Women in Aviation Short

The authors wrote “Women in Aviation” to —

• show how aviation regulations have made piloting safer.

• describe how difficult it was for women to become pilots.

Several of Bessie Coleman’s accomplishments made significant contributions toward her earning her pilot’s license. The list that shows the events in chronological order is —

•   set her goal to become a pilot, learned French and saved money, graduated from high school

•   graduated from high school, set her goal to become a pilot, learned French and saved money

1.     “Bessie Coleman refused to accept the limitations others tried to place on her. She attended an Oklahoma college for one semester but ran out of money. Accepting the offer of one of her brothers to come live with him and his family in Chicago, Coleman found a job as a manicurist. She fully intended to return to school after saving enough money. But she never did. While in Chicago she learned about flying and made a new set of goals for herself. She wanted to be a pilot.’’

 

Which sentence best expresses the primary reason Bessie Coleman wanted to start a flying school?

• a)    She wanted to help other African Americans become pilots.

• a)    She wanted to prove that women and African Americans could become excellent pilots.

1.     ‘”Coleman had also read about Eugene Jacques Bullard, the well-decorated and highly honored native of Georgia who had become the first African American to fly an airplane in combat as a member of the French Lafayette Flying Corps during World War I. Other blacks had gone to Europe to get their training, too. Coleman realized that if she were ever going to get a chance to fly, she, too, would have to go to France. But she didn’t have any money to get there, and besides, she couldn’t speak a word of French.‘‘

 

Racial prejudice was not restrictive in France. Which information from the text supports this statement?

• a)    Eugene Jacques Bullard was a well-decorated pilot in the French Lafayette Flying Corps.

• a)    World War I air battles were publicized in American newspapers.

    Which of the following statements best explains the authors’ purpose in writing the text?

• a)    To tell the readers about the first African American to become a pilot

• a)    To inform the readers of the courage and determination it took women in the early 1900s to overcome obstacles and become pilots

1.     ‘‘The strict rules and regulations that govern aviation today didn’t exist during the first three decades of flying. For example, it wasn’t uncommon for aviators to ignore safety belts and fly without parachutes. One of these simple safety precautions might have saved the lives of both Harriet Quimby and Bessie Coleman.’’

 

Using the paragraph above, what factor contributed to the deaths of both Harriet Quimby and Bessie Coleman?

• a)    Lack of safety precautions

• Lack of strength and presence of mind

1.     ‘‘Even though the United States was the birthplace of flight, it was slower than other countries to develop an organized aviation program. European leaders immediately saw the commercial and military advantages of a strong national aviation program. Bessie knew from her reading that both French and German aircraft were among the best in the world.’’

 

According to the authors, why did the United States lag behind Europe in developing a strong aviation program?  

• a)    African Americans went to Europe to be trained as pilots.

• a)    European leaders understood the commercial and military advantages.

1.     ‘‘Once again critics used the tragedy to assert that neither women nor blacks were mentally or physically able to be good pilots. “Women are often penalized by publicity for their every mishap,” said Amelia Earhart, the most famous female pilot in aviation history. “The result is that such emphasis sometimes directly affects [a woman’s] chances for a flying job,” Earhart continued. “I had one manufacturer tell me that he couldn’t risk hiring women pilots because of the way accidents, even minor ones, became headlines in the newspapers.”

 

After Bessie Coleman and Harriet Quimby died, the media reported that their deaths –

• awere due to the way they were trained in flight school.

•    were due to the fact that they were women, making them inferior pilots.

    Which statement best supports the idea that the media were effectively discriminating against female aviators?

• They used the incidents outlined above to adhere to society’s expectations that women inferior to men.

• They used the above incidents to show that it was the fault of the engineers and urged society to back women.

1.     ‘‘The story of women in aviation actually goes back to the time of the hot-air balloons. A number of women in Europe and America gained fame for their skill and daring. Sophie Blanchard made her first solo balloon flight in 1805. She grew in fame and was eventually named official aeronaut of the empire by Napoleon. By 1834, at least twenty women in Europe were piloting their own balloons.’’

 

From the passage above the authors include information about women in hot-air balloons in order to__

• explain that women have been interested in aviation for a long time.

• entertain readers with amusing stories about women who inspired pilots.