Martin Luther King Jr. Trivia
Test your MLK knowledge.
- 1.
In what year did Martin Luther King Jr. win the Nobel Peace Prize?
- A.
1963
- B.
1964
- C.
1965
- D.
1966
Correct Answer
B. 1964Explanation
At the age of 35, King was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil-rights movement.Rate this question:
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- 2.
In what city did King deliver his "I Have a Dream" speech?
- A.
Birmingham
- B.
Atlanta
- C.
New York
- D.
Washington, D.C.
Correct Answer
D. Washington, D.C.Explanation
King delivered the speech on Aug. 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.Rate this question:
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- 3.
King became only the second American whose birthday is observed as a national holiday.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
A. TrueExplanation
The first was George Washington. Congress passed the federal holiday honoring King in 1983. It is celebrated on the third Monday in January. King's actual birthday is Jan. 15.Rate this question:
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- 4.
How old was King when he went to college?
- A.
15
- B.
16
- C.
17
- D.
18
Correct Answer
A. 15Explanation
In high school King did so well that he skipped both the 9th and 12th grades. At the age of 15, he entered Morehouse College in Atlanta.Rate this question:
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- 5.
King and his wife, Coretta Scott King, had three children.
- A.
True
- B.
False
Correct Answer
B. FalseExplanation
The Kings had four children: Yolanda, Dexter, Martin and Bernice.Rate this question:
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- 6.
What organization did King help found in 1957?
- A.
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- B.
United Nations
- C.
American Civil Liberties Union
- D.
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Correct Answer
D. Southern Christian Leadership ConferenceExplanation
King gathered with other civil-rights leaders in Atlanta Jan. 10-11, 1957, to found the SCLC. He was elected president of the organization. The ideals for this organization he took from Christianity, its operational techniques from Gandhi. The NAACP was founded in 1909; King was, however, a member of the executive committee of the NAACP in the 1950s. The ACLU was founded in 1920. The UN officially came into existence in 1945.Rate this question:
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- 7.
When was the Civil Rights Act banning discrimination because of a person's color, race, national origin, religion or sex passed?
- A.
1963
- B.
1964
- C.
1965
- D.
1966
Correct Answer
B. 1964Explanation
King led the March on Washington in 1963 to urge Congress to pass the bill proposed by President John F. Kennedy. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed shortly after.Rate this question:
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- 8.
What obstacles did King face as a civil-rights leader?
- A.
His home was bombed.
- B.
He was arrested upwards of 20 times.
- C.
He was assaulted at least four times.
- D.
All of the above.
Correct Answer
D. All of the above.Explanation
Despite these hardships, King stayed the course. In the 11-year period between 1957 and 1968, King traveled more than 6 million miles and spoke more than 2,500 times, appearing wherever there was injustice, protest and action; meanwhile, he wrote five books as well as numerous articles. He led numerous protests, was awarded five honorary degrees, was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963 and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.Rate this question:
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- 9.
When was King assassinated?
- A.
April 4, 1968
- B.
April 4, 1969
- C.
Aug. 12, 1968
- D.
Aug. 12, 1969
Correct Answer
A. April 4, 1968Explanation
On the evening of April 4, 1968, while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tenn., where he was to lead a protest march in sympathy with striking garbage workers of that city, King, 39, was assassinated. James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to the crime and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. Ray later recanted but investigators did not reopen the case. A special U.S. House of Representatives committee determined Ray likely was aided by others. Ray died in 1998.Rate this question:
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Current Version
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Mar 22, 2023Quiz Edited by
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Jan 18, 2009Quiz Created by
Jlthompson
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