Martin Luther King Jr. And The Civil Rights Movement Quiz
Test your knowledge of the man and the movement he helped lead with this 10-question interactive quiz.
- 1.
In its landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision, the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional to:
- A.
Force anyone taking public transportation to give up his/her seat
- B.
Establish racially segregated public schools
- C.
Prevent any registered adult from voting
- D.
Deny anyone a public library card
Correct Answer
B. Establish racially segregated public schoolsExplanation
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka – the 1954 landmark Supreme Court case - declared racially segregated public schools unconstitutional. The decision overturned Jim Crow laws in the South that sanctioned segregation. The decision stated that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." Segregation, it ruled, is a violation the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The ruling opened the door to racial integration and helped spur the Civil Rights Movement.Rate this question:
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- 2.
Martin Luther King Jr. served as the first president of which civil rights organization?
- A.
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference
- B.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- C.
The Southern Poverty Law Center
- D.
The American Civil Liberties Union
Correct Answer
A. The Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceExplanation
Dr. King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The SCLC played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement by coordinating and supporting large nonviolent protests in opposition to racial segregation in the South.Rate this question:
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- 3.
Dr. King was directly influenced by which of the following leaders?
- A.
Abraham Lincoln
- B.
Malcolm X
- C.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR)
- D.
Mahatma Gandhi
Correct Answer
D. Mahatma GandhiExplanation
Dr. King was profoundly inspired by Gandhi’s political strategy of direct action and non-violent resistance. He was greatly encouraged by the strategy's success in overthrowing white colonial rule in India.Rate this question:
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- 4.
Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech at which major event?
- A.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
- B.
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
- C.
The funeral of President John F. Kennedy
- D.
The inauguration of President Lyndon Johnson
Correct Answer
B. The March on Washington for Jobs and FreedomExplanation
On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly thereafter, Dr. King helped organize and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for over a year and ended in a ruling by a U.S. District Court that prohibited forced racial segregation on the city’s buses.Rate this question:
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- 5.
What famous political action did Rosa Parks help prompt?
- A.
Bloody Sunday
- B.
The March on Washington
- C.
The Montgomery Bus Boycott
- D.
The Selma to Montgomery March
Correct Answer
C. The Montgomery Bus BoycottExplanation
On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly thereafter, Dr. King helped organize and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for over a year and ended in a ruling by a U.S. District Court that prohibited forced racial segregation on the city’s buses.Rate this question:
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- 6.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 resulted in everything BUT what?
- A.
Deployed federal authorities to Southern states to help register Black voters
- B.
Outlawed voting literacy tests
- C.
Made it unlawful for certain jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to change any voting procedures without federal approval
- D.
Required certain jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to provide voters with free transportation to the polls
Correct Answer
D. Required certain jurisdictions with a history of discrimination to provide voters with free transportation to the pollsExplanation
On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a public bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Shortly thereafter, Dr. King helped organize and lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for over a year and ended in a ruling by a U.S. District Court that prohibited forced racial segregation on the city’s buses.Rate this question:
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- 7.
Who was George Wallace?
- A.
A major civil rights leader who worked with Dr. King
- B.
The first protester killed during the “Bloody Sunday” police attacks
- C.
The Supreme Court justice who wrote the Brown v. Board of Ed. decision
- D.
The pro-segregationist governor of Alabama
Correct Answer
D. The pro-segregationist governor of AlabamaExplanation
A Democrat, George Wallace served three terms as governor of Alabama. He staunchly opposed desegregation and the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. In his 1963 inauguration speech, Wallace famously said: "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
Wallace took high-profile stands against efforts to desegregate schools in Alabama and oversaw the use of state-sanctioned force against protesters. In one notorious speech he said: “The President wants us to surrender this state to Martin Luther King and his group of pro-Communists who have instituted these demonstrations."
Wallace ran for president, unsuccessfully, in every election from 1964 to 1976.
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- 8.
Which one of these political groups was NOT part of Dr. King’s organizing efforts during the Civil Rights Movement?
- A.
Congress of Racial Equality
- B.
Black Panther Party
- C.
Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
- D.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Correct Answer
B. Black Panther PartyExplanation
The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was founded in Oakland in 1966 as a revolutionary militant Black power organization with the mission of protecting Black communities in America from police brutality and injustice. The organization’s tactics were a departure from the strategy of non-violent resistance promoted by Dr. King and the coalition of civil rights organizations he worked with.Rate this question:
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- 9.
What was Freedom Summer?
- A.
A campaign to register Black voters in Mississippi
- B.
A series of protests in southern cities to oppose the incarceration of civil rights activists
- C.
A bus tour Dr. King took throughout the South to galvanize Black communities
- D.
A march from Selma to Montgomery
Correct Answer
A. A campaign to register Black voters in MississippiExplanation
Also known as the Mississippi Summer Project, the 1964 Freedom Summer campaign was an effort to register Black voters in Mississippi, where voter disenfranchisement was pervasive. The campaign, organized by the Council of Federated Organizations, also set up dozens of Freedom Schools, Freedom Houses and community centers in small towns throughout Mississippi to aid and support Black communities.Rate this question:
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- 10.
Which public official famously accused Martin Luther King, Jr. of being “the most notorious liar in the country”?
- A.
George Wallace (Gov. of Alabama)
- B.
J. Edgar Hoover (Director of the FBI)
- C.
Bull Conner (City of Birmingham Police Commissioner)
- D.
Richard Nixon (future U.S. President)
Correct Answer
B. J. Edgar Hoover (Director of the FBI)Explanation
FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover made this inflammatory allegation during a news conference on Nov. 18, 1964. Hoover was openly hostile and vehemently distrustful of King. For years, he directed the FBI investigators to obsessively pursue the civil rights leader in a largely unsuccessful effort to uncover evidence of Communist Party involvement or personal transgressions.Rate this question:
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Current Version
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Jan 15, 2024Quiz Edited by
ProProfs Editorial Team -
Jan 12, 2012Quiz Created by
Matthew Green
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