Question

from birmingham jail
n luther king jr.
you read, highlight ideas related to
g’s purpose in writing the letter. use
other color to highlight allusions.
cord how he structures his argument.
martin luther king jr
il 1963
ear fellow clergymen:
confined here in the birmingham city jail,
across your recent statement calling my
t activities “unwise and untimely.”
n do i pause to answer criticism of my
nd ideas. if i sought to answer all the
as mayor will bring the millennium to
birmingham. while mr. boutwell is a
much more gentle person than mr.
connor, they are both segregationists,
dedicated to maintenance of the status
quo. i have hope that mr. boutwell will
be reasonable enough to see the futility
of massive resistance to
desegregation. but he will not see this
without pressure from devotees of civil
rights. my friends, i must say to you
that we have not made a single gain in
civil rights without determined legal and
nonviolent pressure.
what is king’s claim in this passage?
now is the right time to take
action against racial
injustice in birmingham.
civil rights activists should
have waited for the election
of a new mayor before
taking action.
the new mayor will be
more open to negotiations
than the previous mayor.
all city administrators are
more or less the same.

Explanation:

To determine King's claim, we analyze the passage. King states that civil rights gains require "determined legal and nonviolent pressure" and that the new mayor needs pressure from civil rights devotees. The first option, "Now is the right time to take action against racial injustice in Birmingham," aligns with this as it emphasizes the need for action (pressure) to achieve civil rights. The second option is incorrect as King implies action is needed, not waiting. The third option misinterprets; King says the mayor needs pressure, not that he'll be more open without it. The fourth option is too general and not the main claim.

Answer:

A. Now is the right time to take action against racial injustice in Birmingham.