Ronald Reagan Challenger Speech

Who was the US President when the space shuttle exploded?

• Jimmy Carter

• Ronald Reagan

• George HW Bush

• Bill Clinton

What three groups did Reagan mention in his speech?

• The crew, NASA, and school children

• NASA, the scientists, and scientists

• The crew, families, and school children.

What is the definition of "tone" ?

• The purpose of a work of literature

• The audience of a work of literature

• The word choices in a work of literature

• The emotion expressed in a work of literature

What is/are the purposes of this speech?

• To express sorrow for the loss of life and hope for NASA's future

• To demand that NASA be better than ever

• To express shock at the explosion and sorrow for the deaths

• To tell the nation that America is saddened by the loss of life

What term is described in an persuasive writing as the writer’s position on an issue or problem?

• Conclusion

• Counterargument

• Claim

• Opinion

Which of the following contains an emotional appeal from the speech?

• Ladies and gentlemen, I’d planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the Union, but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans.

• Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit.

• It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery.

• We don’t keep secrets and cover things up.

When Reagan tells of the seaman Sir Francis Drake, what is his reason for mentioning this person from history?

• The astronauts never achieved their mission but Drake lived a long, successful life on the sea.

• Both Drake and the astronauts were brave explorers who lost their lives in an accident.

• The astronauts would go down in history for their successful mission but Drake never accomplished his goal.

• Both Drake and the astronauts were brave explorers who gave their lives for what they loved.

A premise is an underlying idea used to support a claim. It is an assertion or statement on which additional affirmations or denials are based. It supports an author’s position. Which of the following is a premise (a statement affirming or denying something) of this speech?

• For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the

  full impact of this tragedy.

• I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman

  who works for NASA.

• We’ve grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget

  that we’ve only just begun. It’s hard to dazzle us.

• Nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground.

Which of the following is a/the claim (the writer’s position on an issue or problem) of the speech?

• We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye.

• There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space.

• It’s all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It’s all part of taking a chance and expanding man’s horizons. The future doesn’t belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave.

• I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program.

What are three values that Reagan suggests all Americans share?

• ambitious and motivated

• daring, brave, sympathetic

• brave, full of spirit and grace