The Civil Rights Movement in the United States

After slavery ended, African-Americans in the United States still faced discrimination. The policy of
segregation- kept them away from whites. It was hard for African-Americans to vote. They were not
allowed to sit in many restaurants with whites or use the same hotels, pools or train cars. They even had to
sit at the back of the bus.
People knew this had to change. Laws about equality were passed, but laws don't always make people
change their behavior. More had to be done.
Change really began in 1955, when Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to move to the back of a bus in
Montgomery, Alabama. She was arrested. Afterward, thousands of people boycotted Montgomery buses.
The city lost money, and buses were desegregated a year later.
In 1957, again in Alabama, nine black students sued in order to attend an all-white school. The law said
they could attend, but Alabama's governor stopped them with state police. The US president then ordered
soldiers to escort the brave students past the police who wanted to stop them.
At the same time, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
This organization was key in leading nonviolent protests. Mass protests began. Freedom riders integrated
transportation systems. Sit-ins integrated restaurants. People protested in the streets. Dr. King was arrested
at one protest. He wrote his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" then. The letter says that people must
disobey laws that are morally wrong.
In mostly nonviolent ways, people continued to protest. In 1963, hundreds of thousands of people
marched to Washington, DC, to demand equality. There, Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. A new
Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, a huge victory for the movement. Though more battles were to be
fought, African-Americans were finally winning equality.
1. Which of the following is the main topic of the passage? ____
a) Pros and cons of the Civil Rights Movement. b) Major steps in the Civil Rights Movement.
c) Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. d) The long-term effects of the Civil Rights Act.
2. This passage focuses on ____
a) a social movement b) Rosa Parks
c) Martin Luther King, Jr. d) an organization
3. Rosa Parks began the Civil Rights Movement by
a) refusing to sit at the back of the bus b) refusing to leave an all-white restaurant
c) going on hunger strike at the Birmingham Jail d) signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964
4, The Civil Rights Movement probably ____
a) stopped and disbanded completely in 1964 b) continued to fight for equality after 1964
c) became the Environmental Protection Movement d) started using violence after 1964
5. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word boycott in the third paragraph? ____
a) Buying an extra bottle of shampoo because it is half-price.
b) Buying a certain brand because it has a reputation for quality.
c) Refusing to buy plastic because it harms the environment.
d) Using violent protest to change unfair laws.
6. The author's tone in this passage is best described as ____ a) loving b) ironic c) comic d) admiring