Q 01/05

Where was Grace Hopper born in 1906?

A) Philadelphia

B) New York

C) Boston

D) Washington, D.C.

Answer · why

B) New York

Her great-grandfather was a Navy admiral who fought at the Battle of Mobile Bay in the Civil War.

Q 02/05

What was Grace Hopper's maiden name?

A) Brewster

B) Russell

C) Murray

D) Van Horne

Answer · why

C) Murray

She married NYU professor Vincent Foster Hopper in 1930, divorced in 1945 and kept his surname.

Q 03/05

How many alarm clocks did the young Grace dismantle at age 7 before her mother caught on?

A) Five

B) Seven

C) Six

D) Three

Answer · why

B) Seven

She was then limited to one clock, and later kept a clock that ran backwards on her wall.

Q 04/05

Why did Hopper keep a clock on her wall that ran counterclockwise?

A) To fight people's allergy to change

B) It was an old Navy wardroom tradition

C) She was left-handed and preferred it

D) It was a treasured family heirloom

Answer · why

A) To fight people's allergy to change

She said humans love to say we've always done it this way, and she tried to fight that.

Q 05/05

Why was Hopper initially rejected for early admission to college at 16?

A) Vassar did not admit women under 18

B) Her Latin scores were too low

C) She failed the physics exam

D) She was too young

Answer · why

B) Her Latin scores were too low

She was admitted the next year and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in mathematics and physics in 1928.