Deck 19: Meanings of Freedom: Culture and Society in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s

Question 1

What roles or jobs did African Americans generally hold in the radio industry?

A) Blacks were often staff musicians because they were heard and not seen.
B) African Americans did much of the writing, acting, and directing for the show Amos 'n' Andy.
C) Blacks were completely excluded from the entertainment industry during the 1930s and 1940s.
D) Radio stations refused to hire any blacks as disc jockeys.

Answer 1

Blacks were often staff musicians because they were heard and not seen.

Question 2

What challenges did blacks face who wanted to study classical music in St.Louis in the 1930s?

A) No black institutions for classical study existed in the city.
B) Whites tended to relegate blacks to playing classical music.
C) Blacks were frequently offered elevated roles in productions.
D) Very few cultural opportunities of any kind existed in the Midwestern city.

Answer 2

Very few cultural opportunities of any kind existed in the Midwestern city.

Question 3

What class of blacks did many Chicago Renaissance writers focus on during the 1930s and 1940s?

A) the elite of black society, the "Talented Tenth"
B) middle-class blacks who had achieved some gains
C) working-class blacks struggling to survive
D) the black underclass in urban America

Answer 3

working-class blacks struggling to survive

Question 4

How did black audiences react to Amos 'n' Andy?

A) Black audiences were excited to have black actors accurately portraying black characters.
B) Blacks audiences were hopeful that some black writers would get jobs on the show.
C) Although many elite blacks embraced the portrayal of blacks on the show, they wished it would focus on more positive aspects of black middle-class life.
D) Many urban, educated blacks resented the stereotypical view of blacks presented by the show.

Question 5

Where was the central,most vibrant place for the development of black culture in the 1930s and 1940s?

A) Harlem
B) Chicago
C) Philadelphia
D) New Orleans

Question 6

How were Oscar Micheaux's films different from standard Hollywood fare?

A) His films were even more outwardly racist than most typical Hollywood portrayals.
B) He produced movies for blacks and often focused on race within black culture.
C) He was a French director who produced films that critiqued American society.
D) His films set the standard that the rest of Hollywood followed regarding race.

Question 7

How did the Great Depression impact black music?

A) It forced blacks to record only upbeat tunes because of public demand.
B) It increased record sales because blacks were benefiting from federal welfare programs.
C) It greatly reduced record sales, which had flourished in the 1920s.
D) The Great Depression had no effect on black music.

Question 8

Which of the following men was a Chicago Renaissance artist?

A) W.E.B.Du Bois
B) Booker T.Washington
C) Louis Armstrong
D) Aaron Douglas

Question 9

What is the relationship between World War II and Hollywood's depiction of blacks in film?

A) The war, through films like The Birth of a Nation, led to fewer numbers of blacks in film roles
B) The war, through films like Giant, created more police roles for black men.
C) The war, through films like Gone with the Wind, gave blacks subservient roles that carried over into peacetime
D) The war, through films like The Negro Soldier, helped to place blacks in more realistic roles

Question 10

Which of the following is true about the difficulties faced by black artists in the 1930s and the 1940s?

A) They were never allowed to include political views in their works.
B) Whites simply refused to accept black art or culture in any way.
C) Black artists often had to depend on whites for the financial backing to publish their work.
D) Black artists were actively associated with the Communist Party during this time period.

Question 11

How did big band swing music originate?

A) Using black gospel music as a base, whites then added complicated, individualized rhythms and more instruments to create big band swing.
B) White bandleaders orchestrated innovative black music in creating the big band sound.
C) Big band was actually a white innovation and blacks fed off its popularity to develop jazz and the blues.
D) The government had underwritten music programs for blacks to develop new music.

Question 12

What lessons did The Amos 'n' Andy Show teach white America?

A) Racism was unacceptable, and blacks were the equals to whites.
B) It was acceptable to laugh at black people's efforts to survive.
C) Blacks could be successful in high-level positions in society.
D) Blacks should be doctors, politicians, and lawyers.

Question 13

What 1930s movie most solidified blacks in the roles of servants in the American mind?

A) Belle of the Nineties
B) The Little Colonel
C) Gone with the Wind
D) Just Around the Corner

Question 14

What role did comic strips,radio programs,and movies play during the Great Depression?

A) Because of their realistic subject matter, they reminded everyone of the economic problems the country was facing and the inability of government to come up with solutions.
B) They were merely attempts by whites to further subjugate blacks.
C) They provided at least a small relief from troubles of poverty and hunger.
D) They provided an outlet for black creativity and career advancement.

Question 15

How did minority groups that influenced Hollywood,particularly Jews and Italians,treat African Americans?

A) They realized that they were also discriminated against and tried to include them in film and television.
B) They made no attempt to include them in Hollywood's power structure and marginalized them.
C) They were forbidden by the owners of studios from employing black actors in anything but subservient roles.
D) They had such little influence in Hollywood that they really could not change the situation for other minority groups.

Question 16

What changes occurred in music in Chicago during the 1930s and 1940s?

A) Black music became a commodity, and some blacks even became disc jockeys on radio.
B) Music in Chicago never developed in the same creative manner as in Harlem.
C) Black music became more intellectual, pushing average people away.
D) Black music began to incorporate the use of drums and electric guitars.

Question 17

What was true about the radio program The Amos 'n' Andy Show?

A) It was a generally positive, non-stereotypical view of blacks.
B) It was one of many shows about blacks on the radio at the time.
C) It featured white actors performing the part of blacks.
D) It included only women as the characters.

Question 18

What is the connection between racism and the black culture industry?

A) Whites controlled media production and exploited blacks.
B) Whites controlled media production and entirely excluded blacks.
C) Blacks controlled media production and exploited whites.
D) Blacks controlled media production and entirely excluded whites.

Question 19

What was true about the film The Negro Soldier (1944)?

A) It was directed by Frank Capra, a black director.
B) It was very unpopular among black audiences.
C) It portrayed blacks in a favorable manner rather than as servants.
D) It was the first film to feature an African-American actor in a significant role.

Question 20

What roles did blacks generally play in films produced by whites?

A) They played the roles of slaves in nonspeaking roles.
B) They played the roles of servants, pranksters, or buffoons.
C) Many films allowed blacks access to substantial, creative roles.
D) Blacks were not allowed in film productions.

Question 21

What was the novel Invisible Man about?

A) It focused on a chemical accident that made a black man invisible.
B) It was about a young black man who migrates to New York.
C) It involved the rape of a black woman by a white man and her son's efforts to exact revenge.
D) It was about blacks surviving in society by adopting white ways, including discrimination against darker skin.

Question 22

What concerns or attitudes did the painting Defense Worker reflect?

A) the inability of black workers to get ahead in the world
B) the strength of the black worker and dreams of a racially integrated work force
C) the inability of black workers to gain jobs in defense industries
D) the strength of the black soldier during World War II

Question 23

How did Katherine Dunham influence African-American dance?

A) She was an anthropologist and incorporated African ritual dances into her choreography.
B) She refused to be influenced by African dance styles.
C) She opened a dance school for African Americans in New York.
D) She forced dance into more conventional, white-inspired performances.

Question 24

What is true about the story in the novel Native Son?

A) It was a story about a black man who triumphed over whites and founded a new nation in Africa.
B) It was a story about how discrimination and the difficulties of black life could lead some blacks to murder and violence.
C) It was the story of an American black man who is rejected by his country and adopted by the French as a national hero.
D) It was the story of a young black musician who performs on the radio and gains success by fooling many into thinking he is white.

Question 25

How did James Baldwin challenge Richard Wright over his characters in Native Son?

A) James Baldwin never challenged Richard Wright.
B) Baldwin felt that blacks were more victimized than Wright portrayed.
C) Baldwin disagreed with Wright's portrayal of blacks as helpless victims of racism.
D) Baldwin felt that Wright should focus on color discrimination within the black community.

Question 26

In what sport did Jesse Owens excel during the 1930s?

A) boxing
B) track events
C) horse racing
D) tennis

Question 27

What was characteristic of black literature during the 1930s and 1940s?

A) Black literature generally consisted of frivolous stories of romance and adventure.
B) Black writers focused on black identity, urban life, and discrimination and poverty.
C) Black writers avoided political topics and focused on black elites.
D) Most black literature focused on science fiction where racism did not exist.

Question 28

What is the connection between the Great Migration and the black class structure of Chicago in the 1920s?

A) Fewer numbers of blacks in the city helped to flatten the class system.
B) More black people in Chicago meant less class divisions.
C) The new migrants helped to establish a discernible class system.
D) Most of the new migrants became wealthy in a few years.

Question 29

Which of the following is true about Mahalia Jackson?

A) She was a famous gospel singer based in Chicago.
B) She was the first African-American woman to write a novel.
C) She was a journalist who campaigned against lynching.
D) She was an innovative dance director in Chicago.

Question 30

How does the career of singer Billie Holiday reveal the efforts of black artists to agitate for civil rights during the era?

A) She used her art to protest black radicalism.
B) She used her art to elevate southern whites.
C) She used her art to challenge black oppression.
D) She used her art to champion Jim Crow segregation.

Question 31

How does Archibald Motley's painting Barbecue (1934)capture the spirit of the black Chicago Renaissance?

A) Multiple colors are shown in the image.
B) Tables are shown with white tablecloths.
C) Black people are shown acting exuberantly.
D) Black people are shown sitting in a restaurant.

Question 32

What is the relationship between music and black cultural movements in American history?

A) Music and black cultural movements presented little overlap and mutual influence.
B) Music was the primary catalyst for the destruction of black cultural movements.
C) Music was the primary inspiration for the creativity of black cultural movements.
D) Music was the primary content of black cultural movements.

Question 33

What was one difference between the Harlem Renaissance and the Chicago Renaissance?

A) Chicago Renaissance writers focused solely on political gains for their race and refused to take part in "frivolous" fictional writing.
B) Chicago Renaissance writers refused to publish their works with white publishers.
C) Chicago Renaissance writers did not feel that their work would solve racial problems.
D) These artists were very similar in goals, methods, and projects.

Question 34

How was gospel music different from earlier spiritual black music?

A) It was very similar and basically copied earlier styles.
B) It was never sung in churches because most thought it was the "devil's work."
C) It used instruments, including drums, guitars, and horns.
D) It was developed in California, rather than in the Deep South.

Question 35

Which of the following statements accurately characterizes black art in Depression era?

A) It was generally upbeat, attempting to provide an escape in difficult times.
B) Because the Depression was severe, no artwork of any consequence was produced by blacks during the period.
C) Although blacks produced much art, most of it refused to deal with any type of controversial issue.
D) Black art of the Depression era was a part of social realism, which attempted to make a political statement.

Question 36

How did the Federal Arts Project promote the development of black arts?

A) It funded the creation of murals that illustrated American ideals in public buildings, such as post offices and schools.
B) It discriminated against blacks and did not assist with the development of black art.
C) It funded academic studies and had little effect on the arts.
D) No black art from the period would exist without the agency.

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true about Katharine Dunham?

A) She opened a school for white dancers where none had existed before.
B) She incorporated elements of Norwegian culture into her choreography.
C) She agreed to return to some venues if they supported segregation.
D) She protested racial segregation, even though it hurt her popularity.

Question 38

In what area of Chicago was jazz focused?

A) Harlem
B) the North Side
C) the South Side
D) the stockyard neighborhoods

Question 39

What is the connection between the Federal Arts Project and African American people?

A) No connection existed between the project and blacks.
B) The project was funded by elite blacks.
C) The project prevented blacks from receiving federal support for the arts.
D) Black artists were funded to paint black murals.

Question 40

What was a main characteristic of Dunham's dance choreography?

A) It was very conservative and often compared to classical ballet.
B) It was frequently filled with sexual movements and innuendo.
C) It was a forerunner of tap dancing.
D) It was quickly adopted by whites across the South.

Question 41

How did black religious and secular culture overlap in the 1930s and 1940s?

A) They generally did not overlap because blacks tried to maintain separation between religious and home life.
B) Music was a constant feature of both religious and secular culture.
C) Both forms were against desegregation.
D) Both types of culture brought southern whites closer to black people.

Question 42

Beginning in the 1930s, a second wave of black migrants made St.Louis the fifth largest city in the United States.

Question 43

Comic strips,radio programs,and movies were less affordable forms of artistic creativity which denied blacks a momentary escape from the bleakness and despair of the Depression years.

Question 44

As the Depression worsened,black artists became even more determined to portray the crisis in capitalism,creating images that depicted social and racial inequality.

Question 45

Why did blacks struggle to field black professional baseball teams in the 1930s?

A) Whites refused to allow blacks to play in the Negro Leagues.
B) The integration of major league baseball made black teams unnecessary.
C) They were excluded by major league baseball and impacted by the economic downturn of the 1930s.
D) The federal government abolished the Negro Leagues.

Question 46

The most intricate novel written about the black experience in America during the 1940s and 1950s was Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man,which won the National Book Award for fiction in 1952.

Question 47

Who broke the color barrier in baseball in 1947?

A) Satchel Paige
B) Rube Foster
C) Jackie Robinson
D) Sammy Sosa

Question 48

Why did the police arrest Father Divine and 80 of his followers in 1931?

A) He was charged of being a rapist.
B) He was charged with being a racist.
C) He was charged with being a murderer.
D) He was charged with being a "public nuisance."

Question 49

During the late 1930s and 1940s, corporate America decided to abandon the idea of producing and marketing black culture.

Question 50

Unlike the dominant Hollywood stereotypes of black people,the black men and women in Oscar Micheaux's films were often educated,cultured,and prosperous.

Question 51

Why did the Dodgers decide to sign Robinson?

A) They were doing it as a marketing ploy, to bring more people in to the stadium.
B) They were forced into signing him by the Supreme Court.
C) They were hoping to improve their chances at a pennant race.
D) President Roosevelt, who was a friend of Robinson, personally asked the Dodgers to sign him.

Question 52

What message did the Nation of Islam preach?

A) Whites and blacks should integrate America's social institutions and begin to work together as equals in God's eyes.
B) Blacks were the second inhabitants of the earth.
C) Whites were created by a magician and banished to Europe, where they began to introduce and spread evil.
D) Members of the Nation of Islam should not serve in the military.

Question 53

Jesse Owens is an example of success in what aspect of black life?

A) music
B) religion
C) sports
D) television

Question 54

In what sport did Joe Louis excel during the 1930s?

A) tennis
B) track events
C) horse racing
D) boxing

Question 55

What beliefs did Father Divine preach?

A) Blacks were a stronger people than whites.
B) A black revolution would soon occur and only violence would destroy racism.
C) Followers should be honest and sober to achieve recognition under God.
D) Blacks should avoid eating pork.

Question 56

What did the Nation of Islam and the Peace Mission Movement have in common?

A) Both embodied "black supremacist" religions; each stressed the superiority of blacks over whites.
B) Both religions targeted the problems of blacks in urban areas during the Depression.
C) Both were very small and had almost no effect upon blacks.
D) Combined, they had more members than the traditional Protestant religions.

Question 57

The Amos 'n' Andy movie,Check and Double Check featured music by Duke Ellington's orchestra and brought Ellington's work to a wider audience of affluent white people and enhanced his reputation.

Question 58

The impact of the Great Depression helped to increase the sale of musical records produced by black culture industry of the 1930s.

Question 59

Commercial radio delivered an audience of white consumers to white advertisers,and it denied black people jobs as announcers,journalists,or technicians.

Question 60

The intersection of sports and racism in U.S.history indicates that African American athletes did not escape discrimination and segregation in any athletic field.

Question 61

One of the most famous black baseball players during the era was __________ Paige.

Question 62

In July 1947 Larry ¬¬__________ became the first black player in the American League when he joined the Cleveland Indians.

Question 63

Both Jesse Owens and Joe Louis were the sons of __________ from Alabama.

Question 64

Father Divine was the leader of the Peace __________ Movement.

Question 65

Why did Chicago jazz arise?

Question 66

The relationship between Thomas __________ and black urban gospel included the synthesis of blues with religious hymns.

Question 67

The controversy between __________ _________ and James Baldwin ended their friendship; Baldwin subsequently inherited the mantle of "best-known black
American male writer."

Question 68

How and why did bebop develop? How was it received by whites?

Question 69

How did "The Jones Family" reflect the reality of black life in urban American during the 1930s?

Question 70

What is the connection between the civil rights movement and black athletes and sports during the era?

Question 71

How did technology intersect with black activity in the recording industry in the 1920s and 1930s?

Question 72

What was significant about the Chicago radio program known as Destination Freedom?

Question 73

Although African Americans were integrated in track and boxing, professional __________ remained segregated until after World War II.

Question 74

Why was it difficult for blacks to get published in any genre or venue in the 1930s and 1940s?

Question 75

Who were some of the prominent black authors of the 1930s and 1940s and what did they write about? How did they differ in their views of the challenges facing the black community?

Question 76

Why did James Baldwin have problems with Richard Wright's views and work? How does this explanation reveal the role and influence of race in black literature during this era?

Question 77

An example of a major gospel singer in Chicago during the 1930s and 1940s was Mahalia __________.

Question 78

In 1938,Joe Louis defeated Max Smelling,a major blow to __________ in Germany

Question 79

Ralph Ellison echoed the concept of "__________" expressed earlier by W.E.B.Du Bois,the idea that African Americans occupied a double identity in American society.

Question 80

How was the Chicago Renaissance different from the Harlem Renaissance?