Question

exploration of the space shuttle challenger speech by ronald reagan on january 28, 1986, just 73 seconds after lift - off, the space shuttle orbiter challenger exploded in the sky. all seven astronauts on board the spacecraft were killed. that evening, president ronald reagan was scheduled to give his state of the union speech. but out of respect, reagan decided to postpone that speech and instead talk to the nation about the tragedy. (1) ladies and gentlemen, id 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. today is a day for mourning and remembering. (2) nancy and i are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle challenger. we know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. this is truly a national loss. (3) nineteen years ago, almost to the day, we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. but weve never lost an astronaut in flight, weve never had a tragedy like this. and perhaps weve forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle; but they, the challenger seven, were aware of the dangers, but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. we mourn seven heroes: michael smith, dick scobee, judith resnik, ronald mcnair, ellison onizuka, gregory jarvis, and christa mcauliffe. we mourn their loss as a nation together. (4) for the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. but we feel the loss, and were thinking about you so very much. your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, \give me a challenge and ill meet it with joy.\ they had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. they wished to serve, and they did. they served all of us. (5) weve grown used to wonders in this century. its hard to dazzle us. but for 25 years the united states space program has select the correct answer. which sentence provides the best description of reagans use of rhetoric in the speech? a. he uses ethos to establish why his point of view is sensible and correct. b. he uses pathos to communicate sadness, sympathy, and optimism. c. he uses logos to explain why the us space program should continue. d. he uses logos to argue why the accident was not ultimately a disaster.

Explanation:

To determine the correct answer, we analyze Reagan's use of rhetoric:

• Option A: Ethos is about credibility/ethics, but the speech focuses on emotions (sadness, sympathy) and optimism, not establishing why his view is sensible via ethos. Eliminate A.
• Option B: Pathos appeals to emotions. Reagan's speech communicates sadness over the tragedy, sympathy for the families, and optimism about the space program's future (e.g., "We've grown used to wonders... the US space program has dazzled us..."). This matches pathos.
• Option C: Logos is logical reasoning/evidence. The speech doesn't use logos to explain why the space program should continue; it uses emotional appeal and optimism. Eliminate C.
• Option D: The speech doesn't argue the accident was not a disaster (it acknowledges the loss) and doesn't use logos for this. Eliminate D.

Answer:

B. He uses pathos to communicate sadness, sympathy, and optimism.