Reaching comprehsion

The title �First Lady of the United Stats� is given to the wife of the nation�s president. The duties of most First Ladies have included arranging social functions, such as state dinners. As the president�s wife, the First Lady is in a highly visible position. Therefore, her behavior can make her a role model. She can change people�s thinking by supporting a favorite cause. The First Lady also has access to influential people, including the president. Many First Ladies have used their position and skills to draw attention to, and change, social and other policies, and sometimes events have forced a First Lady to take a prominent role in leading the country. First Lady Edith Wilson assumed many of her husband�s duties after a stroke in 1919 left Woodrow Wilson weak and partly paralyzed. For many months she decided who could see him, determined which issues required his attention, and passed on other matters to members of his staff. Some people called her the Secret President, and many praised her for her judgment. After polio limited her husband�s mobility, Eleanor Roosevelt worked tirelessly on his behalf. Franklin Delano Roosevelt began his presidency during the Great Depression. Both he and his wife cared deeply about helping the unemployed and providing relief for the needy. As First Lady, she went to places he could not go, traveling widely and reporting what she saw and heard. She visited protesting war veterans, coal miners in Appalachia, slum dwellers, and sharecroppers; she also inspected government relief projects. During World War II she traveled abroad as America�s goodwill ambassador. Believing that it was vital to inform the public about the president�s and her own thoughts and actions, Eleanor Roosevelt was the first presidential wife to hold press conferences. As First Lady, she gave lectures and radio talks and wrote articles. She began writing a newspaper column titled �My Day�, which hared her views on social, political, and other issues. Thousands of people wrote her, asking her help. When she could not answer personally, she forwarded it to the appropriate government agency to answer. Eleanor Roosevelt was an outspoken supporter of civil rights and worked to end prejudice. She urged women to be politically active and supported programs to aid jobless women. As a result of her influence, there were more women than ever before working in a president�s administration.

1. Edith Wilson assumed many of her husband�s duties____________________.

A. because he was so busy B. when he went away on trips

C. after a stroke left him weak and partly paralyzed D. as she had an understanding of world affairs.

�

2. One can infer that one reason the First Lady is powerful is that she__________.

A. can influence the president�s actions B. attends state dinners

C. has experience and advanced degrees that others do not D. holds press conferences

�

3. In contrast to Eleanor Roosevelt, Edith Wilson__________________________.

A. was outspoken on social issues B. traveled widely around the globe

C. wrote articles in newspaper that influenced the public D. assumed many of her husband�s duties

�

4. One can conclude that one cause Eleanor Roosevelt supported was _____________. A. clean air B. women�s rights B. national health care D. environmental protection