Fighting for Unity and Equality — Test Answers

Read the excerpt from Outcasts United . Somehow, Luma would have to find a way to get all these kids to play as a unit. "It was about trying to figure out what they have in common," she said. While Luma was trying to find a way to get the kids to play together, she was also getting to know their parents, most of whom were single mothers. She quickly discovered that these women needed help—mostly in understanding paperwork. With her Arabic and French, Luma was able to translate documents and answer some of their questions. She made appointments with doctors and social workers. Luma gave her cell phone number to her players and their families, and soon they were calling with requests for help. Teachers learned to call Luma when her players' parents couldn't be found or were at work. The families showed their gratitude by offering Luma tea and inviting her to dinner. Luma felt needed, and couldn't help but notice how much better this kind of work felt than running Ashton's. Based on Luma’s actions, which statement best describes the theme in this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from My Story . She took me up a flight of stairs (the cells were on the second level), through a door covered with iron mesh, and along a dimly lighted corridor. She placed me in an empty dark cell and slammed the door closed. She walked a few steps away, but then she turned around and came back. She said, "There are two girls around the other side, and if you want to go over there with them instead of being in a cell by yourself, I will take you over there.” I told her that it didn’t matter, but she said, "Let’s go around there, and then you won’t have to be in a cell alone.” It was her way of being nice. It didn’t make me feel any better. How does Rosa Parks help the reader understand her emotions in this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from Obama's Second Inaugural Address. This generation of Americans has been tested by crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. A decade of war is now ending. An economic recovery has begun. America’s possibilities are limitless, for we possess all the qualities that this world without boundaries demands: youth and drive; diversity and openness; an endless capacity for risk and a gift for reinvention. My fellow Americans, we are made for this moment, and we will seize it -- so long as we seize it together. What is President Obama’s purpose in this section of the speech?

Read the excerpt from Obama's Second Inaugural Address. But we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. For the American people can no more meet the demands of today’s world by acting alone than American soldiers could have met the forces of fascism or communism with muskets and militias. No single person can train all the math and science teachers we’ll need to equip our children for the future, or build the roads and networks and research labs that will bring new jobs and businesses to our shores. Now, more than ever, we must do these things together, as one nation and one people. How is the underlined portion of this excerpt best characterized?

Which statement best expresses a strong claim for the presentation?

Read the excerpt from "American Indian Civil Rights.” Over the years, American Indian activists have valiantly fought for reform and for the government to honor certain treaty obligations. Sarah Winnemucca, a member of the Northern Paiutes tribe, campaigned for better living conditions for her tribe in the late 1800s. She lectured around the country in an effort to increase support for her cause. Physician and lecturer Charles Eastman, who was part of the Sioux tribe, also strove to improve the circumstances of American Indians in the early 1900s through public speaking and serving in organizations such as the Society of American Indians. What is the best reason to conclude that the author wants the reader to admire American Indians?

The dates in the excerpt help the reader to determine that "American Indian Civil Rights” is structured by

Read the excerpt from "American Indian Civil Rights.” One of the most sweeping blows to the American Indian community occurred in 1830 when President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. As a result, the government negotiated with tribes to move them to land west of the Mississippi River. The government then acquired their previously inhabited land. Some tribes reluctantly went along with the act. Which phrase from the excerpt uses a strong emotional connotation to help the author emphasize the tragedy that the American Indians suffered?

Read the excerpt from "A Quilt of a Country." Today the citizens of the United States have come together once more because of armed conflict and enemy attack. Terrorism has led to devastation—and unity. Which statement best explains the role context plays in better understanding this excerpt?

Read the excerpt from "My First March.” "Hey, Mama?” I asked. "How can all these buses be going to the same place we’re going? I’ve never seen a building that could hold this many people.” "Well, we’re not going to a building,” Mama said. "We’re going to a march today. That means we’ll be walking through the streets all over our nation’s capital.” Now read the excerpt from "2000 Buses.” Two thousand buses, Twenty-one chartered trains, Ten special airlines, More cars than one could name A mass meeting they called it, The March for Jobs and Freedom Equal access, Equal justice, For all, and not just some What event do both excerpts describe?

Read the excerpt from "My First March.” A group in the back started fanning themselves and singing the song "Heatwave,” making everyone laugh and sing along. The author conveys the joy in the excerpt through the use of

Read the excerpt from "Finding Unity in the Alabama Coal Mines.” Nevertheless, the UMWA was able to bridge the racial divide in that state, forming a powerful interracial labor union fifty years before the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s would make racial integration the rule of the land. What is the connotation of the word powerful ?

Read the excerpt from "Finding Unity in the Alabama Coal Mines.” The southern state of Alabama was a stronghold for Jim Crow practices. Nevertheless, the UMWA was able to bridge the racial divide in that state, forming a powerful interracial labor union fifty years before the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s would make racial integration the rule of the land. In the context of Alabama in the 1900s, the UMWA was culturally and historically significant because it

Read the excerpt from "Finding Unity in the Alabama Coal Mines.” The UMWA’s efforts were so successful that they influenced practices in other trade unions as well. In 1901, arguments raised by UMWA members led to the repeal of discriminatory practices at the Birmingham Trades Council, the organization to which all unions in the city of Birmingham belonged. Two years later, in 1903, the coal companies began to assert significant power against the union, denying union contracts and instituting policies of hiring only non-union employees. In 1908, under the auspices of the Alabama Coal Operators Association, company owners voted to cut worker wages by seventeen percent. What is the effect of telling this story in chronological order?

Which excerpt from "Finding Unity in the Alabama Coal Mines” best supports the theme "When people work together through difficult times, they can impact future generations”?

Which excerpt from the letter to the editor includes an opinion?

Which sentence is the best hook for a speech persuading a community to build a skate park?

Which of these words has a negative connotation?

Nina is conducting research about former president Bill Clinton. Which sources on her list are primary sources? Choose three correct answers.

Which sentences state a claim? Choose three correct answers.