Question

by using rhetorical questions in paragraph 3 of passage 2, president kennedy
a. conveys the defensive stance that reaching the moon will help secure for the nation
b. highlights the great difficulty of the goal of reaching the moon within the decade
c. suggests that the moon presents the nation with a challenge simply because it is there
d. presents an anecdote that makes reaching the moon more understandable to the audience

Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze each option in the context of Kennedy's use of rhetorical questions in his moon - landing - related speech.

• Option A: The idea of a “defensive stance” is not related to the purpose of his rhetorical questions about reaching the moon. His focus was on inspiring and framing the challenge, not defending.
• Option B: Kennedy's goal with the moon - landing initiative was to achieve it within the decade. Rhetorical questions here would be used to emphasize the difficulty of this goal, as it was a massive technological and logistical challenge. This option aligns with the context.
• Option C: The phrase “simply because it is there” is more about the motivation for exploration in general, but Kennedy's rhetorical questions in the relevant paragraph were about the difficulty of the task, not just the existence of the moon as a challenge.
• Option D: There is no anecdote presented in the use of rhetorical questions regarding reaching the moon in that part of the speech.

Answer:

B. highlights the great difficulty of the goal of reaching the moon within the decade