Question

read the excerpt from \w.e.b. du bois: social justice leader.\

du bois graduated at the top of his high school class. with the help of his community, he graduated from fisk university--a historically black university--in nashville, tennessee. he later went on to get a bachelor of arts and a doctorate from harvard. he was the first african american student to earn a doctorate at harvard.

living in nashville had a significant effect on du bois, because it allowed him to see firsthand the effects of racism and jim crow laws on african american culture. what he witnessed during his years at college helped form the basis of his lifes work in civil rights.

which statement contains explicit information from the excerpt?

• du bois was a very intelligent and hard-working student throughout his life.
• du bois earned a bachelors degree and a doctorate from harvard university.
• du bois might not have attended college without his communitys support.
• du bois led the way for other african american students to graduate from harvard.

Explanation:

Analyze the question requirements

The question asks to identify which statement contains explicit information directly stated in the provided excerpt.

Evaluate the first option

The first option states: "Du Bois was a very intelligent and hard-working student throughout his life."
Using Reading Comprehension, we see the text mentions he graduated at the top of his high school class, but it does not explicitly state he was "hard-working throughout his life." This is an inference.

Evaluate the second option

The second option states: "Du Bois earned a bachelor's degree and a doctorate from Harvard University."
Using Text Evidence, we look at the sentence: "He later went on to get a bachelor of arts and a doctorate from Harvard." This matches the option exactly and is explicitly stated.

Evaluate the third option

The third option states: "Du Bois might not have attended college without his community's support."
The text says: "With the help of his community, he graduated from Fisk University..." The idea that he "might not have attended" without them is an inference, not explicit information.

Evaluate the fourth option

The fourth option states: "Du Bois led the way for other African American students to graduate from Harvard."
The text states: "He was the first African American student to earn a doctorate at Harvard." While being the first implies leading the way, the specific phrasing "led the way for other African American students to graduate" is an interpretation rather than explicit text.

Answer:

• (A) Du Bois was a very intelligent and hard-working student throughout his life.
• (B) Du Bois earned a bachelor's degree and a doctorate from Harvard University. (Correct answer)
• (C) Du Bois might not have attended college without his community's support.
• (D) Du Bois led the way for other African American students to graduate from Harvard.