Statement on the Assassination of Martin Luther King

Which of the following inferences is best supported by the second paragraph?

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it’s perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black—considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible—you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.

• The speaker is urging the same non-violent response that was preached by the slain Martin Luther King, Jr

• The speaker doesn't want people to be angry about the death of Martin Luther King Jr

• The speaker is trying to encourage racial resentment

• The speaker wishes he hadn't been born an American citizen.

What is most likely the reason for the speaker reciting a poem by Aeschylus?

"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

• The speaker wants to impress his audience with the fact that he’s educated

• The speaker wants to force religion onto his audience.

• The speaker wants to emphasize understanding, in spite of feelings of hopelessness.

• The speaker is at a loss for his own words.

Which of the following best states a central idea of this speech?

• Violence will always exist as long as people are free.

• It’s important for people to choose love and peace over violence.

• The person who shot Martin Luther King, Jr. should be given the death penalty.

• It’s best for people to stay within their own group.

Which sentence from the speech best supports the correct answer to Question 3?

• “I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.”

• “We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times.”

• “It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it’s not the end of disorder.”

• “And let’s dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.”

Which meaning of awful most closely matches its meaning in the Aeschylus’ poem?

"Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."

• adjective | causing fear or terror

• adjective | disgusting

• adjective | inspired by a feeling of awe or reverence

• adverb | extreme in degree or amount