Read the passage from a speech by President Barack Obama in 2009.We start 2009 in the midst of a crisis unlike any we have seen in our lifetime . . . That is why I have moved quickly to work with my economic team and leaders of both parties on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will immediately jumpstart job creation and long-term growth. It's a plan that represents not just new policy, but a whole new approach to meeting our most urgent challenges. For if we hope to end this crisis, we must end the culture of "anything goes” that helped create it. And this change must begin in Washington. It is time to trade old habits for a new spirit of responsibility. It is time to finally change the ways of Washington so that we can set a new and better course for America.
Answer
A
The United States had just recovered from a massive recession that started the previous year.
B
People were investing in the stock market at record rates, which threatened a recession.
C
The economic crisis of 2008 was affecting all parts of the economy, and the president sought change.
D
President Obama’s changes in policy had created record employment numbers at that time.
Explanation
Obama says the country is in the midst of a serious crisis and describes a recovery plan intended to create jobs and support long-term growth. He also calls for changing the approach and habits that helped create the crisis. This supports the choice that the 2008 economic crisis was affecting the economy and that the president sought change; the passage does not say the crisis had ended or that his policies had already created record employment.
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