What America Means to Me (Bethune Speech)

Which type of reasoning does the author primarily use to support their argument in the text?

• Inductive reasoning (drawing broad conclusions based on specific observations)

• Deductive reasoning (drawing specific conclusions based on broad observations)

• Abductive reasoning (drawing conclusions from patterns or trends)

What sentence from the passage shows Bethune's use of inductive reasoning?

• "We have given you Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Booker T. Washington, Marian Anderson and George Washington Carver."

• "Our faith envisions a fundamental change as mutual respect and understanding between our races come in the path of spiritual awakening."

• "Democracy is for me, and for 12 million black Americans, a goal towards which our nation is marching."

• "This dream, this idea, this aspiration, this is what American democracy means to me."

What evidence from the text supports the author's claim about the progress of black Americans?

• Talking about famous black leaders

• Sharing statistics about literacy rates

• Describing difficult living conditions

• Referencing America's defense in wars.

How does mentioning historical, famous black people help the writer's argument?

• By emphasizing the achievements of prominent black figures

• It explains why black Americans are unhappy

• It suggests black Americans are different from others

• It doesn’t help the argument at all

What could be added to talk about civil rights better?

• A relevant anecdote

• More examples of rights being taken away

• A list of the rules in the country and how they affect the black community

• A story about a famous president

Which piece of evidence could be taken out without weakening the argument?

• "In the Deep South, Negro youth is offered only one-fifteenth of the educational opportunity of the average American child."

•  "Their housing and living conditions are sordid and unhealthy."

• "We have fought for the democratic principles of equality under the law, equality of opportunity, equality at the ballot box, for the guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

• "We have given you Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Booker T. Washington, Marian Anderson and George Washington Carver.”

What could make the argument stronger?

• Acknowledging counterclaims

• Using more ethos (appeals to crediblity)

• Incorporating additional pathos (emotional appeals)

• Incorporating examples of logos (logical appeals)

Which problem does the argument about American democracy have?

• It overemphasizes historical moments

• It is inconsistent in presenting the struggles of Black Americans

• It lacks specific examples to support claims

• It over relies on emotional appeals without logos

How does the author use historical figures to argue for the importance of education among black Americans?

• By showing how education helped these figures overcome barriers

• By listing figures who were self-taught and succeeded without formal education

• By suggesting that only a few black Americans have had the chance to be educated

• By arguing that historical figures are exceptions and not representative of the general population

What role does the mention of democracy play in the author's argument about civil rights?

• It is used as a benchmark to measure the progress of civil rights

• It serves as a reminder of unfulfilled promises to black Americans

• It is cited as an example of a system that works against black Americans

• It is mentioned as a concept that is irrelevant to the struggle for civil rights