What is a literacy test?

• A. Tests given to prevent poor whites and African-Americans from voting
• B. Tests used to measure educational attainment for all citizens
• C. Tests designed to grant voting rights to all adults
• D. Tests regulating literacy in schools

Answer: (A)

Literacy tests in this historical context were gatekeeping tools used to restrict who could vote. They weren’t general measures of education for all citizens; instead, they were designed to prevent certain groups, especially African Americans and often poor whites, from registering or casting ballots. Administrators could impose difficult, arbitrary questions and standards, making it effectively impossible for many to pass. This practice developed during the Jim Crow era as a way to bypass the 15th Amendment’s protection of voting rights. It’s about suppressing the vote for specific groups, not about granting rights or regulating literacy in schools.