Ronald Reagan on the Challenger Disaster

In which decade did the Challenger tragedy occur?

• 1960's

• 1970's

• 1980's

• 1990's

Challenger: What three groups did Reagan mention in his speech?

• The crew, NASA, and school children

• NASA, the scientists, and scientists

• The crew, families, and school children.

What is/are the purposes of this speech?

• To demand that NASA be better than ever

• To express shock at the explosion and sorrow for the deaths

• To tell the nation that America is saddened by the loss of life

• To express sorrow for the loss of life and continued hope for NASA's future

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What term is described in an persuasive writing as the writer’s position on an issue or problem?

• Conclusion

• Counterargument

• Opinion

• Claim

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Which of the following contains an emotional appeal from the speech?

• Ladies and gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.

• Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit.

• It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery.

• We don’t keep secrets and cover things up.

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When Reagan tells of the seaman Sir Francis Drake, what is his reason for mentioning this person from history?

• The astronauts never achieved their mission but Drake lived a long, successful life on the sea.

• Both Drake and the astronauts were brave explorers who shared their love of adventure.

• The astronauts would go down in history for their successful mission but Drake never accomplished his goal.

• Both Drake and the astronauts were brave explorers who gave their lives for what they loved.

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Which of the following is a/the speech's claim? (the writer’s central position on an issue or problem - the idea that is at the core of Reagan's speech)

• We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye.

• There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.

• It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.

• I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program.

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What are three values that Reagan suggests all Americans share?

• brave, full of spirit, and grace

• daring, brave, loyal

• ambitious, religious, motivated

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Why does Reagan make the following statement? "We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue."

• He wants to send a message to Russia and China that America is not abandoning the space program.

• He wants to reassure NASA and the public that despite the tragedy, NASA's mission is still a priority.

• He wants to make sure Congress will fully fund NASA in spite of the tragedy.

• He wants to reassure any children watching that if any of them wants to be an astronaut, that dream is still possible.

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Which of the following is a premise of the speech? (a premise is a statement affirming/asserting something or denying/rejecting/refuting something) This premise is an underlying idea Reagan uses to support the speech's central claim.

• For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy.

• I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA.

• We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we’ve only just begun. It’s hard to dazzle us.

• Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground.

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