We Choose To Go To The Moon Rhetorical Analysis

What does Kennedy suggest about the motivations of America attempting to reach the moon?

• They wish to embarrass the other countries by reaching the moon first.

• They are trying to advance technology for the good of humanity.

• They want to use the moon for hostile military actions.

• They lack the scientific knowledge to accomplish their goals.

Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

• "Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America’s new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the star before midnight tonight."

• "This is breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers…"

• "We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won and used for the progress of all people."

• "This country was conquered by those who moved forward-and so will space."

What is Kennedy's purpose for giving this speech?

• To present a chronology of human achievements

• To highlight the strength of America's scientific knowledge

• To encourage the public to support the United States in the race to reach the moon

• To compare America’s technological advancements with those of rival nations

Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

• No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, 50,000 years of man’s recorded history in a time span of but half a century

• If this capsule of history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.

• Within these last 19 months at least 45 satellites have circled the earth.

• We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills…

Kennedy states that progress “cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old” to caution that it

• creates new problems as it solves old ones.

• was minimal until the invention of written language.

• can only be accomplished with the help of other countries.

• leads to an increase in peace.

The statement ("In short, our leadership in science and industry, our hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves as well as others, all require us to make this effort, to solve these mysteries, to solve them for the good of all men, and to become the world’s leading space-faring nation") is important to the overall argument in its suggestion that

• the monetary rewards for space exploration are too great to pass up.

• the U.S. military will never use space for strategic operations.

• the United States is better equipped than other nations to ensure that space remains a peaceful frontier.

• the space race is an opportunity to solidify the position of the United States as a global leader.

Kennedy most likely included paragraphs 2 and 3 in order to

• persuade the audience to fund the race to the moon.

• frame space exploration as a logical next step in human progress.

• warn of the potential hazards of technological advances.

• encourage audience members to be leaders of their generation.

Which of the following is a way that Kennedy connects with his audience in the first paragraph?

• He made them feel that they were an integral part of the success of the space race.

• He showed them the effects that the space race would directly have on their lives.

• He calls them to action and provides ways that they can make a difference.

• He warns them of the dangers that will follow if they choose to not support the race.

What does Kennedy suggest about the motivations of other countries attempting to reach the moon?

• They wish to embarrass the United States by reaching the moon first.

• They are trying to advance technology for the good of humanity.

• They want to use the moon for hostile military actions.

• They lack the scientific knowledge to accomplish their goals.

Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to the previous question?

• "Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America’s new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the star before midnight tonight.”

• "This is breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers…”

• "We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.”

• "We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won and used for the progress of all people.”