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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. What made white computers laugh at Mary Jackson?

2. Which group at Langley had already developed expertise in rockets when the space race began?

3. Why did Dorothy Hoover leave NACA?

4. What was the name of America's first manned space project?

5. Where was Central High School, the white school that was in the news because black students were trying to integrate it?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why was Katherine Goble Johnson warned not to ask for a transfer to an engineering group when she started working at Langley?

2. How did black families handle the closing of schools in Prince Edward due to defunding by segregationists?

3. How did the disbanding of West Area Computing affect Dorothy Vaughan?

4. Why was there confusion about which room to place Katherine Goble Johnson's mother in when she was in the hospital?

5. Why was the U.S. Army called to a school in Little Rock, Arkansas?

6. Why did Dorothy Lee regret agreeing with a reporter when she said that women had to act like ladies in the workplace?

7. What was one major change that occurred when NACA became NASA?

8. What did Americans fear when Russia launched Sputnik?

9. Why did the talk that Mary Jackson and Emma Jean gave to a group of girls have such a great impact on the girls?

10. Why was there a push toward space for Americans after Russia launched Sputnik?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

The black women that Shetterly focuses on in Hidden Figures had a great deal in common. Write an essay discussing what the women had in common and how those traits helped them to excel in their careers. What were their educational backgrounds? What were their personalities like? How did the ways in which they looked at the world help them to succeed?

Essay Topic 2

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?

Essay Topic 3

Shetterly writes about how the area surrounding Langley Research Center affected those working at Langley. Write an essay describing the area and the way it impacted lives of African Americans living and working in the area. What was the area like? What housing was available to African Americans? How did being located in a segregated area affect Langley Research Center?

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 910 words (approx. 4 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample