September 11, 2001 and the first response

Grade 11 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to E. Card A, a table in our words from the National Park Service timeline and The 9/11 Commission Report, pages 32 and 33 (Eastern time, to the minute). Flight 11 took off at 7:59 a.m. and crashed at 8:46 a.m. into the North Tower in New York City. Flight 175 took off at 8:14 a.m. and crashed at 9:03 a.m. into the South Tower. Flight 77 took off at 8:20 a.m. and crashed at 9:37 a.m. into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Flight 93 took off at 8:42 a.m. and crashed at 10:03 a.m. in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Card B, a summary in our words from the National Park Service: Forty-four people were on Flight 93, which means 7 crew members, 33 passengers and 4 hijackers. The hijacking began at about 9:28 a.m. The passengers and crew learned by phone that planes had hit the World Trade Center, and they voted on how to act. The 9/11 Commission Report (2004), page 13, also says they voted, and that the passenger assault began at 9:57. The Wall of Names at the Flight 93 National Memorial lists the 40 passengers and crew members. Card C, a summary in our words from the National Park Service: at 9:45 a.m. the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all aircraft in the air to land at the nearest airport. About 4,500 aircraft landed safely. No order like it had been given before in U.S. aviation. Card D, three published counts of the people who lost their lives that day. The FBI history page says 2,976. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum, a nonprofit, says 2,977 are honored from the three crash sites, and it also honors six more people from the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, listed apart. The National Park Service says nearly 3,000. Card E, a summary in our words: on September 18, 2001, the President signed four laws about the attacks. Public Law 107-37 sped up federal benefits for public safety officers hurt in rescue and recovery work, or for their families. Public Law 107-38 set up a $40 billion emergency fund. Public Law 107-39 was a resolution of Congress that praised rescue workers and volunteers. Public Law 107-40 was the Authorization for Use of Military Force.

2. 1.

   Ari must state the day's total in one sentence for a report. Which sentence do the three counts on card D best support?

   • Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, and the sources differ by one on the exact count
   • 2,976 people lost their lives, because a government agency's figure outranks a nonprofit's
   • 2,983 people lost their lives, because the Museum also honors six names from 1993 beside its 2,977
   • 2,977 people lost their lives, because the Museum's list of names is the most complete count
3. 2.

   The Museum lists 2,977 people and also honors six names from 1993. Which use of those figures is sound, Bo asks?

   • Report 2,983, since the Museum shows both groups of names together on one memorial
   • Report nearly 3,000 and drop the Museum's list, since a nonprofit's count is less reliable
   • Report 2,971, since the six names from 1993 are already counted inside the 2,977
   • Report 2,977 for September 11 and mention the six names as a separate event
4. 3.

   Flight 93's passengers learned by phone about New York. Esme places that with cards A and B. Which timing is supported?

   • In the last minutes before the crash at 10:03, since the vote led straight to it
   • Before the second crash at 9:03, since the flight had been in the air since 8:42
   • After the Pentagon crash at 9:37, since the vote came just once that news arrived
   • After the hijacking at about 9:28, when both New York crashes had already happened
5. 4.

   A student says the 9:45 order to land came too late to touch any of the four flights. Jun checks cards A and C. Which reply is fair?

   • Wrong: the order came before the last crash at 10:03, so it must have reached each of the four flights
   • Partly right: Flights 77 and 93 were both airborne at 9:45, so two flights were still in reach
   • Right: Flight 93 crashed after the order, so the order could not have changed anything
   • Partly right: three crashes were over by 9:37, but Flight 93 was airborne when the order came
6. 5.

   Cards A and C give the 9:45 order and the crash times. Which conclusion about the order is supported, Kira asks?

   • It was a first-of-its-kind order given while Flight 93 was airborne, with no effect shown
   • It brought 4,500 aircraft down safely, which shows no other flight was at risk
   • It was a routine order, since earlier rules had already required planes to land after a loss
   • It was given to stop the four flights, since one of them was still airborne when it came
7. 6.

   Card B says both the Park Service and the 9/11 Commission report a vote. What does that agreement show Noah?

   • The passengers' decision to act was unanimous, since both accounts say they voted
   • Independent sources confirm the vote and its result, since two agencies reached the same account
   • The agreement adds nothing, since the Park Service probably drew on the Commission
   • Two accounts agree a vote took place, which strengthens that fact but not what each person chose
8. 7.

   Pia sorts the laws on card E. Which one created a new authority for the President instead of money, benefits or praise?

   • Public Law 107-38, whose $40 billion fund gave the President control over how it was spent
   • Public Law 107-37, whose faster benefits changed what the government owed to officers' families
   • Public Law 107-39, whose praise of rescue workers set the nation's view of the response
   • Public Law 107-40, which authorized the President to use military force
9. 8.

   Card E dates four laws to September 18. Ren asks which conclusion that date supports.

   • Congress and the President acted on aid, money, praise and authority within seven days
   • They acted within seven days, which shows the laws had been drafted before the attacks
   • They acted within a month, since Congress needed time to write four separate laws
   • They acted within seven days, and the four laws shared one aim of preparing for war
10. 9.

    Tala wants to write how small-town people responded in the weeks after. Which gap in cards A to E matters most?

    • They give one count of the day, so differences between towns are hidden
    • They are written by agencies, so they would exaggerate the public response
    • They record events, laws and counts, but not how ordinary people responded
    • They stop at September 18, so they cannot show the first weeks
11. 10.

    Card B says 44 were on Flight 93, yet the Wall of Names lists 40. What explains the gap, Zee asks?

    • The 44 includes the four hijackers, while the 40 names are the passengers and crew
    • The 40 leaves out the crew, who are listed on a separate memorial
    • The Commission counts 44 and the Park Service counts 40, so the sources disagree
    • Four people were added to the 44 later, after the memorial's list was made