Victory for the ACT Student Text 15e

R EADING L ESSON 2 • 105

LESSON 2 Paired Passages QUESTIONS THAT COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Taking care always to keep ourselves by suitable establishments on a respectable defensive posture, we may safely trust –‘ –‡’‘”ƒ”› ƒŽŽ‹ƒ…‡• ˆ‘” ‡š–”ƒ‘”†‹ƒ”› emergencies. Passage B America is today the strongest, the ‘•– ‹ϐŽ—‡–‹ƒŽǡ ƒ† ‘•– ’”‘†—…–‹˜‡ ƒ–‹‘ in the world. Understandably proud of this pre-eminence, we yet realize that America’s leadership and prestige depend, not merely upon our unmatched material progress, riches and military strength, but on how we use our power in the interests of world peace and human betterment. Throughout America’s adventure in free government, such basic purposes have been to keep the peace; to foster progress in human achievement, and to enhance liberty, dignity, and integrity among peoples and among nations. To strive for less would be unworthy of a free and religious people. Any failure traceable to arrogance or our lack of comprehension or readiness to •ƒ…”‹ϐ‹…‡ ™‘—Ž† ‹ϐŽ‹…– —’‘ —• ƒ ‰”‹‡˜‘—• hurt, both at home and abroad. Progress toward these noble goals is ’‡”•‹•–‡–Ž› –Š”‡ƒ–‡‡† „› –Š‡…‘ϐŽ‹…– ‘™ ‡‰—Žϐ‹‰ –Š‡ ™‘”Ž†Ǥ –…‘ƒ†• ‘—” ™Š‘Ž‡ attention, absorbs our very beings. We face a hostile ideology global in scope, atheistic in character, ruthless in purpose, and insidious in method. Unhappily the danger it poses ’”‘‹•‡• –‘ „‡ ‘ˆ ‹†‡ϐ‹‹–‡ †—”ƒ–‹‘Ǥ ‘ meet it successfully, there is called for, not so much the emotional and transitory •ƒ…”‹ϐ‹…‡• ‘ˆ…”‹•‹•ǡ „—– ”ƒ–Š‡” –Š‘•‡ ™Š‹…Š

PASSAGE I SOCIAL SCIENCE: Passage A is adapted from the Farewell Address to the Nation in 1796 „› ‡‘”‰‡ ƒ•Š‹‰–‘ǡ –Š‡ ϐ‹”•– ’”‡•‹†‡– ‘ˆ the United States. Passage B is adapted from the Farewell Address to the Nation in 1961 by Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States. Passage A Europe has a set of primary interests which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to ‹’Ž‹…ƒ–‡ ‘—”•‡Ž˜‡• „› ƒ”–‹ϐ‹…‹ƒŽ –‹‡• ‹ –Š‡ ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities. Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice? It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world; so far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it; for let me not be understood as capable of patronizing ‹ϐ‹†‡Ž‹–› –‘ ‡š‹•–‹‰ ‡‰ƒ‰‡‡–•Ǥ Š‘Ž† –Š‡ ƒš‹ ‘ Ž‡•• ƒ’’Ž‹…ƒ„Ž‡ –‘ ’—„Ž‹…–Šƒ to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy. I repeat it, therefore, let those engagements be observed in their genuine sense. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary ƒ† ™‘—Ž† „‡ —™‹•‡ –‘ ‡š–‡† –Š‡Ǥ

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Test Specs A double passage includes questions, usually three or four, that ask about similarities or differences between the two passages, either in content or style. The Cambridge Edge Š‹• ϐ‹”•– ’ƒ••ƒ‰‡ is challenging simply because it is taken from a speech given in 1796. When working with a passage written before 1900, don’t get bogged down in foreign style or rhetoric. Focus on the main ideas.

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