from Franklin D. Roosevelt's First Inaugural Address

Question

March 4, 1933

I am certain that my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our Nation impels. This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great Nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper. So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance. In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory. I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.
In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties. They concern, thank God, only material things. Values have shrunken to fantastic levels; taxes have risen; our ability to pay has fallen; government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income; the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade; the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side; farmers find no markets for their produce; the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.
More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return. Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.
Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it.

1
How does the information in the first paragraph influence President Roosevelt's speech as a whole?
A.
It establishes Roosevelt's conviction that the issues in the nation persist because they have not been faced honestly.
B.
It explains Roosevelt's confidence that through his national leadership unemployment will decrease and farmers will benefit.
C.
It describes Roosevelt's view that fear is what caused higher taxes, a fall in industrial enterprise, and a decrease in values.
D.
It emphasizes Roosevelt's belief that the nation will overcome its challenges with the support of the American people.

Answer 1

A. It establishes Roosevelt's conviction that the issues in the nation persist because they have not been faced honestly.

In the first paragraph, Roosevelt stresses the importance of addressing the truth about the nation's situation with candor and decisiveness. He asserts that it is vital to confront the current challenges openly and that this honesty is a prerequisite for mobilizing the support necessary to overcome them. This establishment of the need for frankness sets the tone for the rest of the speech, emphasizing that only by facing reality can the nation hope to move forward.