"we have a right to go to that school, and i'm certain our governor, who was elected to govern all the people, will decide to do what is just." i felt myself speak aloud before i was ready. who said that? it sounded like me, but the words . . where had they come from? the white reporters wrote my words down and behaved as if what i said was very important. pride welled up inside me, and for the first time, i knew that working for integration was the right thing for me to be doing.

–warriors don’t cry,
melba pattillo beals

what historical information must the reader understand to identify the central idea of the passage?

a) the process by which the governor of arkansas was elected
b) the education of girls in the american south
c) the history of journalism in the united states
d) the struggle to end racial segregation

the answer is d) the struggle to end racial segregation