Question

racial divisions
during the 1950s, jim crow laws still existed in the south. southern lawmakers continued to find ways to block african americans from exercising their right to vote.
poll taxes:
southern states introduced fees known as poll taxes, which many african americans in the south were unable to pay.
sometimes, illiterate whites were allowed to vote if their grandfathers or uncles could vote.
literacy tests:
some states required voters to pass literacy tests, proving that they were able to read.
the tests were often designed to be impossible to pass, sometimes without a formal campaign or educational background.
this helped to keep many african americans from voting in the south.
additionally, the tests were often administered by white officials who were hostile to black voters.
grandfather clauses:
grandfather clauses (laws) said that any individual whose grandfather had been eligible to vote was exempt from poll taxes and literacy tests.
this loophole helped illiterate whites vote while disqualifying black voters whose grandfathers had been enslaved (and thus couldnt vote).

choose the correct answer.
what is a poll tax?

• a tax people must pay in order to vote
• a tax people must pay for bus rides
• a tax people must pay to learn to read

Explanation:

A poll tax is a tax imposed as a prerequisite for voting. The first option describes a tax to vote, the second is about bus rides (unrelated to voting), and the third is about learning to read (also unrelated). So the correct option is the one about voting.

Answer:

A. a tax people must pay in order to vote