Question

Read the following excerpt from a speech by a national leader: Today we are at war. The seriousness of this situation cannot be overstated. We are in danger, and events are uncertain. Recently the enemy has been prevailing, as evidenced by their victories last week. But I can assure you with the faith only an American can have that we will prevail. The world depends on us to provide inspiration to them, and we have never let them down. Based on the word choices in this excerpt, which of the following does the speaker most likely assume about his audience? A. They are unfamiliar with the events mentioned. B. They feel uncertain about the future. C. They are confused by the reason for the enemy's victories. D. They dispute his understanding of the nature of the events.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. They feel uncertain about the future.

Explanation:

The audience of a speech refers to the group of people a speaker is directly addressing the features this group of people has. In the text presented, one national leader states the country is at war and their enemy has been winning this war "Recently the enemy has been prevailing, as evidenced by their victories last week", despite this, he believes the war can be won the U.S. " But I can assure you with the faith only an American can have that we will prevail". This shows the speaker knows the audience is aware of the war and the victories of the enemy and this main purpose is to reassure the audience the result will change as they probably feel uncertain about the future. Therefore, it is probably the speaker assumes about the audience that this feels uncertain about the future and because of this the speaker wants to give hope to the audience and tell them everything will improve.

Answer 2

D would be the correct answer.