'Roots' Quiz, Part 7 - Alex Haley

Answer: 1921

Alex Haley was six weeks old when his mother and father brought him to see his grandparents in the summer of 1921.

Answer: 'Well, I guess he'll do'

Whenever people exclaimed how well raised he was, Grandpa Palmer (Will) would respond, 'Well, I guess he'll do'.

Answer: 4

When Alex was four, going on five, Grandpa Palmer passed away. He was so hysterical that Dr. Dillard had to give him medication to make him sleep that night.

Answer: She invited various Murray family female relatives to spend some, if not all, of the summer with her

Grandma Palmer (Cynthia) began inviting various Murray family females to her house to spend the summers with her.

Answer: 1931

In 1931, while Alex was in school, someone came with a message saying he had to hurry home. Bertha George, who was sick on and off since they had left Henning, died at the age of thirty six.

Answer: 3 - George, Julius, and Lois

Alex had two brothers and one sister. Their names were George, Julius, and Lois. George and Julius were born to Bertha George, and Lois was born to Zeona Hatcher, Alex's stepmother.

Answer: Zeona Hatcher

Simon married a colleague professor named Zeona Hatcher. She was from Columbus, OH. She gave Simon a daughter named Lois.

Answer: U.S. Coast Guard

When Alex was seventeen, and after he finished his second year of college, he joined the U.S. Marines. Hewas a messboy when World War II happened. On his cargo-ammunition ship that was in the Southwest Pacific, he stumbled on the road that would lead him to the writing of 'Roots'.

Answer: Malcom X

Alex was assigned to interview Malcolm X, the then Nation of Islam spokesman. Malcolm X asked Alex to work with him as his collaborator, and Alex did. Unfortunately, Malcom X didn't live long enough to read it, because he was assassinated two weeks after the manuscript was finished.

Answer: True

While in England and visiting the British Museum, Alex found himself looking at something he had heard of vaguely. The Rosetta Stone had entranced Alex. He got a book at the library to learn more about it.

Answer: Nile Delta

The Rosetta Stone was discovered in the Nile Delta, the stone's face had chiseled into it, three separate texts: one in known Greek, the second in a then - unknown set of characters, and the third in the ancient hieroglyphics. A French scholar, Jean Champollion, succesfully matched character for character.

He essentially cracked the mystery and offered a thesis that the texts read the same.

Answer: Old timey - slavery talk

Whenever Grandma got on the slavery talk, Bertha would exclaim, ' Oh, Ma,I wish you'd stop all that old timey - slavery stuff, it's entirely embarrassing!'.

Answer: Aunt Plus, Aunt Liz, Aunt Till, Aunt Viney, and Cousin Georgia

The graying ladies that talked the family story with Grandma were: Aunt Plus, Aunt Liz, Aunt Till, Aunt Viney, and Cousin Georgia.

Answer: The United Nations

When Alex was trying to get help in learning what the African words in his family story were, he went to the United Nations. He said the Africans would give him a quick listen then hurry on their way. He said he could imagine how he sounded, with his Tennessee accent, trying to convey words in African.

Answer: Ebou Manga

Ebou Manga was from the Gambia. He and his father flew to Africa so they could help translate to Alex Haley.

Answer: Cousin Georgia

Cousin Georgia had told Alex, 'your sweet grandma and all of them - they're up there watching.' Cousin Georgia passed away at the exact moment that Alex walked into Juffure Village. He believed that as the last of the ladies that talked the family story on his grandmother's front porch, it was her job to get him to Africa.

Answer: George Sims

Alex grew up with George Sims. Sims was a master reasearcher. He brought a list of about a dozen people renowned for their knowledge of African linguistics.

Answer: Dr. Vansina

Alex Haley brought his family's story and the African words that came with it to Dr. Jan Vansina. Dr. Vansina told Alex that the words were from the 'Mandinka' tongue. He said that the word 'ko' could refer to the 'kora', one of the Mandingo people's oldest stringed instrument. He also said that the words 'Kamby Bolongo' could indicate the Gambia River.

Answer: Dakar, Senegal

Alex arrived in Dakar, Senegal. The next morning he caught a light plane to Yundum Airport in the Gambia.

Answer: Alhaji Manga

Ebou's father was Alhaji Manga. He accompanied Alex and Ebou to Africa.

Answer: Atlantic Hotel

Alex met the men in the Atlantic Hotel.

Answer: Griots

The men told Alex about very old men called Griots, still to be found in the older back-country villages, men who were living, walking archives of oral history. A senior Griot would be a man in his seventies, below him would be progressively younger Griots and apprenticing boys.

Answer: The villages of Kinte-Kundah and Kinte-Kundah Janneh-Ya

The two villages were Kinte-Kundah and Kinte-Kunda Janneh-Ya. They were the country's oldest villages.

Answer: True

It embarrassed Alex that his only knowledge of Africa came from watching Tarzan movies.

Answer: Mrs. DeWitt Wallace

Co-founder Mrs. DeWitt Wallace told Alex how much she liked 'Unforgettable Character', a story Alex had written. Mrs. Wallace said that he should let her know if he ever needed some help.