Hello. I know you've already provided the answer. I'd like to confirm it and offer further explanation.
Answer:
The statement that best summarizes the central idea of this paragraph is:
2. America is a united country despite its cultural differences.
Explanation:
The paragraph we are analyzing here is an excerpt from the article "A Quilt of a Country", by author Anna Quindlen. Quindlen discusses how America is interestingly contradictory.
Just like a quilt, America is a result of dissimilar parts all patched together. All kinds of people, having to live in such close proximity, end up addressing one another with prejudice and even hatred. However, in spite of these differences and unlike other countries, America remains united. In the excerpt, the author mentions different groups and how they are frequently "on the verge of fisticuffs". Still, they are "impossibly interwoven". Therefore, the cultural differences may make things a bit more difficult, but they do not break this nation apart.
