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About This Quiz
"Norma Rae" was a drama based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton, a woman who brought the union to her factory to help protect her co-workers. How well do you remember "Norma Rae?" Find out by taking this quiz.
At the beginning of the movie, what happened to Norma Rae's mother that she was rushed to the doctor?
The tips of her fingers turned black.
Norma couldn't wake her up.
She couldn't hear.
"She didn't hear one word I said! She doesn't hear you right now!"
She couldn't see.
In what kind of factory did Norma Rae work?
Automotive factory.
Textile mill.
The story of Norma Rae was based on Crystal Lee Sutton, a woman who worked at the J. P. Stevens textile plant in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Her job was to fold towels.
Steel mill.
Paper mill.
Finish the quote "Do it, and ______________________."
"I'll shut up."
"Do it, and I'll shut up."
"I'll have you fired."
"I'll see you in court."
"I'll do it better."
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How much did Norma's dad get paid?
$0.98 a frame.
$2.72 a frame.
$0.56 a frame.
$1.33 a frame.
In older textile mills, people would replace the full-spinning frames with empty ones. Modern "doffing" machines do this in textile mills today. Paying "per frame" was a way company owners kept pay down and increased the work a single worker did in a day.
Who wanted to stay with Norma Rae's family?
Sonny.
George.
Reuben Warshowsky.
"My name is Reuben Warshovsky… I'd like to get me a room with a mill family."
Sam.
Pat Hingle played which character?
Dr. Watson.
Jimmy Jerome.
Vernon.
Pat Hingle (1924—2009) played Norma's dad, Vernon, but he is probably best known for his portrayal of Commission Gordon in the "Batman" movies.
Sam.
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Why did George hit Norma Rae?
She asked him to get a divorce.
She threatened to tell his wife what was going on.
She wanted him to spend more money on her.
She told him she wasn't coming to see him anymore.
"It just doesn't make me feel good … I'm not trotting down here anymore."
With what did Rueben fill his suitcase so he wouldn't have to read the phone book?
Pills.
Ties.
Books.
Several studios turned down "Norma Rae," but 20th Century Fox had just turned out the highly successful "Star Wars," and was willing to take a chance on it.
Candy.
To what position was Norma promoted?
Spotter.
"Well, we're going to put you on spot-checking … It’ll make you another $1.50 an hour."
Doffer.
Spooler.
Weaver.
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Why wasn't Norma's dad happy about her promotion?
He didn't think she was getting paid enough.
She was telling him what to do.
Many workers in the textile industry develop "brown lung disease," or Byssinosis, from long-term exposure to the cotton dust. Although the disease scars the lungs, it doesn't actually turn them brown.
He had worked at the factory longer than she had.
She started spending more money on her clothing.
What were Norma's kids' names?
Louisa and Carrie.
James and Michael.
Melissa and Christine.
Craig and Millie.
"That's Craig, and this is [Millie]. Craig, I want you to put your seat on the floor."
What singer did Norma Rae wish she could be?
Elvis Presley.
Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton released "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right" in 1978. However, the events depicted in the movie took place before 1974.
Janis Joplin.
Karen Carpenter.
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Why didn't Norma's dad want her to go out with Sonny?
Because Norma had a bad track record with men, and her dad supported her.
"Let me say some names to you, Norma: Buddy Wilson, Ellis Harper, George Benson, a U. S. sailor, railways, bus drivers—none of which is looking after you as far as I can see. I got that spot. It's my roof, my food."
Because Sonny was married and had kids.
Because Sonny was a well-known womanizer and abusive.
Because Sonny worked in the mill, and her dad saw that as a conflict of interest.
Where was the first place Sonny met Norma?
In the factory.
At his mother's bakery.
Many textile workers work in a factory because their parents worked there and got them jobs. In Crystal Lee's case, she began working there when she was 16. Both her first, second, and third husbands also worked in the mill.
In a bar.
He came to her door looking for a place to live.
What happened to Norma's first husband?
He died in a bar fight.
"This was the song. I remember it was on the radio the night they called me up, and they told me my husband had been killed in a fight in a beer joint."
He ran off with Sonny's wife.
He had a heart attack working in the cotton factory.
He committed suicide.
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Where did Reuben hold the first meeting to tell the people about a union?
In the motel.
In a church.
Director Ritt wanted to film in an actual textile factory to lend authenticity to the story. The J. P. Stevens textile company blocked "Norma Rae" from being filmed in many textile factories. They finally found a unionized factory in Opelika, AL, that allowed them to film there.
In the parking lot outside the factory.
In a bar.
What did Norma ask Sonny to do to help her decide whether or not to marry him?
Babysit her kids.
Give her his paycheck.
Kiss her.
"It's been a long time between offers. Kiss me. If that's all right, then everything else will be."
Stop drinking.
Who played Norma Rae?
Raquel Welch.
Sally Field.
Sally Field (born November 1946) won an Academy Award for her work on "Norma Rae," but she was not as big a name as what the studio had wanted. However, after he was turned down by several bigger name actresses, Martin Ritt told them he would not do it without her .
Loni Anderson.
Diane Keaton.
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"Gentlemen, your average working man is not stupid. ______________________."
"He is a drunk and a genius."
"He has just grown complacent."
"He's making history."
"He just gets tired."
"Gentlemen, your average working man is not stupid. He just gets tired."
Why did Norma leave her church?
Because the minister said she was living in sin.
Because the minister wouldn't let her hold a union meeting there.
The extras from "Norma Rae" were all locals, many of whom worked in the textile factory. Field got to know the workers first-hand, which helped her develop her character.
Because the minister didn't want to baptize her kids.
Because the minister refused to marry her and Sonny.
Why was Reuben allowed to go into the factory?
Federal law allowed a union representative to inspect assembly lines and factory floors for safety hazards.
Federal law forced factory owners to introduce a union representative to every employee once—as long as the representative scheduled the meeting in advanced.
Federal law allowed a union representative to meet with factory leaders and come to a mutual agreement before a union was formed.
Federal law allowed a union representative to inspect the bulletin board and make sure their notice remains posted.
"The Federal government of the United States, brothers, in accordance with federal court order number 7778, states the following: The Union has the right to inspect every bulletin board in the mills at least once a week to verify in person that its notices are not being stripped off."
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Why did the union bosses go to see Reuben?
They told him he had to leave town.
They told him he needed to get rid of Norma Rae.
Eli Zivkovich, on whom the character of Reuben was based, was initially a coal miner from West Virginia. By the time Norma Rae lost her job, Sally Field had become so invested in the character that she sprained one police officer's wrist, broke another's watch, and broke the ribs of a third actor.
They said they couldn't afford to pay him.
They were bringing a replacement for him.
Who lived next door to Norma and Sonny?
Norma's parents.
Dr. Watson.
Jimmy Jerome Davis.
"We're holding a meeting at our house, Jimmy Jerome—union business. Afterward, we're having lemonade and cookies, gingersnaps."
Ellis Harper.
What were the initials of the textile workers' union?
UFCW.
TWUA.
The TWUA (Textile Workers Union of America) started in 1939, but merged to become the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) in 1976, shortly after the events depicted in the movie took place. Many unions struggled in the South, and even J. P. Stevens continued resisting the union for more than 20 years through numerous court cases.
UAW.
USW.
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When Reuben fell in the mud, where did Norma take him to get clean?
Back to Reuben's hotel room.
The local swimming hole.
"This is where we used to swim when we were kids. Come down here after school and chuck off our clothes and jump in."
The laundry mat.
Her house.
What author wrote the book Norma Rae borrowed from Reuben?
Langston Hughes.
Robert Frost.
Dylan Thomas.
Dylan Thomas (1914 - 1953) was a Welsh poet of the early 20th century. He dropped out of school when he was only 16, but created a flowing, alliterative style writing that modern readers often appreciate more than his contemporaries did. He died primarily of untreated pneumonia (which a doctor failed to diagnose), complicated by the effects of alcoholism.
Sylvia Plath.
Why didn't anyone show up to the union meeting that was set to happen towards the middle of the movie?
The company put everyone on a "stretch-out."
"They got us on a stretch-out… Put us on a three-day week. Twice as much work for half the pay."
They were afraid they would be murdered.
They decided Union dues were too expensive.
It was taking too long to organize.
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Which actor played Sonny?
Burt Reynolds.
Rock Hudson
Beau Bridges.
Lloyd Vernet "Beau" Bridges III (born December 9, 1941) began his career in the 1940s. He works primarily on television movies and can be seen in series' such as" Stargate: SG-1."
Rob Liebman.
What did Norma's employers post on the bulletin board?
Anyone joining the union would be fired.
There would be no more breaks.
Everyone would lose $10 in pay each time they discussed the union.
A notice that the union was an opportunity for a "black" uprising.
"They put up a letter. They telling whites that the blacks are going to take over the union, they gonna run it and push them around. And any time you tell a white man a black man's gonna sit on his head, this is what you get."
What did they do to Norma for copying the racist letter?
They demoted her.
They fired her.
Crystal Lee was arrested, fired, and received death threats. In the movie, her name was changed to Norma Rae because she wanted to retain some of her privacy.
They docked her pay.
They forced her to give the copy to them.
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"How come everybody down here ______________________."
"…Has three names?"
"Sign. Norma Rae Webster. How come everybody down here has three names?"
"Treats strangers like they are family?"
"Can't read two-syllable words?"
"Thinks they should fry everything before eating it?"
What did they do when Norma wouldn't leave after she was fired?
They had her arrested.
Field actually learned how to run the machines, but found the work extremely difficult. The environment was loud and the air was filled with dust that irritated her lungs.
They apologized.
They beat her up.
They started firing other people.
When Vernon's arm went numb, what did Jimmy tell him to do?
Immediately go see the company doctor.
Take the rest of the day off.
Wait 15 minutes until his break.
"You all got a break coming up in fifteen minutes, Vernon… You all hang on, Vernon. Your break's coming up."
Go on break 15 minutes early.
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How did Norma hear about the vote?
She sneaked into the meeting.
Her mother called her with the news.
She stood outside the factory and listened.
Sally Field had a tough time with the role because she found it difficult to relate to the character. She was serious about her work, though, and Ritt was willing to help her delve into her part.
Reuben came to her door and told her.
What did Reuben do right before he left?
Gave Norma Rae a letter giving her a job with the union.
Kissed Norma Rae.
Gave her a bracelet to remember him.
Shook Norma Rae's hand.
Martin Ritt did what he could to prevent the actors playing Norma and Reuben from becoming too close. Although originally the movie was not expected to succeed, it became a box office hit.
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