Question

from address at rice university on the nations space effort
september 12, 1962
by president john f. kennedy
president john f. kennedy gave this speech as the nation began its moon launch program—an
effort to send a person to the moon for the first time in history.

we set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new
rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. for
space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own.
whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the united
1 states occupies a position of pre - eminence can we help decide whether this new
ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. i do not say that we
should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we
go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but i do say that space can be
explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the
mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours.

there is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. its hazards
2 are hostile to us all. its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity
for peaceful cooperation may never come again. but why, some say, the moon? why
choose this as our goal? and they may well ask why climb the highest mountain?
why, 35 years ago, fly the atlantic? why does rice play texas?
we choose to go to the moon. we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do

part b
which quotation from the text best supports the answer to part a?
○ “... only if the united states occupies a position of pre - eminence can we help decide
whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war.”
(paragraph 1)
○ “i do not say that we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space
any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, ...” (paragraph
1)
○ “its hazards are hostile to us all. its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, ... ”
(paragraph 2)
○ “we choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they
are easy, but because they are hard, ...” (paragraph 3)

Explanation:

To solve this, we first need to know the answer to Part A (not provided here, but we can analyze the quotes):

Analyzing Each Quote:

1. "... only if the United States occupies a position of pre - eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war." (Paragraph 1)

This talks about US pre - eminence in space to determine if space is peaceful or a war zone.

1. "I do not say that we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea,..." (Paragraph 1)

This is about protection against hostile space use, similar to land/sea.

1. "Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind...." (Paragraph 2)

This focuses on space hazards being universal and conquest for all mankind.

1. "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard...." (Paragraph 3)

This is about the choice to go to the moon (and do hard things) in this decade.

Assuming Part A was about the reason for going to the moon (like choosing difficult endeavors), the quote “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard....” (Paragraph 3) would support it. If Part A was about space being a shared domain, the “Its hazards are hostile to us all...” quote would fit. If about US role in space’s future, the first quote. If about protection, the second.

Since the problem is about supporting Part A’s answer, and without Part A, we can infer common themes. For example, if Part A was about the decision to undertake hard space endeavors, the 4th quote is the best.

The quote “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard....” (Paragraph 3) emphasizes the deliberate choice to take on hard challenges (like moon landing) in the decade, which likely supports a Part A answer about the motivation for the moon mission.

Answer:

D. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard....” (paragraph 3)

(Note: The exact answer depends on Part A’s question, but this is the most common - sense choice for a “reason for moon mission” - type Part A.)