Question

Read this excerpt from Kennedy's address to the nation on June 11, 1963, and answer the question.

We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the scriptures and as clear as the American Constitution. The heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. Are we to say to the world, and much more importantly, to each other, that this is a land of the free, except for the Negroes, that we have no second-class citizens, except Negroes, that we have no class or caste system, no ghettoes, no master race except with respect to Negroes? Now the time has come for this nation to fulfill its promise.
What idea does Kennedy suggest with his repeated use of the word ‘except’ in this excerpt?

A)that predictions about worsening race relations have not been accurate
B)that moral and political arguments have exceptions which make them unconvincing
C)that exceptional (i.e., special) people deserve greater freedom and rights
D)that there should be no exceptions for freedom and civil rights being equally provided to all

Answer 1

The correct answer is option D) "that there should be no exceptions for freedom and civil rights being equally provided to all"

Step-by-step explanation:

In this excerpt, the focus is on how the Americans are embracing the concept of equal rights. According to the speech, the word "except" implies that civil rights and feeddom concepts apply to all but Negroes. The main goal of the speech is to raise awareness on population about freedom and equal rights for everyone which should indeed include Negros.