President Reagan's involvement in the strike by federal air traffic controllers in 1981 A) showed his unwillingness to take a stand on an important issue. B) prompted the firing of controllers who refused to return to work. C) demonstrated his support for the rights of union workers. D) caused all of the striking workers to return to their jobs.

Answer: B) prompted the firing of controllers who refused to return to work.

Detail: During the 1980 campaign for the presidency, candidate Ronald Reagan had endorsed the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO), which was the air traffic controllers union. As a candidate in the campaign, Reagan had voiced his support for the union's desire for better working conditions. But when the PATCO workers went on strike in 1981, as President of the United States, Reagan had a different opinion. He called the strike illegal and a threat to national safety. He fired more than 11,000 workers who refused his order to return to work, and federal judges set $1 million per day fines against the union as long as the strike persisted.

B) prompted the firing of controllers who refused to return to work.

As a result, the air-traffic controller's strike left many of the striking air traffic controllers jobless and unable to return to the FAA given that the President Reagan banned them.