The 1958 National Defense Education Act was passed in response to ___________________.

A) an alarming decline in the literacy rate of army draftees
B) the launching of the first earth-orbiting satellite by Russia
C) the growing problem of juvenile delinquency
D) the decline in American exports to the world market

National Defense Education Act

A U.S. federal law passed in 1958 aimed at improving education in science, mathematics, and modern languages as a means to secure the nation’s defense.

Earth-Orbiting Satellite

is an artificial body placed in space for the purpose of collecting information or for communication, revolving around the Earth.

Literacy Rate

The percentage of people within a specified group who can read and write.