Letters from Birmingham Jail

Which statement is a position of Dr. King's opponents?

• Racial injustice in Birmingham must be stopped at all costs.

• The Boston Tea Party was an act of civil disobedience.

• Dr. King's peaceful actions are wrong because violence results from them.

• Demonstrations are necessary to break down segregation.

Why, does King argue, is it okay to ignore the laws of segregation?

• Because "wait" most often means "never"

• Because "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"

• Because "an unjust law is no law at all"

• Because, " he would rarely have time to answer anything else"

What does King mean in lines 37–38 when he says, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”?

• All citizens are equally threatened by justice.

• Discrimination does not exist in rural areas.

• All laws are unfair and should be ignored.

• Everyone is affected when one person is hurt.

"As I am confined in Birmingham jail...". The word "confined" most nearly means

• able to engage

• being placed in solitary

• unable to leave

• ability to pay a fine

To whom is King's letter addressed?

• Black activists

• Other (white) clergymen

• White protestors

• Fellow clerical workers

Which of the steps of a nonviolent campaign does King say that they have already tried

• Collection of the facts

• Negotiation

• Self-purification & Direct Action

• All of them

In his opening paragraph, King says that he rarely pauses to answer criticisms, but he is replying to the clergymen because

• their actions were unwise and untimely.

• their letter shows them to be extremists.

• he believes them to be sincere and good.

• he wants his letter to bring about change.

What is the basis for King’s argument against the idea that he is an outsider who came to Birmingham?

• He was born in Birmingham.

• He has organizational ties in Birmingham.

• He has many relatives in Birmingham.

• He went to college in Birmingham.

What is the primary purpose of Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'?

• To defend his actions and those of the civil rights movement

• To criticize the federal government

• To propose new laws for civil rights

• To express his personal grievances

In 'Letter from Birmingham Jail,' how does King justify breaking certain laws?

• By stating that all laws are inherently unjust

• By arguing that unjust laws degrade human personality

• By claiming that laws are meant to be broken

• By suggesting that laws are irrelevant