35 Martin Luther King Jr Trivia Questions and Answers
This specially dedicated Martin Luther King Jr Trivia is designed to both test your knowledge of this civil rights leader and inform you of some interesting facts you may not have previously known.
Born in Georgia in 1929, Martin Luther King Jr became one of the driving forces behind America’s civil rights movement; he fought tirelessly for equality, fairness, and justice.
In the US, we dedicate one day a year to Martin Luther King Jr, but in what other ways do we remember his legacy? And, in what changes to society was he instrumental?
This Martin Luther King Jr trivia will discover how much you know about his beginnings, career, personal life, and legacy.
General Martin Luther King Jr Trivia Questions and Answers
Round 1 of this Martin Luther King Jr trivia will include questions about his life and legacy that are well-spoken about in schools, colleges, on TV, and in everyday conversation. However, this isn’t a standard Martin Luther King Jr trivia!
While the above will, of course, be discussed, there will also be some questions in round 1 that you’re unlikely to have come across anywhere else.
Let’s truly expand your Martin Luther King Jr trivia knowledge in this super interesting bumper round!
Here we go!
1: Martin Luther King Jr led targeted, nonviolent resistance against Jim Crow laws. What did these laws regard?
Racial segregation in the Southern US.
2: What were the occupations of Martin Luther King Sr?
Civil Rights Activist and Minister.
3: In what year did Martin Luther King Jr day become a federal holiday?
1986.
4: What speech did he deliver at Lincoln Memorial in 1963?
I Have a Dream.
5: In what grade was Martin Luther King Jr in when he delivered his first public speech about racial discrimination and inequality?
11th grade.
6: Who was Coretta Scott King?
Martin Luther King Jr's wife.
7: King's role in which movement led to him being a national figure and the most well-known civil rights movement spokesperson?
The Montgomery Bus Boycott.
8: What year did Martin Luther King Jr receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
1964.
9: Who did King join to become co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1960?
His father, Martin Luther King Sr.
10: How many children did Martin Luther King Jr have?
4.
11: What was Martin Luther King Jrs birth name?
Michael King Jr.
12: How many times was King arrested in total?
30.
13: What was the last state to recognize Martin Luther King Jr day as a federal holiday?
South Carolina.
14: What is the name of the now famous letter King penned from jail?
Letter From a Birmingham Jail.
Early Life of Martin Luther King Jr Trivia Questions and Answers
Round 2 of this Martin Luther King Jr will look at his birth, early childhood, adolescence, and education.
You’ll also be questioned on King’s personal life and early career.
Did you know that Martin Luther King Jr was just 15 years old when he enrolled in college? He wasn’t much older when he was speaking publicly for the first time about racial discrimination and inequality.
But what led to this? What did childhood look like for Martin Luther King Jr? What moves did he make in his early career that eventually led to global change?
Let’s find out!
1: What is Martin Luther King Jr's date of birth?
January 15, 1929.
2: In what city and state was he born?
Atlanta, Georgia.
3: Martin Luther King Jr had two siblings. Was he the oldest, middle, or youngest child?
Middle.
4: What was the occupation of King's mother, Alberta King (née Williams)?
School teacher.
5: Why did King Sr call his son 'peculiar' after being whipped as a form of punishment?
Because he'd cry silent tears.
6: What particular subject did King Sr lead a protest about, that included hundreds of African Americans marching to Atlanta's city hall in 1936, inspiring King Jr to do similar in the future?
Voting rights discrimination.
7: What did King Jr lack interest in during school and in later life?
Grammar and spelling.
8: What is the name of the all-male historically black college that King attended aged 15 years?
Morehouse College.
9: To help pay for his college fees, some days, King Jr picked tobacco in sweltering temperatures from 7 am to 5 pm. How much was he paid per day for this?
$4.
10: Martin Luther King Jr's first childhood friend was a white boy who lived nearby. What did this child's parents say to King Jr when he questioned why they'd stopped them playing together?
'We are white, and you are colored.'
12: How old was Martin Luther King Jr when he chose to enter the ministry?
18.
13: Who did King Jr marry on June 18, 1953?
Coretta Scott.
Quotes by Martin Luther King Jr Trivia Questions and Answers
Many of us know parts of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous ‘I have a Dream’ speech; some even know it word by word, but King Jr said many motivational, inspiring, and highly thought-provoking things during his legacy.
He was a man who spoke for the masses who had no platform and a person who could be trusted to speak his truth from the heart.
Millions of people worldwide listened to his speeches and read them in the media, and while many of these phrases were difficult for both black and white people to hear (for different reasons), it was essential that they were heard.
In this Martin Luther King Jr trivia round, the answer to the question will be the missing word from the quote.
Ready to fill in the blanks?
1: 'The finest negro is at the mercy of the meanest ………. man.'
White.
2: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to ………. everywhere.'
Justice.
3: 'In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the ………. of our friends.'
Silence.
4: 'Be a ………. if you can't be a tree.'
Bush.
5: '.......... is too great a burden to bear.'
Hate.
6: 'The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of ………. and ……….'.
Challenge, Controversy.
7: 'There will be neither rest nor ………. in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.'
Tranquility.
8: '.......... is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase.'
Thank you for completing this Martin Luther King Jr trivia; it’s a little away from the subject matters usually covered here, but one that is possibly the most important and necessary!
