AP African American Studies Practice Quiz: Discrimination, Segregation, and the Origins of the Civil Rights Movement

Correct Answer: B

According to the provided text, the Supreme Court ruled in the Brown v. Board of Education decision that "racial segregation in public schools [was] unconstitutional."

Correct Answer: C

The text explicitly states that the Brown v. Board decision "determined state-sanctioned school segregation violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment."

Correct Answer: D

The content mentions that "The Supreme Court cited the ‘doll test’ conducted by psychologists Mamie and Kenneth Clark in the 1940s as a key factor in its decision" because it showed the impact of segregation on children's self-esteem.

Correct Answer: B

The text explains that despite the ruling, "De facto segregation in public schools persisted." One reason cited is that "Some white families fled to the suburbs and private schools," which maintained segregation in practice, if not by law.

Correct Answer: A

The text identifies the "Little Rock Nine" as students who "attempted to integrate schools throughout the South despite continued resistance" following the Supreme Court's ruling.

Correct Answer: B

The text lists several forms of resistance to integration, including that "Some states cut funding for integrated schools while providing financial support to those that remained predominantly white."

Correct Answer: B

The text states that the Civil Rights movement "emerged from the need to eradicate segregation and ensure federal protection of the rights guaranteed by the Reconstruction Amendments and the Civil Rights Act of 1875," indicating a gap between guaranteed rights and the reality of discrimination.

Correct Answer: C

The text clearly states that the Brown v. Board decision "overturned the prior ruling of ‘separate but equal’ established in Plessy v. Ferguson."

Correct Answer: B

The fact that "some schools chose to shut down rather than integrate" is powerful evidence of the depth of resistance, suggesting that for some, maintaining segregation was more important than the function of the schools themselves.

Correct Answer: C

The text states that through the mid-twentieth century, African Americans "continued to face racial discrimination, violence, and segregation in education, housing, transportation, and voting."

Correct Answer: A

The text identifies the Civil Rights Act of 1875 as a law "which outlawed racial discrimination in public places," a goal the later Civil Rights movement sought to enforce.

Correct Answer: B

The text states that "Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, students...such as the ‘Little Rock Nine’...attempted to integrate schools." This shows that the court's decision enabled and inspired subsequent actions like those in Little Rock.

Correct Answer: D

The text explicitly states, "De facto segregation in public schools persisted despite the ruling of Brown v. Board of Education," and then provides examples such as white families moving and states shifting funding, which are forms of segregation in practice (de facto) rather than by law.

Correct Answer: A

By ruling that state-sanctioned segregation violated the equal protection clause and citing evidence of psychological harm (the "doll test"), the Court's rationale was that even with equal facilities, the very act of separation created inequality.

Correct Answer: D

The actions of the "Little Rock Nine" were a direct, personal challenge to the state and local authorities in Arkansas who were resisting the federal mandate to desegregate, as established by the Brown decision.

Correct Answer: C

The text states that "In some places, local and federal police were used to prevent integration," which was a direct response of government entities and officials who opposed and resisted the Supreme Court's decision.