Question

In 2007, President George W. Bush awarded the Congressional Gold Medal – the nation’s highest civilian honor – to the members of the Tuskegee Airmen.

The following account was published in newspapers across the country.

President Bush saluted the Tuskegee airmen on Thursday, six decades after they completed their World War II mission and returned home to a country that discriminated against them because they were black.

"Even the Nazis asked why African-American men would fight for a country that treated them so unfairly," Bush told the group of legendary black aviators, who received a Congressional Gold Medal — the most prestigious Congress has to offer.

"These men in our presence felt a special sense of urgency. They were fighting two wars. One was in Europe and the other took place in the hearts and minds of our citizens," he said.

Bush then saluted the airmen, saying he offered the gesture to "help atone for all the unreturned salutes and unforgivable indignities" they endured.

"We are so overjoyed," said Roscoe Brown Jr., after he and five other Tuskegee Airmen accepted the medal on behalf of the group. "We are so proud today and I think America is proud today."

–"Tuskegee Airmen Get Congressional Medal,"
Darlene Superville, 2007

Which inference about the achievements of the Tuskegee Airmen is correct, based on the information presented in the document?


Past presidents did not appreciate the sacrifice and contributions of African American aviators.

African Americans did not receive the same honors as other heroes retuning from the war.

Discrimination and segregation began to decline after World War II.

The Congressional Gold Medal is normally awarded decades after a heroic action.

Answer 1

Answer: African Americans did not receive the same honors as other heroes returning from the war.

Why: The passage says the Tuskegee Airmen returned to a country that discriminated against them, describes "unreturned salutes and unforgivable indignities," and notes they were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal only six decades later — supporting the inference that they were denied the same honors when they returned. The other choices either aren't supported by the text (no mention of past presidents specifically, no claim that discrimination declined after WWII) or generalize from a single late award to a "normal" practice.