Notable Americans — Answer Key
Part A: Multiple Choice
Circle the best answer for each question.
1. Read this passage: 'In 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, sparking a 381-day boycott.' Who is being described?
A) Rosa Parks
B) Susan B. Anthony
C) Helen Keller
D) Eleanor Roosevelt
Rosa Parks's December 1955 protest launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
2. Which two notable Americans both worked to expand voting and civil rights, even though they lived in different centuries?
A) Edison and the Wright Brothers
B) Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr.
C) Jefferson and Carver
D) Keller and Ride
Both led peaceful movements to extend full voting and civil rights to all Americans.
3. Why is George Washington Carver still remembered as an important American scientist?
A) He invented the telephone for everyday use.
B) He discovered the planet Pluto in 1930.
C) He developed many crop products and helped southern farmers.
D) He wrote the U.S. Constitution at age 25.
Carver's research saved southern farms damaged by cotton-only farming and boll weevils.
4. Which statement best describes why Sally Ride is considered a notable American?
A) She was the first president from California.
B) She invented the polio vaccine in 1955.
C) She wrote the Declaration of Independence with Jefferson.
D) She was the first American woman to travel into space in 1983.
Ride's 1983 mission opened the space program to women across the United States.
Part B: Fill in the Blank
Write the correct answer on each line.
1. The 1963 March on Washington was led by Dr. King and drew over 250,000 people.
The march pressured Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
2. Benjamin Franklin signed both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Franklin is the only Founding Father to sign all four major founding documents.
3. The Wright Brothers' first flight lasted only 12 seconds but changed travel forever.
The 12-second flight covered 120 feet and proved powered flight was possible.
4. Susan B. Anthony was once arrested for trying to vote in the 1872 election.
Her arrest drew national attention and energized the women's suffrage movement.
5. George Washington led American troops to victory in the Revolutionary War.
Washington commanded the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, securing independence.