Fallacies & Logical Reasoning
The great masses of Negro workers are depressed and unprotected in the lowest levels of agriculture and domestic service, while the black workers in industry are barred from certain unions and generally assigned to the more laborious and poorly paid work. Their housing and living conditions are sordid and unhealthy. They live too often in terror of the lynch mob;
How does the Bethune's use of fallacy in this paragraph undermine her argument?
a. the fallacy criticizes other races instead of criticizing the working conditions
b. the fallacy oversimplifies the lynch mob by describing it as 'terrifying'
c. the fallacy includes a pattern of inequality that will lead to the most extreme of consequences including death by lynching
d. the fallacy addresses the popular belief that Black workers were paid fairly and equally
c. the fallacy includes a pattern of inequality that will lead to the most extreme of consequences including death by lynching
Choose an answer to support the central idea "The nation needs to come together with love and understanding instead of hatred and violence."
A. “For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling.”
B. “So I shall ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, that’s true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love.”
C. “I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.”
D. “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice”
D. “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice”
Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.
How does the allusion acknowledge RFK's message?
a. It compares Americans to the Greeks
b. It emphasizes how humans must resist violence
c. It shows the kind of people we have in America
d. It describes the lifestyle of the Greeks to demonstrate their similarities to Americans
b. It emphasizes how humans must resist violence
Here my race has been afforded opportunity to advance from a people 80 percent illiterate to a people 80 percent literate...
How does the rhetorical device in this sentence advance the appeals in the text?
a. by devaluing Black contributions
b. by revealing current literacy rates
c. by referencing the improvements made thus far
d. by explaining the feelings of children who are now proficient readers
c. by referencing the improvements made thus far
You can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country, in great polarization--black people amongst black, white people amongst white, filled with hatred toward one another.
What is the meaning of the phrase "in great polarization" as it is used in the sentence?
a. prepare for hatred
b. in hateful opposition
c. north and south directions
d. extreme temperatures
b. in hateful opposition
Select a statement that demonstrates how RFK can improve his argument of compassion instead of violence.
a. by including expert opinion that substantiates RFK's experiences of being a nonviolent person
b. by including a picture of people protesting
c. by including scientific data that illustrates how RFK played a significant role in history and world geography
d. by including facts that prove how peaceful protesting has contributed to the advancement of living and working conditions for both white and Black Americans
d. by including facts that prove how peaceful protesting has contributed to the advancement of living and working conditions for both white and Black Americans
Choose an answer to support the central idea "The nation should focus on justice and healing instead of division."
a. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.
b. But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.
c. Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice for his fellow human beings, and he died because of that effort.
d. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.
a. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.
Perhaps the greatest battle is before us, the fight for a new America: fearless, free, united, morally re-armed, in which 12 million Negroes, shoulder to shoulder with their fellow Americans.
What does the "greatest battle" symbolize?
a. true equality
b. bloodshed and fighting
c. Black Americans
d. argument or defense
a. true equality
We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we’ve had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future.
How does the antithesis support RFK's appeal?
a. It makes the audience feel sorry for Americans by listing all of the assassinations of the 1960's
b. It highlights Americans are capable of getting past tragedies such as MLK's death
c. It shows his credibility and intelligence in revealing the past American tragedies
d. It appeals to the crowd's emotions by comparing his hard work as a senator to other congressmen
b. It highlights Americans are capable of getting past tragedies such as MLK's death
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another.
The word "division" comes from the Latin word meaning "to force apart, cleave, or distribute." Based on this information, what is the meaning of "division" as it is used in the sentence?
a. segregation
b. opposite of multiplication
c. inclusion
d. contempt
a. segregation
We have given you Paul Lawrence Dunbar, Booker T. Washington, Marian Anderson, and George Washington Carver. But even these are only the first fruits of a rich harvest, which will be reaped when new and wider fields are opened to us.
How does Bethune use logical reasoning to develop her argument that true equality does not yet exist?
a. She explores the intelligence of historical Black figures to build a general statement about fruits.
b. She notices how hard equality is to achieve and concludes that democracy is unacceptable for Black Americans.
c. She focuses on how white historical figures have contributed more than Black ones and then expands that pattern to other Black people with whom she is aquainted.
d. She uses a series of specific historical figures to support a broader conclusion about how Black Americans will contribute
d. She uses a series of specific historical figures to support a broader conclusion about how Black Americans will contribute
And yet, we have always been loyal when the ideals of American democracy have been attacked.
How does this sentence add to the purpose of Bethune's speech?
a. by appealing to Black Americans to rise up in violence because loyalty has not worked thus far
b. by proposing a plan to attack and protest American democracy
c. by appealing to white Americans to recognize the contributions of Black Americans
d. by asking the audience a rhetorical question about why Black Americans have not yet received equality
c. by appealing to white Americans to recognize the contributions of Black Americans
The democratic doors of equal opportunity have not been opened wide to Negroes.
How does the phrase "democratic doors" contribute to meaning in the speech?
a. It implies that Black Americans can easily access the benefits of equality and democracy
b. It creates an architectural image to build strength within her speech
c. It implies that all the benefits of a democracy are not easily accessible to Black Americans
d. It emphasizes that white Americans are being unfairly targeted by democratic and republican principles
c. It implies that all the benefits of a democracy are not easily accessible to Black Americans
What we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or they be black.
How does the rhetorical device in this sentence advance the appeals in RFK's speech?
a. by encouraging peace and understanding instead of rioting
b. by revealing the emotions and division between white and Black Americans
c. by referencing the different races throughout America
d. by explaining the feelings of of Black Americans on this dark day
a. by encouraging peace and understanding instead of rioting
This dream, this idea, this aspiration, this is what American democracy means to me.
What does the word "aspiration" most likely mean as it is used in the sentence?
a. breathing
b. equality
c. freedom
d. goal
d. goal
For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and distrust at the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I can only say that I feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man. But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to go beyond these rather difficult times.
How does RFK's use of fallacy in this paragraph undermine his argument?
a. the fallacy includes a pattern of assassinations and concludes with the most extreme consequence, another death
b. the fallacy takes his personal experience with his brother and assumes his method of healing will work for all Americans
c. the fallacy falsely equates Black Americans with white Americans
d. the fallacy criticizes the death of his brother instead of criticizing the perpetrator behind the assassination
b. the fallacy takes his personal experience with his brother and assumes his method of healing will work for all Americans
I have bad news for you, for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and killed tonight.
How does paragraph 1 add meaning to RFK's speech?
a. by introducing the concern over how people will react to the civil rights leader's death
b. by comparing Martin Luther to peace
c. by describing how the speaker is concerned about the world more than Americans
d. by explaining about how the world has been speaking about MLK
a. by introducing the concern over how people will react to the civil rights leader's death
While the black workers in industry are barred from certain unions and generally assigned to the more laborious and poorly paid work.
How does the author's use of alliteration appeal to the reader?
a. by calling Black Americans poor to embarrass them
b. by emphasizing money to discredit them
c. by highlighting the unfair treatment of Black American workers
d. by describing the comfortable conditions of Black American workers
c. by highlighting the unfair treatment of Black American workers
We have helped to build America with our labor, strengthened it with our faith, and enriched it with our song.
How does this sentence add to the purpose of the speech?
a. by appealing to white Americans to allow Black Americans to have equal rights
b. by proposing a plan to give rights to only those who work hard and practice Christianity
c. by challenging the reader to reward Black Americans who work hard
d. by asking the audience a rhetorical question to think about white Americans' rights
a. by appealing to white Americans to allow Black Americans to have equal rights
The black workers in industry are barred from certain unions and generally assigned to the more laborious and poorly paid work. Their housing and living conditions are sordid and unhealthy.
The word "sordid" comes from the latin root meaning "foul, filthy." Based on this information, what is the meaning of "sordid" as it is used in the sentence?
a. sore
b. unfair
c. fattening
d. disgusting
d. disgusting
Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and to replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love.
How does RFK use logical reasoning to develop his argument that Americans should respond peacefully?
a. He explores the physical characteristics associated with MLK to build a general statement about peace
b. He uses a series of specific observations about how MLK acted to support a broader conclusion about how Americans should react
c. He focuses on how MLK's reaction to events would not be as useful as Malcom X's
d. He notices how illogical peace is and then concludes that it is unacceptable for Black Americans
b. He uses a series of specific observations about how MLK acted to support a broader conclusion about how Americans should react
Democracy is for me, and for 12 million black Americans, a goal towards which our nation is marching. It is a dream and an ideal in whose ultimate realization we have a deep and abiding faith. For me, it is based on Christianity, in which we confidently entrust our destiny as a people. Under God’s guidance in this great democracy, we are rising out of the darkness of slavery into the light of freedom.
How does paragraph 1 add meaning to Bethune's speech?
a. by comparing democracy to Christianity
b. by introducing the idea that democracy is something towards which Black Americans strive for
c. by describing how the speaker is concerned with the religions of Black Americans
d. by explaining how all Americans, including 12 million Black ones, already have democracy
b. by introducing the idea that democracy is something towards which Black Americans strive for
We have fought for the democratic principles of equality under the law, equality of opportunity, equality at the ballot box, for the guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
How is the historical allusion used to argue for civil rights?
a. It allows Bethune to minimize the contributions of Black Americans
b. It allows Bethune to explain how Black Americans are owed what our country was founded on
c. It allows Bethune to compare the strength of white Americans to Black Americans
d. It allows Bethune to establish teamwork between white and Black Americans
b. It allows Bethune to explain how Black Americans are owed what our country was founded on
Under God’s guidance in this great democracy, we are rising out of the darkness of slavery into the light of freedom.
How does the rhetorical device in this sentence advance the appeals in the text?
a. by explaining the Biblical events that led to this point
b. by referencing how God has uplifted their position so far
c. by revealing the horrors of slavery
d. by devaluing the hard work it took to get to this point
b. by referencing how God has uplifted their position so far
Democracy is for me, and for 12 million black Americans, a goal towards which our nation is marching. It is a dream and an ideal in whose ultimate realization we have a deep and abiding faith.
"Abiding" comes from an Old English word "abidan" meaning "to remain, wait, or stay." Based on this information, what is the meaning of the word "abiding" in this sentence?
a. home
b. lasting
c. ending
d. equalizing
b. lasting