Answer:
A) Popular novels from the past often ask provocative questions that are important to consider today.
In this speech, President Reagan uses the ending of a popular novel of the '60s to help pose his question about whether history still has a place for America, her people and her ideals. He takes provocative questions written in an old novel and uses them to show important subjects that need to be addressed today.
B) Many Americans have given up and say that the nation is no longer great or a land of dreams.
In his speech Reagan states that many americans have lost their faith in their country and no longer believe that it is a place for dreams and greatness. Theis people say that americans must "cut our expectations, conserve and withdraw"
D) President Reagan believed that John Wayne would argue that he was not the last American hero, because there are many more.
After the passing of the iconic Hollywood actor, John "Duke" Wayne, the headlines on the newspapers called him the "Last American Hero". Reagan, being a close friend of the late actor, stated that Wayne would've hated being called that, since he knew there were still many other heroes in America.
Explanation:
According to my research it was Lyndon Johnson
The answer is A and I'm just adding more characters to get to 20 total.
You didn't italize or mark the phrase, but I see one good candidate:
"The circus animal trainer" is in a way another name given to Mervin, a kind of "renaming" him: this is called an appositive phrase, so if this was the phrase appositive phrase is the answer! (also, I don't see the other phrases here).