Marian Anderson Struggles and Triumphs

What does the following paragraph mainly reveal about Marian Anderson?

"While she dreamed of a singing career, she knew she would have to support herself and help her family when she finished school, so she took the high school’s secretarial course, studying bookkeeping, shorthand, and typing. But her heart wasn’t in those studies, and after three unhappy years she was able to transfer to the newly established South Philadelphia High School for Girls, where she enrolled in an academic course, emphasizing music. Her classmates would remember her as a shy and often self-conscious young woman who kept to herself and concentrated on her musical studies."

• A. Her secretarial studies were her main focus.

• B. She was popular at school.

• C. She gave up her dream of singing after struggling to fit in at her new school.

• D. She refused to give up her dream of singing, despite the obstacles she faced.

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Which of the following inferences is best supported by this excerpt from the third paragraph?

"She traveled with her mother from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., where they had to change trains to continue south. At Washington’s Union Station black and white passengers were separated. The Andersons’ bags were taken to the Jim Crow coach reserved for blacks. As Marian recalled, the car was dirty inside and out, the windows were badly in need of washing, and the ventilation and lighting were poor. When the air became stuffy and the windows were raised, smoke and soot from the engine directly ahead poured into the car."

• A. There are no health and safety laws in the early 1900s.

• B. Marian’s travels allowed her to witness the effects of segregation.

• C. Marian’s talent qualifies her for an upgrade in accommodations.

• D. Marian thinks segregation is fair.

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Why does the author most likely include these quotes from Marian Anderson in the third paragraph?

“I had heard about Jim Crow,” Marian wrote later, “but meeting it bit deeply into the soul. … I had looked closely at my people in that train. Some seemed to be embarrassed to the core. Others appeared to accept the situation as if it were beyond repair.”

• A. The author wants to show Marian was more moved when she saw Jim Crow’s effects firsthand.

• B. The author reveals Marian’s motivation for traveling South.

• C. The author wishes to show Marian’s ignorance of Jim Crow laws.

• D. The author demonstrates Marian’s agreement with Jim Crow laws.

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What information does this excerpt further convey about segregation?

"That evening an audience of nearly a thousand people turned out for the concert in Savannah’s new Municipal Auditorium, whites sitting in the boxes and dress circle, blacks in segregated orchestra or gallery seats. “[Marian] Anderson, the soloist, has one of the most remarkable voices ever heard in Savannah,” reported the Savannah Morning News.

• A. Marian encounters segregation, even when she is the star performer.

• B. Savannah offers better living conditions for African-Americans.

• C. Marian’s performance in Savannah inspires the audience to end segregation.

• D. People dislike the performance because Marian is African-American.

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Which of the following inferences about Marian’s personal life is best supported by the following passage?

"He fell for the shy singer with the soft laughter and huge sparkling eyes who was almost as tall as he, and Marian, as she later admitted, was attracted to Orpheus. They saw a good deal of each other. It wasn’t long before Orpheus suggested that they run away and get married. But Marian, determined to build a career, wasn’t interested in discussing marriage. “I was busy with the beginnings of my concert life,” she said later, “and I thought there was no great hurry.”

• A. Her singing career takes precedence over any thoughts of marriage.

• B. She regrets not marrying Orpheus Fisher.

• C. She is so drawn to Orpheus Fisher, he begins to distract her from her singing.

• D. She convinces Orpheus to despise marriage.

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Which sentence from the text best supports your answer to Question 5?

• A. “In Wilmington, Delaware, at a reception following a concert, she was introduced to a tall young man named Orpheus Fisher, who, like her, was still in high school.”

• B. “He fell for the shy singer with the soft laughter and huge sparkling eyes who was almost as tall as he, and Marian, as she later admitted, was attracted to Orpheus.”

• C. “It wasn’t long before Orpheus suggested that they run away and get married.”

• D. “But Marian, determined to build a career, wasn’t interested in discussing marriage.”

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Which of the following inferences about Marian’s community is best supported by the excerpt?

• A. They give her a lot of encouragement but very little money.

• B. Their jealousy of her is thinly disguised.

• C. They want to see her get a better singing instructor than Boghetti.

• D. They give financial help to advance her singing career.

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Which sentence most strongly supports your answer to Question 7?

• A. “During her high school years, Marian continued to sing at church and social events and, increasingly, at concerts out of town.”

• B. “And she won a scholarship to take a six-week summer course at the Chicago Conservatory of Music.”

• C. “And again the congregation at Union Baptist Church came to Marian’s aid, organizing a benefit concert that raised $566 so that she could study with Boghetti.”

• D. “Arriving in Savannah after an overnight trip, Marian and her mother were greeted warmly by school officials and were put up at the home of the college president.”

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What definition most closely matches the use of the word coach in this Chapter 2 excerpt?

• A. [noun] horse-drawn carriage

• B. [noun] railroad car for passengers with less money

• C. [noun] a bus, minibus

• D. [noun] brand name of women’s bags

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Which one of the following occurs first in the excerpt?

• A. Marian and her mother travel from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. to Georgia where Marian takes part in a concert attended by a thousand people.

• B. Marian switches to a girl’s school in South Philadelphia where the curriculum includes musical studies.

• C. Marian sings in Delaware where she meets a man who falls in love with her.

• D. Her high school principal furthers Marian’s singing career by arranging for an audition with a demanding vocal coach; he agrees to take Marian on as a student.

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