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Readings: Main Ideas
Readings: Analysis
Quotes
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General Review
100
John Steinbeck wrote that the American dream is focused on two things. What are those two things?
Home and security
100
Define the American ethos in your own words.
Answers will vary but should focus on America's national identity, the beliefs and values that make up our culture, etc.
100
Give the title and author/speaker of the quote, then finish the quote: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but..."
Inaugural Speech, JFK, "what you can do for your country"
100
How are the Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and Franklin's Speech in Convention different in their purpose?
The Declaration's purpose was to tell the King that America was breaking off political ties with England. The Speech in Convention's purpose was to persuade the Founding Fathers to sign the Constitution and support it unanimously.
100
Who was the intended audience of the Declaration of Independence?
King George (the King of Britain)
200
What was the main purpose of Sean Ogle's talk about the future of the American dream? What were his 3 claims?
To inform/inspire audiences to achieve their dreams Happiness Conscious choice Legacy
200
Name 3 ways the American government is different from the British government under King George. (Hint: "He has...")
Answers will vary, but should all show the opposite or improved version of something mentioned in the Declaration of Independence
200
Give the title of the work, then explain why this quote is related to the topic of the essay: "We are able to believe that our government is weak, stupid, overbearing, dishonest, and inefficient, and at the same time we are deeply convinced that it is the best government in the world, and we would like to impose it upon everyone else."
Paradox and Dream, answers will vary
200
Which two authors both have a common goal of protecting the newly-formed United States from Britain's tyranny?
Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin
200
According to the Declaration, where do governments get their power?
From the people they govern
300
In his inaugural speech, JFK told America's international enemies that America was prepared to use science and technology as a weapon if threatened. However, what did JFK also say that America would prefer instead of this?
JFK and the American government would prefer to work as peaceful allies to use science to help mankind
300
Frederick Douglass uses rhetorical questions and parallel structure to express what kind of tone?
Negative, angry, sarcastic, confrontational, etc.
300
Give the title of the work, then explain the quote in your own words: "... mankind are more disposed to suffer, while the evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed..."
Declaration of Independence, answers will vary
300
The quote below comes from Steinbeck's "Paradox and Dream"; which of the other authors/speakers we've studied so far would probably most agree with this quote? "We are complacent in our possessions, in our houses, in our education; but it is hard to find a man or woman who does not want something better for the next generation."
Sean Ogle, because he talks about leaving a legacy for the future. Other answers may be correctly defended.
300
Explain why using rhetorical questions isn't an effective strategy in formal persuasive writing.
It's overly confrontational and doesn't always work to make a point; it relies on emotion rather than credibility and logic to make a point Other answers may be correctly defended
400
Give three paradoxes from "Paradox and Dream" in your own words
Answers may vary
400
Name 2 readings that use parallel structure to emphasize a point, and give an example of that structure from each reading
Answers will vary
400
Give the title of the work, then explain what the quote means. "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."
JFK's inaugural address, answers will vary
400
Which of the readings do you think is most relevant to the current American way of life? Why do you think this?
Answers may vary but must be defended with examples to be correct.
400
Jefferson accused the King of England of committing “a train of repeated abuses and usurpations... holding in direct object the establishment of absolute tyranny”; what does this mean?
It means that the King had imposed abusive laws frequently and with no good reason
500
Why did Ben Franklin say in "Speech in Convention" that the Founding Fathers/government must not criticize the Constitution to their Constituents?
Because the people should trust that their leaders did their best, and the leaders of such a new government shouldn't be divided in their opinions.
500
In what ways did Sean Ogle's personal experiences shape the way he saw the American dream? In what ways did Frederick Douglass's personal experiences affect his view of that same dream?
Answers will vary
500
"In these Sentiments, Sir, I agree to this Constitution, with all its Faults, if they are such; because I think a General Government necessary for us,..." What are Ben Franklin's other two reasons for asking his colleagues to approve the Constitution?
- Britain is waiting for America to fail - Franklin is confident that they have done the best they can on the document - Other answers may be correctly defended
500
Explain why Frederick Douglass might criticize Thomas Jefferson for saying, "we hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal".
Frederick Douglass was a slave, and Thomas Jefferson also owned slaves.
500
In "Paradox and Dream", Steinbeck says that they vote based on the issues, but they really vote based on
Trivial and silly things, like what a person looks like