Pres. John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address 1961 Quiz

What does the following passage mainly reveal about President Kennedy's views on the United Nations? To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support—to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective—to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak—and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

• President Kennedy believes the United Nations is an unnecessary relic from a bygone era.

• President Kennedy believes the United Nations has a significant role to play in the pursuit of global peace.

• President Kennedy believes the United Nations has grown too powerful for its own good.

• President Kennedy believes the United Nations is one of many weapons that world leaders can use to oppose nuclear warfare.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Which of the following words best replaces endeavor as it is used in the passage below? The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

• undertaking

• misgiving

• penalty

• reply

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CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

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CCSS.RL.9-10.4

Which of the following inferences is best supported in reference to the author’s perspective from the speech in the following lines? "All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."

• America’s best years are behind it.

• The first one hundred days are the most crucial in a presidency.

• President Kennedy does not expect to win the next presidential election if he does not accomplish these goals.

• President Kennedy’s vision for America’s future involves limitless but time-consuming progress.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

What rhetorical device is being used in this paragraph from the speech? "Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice that we ask of you. With a good conscience, our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth, God's work must truly be our own."

• allusion

• illusion

• euphemism

• hyperbole

• personfication

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Which of the following statements best describes President Kennedy's views on scientific discovery?

• Scientific discoveries have no bearing on political matters.

• War is a byproduct of the pursuit of knowledge.

• Scientific breakthroughs should be pursued for the betterment of humankind rather than its destruction.

• Scientific experimentation is destructive and takes place without consideration for the global political consequences.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Which of the following SUPPORTED TEXTUAL EVIDENCE FROM THE SPEECH best describes President Kennedy's views on scientific discovery?

• So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.

• Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors.

• We offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

• “In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger.”

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Which of the following most closely describes President Kennedy's views on global poverty?

• America should provide aid to struggling nations because it is the right thing to do.

• In order to receive financial assistance, a country must first join the United Nations.

• Addressing poverty around the globe will ultimately make America less safe.

• Global poverty is a direct result of the Cold War.

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

Which of the following SUPPORTING TEXTUAL EVIDENCE most closely describes President Kennedy's views on global poverty?

• “And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.”

• “I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it—and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.”

•  “To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support.”

•  “To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required—not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right.”

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CCSS.RL.7.1

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CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In the line "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country," what rhetorical device is primarily employed?

• Alliteration

• Antithesis

• Metaphor

• Simile

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3

In the sentence "Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us," what is the main idea conveyed?

• The importance of unity over division

• The necessity of addressing common problems

• The call for collaboration between opposing sides

• All of the above

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CCSS.RL.2.6

CCSS.RL.8.3