Item 1

In the following sentence from “from Letter from

Birmingham City Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses the word squares. What does the word squares mean as used in the sentence?

“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law of God.”

A. accommodates      

B. agrees

C. satisfies                  

D. regulates

Item 2

In the following sentence from “from Letter from

Birmingham City Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses the word rabid. What does the word rabid mean as used in the sentence?

“In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law as the rabid segregationist would do.”

A. fanatical                

B. delirious 

C. mad

D. insane

Item 3

In the following sentence from “from Letter from

Birmingham City Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses the word

paradoxical.  The prefix para means “beside or beyond” and the root dox means “pointed”.  Using these prefix and root definitions, explain what you think the word means as used in the sentence.  Use details and/or examples from the passage to support your answer.

“Since we so diligently urge people to obey the Supreme Court’s decision of 1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools, it is rather strange and paradoxical to find us consciously breaking laws.”

Item 4

King wrote in the ‘60’s during the Civil Rights Movement. Identify a similar conflict facing society  today and predict  how King  would  respond  to this issue. Use details and/or examples from the passage to support your answer.

Item 5

King expresses his message in the form of a letter.  Explain how King’s choice of this format influenced the effectiveness of his message.  Use details and/or examples from the passage to support your answer.

Item 6

The teacher should choose two pieces of stimulus for this item.  These should be related to the theme of Martin Luther King, Jr. or the Civil Rights Movement and represent two different types of media.

Select the media message which is most effective and explain why it is the most effective.  Use details and/or examples to support your choice.

Item 7

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed man’s laws fall into two categories – just and unjust.  Summarize the difference between the two.

Item 8

Complete the outline below to show the author’s main ideas and supporting details.

“from Letter from Birmingham City Jail”

I.                     How Martin Luther King, Jr. can purposely break the law.

A.      Two types of laws

1.

2.

                  B. Difference between the two

                        1. Just law follows moral codes

                        2. Unjust law doesn’t

                  C. Unjust laws of Alabama

                        1. Blacks not allowed to vote

                        2. Not democratic

                  D.

                        1.

                        2.

                  E. Right way to defy the law

                        1. No violence (“open”, “lovingly”)

                        2. Willingly accept the penalty

The teacher should choose a reading passage for stimulus for this portion of the assessment.  The passage should be rich enough to lend itself to a multi-paragraph summary.  Due to the time involved, this portion of the assessment will need to be administered on a different day from the rest of the assessment.

Note taking is a key part of identifying and organizing important information.  Read the following passage and determine what information is an aid in summarizing the passage.  Next, utilize an appropriate note-taking method to record your notes.  Finally, using your notes, write a multi-paragraph summary of the passage.

The student will create an appropriate graphic organizer for note-taking, with labeling.

The student will write a multi-paragraph summary of the passage.