Drawing Conclusions in a Cesar Chavez Speech

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

My friends, as we enter a new decade, it should be clear to all of us that there is an unfinished agenda, that we have miles to go before we reach the promised land.

Which words in the passage show Chavez’s attempt to connect with his audience?

• my friends

• new decade

• unfinished agenda

• promised land

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

The simple act of refusing to buy table grapes laced with pesticides is a powerful statement that the growers understand.

Economic pressure is the only language the growers speak, and they are beginning to listen.

Please, boycott table grapes.

Which words from the passage most clearly state a goal of Chavez’s speech?

• "laced with pesticides"

• "is a powerful statement"

• "are beginning to listen"

• "boycott table grapes"

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

In our life and death struggle for justice we have turned to the court of last resort: the American people. And the people are ruling in our favor.

As a result, grape sales keep falling. We have witnessed truckloads of grapes being dumped because no one would stop to buy them. As demand drops, so do prices and profits. The growers are under tremendous economic pressure.

We are winning, but there is still much hard work ahead of us. I hope that you will join our struggle.

Which phrase from Chavez’s speech uses details to support his argument that the grape boycott is working?

• "In our life and death struggle for justice"

• "truckloads of grapes being dumped"

• "there is still much hard work ahead of us"

• "I hope that you will join our struggle"

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

The time is now for people, of all races and backgrounds, to sound the trumpets of change. As Dr. King proclaimed, "There comes a time when people get tired of being trampled over by the iron feet of oppression."

The strong language in this passage shows that Chavez wants people to

• feel that true equality is a nearly impossible goal.

• always follow in their leaders’ footsteps.

• work together to fight against social injustices.

• change their opinions about peaceful resistance.

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

The prestigious National Academy of Sciences recently concluded an exhaustive five-year study which determined that pesticides do not improve profits and do not produce more crops.

What, then, is the effect of pesticides? Pesticides have created a legacy of pain, and misery, and death for farm workers and consumers alike.

Based on the details and language in this passage, the reader can conclude that Chavez wants to

• inform people about how long pesticides have been studied.

• convince people that pesticides do much more harm than good.

• entertain people with stories about the profits of pesticides.

• persuade people to support scientists who study pesticides.

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

The crop which poses the greatest danger, and the focus of our struggle, is the table grape crop. These pesticides soak the fields, drift with the wind, pollute the water, and are eaten by unwitting consumers.

The poisons are designed to kill, and pose a very real threat to consumers and farm workers alike.

What is Chavez’s purpose in this passage?

• to inform people about how farm workers and consumers work together to fight the dangers of pesticides

• to convince people that pesticides are used mainly in the fields where table grapes are grown

• to entertain people with stories about the ways in which pesticides travel from the fields into homes

• to persuade people that everyone is affected by the harmful chemicals found in pesticides

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

Today we honor a wise teacher, an inspiring leader, and a true visionary, but to truly honor Dr. King we must do more than say words of praise.

We must learn his lessons and put his views into practice, so that we may truly be free at last.

Based on this passage, the reader can conclude that one purpose of Chavez’s speech is to

• show people the specific ways in which Dr. King contributed to society.

• convince people that Dr. King really was as great as others say he was.

• urge people to follow in Dr. King’s footsteps in the fight against injustices.

• show people that their views of freedom are the same as Dr. King’s views.

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

The children live in communities surrounded by the grape fields that employ their parents. The children come into contact with the poisons when they play outside, when they drink the water, and when they hug their parents returning from the fields. . . .

We have no choice, we must stop the plague of pesticides.

How do the examples in this passage best support Chavez’s purpose?

• They show the types of difficult labor that farm workers do so that people will stand up for them.

• They show the hardships that farm workers experience so that people will act to protect them.

• They show the harmful role that pesticides play in communities so that people will try to improve them.

• They show how the dangers of pesticides are spread so that people will work to get rid of them.

Read the excerpt from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr."

My friends, if we are going to end the suffering, we must use the same people power that vanquished injustice in Montgomery, Selma, and Birmingham.

I have seen many boycotts succeed. Dr. King showed us the way with the bus boycott, and with our first boycott, we were able to get DDT, Aldrin, and Dieldrin banned in our first contracts with grape growers.

The details in this passage send the message that

• nonviolent resistance is an important tool in the fight for positive change.

• nonviolent resistance is only useful in the fight for better working conditions.

• people must make sacrifices if they want to make a change in society.

• people must learn about other boycotts if they wants theirs to work.

Which detail from "Lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." best supports the theme that the fight for social justice often requires determination and sacrifice?

• "[Dr. King] once stopped an armed mob, saying: ‘We are not advocating violence. We want to love our enemies. . . . Be good to them. . . . We must meet hate with love.’"

• "Dr. King knew that he very probably wouldn’t survive the struggle that he led so well. But he said, ‘If I am stopped, the movement will not stop. . . . For what we are doing is right.’"

• "Dr. King’s dedication to the rights of the workers who are so often exploited by the forces of greed has profoundly touched my life and guided my struggle."

• "The United Farm Workers are dedicated to carrying on the dream of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr."