story forward into the future. Write an essay describing the way in which Shetterly introduces individuals and how that keeps the timeline of the book moving forward. Why does Shetterly introduce individuals in the way she does? How does her introduction of new individuals show the way in which the work one woman did helped the next woman to succeed?

Essay Topic 2

Mary Jackson’s humanitarian work outside of Langley informed the direction of her career. Write an essay describing the work that Mary did outside and inside of Langley and how the two were interconnected. Why did Mary make the move to Human Resources and how did her humanitarian work influence the work she did in that department?

Essay Topic 3

Langley indicates that segregation was not only detrimental to black Americans, but also to white Americans. Write an essay describing the negative impacts of segregation on America as a whole. How did segregation impact the education system? How did it impact transportation? How did it impact world affairs?

(see the answer keys)

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