GK Questions and Answers on Black History Month
Black History Month 2023: February is Black History Month, also known as African American History Month. Begun in 1976, It is a month-long commemoration of African American history and achievement that takes place each February in the United States. The theme for Black History month 2023 is Black Resistance.
Here are some insightful GK Questions and Answers on Black History Month for you to find out how much you are aware of the topic which is a crucial part of history.
Answer these questions and answers and increase your knowledge of African American History!
Also Read|Black History Month 2023: Theme, History, Origins and More
Q1. Which month is Black History Month celebrated in the UK?
a.February
b.October
c.November
d.December
Answer:October
Explanation: Black History Month is a movement started in October 1987 by the American activist Dr. Maulana Kaerenga to honor the contributions of black people in the UK.
Q2. Who was the first black woman in space?
a.Dr. Mae Jemison
b.Rosa Park
c.Stephanie Wilson
d.Joan Higginbotham
Answer: Dr. Mae Jemison
Explanation: In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first black woman to travel into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.
Q3. Whose iconic speech included the words ‘I have a dream’?
a.Barack Obama
b.Martin Luther King Jr.
c.Kamala Harris
d.Carter G. Woodson
Answer: Martin Luther King Jr.
Explanation: "I Have a Dream" is a public speech that was delivered by American civil rights activist and Baptist minister Martin Luther King Jr. during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
Q4. Who is known as the “Father of black history”?
a.Carter G. Woodson,
b.Martin Luther King Jr.
c.Frederick Douglass
d.Jackie Robinson
Answer: Carter G. Woodson
Explanation: Carter G. Woodson, known as the "Father of Black History," first set out in 1926 to designate a time to promote and educate people about Black history and culture, according to W. Marvin Dulaney.
Q5. What did Rosa Parks refuse to do in 1955?
a.She refused to give up her seat on a crowded bus to a white passenger.
b.She refused to give up her seat in a restaurant to a white visitor.
c.She refused to give up her position in a firm to a white candidate.
d.She refused to give up her house to a white person.
Answer: She refused to give up her seat on a crowded bus to a white passenger.
Explanation: In Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was jailed for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man which inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott brought about the ruling by the Supreme Court that segregation on public buses is unconstitutional.
Q6. Which U.S. state was the first to abolish slavery in 1777?
a.New Hampshire
b.Vermont
c.Pennsylvania
d.Massachusetts
Answer: Vermont
Explanation: On July 2, 1777, in response to abolitionists' calls across the colonies to end slavery, Vermont became the first colony to ban it outright. Not only did Vermont's legislature agree to abolish slavery entirely, but it also moved to provide full voting rights for African American males.
Q7. Nelson Mandela was the president of which country?
a.The United States of America
b.South African
c.Canada
d.India
Answer: South African
Explanation: On 10 May 1994 he was inaugurated as South Africa's first democratically elected President. On his 80th birthday in 1998. True to his promise, Mandela stepped down in 1999 after one term as President.
Q8. Which famous black nurse died in London in 1881 after saving many British soldiers during the Crimean War?
a.Adah Belle Thoms
b.Mary Seacole
c.Susie King Taylor
d.Mary Seacole
Answer: Mary Seacole
Explanation: Mary Seacole, née Mary Jane Grant, (born 1805, Kingston, Jamaica—died May 14, 1881, London, England), was a Jamaican businesswoman who provided sustenance and care for British soldiers at the battlefront during the Crimean War.
Q9. Who was the first black president of America?
a.Medgar Evers
b.Barack Obama
c.Shirley Chisholm
d.Booker T. Washington
Answer: Barack Obama
Explanation: In 2009, Barack Obama became the first Black-American presidential candidate nominated by a major party, namely the Democrats. He was the first Black-American to be elected (and re-elected) president of the United States.
Q10. How many years did Nelson Mandela serve in Prison?
a.30 years
b.27 years
c.20 years
d.15 years
Answer:27 years
Explanation: Nelson Mandela was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, statesman, and philanthropist. He served 27 years in prison, split between Robben Island, Pollsmoor Prison, and Victor Verster Prison.
Q11. In what year did Black History Month become established?
a.1980
b.1950
c.1926
d.1800
Answer:1926
Explanation: On Feb. 7, 1926, Carter G. Woodson, initiated the first celebration of Negro History Week which led to Black History Month, to extend and deepen the study and scholarship on African American history.
Q12. Which Amendment in the U.S. Constitution abolished slavery?
a.The Thirteenth Amendment
b.The fifteenth Amendment
c.The eighteenth Amendment
d.The First Amendment
Answer: The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII)
Explanation: The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, ratified by the required 27 of the then 36 states on December 6, 1865, and proclaimed on December 18. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War.
Q13. Who was the first black person to serve on the Supreme Court?
a.Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson
b.Thurgood Marshall
c.Clarence Thomas
d.William H. Hastie
Answer: Thurgood Marshall
Explanation: Thurgood Marshall was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme Court's first African-American justice.
Q14. Who is known as the “First Lady of Civil Rights”?
a.Rosa Parks
b.Harriet Tubman
c.Ida B. Wells
d.Sojourner Truth
Answer: Rosa Parks
Explanation: Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement".
Q15. What is the name of the anti-slavery newspaper published by Frederick Douglass in the 19th century?
a.Philadelphia Tribune
b.The North Star
c.Call and Post
d.Los Angeles Sentinel
Answer: The North Star
Explanation: Douglass founded and edited his first antislavery newspaper, The North Star, beginning December 3, 1847. The title referred to the bright star, Polaris, that helped guide those escaping slavery to the North
These questions note the history of African Americans throughout their struggle for achievements and movements. Black History Month aims to highlight the same and spread awareness.
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