Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice

Multiple Choice and Long Answer questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, unit exam, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. What does the story of Edwina and Marshall Johnson imply about race relations in the US?

A) That conditions in the North were much worse than in the South

B) That the South was prepared for civil disobedience in 1949

C) That the North was comparatively more egalitarian than the South

D) That the North enforced Jim Crow laws

2. Which of the following sources was crucial for Phillip Hoose to have in order to compile his account?

A) Interviews with Claudette

B) Pictures of Martin Luther King Jr.

C) Police records of arrests in the 1940s

D) City plans of Montgomery

3. Which of the following words describes Claudette’s character?

A) Submissive

B) Shy

C) Placid

D) Inquisitive

4. How does Delphine’s death change Claudette’s life?

A) It inspires her to become a nurse.

B) It leads to depression and loss of focus in her studies.

C) It makes her immerse herself in her schoolwork.

D) It prompts her to abandon her studies and move to Los Angeles.

5. Which of the following attributes increased students’ popularity at Claudette’s high school?

A) Their family’s wealth

B) Their ability to pass as white

C) Their neighborhood of residence

D) Their attendance at church

6. Based on the information in Hoose’s account, which of the following statements about Claudette is true?

A) She was profoundly impacted by the events of her era.

B) She was not interested in social justice.

C) She was a staunch supporter of Jim Crow laws.

D) She was inspired by the actions of Rosa Parks.

7. Which of the following emotions best describes how Claudette’s community immediately received her after her protest on the bus?

A) With shame

B) With fear

C) With pride

D) With sadness

8. Which of the following reasons best describes why the Black community of Montgomery was concerned about rallying behind Claudette in the aftermath of her trial?

A) Because she was too calm and level-headed to be taken seriously

B) Because she had seriously harmed one of the police officers

C) Because she was from a poor and working-class neighborhood

D) Because she was facing a life imprisonment charge

9. Which of the following phrases best describes how Claudette’s classmates treated her in the aftermath of her trial?

A) Like a hero

B) Like an innovator

C) Like a pariah

D) Like a sister

10. Which of the following sentences best explains the link between Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks’ protest?

A) Rosa supported Claudette in planning for her protest

B) Claudette helped to pave the way for Rosa

C) Claudette urged Rosa to boycott buses

D) Rosa wanted to steal the spotlight from Claudette

11. In preparing for the trial, Claudette says, “In my imagination that courtroom seemed like the Colosseum, and it felt like I had one last speech. I was going to make the most of it.” (Chapter 8) Which of the following literary terms is used in the above quote?

A) Simile

B) Metaphor

C) Personification

D) Allegory

12. What did the defense lawyer try unsuccessfully to force Claudette Colvin to admit to on the stand?

A) Pressure placed on her by the Communist Party

B) Pre-marital promiscuity

C) The influence of Dr. King

D) Her radicalization by activist school teachers

13. Which of the following reasons best supports why Judge Johnson supported desegregation?

A) His father had fought with the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

B) He was from a Union-sympathizing part of Alabama.

C) He was a member of the KKK.

D) He attended the same church as Martin Luther King Jr.

14. Which of the following words describes in which manner Claudette responded to Knabe’s cross-examination during the trial?

A) Confused

B) Concerned

C) Confident

D) Contemptible

15. Which of the following reasons best describes the increase in violent crimes in Montgomery during the summer and fall of 1956?

A) Protests against the verdict of the case

B) Frustration that the Black community was still legally segregated

C) Fear of the loss of the KKK

D) Mourning at the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. How is Hoose’s account structured? For example, what is the narration style?

2. Hoose includes a number of photos and side notes. How do these images and texts aid in understanding the book’s context? Select one of these primary sources and identify its link to the account. Be sure to cite the page number of the source.