Question

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 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?¹ why does rice play texas?² we choose to go to the moon. 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, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too. john f. kennedy, from address at rice university on the nations space effort, september 12, 1962 1. why, 35 years ago, fly the atlantic? in 1927, aviator charles lindbergh flew an airplane from new york to paris, france, completing the first nonstop solo flight across the atlantic in history. 2. why does rice play texas? rice university, where president kennedy delivered this speech, has a longstanding football rivalry with the university of texas at austin. in paragraph 3 of his address, president kennedy concedes that— the nation should accept the challenge of going to the moon, but then he warns that it will be difficult. going to the moon wont be easy, but then he explains why winning the race to the moon is necessary. the nation should accept the challenge of going to the moon, and then he argues that it will bring glory. going to the moon wont be easy, but then he says the nation chooses to do it precisely because it is difficult.

Explanation:

To solve this question, we analyze each option by examining the relevant part of President Kennedy's address (paragraph 3 as per the question):

Analyzing each option:

• First option: The text says they choose the goal (going to the moon) because it is hard, not that he “warns” it will be difficult and then leaves it at that. Eliminate this.
• Second option: The passage does not focus on explaining “why winning the race to the moon is necessary” after conceding difficulty. The key is about choosing hard challenges, not necessity. Eliminate this.
• Third option: The text emphasizes choosing the goal because it is hard, not to “bring glory.” The focus is on the challenge itself, not glory. Eliminate this.
• Fourth option: The relevant line is: “We choose to go to the moon... not because they are easy, but because they are hard... we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.” This matches: going to the moon won’t be easy (since it’s hard), but the nation chooses to do it precisely because it is difficult (aligning with “not because they are easy, but because they are hard”).

By analyzing the relevant text from President Kennedy's address (paragraph 3) and comparing it with each option, we find that the fourth option aligns with the reasoning ("choosing to do it because it is difficult") presented in the speech.

Answer:

D. going to the moon won't be easy, but then he says the nation chooses to do it precisely because it is difficult.