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