Rosa Parks: Chapters 1-3
Vocabulary in Context - Provide definitions and quotes for each term. Define each term as it is used in the context of the book.
1.) Segregation: separation of races "For half of my life there were laws and customs in the South that kept African Americans segregated from Caucasians and allowed white people to treat black people without any respect." (p. 2)
2.) Racism: to discriminate "But it was very hard to do anything about segregation and racism when the white people had the power of the law behind them." (p. 2)
3.) Grieve: to feel sad or mournful
"They'd do this right in front of the slave children, and then the children would do the same thing in the presence of the grieving white people." (p. 28)
4.) Intimidate: to frighten "The white supremacy group did everything it could to intimidate blacks." (p. 31)
5.) Degradation: the condition of humiliation "If there was a bus, then black people in Pine Level didn't want to put up with that degradation." (p. 38)
6.) Ostracize: exclude from group "That meant that when they came south to educate black girls, they were ostracized by the white community in Montgomery." (p. 43)
Comprehension Questions - Answer all questions in complete sentences. You do NOT need to provide quotes.
1.) What caused Rosa's grandfather to dislike white people? Rosa's grandfather disliked white people because his owner beat him, starved him, didn't let him have any shoes, and treated him badly.
2.) How does Rosa feel about her brother? Rosa feels protective about her brother because she stopped her grandmother from whipping her brother.
3.) In the sentence, "You didn't retaliate if they did something to you," what does retaliate mean? The word retaliate in this sentence means to fight back.
4.) How did the "Black" school that Rosa attended affect her view of racism? The black school Rosa went to was not as nice as the schools for white children so she thought is was unfair that white kids got nicer schools than black kids.
5.) Why did Rosa's grandmother scold her when she threatened to throw a brick at Franklin? Her grandmother scolded her because if black people act like that they could get beaten to death.
6.) What does Rosa say about white people at the end of Chapter 2? Why does she say this? She says some white people are nice after all because this nice white lady took her fishing.
7.) How did Rosa's grandmother and mother getting sick affect Rosa's life? Her grandmother and mother getting sick affected her life because when they got sick she had to drop out of school.
8.) Why didn't Rosa live with her Cousin Ida? Rosa didn't live with Cousin Ida because Cousin Ida wanted to legally adopt her.
9.) How would Rosa's life have been different if she did not move to Montgomery? Rosa's life would've been different if she didn't move to Montgomery because she did 6th, 7th, and 8th grade in Montgomery and had some experiences with white kids there which taught her more lessons about not messing with whites.
1.) Segregation: separation of races "For half of my life there were laws and customs in the South that kept African Americans segregated from Caucasians and allowed white people to treat black people without any respect." (p. 2)
2.) Racism: to discriminate "But it was very hard to do anything about segregation and racism when the white people had the power of the law behind them." (p. 2)
3.) Grieve: to feel sad or mournful
"They'd do this right in front of the slave children, and then the children would do the same thing in the presence of the grieving white people." (p. 28)
4.) Intimidate: to frighten "The white supremacy group did everything it could to intimidate blacks." (p. 31)
5.) Degradation: the condition of humiliation "If there was a bus, then black people in Pine Level didn't want to put up with that degradation." (p. 38)
6.) Ostracize: exclude from group "That meant that when they came south to educate black girls, they were ostracized by the white community in Montgomery." (p. 43)
Comprehension Questions - Answer all questions in complete sentences. You do NOT need to provide quotes.
1.) What caused Rosa's grandfather to dislike white people? Rosa's grandfather disliked white people because his owner beat him, starved him, didn't let him have any shoes, and treated him badly.
2.) How does Rosa feel about her brother? Rosa feels protective about her brother because she stopped her grandmother from whipping her brother.
3.) In the sentence, "You didn't retaliate if they did something to you," what does retaliate mean? The word retaliate in this sentence means to fight back.
4.) How did the "Black" school that Rosa attended affect her view of racism? The black school Rosa went to was not as nice as the schools for white children so she thought is was unfair that white kids got nicer schools than black kids.
5.) Why did Rosa's grandmother scold her when she threatened to throw a brick at Franklin? Her grandmother scolded her because if black people act like that they could get beaten to death.
6.) What does Rosa say about white people at the end of Chapter 2? Why does she say this? She says some white people are nice after all because this nice white lady took her fishing.
7.) How did Rosa's grandmother and mother getting sick affect Rosa's life? Her grandmother and mother getting sick affected her life because when they got sick she had to drop out of school.
8.) Why didn't Rosa live with her Cousin Ida? Rosa didn't live with Cousin Ida because Cousin Ida wanted to legally adopt her.
9.) How would Rosa's life have been different if she did not move to Montgomery? Rosa's life would've been different if she didn't move to Montgomery because she did 6th, 7th, and 8th grade in Montgomery and had some experiences with white kids there which taught her more lessons about not messing with whites.