Nobel Peace Prize Speech Review Questions

Which piece of evidence is the MOST sound reasoning to support the author’s claim that we are in a “planetary emergency”?

• “a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here.” (paragraph 7)

• "So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, as if it were an open sewer.” (paragraph 10)

• “We never intended to cause all this destruction, just as Alfred Nobel never intended that dynamite be used for waging war.” (paragraph 16)

• “We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war.” (paragraph 27)

Which evidence provides the MOST relevant support for the claim: Because the climate crisis is inconvenient, society has been ignoring it.

• We have remained largely oblivious to the impact of our cumulative actions. (paragraph 21)

• But neither need be our fate. It is time to make peace with the planet” (paragraph 26)

• We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war.” (paragraph 27)

• The penalties for ignoring this challenge are immense and growing, and at some point would be unsustainable and unrecoverable.” (paragraph 30)

Choose the TWO sentences that BEST state the central ideas of Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize Speech.

• The weather patterns have been unpredictable in recent years.

• We must act now to save our planet from destruction.

• Many individuals and nations are working towards sustainable solutions.

• We are in a planetary emergency.

Select the TWO details that BEST support the two central ideas: "We are in a planetary emergency" and "We must act now to save our planet."

• "...a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive even as we gather here."

• "We must mobilize our civilization with urgency and resolve that has previously been seen only when nations mobilize for war."

• "The future is knocking at our door right now."

• "We also need a moratorium on the construction of any new generating facility that burns coal without capacity to safely trap and store carbon dioxide."

Al Gore's tone in his message can best be described as...

• urgent

• cautious

• hesitant

• angry

In paragraph 15 of his speech, Al Gore discusses the disasters that are occurring in several major cities and geographic locations around the world. How does paragraph 15 contribute to the development of the ideas in the text?

• It compares the different sources of funding we can use to solve climate change.

• It describes familiar examples of ways people are trying to help the earth.

• It provides a solution for reducing climate change disasters.

• It explains why people do not have the ability to wait to think about climate change because of urgent issues.

Which piece of evidence is the MOST sound reasoning to support the author's claim that we are in a "planetary emergency"?

• "...a threat to the survival of our civilization that is gathering ominous and destructive potential even as we gather here."

• "So today, we dumped another 70 million tons of global-warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surround our planet as if it were an open sewer."

• "We never intended to cause all this destruction, just as Alfred Nobel never intended that dynamite be used for waging war."

• "We must quickly mobilize our civilization with the urgency and resolved that has previously been seen only when nations mobilized for war."

The definition of bias is "a person's perception of the way things are or should be, even if it is not accurate."

True or False: An author has a bias when he/she includes facts about both sides of an issue.

• True

• False

The main argument made by an author is called a...

• bias

• release

• claim

• frail

True or False: it is not important to backup your claim with reasons.

• True

• False