- 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) The Civil Rights Movement 1955-1968
B) The Life and Times of Martin Luther King Jr.
C) A History of the Montgomery Bus Boycott
D) America in the King Years 1954-63
- 2. Who is the central figure of 'Parting the Waters'?
A) John F. Kennedy
B) Malcolm X
C) Martin Luther King Jr.
D) Rosa Parks
- 3. What event marks the beginning of the narrative in 'Parting the Waters'?
A) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
B) The March on Washington
C) The assassination of President Kennedy
D) The Brown v. Board decision
- 4. Which civil rights organization did Martin Luther King Jr. help found and lead, as detailed in the book?
A) The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
B) The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE)
C) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
D) The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
- 5. What was the name of the 1961 protest campaign where activists rode buses into the segregated South?
A) The Freedom Rides
B) The March Against Fear
C) The Birmingham Campaign
D) The Selma Marches
- 6. Which U.S. President is a major political figure during the period covered in 'Parting the Waters'?
A) John F. Kennedy
B) Dwight D. Eisenhower
C) Lyndon B. Johnson
D) Richard Nixon
- 7. In which city did police use fire hoses and dogs on peaceful protesters, an event covered in the book?
A) Nashville, Tennessee
B) Jackson, Mississippi
C) Atlanta, Georgia
D) Birmingham, Alabama
- 8. What famous speech did Martin Luther King Jr. deliver at the March on Washington?
A) "I Have a Dream"
B) "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
C) "The Other America"
D) "A Time to Break Silence"
- 9. Which government agency is portrayed as conducting extensive surveillance on Martin Luther King Jr.?
A) The NSA
B) The Secret Service
C) The CIA
D) The FBI
- 10. Who was the head of the FBI during the events of the book?
A) J. Edgar Hoover
B) Robert Kennedy
C) Clyde Tolson
D) Lyndon B. Johnson
- 11. What was the name of the church that was bombed in Birmingham, killing four young girls?
A) Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
B) Ebenezer Baptist Church
C) Brown Chapel AME Church
D) 16th Street Baptist Church
- 12. Which U.S. Attorney General is a significant character in the book?
A) Bobby Seale
B) Robert F. Kennedy
C) Nicholas Katzenbach
D) John Mitchell
- 13. Which student-led organization began with sit-ins at lunch counters?
A) Nation of Islam
B) Black Panther Party
C) Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
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) The Freedom Summer
C) The Albany Movement
D) Operation Dixie
- 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) Whitney Young
B) Roy Wilkins
C) Bayard Rustin
D) Malcolm X
- 17. What pivotal document did King write while jailed in Birmingham?
A) "The Ballot or the Bullet" speech
B) "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech
C) "The Black Manifesto"
D) "Letter from a Birmingham Jail"
- 18. Who was the governor of Alabama who famously stood in the schoolhouse door to block integration?
A) George Wallace
B) Ross Barnett
C) Lester Maddox
D) Orval Faubus
- 19. Which university was integrated by James Meredith, causing a major crisis?
A) University of Alabama
B) Louisiana State University
C) University of Mississippi
D) Auburn University
- 20. Who was the charismatic leader of the SCLC often at King's side?
A) Andrew Young
B) James Bevel
C) Fred Shuttlesworth
D) Ralph Abernathy
- 21. What tragic event concludes the narrative of 'Parting the Waters'?
A) The Selma to Montgomery marches
B) The passage of the Civil Rights Act
C) The assassination of President Kennedy
D) The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
- 22. What was the name of the voter registration project in Mississippi?
A) The Delta Initiative
B) Project Vote
C) Freedom Summer
D) Mississippi Burning
- 23. Which civil rights leader was a key organizer of the March on Washington?
A) Fannie Lou Hamer
B) Hosea Williams
C) Bayard Rustin
D) Medgar Evers
- 24. What was the name of the doctrine used to justify segregation?
A) Manifest Destiny
B) Separate but equal
C) Interposition
D) Nullification
- 25. Which event is considered a key turning point that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
A) The Freedom Rides
B) The March on Washington
C) The Birmingham campaign
D) The Montgomery Bus Boycott
- 26. Which time period does 'Parting the Waters' primarily cover?
A) 1865-1877
B) 1968-1980
C) 1914-1945
D) 1954-1963
- 27. What prestigious award did Taylor Branch win for 'Parting the Waters'?
A) Pulitzer Prize
B) National Book Award
C) Man Booker Prize
D) Nobel Prize in Literature
- 28. The title 'Parting the Waters' is an allusion to what biblical story?
A) David and Goliath
B) Noah and the Great Flood
C) The resurrection of Lazarus
D) Moses parting the Red Sea
- 29. Where did the Freedom Rides begin their journey?
A) Washington, D.C.
B) Montgomery, Alabama
C) Atlanta, Georgia
D) Jackson, Mississippi
- 30. What was the name of the first black student to enroll at the University of Mississippi?
A) Vivian Malone
B) Autherine Lucy
C) James Meredith
D) Charlayne Hunter-Gault
- 31. Which civil rights leader was assassinated in Mississippi in 1963, an event covered in the book?
A) Fred Hampton
B) Medgar Evers
C) Malcolm X
D) Emmett Till
- 32. What was the name of the campaign to desegregate the city of Birmingham in 1963?
A) The Albany Movement
B) Project C
C) Operation Breadbasket
D) Project X
- 33. Who was the key organizer from the SCLC who often managed protests and logistics?
A) Bayard Rustin
B) John Lewis
C) Wyatt Tee Walker
D) James Farmer
- 34. What was the name of the doctrine used to justify 'separate but equal' facilities?
A) Brown v. Board of Education
B) Plessy v. Ferguson
C) Dred Scott v. Sandford
D) Marbury v. Madison
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