- 1. Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch is a compelling and meticulously researched narrative that chronicles the tumultuous period of the American civil rights movement from 1954 to 1963, focusing on the pivotal events that shaped the struggle for racial equality in the United States. Branch captures the essence of the era, detailing the powerful figures involved, including Martin Luther King Jr., and the grassroots organizations that mobilized ordinary citizens to demand change. The book vividly portrays key moments such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Birmingham Campaign, and the March on Washington, interweaving personal stories of activists with the broader social and political context of the time. Through his detailed prose, Branch not only illuminates the challenges and triumphs faced by those who fought against segregation and injustice, but he also delves into the moral and ethical dilemmas that arose within the movement itself. The work is a testament to the persistence and courage of the individuals who risked everything for the cause of justice, making it a significant contribution to the historical narrative of America.
What is the subtitle of 'Parting the Waters' by Taylor Branch?
A) A History of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
B) The Civil Rights Movement 1955-1968
C) The Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr.
D) America in the King Years 1954-63
- 2. Who is the central figure of 'Parting the Waters'?
A) Malcolm X
B) Rosa Parks
C) John F. Kennedy
D) Martin Luther King Jr.
- 3. What event marks the beginning of the narrative in 'Parting the Waters'?
A) The assassination of President Kennedy
B) The Brown v. Board decision
C) The March on Washington
D) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
- 4. Which civil rights organization did Martin Luther King Jr. help found and lead, as detailed in the book?
A) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
B) The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
C) The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
D) The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
- 5. What was the name of the 1961 protest campaign where activists rode buses into the segregated South?
A) The Selma Marches
B) The Birmingham Campaign
C) The Freedom Rides
D) The March Against Fear
- 6. Which U.S. President is a major political figure during the period covered in 'Parting the Waters'?
A) Dwight D. Eisenhower
B) Lyndon B. Johnson
C) John F. Kennedy
D) Richard Nixon
- 7. In which city did police use fire hoses and dogs on peaceful protesters, an event covered in the book?
A) Birmingham, Alabama
B) Jackson, Mississippi
C) Nashville, Tennessee
D) Atlanta, Georgia
- 8. What famous speech did Martin Luther King Jr. deliver at the March on Washington?
A) "A Time to Break Silence"
B) "I Have a Dream"
C) "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
D) "The Other America"
- 9. Which government agency is portrayed as conducting extensive surveillance on Martin Luther King Jr.?
A) The Secret Service
B) The FBI
C) The CIA
D) The NSA
- 10. Who was the head of the FBI during the events of the book?
A) Robert Kennedy
B) Lyndon B. Johnson
C) J. Edgar Hoover
D) Clyde Tolson
- 11. What was the name of the church that was bombed in Birmingham, killing four young girls?
A) Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
B) Brown Chapel AME Church
C) 16th Street Baptist Church
D) Ebenezer Baptist Church
- 12. Which U.S. Attorney General is a significant character in the book?
A) Bobby Seale
B) John Mitchell
C) Robert F. Kennedy
D) Nicholas Katzenbach
- 13. Which student-led organization began with sit-ins at lunch counters?
A) Black Panther Party
B) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
C) Nation of Islam
D) Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
- 14. What was the name of the campaign to desegregate public facilities in Albany, Georgia?
A) The Georgia Project
B) Operation Dixie
C) The Freedom Summer
D) The Albany Movement
- 15. Who was the first president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)?
A) Ella Baker
B) Marion Barry
C) John Lewis
D) Stokely Carmichael
- 16. Which leader advocated for black nationalism and is presented as a contrast to King?
A) Bayard Rustin
B) Roy Wilkins
C) Whitney Young
D) Malcolm X
- 17. What pivotal document did King write while jailed in Birmingham?
A) "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech
B) "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
C) "The Black Manifesto"
D) "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech
- 18. Who was the governor of Alabama who famously stood in the schoolhouse door to block integration?
A) Ross Barnett
B) Orval Faubus
C) Lester Maddox
D) George Wallace
- 19. Which university was integrated by James Meredith, causing a major crisis?
A) Louisiana State University
B) University of Mississippi
C) University of Alabama
D) Auburn University
- 20. Who was the charismatic leader of the SCLC often at King's side?
A) Fred Shuttlesworth
B) Andrew Young
C) Ralph Abernathy
D) James Bevel
- 21. What tragic event concludes the narrative of 'Parting the Waters'?
A) The Selma to Montgomery marches
B) The assassination of President Kennedy
C) The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
D) The passage of the Civil Rights Act
- 22. What was the name of the voter registration project in Mississippi?
A) The Delta Initiative
B) Project Vote
C) Mississippi Burning
D) Freedom Summer
- 23. Which civil rights leader was a key organizer of the March on Washington?
A) Medgar Evers
B) Fannie Lou Hamer
C) Bayard Rustin
D) Hosea Williams
- 24. What was the name of the doctrine used to justify segregation?
A) Nullification
B) Interposition
C) Separate but equal
D) Manifest Destiny
- 25. Which event is considered a key turning point that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
A) The March on Washington
B) The Birmingham campaign
C) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
D) The Freedom Rides
- 26. Which time period does 'Parting the Waters' primarily cover?
A) 1914-1945
B) 1968-1980
C) 1865-1877
D) 1954-1963
- 27. What prestigious award did Taylor Branch win for 'Parting the Waters'?
A) Man Booker Prize
B) National Book Award
C) Nobel Prize in Literature
D) Pulitzer Prize
- 28. The title 'Parting the Waters' is an allusion to what biblical story?
A) Moses parting the Red Sea
B) Noah and the Great Flood
C) David and Goliath
D) The resurrection of Lazarus
- 29. Where did the Freedom Rides begin their journey?
A) Jackson, Mississippi
B) Montgomery, Alabama
C) Washington, D.C.
D) Atlanta, Georgia
- 30. What was the name of the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi?
A) Vivian Malone
B) James Meredith
C) Autherine Lucy
D) Charlayne Hunter-Gault
- 31. Which civil rights leader was assassinated in Mississippi in 1963, an event covered in the book?
A) Malcolm X
B) Emmett Till
C) Medgar Evers
D) Fred Hampton
- 32. What was the name of the campaign to desegregate the city of Birmingham in 1963?
A) Operation Breadbasket
B) The Albany Movement
C) Project X
D) Project C
- 33. Who was the key organizer from the SCLC who often managed protests and logistics?
A) John Lewis
B) Bayard Rustin
C) James Farmer
D) Wyatt Tee Walker
- 34. What was the name of the doctrine used to justify 'separate but equal' facilities?
A) Marbury v. Madison
B) Plessy v. Ferguson
C) Brown v. Board of Education
D) Dred Scott v. Sandford
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