Reading Comprehension Questions:

1. What recent event involved air marshals in the news? What happened?

2. According to the story, what might have been troubling Rigoberto Alpizar?

3. How many air marshals are there? What do they do?

4. How are air marshals trained to deal with imminent threats? How often does this happen?

5. What kind of training do air marshals receive? How have the actions of the particular air marshals involved been perceived?

6. What criticisms do some aviation safety experts have regarding the training of air marshals?

7. What are some recent changes occurring in airline travel? How might they impact the work that air marshals do?

Discussion Questions (more research might be needed):

1. Do you agree with David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association who said, "This is a reminder they are there and are protecting the passengers and that it is a seriously deadly business?" Why or why not? Explain your reasoning.

2. Why is air travel important? If Americans didn't feel safe flying, what would happen?

3. According to the article, much about being an air marshal remains classified or a secret. What about the job is secret and why do you think this is? What are the benefits and challenges of such a system? Would you change anything based on what you know about their jobs?

Write a 300-500 word essay on either of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.