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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. How many days had MLK and Ralph Abernathy been in jail when they accepted bond to come out?

2. MLK describes hate-filled youth that murdered a Negro boy while he was out doing what?

3. In the beginning of "The Summer of Our Discontent," what famous person does MLK mention came to join the ranks of people?

4. MLK states that when anyone would speak with President Eisenhower about racial justice they would come away with what?

5. What city was the night-club comic performing in when he joked that if the demonstrators had been served, they wouldn't have been able to pay for their meals?

Short Essay Questions

1. Why does MLK state that no revolution is like a ballet?

2. What did MLK wonder about the media writers when they accused the campaign officials of "using" their children "in this fashion"?

3. In "Letter from Birmingham Jail," who is the letter addressed to and why is it written?

4. What did MLK and the S.C.L.C. officers want to do to bring a new dynamic to the campaign that would receive criticism?

5. What is the relevant question that MLK mentions that must be asked to atone for the injustices the Negro has faced in the past?

6. What are the four basic steps in any nonviolent campaign that MLK mentions?

7. What were the two reasons that MLK accepted bond to come out of jail in the beginning of "Black and White Together"?

8. What did scientific observers place in the sealed death chambers where poison gas was to be administered to the victims of capital punishment?

9. What significant change in employment patterns does MLK talk about taking shape?

10. How does MLK describe the "two" John Kennedys that he knew?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Even though MLK would be considered the protagonist, how could the Negro population as a whole also be considered the protagonist? What kinds of conflicts do the Negroes face? What kind of conflicts with specific people do they face? What kind of conflicts with society do they face? What kind of conflicts with themselves do they face? Explain your answers and use specific information from the book to support your answers.

Essay Topic 2

In the book we meet an individual named Harry Belafonte. He is a friend of MLK and a supporter of the S.C.L.C. What significance does Belafonte have? MLK describes Belafonte as being totally involved in anything he takes on. How was he involved with the campaign? How was Belafonte involved when MLK was sent to jail? Do you think Belafonte was just involved because MLK was an old friend? What hope do you think he saw in the campaign in Birmingham?

Essay Topic 3

The book, Why We Can't Wait, is written by Martin Luther King, Jr. about the time of the civil rights movement during the 1960s in which Birmingham became the center of attention for the nation to watch those "fighting" for freedom. How do you think MLK's perspective on the details of these events affected the reader of the book? How would the details of the events be told differently if we were reading a book by Bull Connor? How about a book by Jesse Jackson? Explain your answers and use evidence from the book to support those answers.

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