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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. What did Dorothy Vaughan do in the summer of 1944 to make her situation more permanent?

3. What was the name of the personnel officer at Langley Research Center when Dorothy Vaughan began working there?

4. Why did the NAACP file a lawsuit against Booker T. Washington High School in Virginia?

5. Whose family attended a concert with Dorothy Vaughan's family?

Short Essay Questions

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

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

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

4. How did designating women as "subprofessionals" help the laboratory?

5. How did the Jim Crow laws make public transportation difficult for both blacks and whites in Newport News?

6. How did Shetterly's childhood affect the way she thought of blacks working in science, math, and engineering?

7. Why did William Claytor create special classes just for Katherine Goble Johnson?

8. Why did Howard Vaughan refuse to move from Farmville to live with his family in Newport News?

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

10. What does Shetterly want for the women she writes about in Hidden Figures?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

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 2

Write an essay explaining why Shetterly includes a discussion of the original Star Trek television series. What was important about the series? How did it relate to the civil rights movement? How did the series relate to the work being done at Langley?

Essay Topic 3

Shetterly dedicates an entire chapter to Mary Jackson’s son entering a soap box derby. Write an essay explaining the purpose of this chapter. How does the chapter relate to the themes of the book? What information about the individuals focused on does Shetterly communicate through this chapter? What information does the chapter communicate about racial relations during the time period?

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This section contains 980 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample