Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
Word Choice & Tone
Cause & Effect
Central Ideas & Supporting Details
Miscellaneous
100
Directions: What is the correct pronoun to complete the sentence?
Maria forgot to bring her backpack, so ___ had to borrow one from a friend.
Maria forgot to bring her backpack, so she had to borrow one from a friend.
100
Which phrase from the passage best reflects the author's use of a neutral, factual tone to describe racial segregation at Langley Laboratory?
A. “Victory through air power!”
B. “Creating metal bathroom signs that read ‘Colored Girls.’”
C. “Exciting opportunities for African Americans”
D. “Eager for the opportunity to help their country”
C. “Exciting opportunities for African Americans”
100
Cause: The United States entered World War II, and many men were deployed overseas.
Effect:_________________
Women were hired to fill jobs left by men.
100
Which sentence best expresses the central idea of the passage?
A. The Langley Laboratory was located in Hampton, Virginia.
B. Women were hired to support the war effort by working as mathematicians.
C. Airplanes were tested in wind tunnels before being flown.
D. Henry Reid was the engineer-in-charge of Langley Laboratory.
B. Women were hired to support the war effort by working as mathematicians.
100
disturbance \di-stur´bәns\ n 1. an interruption of flow 2. an altering of order or position 3. an upset of natural balance 4. a destruction of tranquility or calm
Which definition most closely matches the way the word disturbance is used in paragraph 6?
Definition 1
Definition 2
Definition 3
Definition 4
Definition 1: an interruption of flow
200
Read the following sentence about the selection.
The women at Langley Laboratory were pioneers in the scientific field, and she made a significant impact on it.
Which revised sentence uses correct pronoun-antecedent agreement?
The women at Langley Laboratory were pioneers in the scientific field, and they made a significant impact on it.
200
Today we think of computers as machines, but in the 1940s, a computer was just someone whose job it was to do computations. . . .
What is the effect of the author’s use of we in the sentence?
It encourages the reader to view the past with nostalgia.
It reminds the reader of the power of modern computers.
It creates an informal tone that includes the reader in the narrative.
It creates a formal tone that explains how computers were used by women.
It creates an informal tone that includes the reader in the narrative.
200
Cause: President Roosevelt challenged the U.S. to produce 50,000 airplanes a year.
Effect: What was the result of this challenge?
The U.S. aircraft industry became the most productive in the world.
200
Which detail best supports the idea that African-American women faced segregation at Langley?
A. They worked in the Warehouse Building on the west side of campus.
B. They were called “computers” instead of mathematicians.
C. They were assigned to separate workspaces and had designated bathrooms.
D. They had degrees in math and science from Black colleges.
C. They were assigned to separate workspaces and had designated bathrooms.
200
Which word best describes the working conditions at
Langley Laboratories?
Segregated
300
Identify the pronoun that correctly agrees with its antecedent.
The students finished their homework before the bell rang, and ___ turned it in on time.
The students finished their homework before the bell rang, and they turned it in on time.
300
Which word best describes the tone of paragraph 18?
Amazed
Disappointed
Respectful
Uncertain
Respectful
300
Cause: Langley Laboratory needed more people to do mathematical computations.
Effect: What action occurred as a result?
President Roosevelt signed an executive order to desegregate federal jobs.
300
Which detail from the selection best reveals how important the mission President Roosevelt gave the NACA was?
African Americans were hired for positions typically only held by white people.
Women were classified as “subprofessionals.”
Women had been working at Langley since 1937.
African Americans were assigned to work in a separate area from white people.
African Americans were hired for positions typically only held by white people.
300
Why did the Langley Laboratory begin hiring women in 1943?
A. Women were more qualified than men.
B. The government required it.
C. Many men were serving in the military during WWII.
D. Women had always worked in aeronautics.
C. Many men were serving in the military during WWII.
400
Choose the pronoun that agrees with the compound antecedent.
Neither James nor his brothers remembered to bring ___ lunch to the field trip.
Neither James nor his brothers remembered to bring their lunch to the field trip.
400
Which two choices carry a respectful tone?
For the black women, the experience of working at a laboratory
offered the chance to do interesting work that would 
help support the war effort. Walking into an unfamiliar environment wasn’t easy for 
the women of the new West Area Computing Office, but each of them was eager for the opportunity to help their country and prove that they, too, could be 
excellent mathematicians.
help support the war effort.
excellent mathematicians
400
Cause: African American women were hired as mathematicians at Langley.
Effect: What challenges did they face, and how did they respond?
They faced discrimination but were proud to contribute to the war effort.
400
Which two sentences best support the main idea that women and African Americans made important contributions at the Langley Laboratory during World War II?
When the managers couldn’t satisfy the demand with only white employees, the government decided to hire African Americans. (paragraph 13)
Many of the African-American candidates had years of teaching experience as well as math and science degrees. (paragraph 14)
The Langley Laboratory was operating around the clock to test airplanes to be flown by American soldiers in the war: everyone had a job to do. (paragraph 16)
For the black women, the experience of working at a laboratory offered the chance to do interesting work that would help support the war effort. (paragraph 18)
The Langley Laboratory was operating around the clock to test airplanes to be flown by American soldiers in the war: everyone had a job to do. (paragraph 16)
For the black women, the experience of working at a laboratory offered the chance to do interesting work that would help support the war effort. (paragraph 18)
400
What does the term “computers” reveal about the nature of the work done by women at Langley?
A. They operated early computing machines.
B. They were responsible for cleaning and maintenance.
C. They performed complex mathematical calculations by hand.
D. They supervised engineering teams.
C. They performed complex mathematical calculations by hand.
500
Select the pronoun that agrees with the collective noun used as an antecedent.
The committee made ___ decision after hours of discussion.
The committee made its decision after hours of discussion.
500
At Langley, the female mathematicians were called "computers." They did the computations to turn the results of the raw data gathered by the engineers into a more useful form.
For which two reasons does the author use the word computer in paragraph 11?
To contrast women’s mathematical tasks with men’s mathematical tasks
To describe the tasks that female mathematicians did in the 1940s
To illustrate the difficulty of performing mathematical operations
To suggest that engineers did more important work than computers
To explain that the history of the personal computer began in the 1940s
To describe the tasks that female mathematicians did in the 1940s
To illustrate the difficulty of performing mathematical operations
500
Civil Rights leaders encourage the hiring of African Americans.
Black mathematicians work in separate spaces at Langley.
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics begins operations.
Mathematicians are needed to turn raw data into something useful.
Mathematicians are needed to turn raw data into something useful.
500
What does the author suggest about the impact of hiring women as mathematicians during WWII?
A. It was a temporary solution to a labor shortage.
B. It proved that women could perform complex technical work.
C. It led to the end of segregation at Langley.
D. It caused controversy among male engineers.
B. It proved that women could perform complex technical work.
500
How does the author use historical context to highlight the significance of African-American women working at Langley?
A. By comparing their roles to those of white women in other industries.
B. By emphasizing the technological advancements they contributed to.
C. By showing how segregation laws shaped their experience and opportunities.
D. By detailing their personal lives and struggles outside of work.
C. By showing how segregation laws shaped their experience and opportunities.