FED (Historical) 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which 1954 Supreme Court case declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional?
- Plessy v. Ferguson
- Brown v. Board of Education (Correct answer)
- Marbury v. Madison
- McCulloch v. Maryland
Correct answer: Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education overturned Plessy v. Ferguson's 'separate but equal' doctrine in public education.
Question 2: The Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862 primarily served to establish what type of institutions?
- Private elite universities
- Theological seminaries
- Agricultural and mechanical colleges (Correct answer)
- Normal schools for teacher training
Correct answer: Agricultural and mechanical colleges
The Morrill Act granted federal land to states to fund colleges focused on agriculture and the mechanical arts.
Question 3: Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi's educational philosophy emphasized which foundational principle?
- Strict memorization of classical texts
- Learning through sensory experience and observation (Correct answer)
- Rote drill as the basis of moral character
- Elite education reserved for the upper class
Correct answer: Learning through sensory experience and observation
Pestalozzi believed children learn best through direct sensory experience, influencing object teaching methods.
Question 4: The Smith-Hughes Act of 1917 was significant in U.S. education history because it provided federal funding for what?
- Higher education research
- Vocational education in public schools (Correct answer)
- Teacher retirement pensions
- Desegregation programs
Correct answer: Vocational education in public schools
Smith-Hughes was the first major federal act to fund vocational education in secondary schools.
Question 5: Which philosopher argued in 'Some Thoughts Concerning Education' (1693) that the mind is a 'tabula rasa' shaped entirely by experience?
- Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- Immanuel Kant
- John Locke (Correct answer)
- René Descartes
Correct answer: John Locke
John Locke's blank-slate theory held that experience, not innate ideas, shapes the child's mind.
Question 6: The Gary Plan, developed around 1907 in Indiana, is best described as a school organization model that featured what?
- Tracked ability grouping by IQ score
- Platoon scheduling with specialized rooms and shared facilities (Correct answer)
- Year-round schooling for all grades
- Strict classical curriculum based on Latin and Greek
Correct answer: Platoon scheduling with specialized rooms and shared facilities
The Gary Plan used a platoon system rotating students through specialized shops, labs, and playgrounds to maximize facility use.
Question 7: Which early American colonial institution, established in 1636, is considered the first institution of higher learning in British North America?
- Yale College
- College of William & Mary
- Harvard College (Correct answer)
- Princeton University
Correct answer: Harvard College
Harvard College was founded in 1636 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, making it the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.
FED (Historical) 2
Which 1954 Supreme Court case declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional?