Question 1 Part A

Which claim does President Obama make in excerpt from "President Barack Obama's State of the Union Address"?

US citizens play a critical role in strengthening the state of the union.

Average wages have gone up in recent years and lessened inequality.

The United States needs to better prepare for the twenty-first century.

The country has the highest unemployment rate in five years.
Question 2
Part B

Which evidence is most relevant to supporting the answer to Part A?

"Today in America, a teacher spent extra time with a student who needed it and did her part to lift America's graduation rate to its highest levels in more than three decades."

"The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by—let alone to get ahead. And too many still aren't working at all."

"And for the first time in over a decade, business leaders around the world have declared that China is no longer the world's number one place to invest; America is."

"As president, I'm committed to making Washington work better, and rebuilding the trust of the people who sent us here. And I believe most of you are, too."

Match each excerpt with the type of essay it represents. descriptive essay narrative essay expository essay persuasive essay essay excerpt type of essay when hal arrives at the pond, a bleak sight greets him as he discovers the surface of the skating pond is layered with snow. realizing he is facing a monumental task, he industriously begins to shovel the mounds of new snow from the frozen pond. lifting shovelful after shovelful of heavy wet snow, hal tirelessly works. while he works, he dreams of his brilliant future as a magnificent hockey star. soon a massive pile of glistening snow begins to appear on the bank, and the icy surface of the pond is smooth glass. hal’s back and arms ache as he eagerly exchanges his work boots for an old, worn pair of hockey skates. arrowright potter's lake used to be the nicest lake in the area. but these days the water is green with algae, and the lake is choked with weeds all summer long. as a result, people can no longer swim in it. experts have determined the cause of the problem.fertilizers from yards and farms have been running into the lake. they cause algae and weeds to grow out of control. they also kill birds and fish. arrowright a hard, gray mountain loomed over a serene, florescent-blue lake, which gently lapped at its granite base. miles above the lake, a trio of mountain peaks jutted into the sky. each seemed to be topped with a chilled scoop of vanilla ice cream. as a cold and distant sun crept over the peaks, the lake and valley below instantly became suffused with blue light, which seemed to touch everything but warm nothing. morning had arrived. arrowright since 1897, the population of the bachman's warbler in north carolina has decreased from more than 500,000 to fewer than 100. the main reason is the destruction of areas (like asbury woodlands) that the bird uses for its natural breeding grounds. bachman's warblers prefer thickly wooded swamps and wet thickets in heavy, full-grown forests. it’s there that they can build their nests and feed on insects. this fact does not mean that we cannot build a community theater. we simply must not build it in asbury woodlands. after all, our community has forever prided itself on caring for our natural surroundings. with the council’s and the support of our townspeople, future generations will be able to continue to appreciate the beauty of this little bird

Choose the option that includes the main claim in “the american promise”

What does the narrator point of view emphasizes?