The American Dream

According to James Truslow Adams, what is the American dream?

• A dream of material possessions and money

• A dream of a society where everyone has equal opportunities

• A dream of achieving fame and recognition

• A dream of living a simple, fulfilling life

What did the authors of the United States' Declaration of Independence consider to be self-evident truths? Select 2.

• That all Men are created equal

• That life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are unalienable Rights

• That homesteaders should leave the big cities to find happiness

• That immigrants should come to the United States for a better life

What are two interpretations of the American dream?

• The pursuit of material prosperity

• The pursuit of a simple, fulfilling life

• The pursuit of fame and recognition

• The pursuit of financial gain for the working poor

According to Thomas Wolfe, what is every man's golden opportunity?

• The right to live, to work, to be himself and to become whatever he wants

• The right to pursue material prosperity

• The right to have a nice house, a car, and a comfortable existence

• The right to work multiple jobs to ensure family's survival

Who is an example of someone who achieved the American dream?

• A hardworking immigrant who started with nothing and became successful

• A person who works multiple jobs to support their family

• A person who focuses on living a simple, fulfilling life

• A person who inherited wealth and never had to work

The American dream is open to interpretation.

Which two details BEST support the statement above?

• According to Adams, the American dream was not about material possessions or money.

• Presidents have started out in log cabins and highly successful entrepreneurs have come to America as penniless immigrants.

• Horatio Alger, Jr.'s 19th-century novels embodied the American ideal that hard work and determination would eventually be rewarded.

• Some say that the American dream has become the pursuit of material prosperity, but while people work more hours to get bigger cars, fancier homes and the fruits of prosperity for their families, they have less time to enjoy their prosperity.

Read the analysis of HOW the MAIN idea was introduced.

The main idea of the article is introduced through one historian's interpretation of what the American dream is. This was meant to provide an explanation of how the American dream was first captured in history — through focusing on the average American rather than events.

How is the MAIN idea developed further in the article?

• The author asks questions and provides answers about what the American dream could be.

• The author focuses on the events in history that caused the idea of the American dream.

• The author includes more information about Adams and how he came to define the American dream.

• The author provides an opposing view to Adams' in order to give the reader a broader perspective about the American dream.

Read the following sentences from the article.

Is the American dream attainable by all Americans?

Others say that the American dream is beyond the grasp of the working poor who must work multiple jobs to ensure their family’s survival.

Which answer option BEST describes the relationship between the two sentences?

• The first sentence is an effect and the second sentence describes its cause.

• 
  The first sentence provides a thought and the second sentence gives an example.

• The first sentence narrates a cause and the second sentence describes its effect.

• The first sentence describes a problem and the second sentence explains its solution.

WHY does the author include information about the Declaration of Independence?

• to show what might have caused the idea of the American dream

• to illustrate the effect the American dream has had on our population

• to present the problems that the American dream causes poor people

• to explain how the Declaration of Independence is different from the American dream