Answer:
B. A nation founded on worthy principles may struggle to survive.
Explanation:
I had to read the Gettysburg address last year and English, and it is such a great speech. In just 271 words, Lincoln is able to give a powerful and moving speech. The best way to find the answer is to come up with a solution before even looking at the answer. I learned this technique when studying for the SAT, but since I do not see what is in bold, I cannot create a solution without looking at the answers. (Note: Thank you for telling me what was in bold "Now we are engaged in a great civil war... testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated... can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war.” My mental solution would be America is being tested). Then, looking at the answer choices, I can assume B. is the answer since it matches my guess solution. This technique helps you narrow down the right answer and prevents you from clouding your judgment.
However, if you don't like this technique, you can analyze the answer choices even harder:
A. The people who started the civil war are not patriotic. Nowhere in this speech does Lincoln degrade the opposing side. It is a commemorance speech about moving forward.
B. A nation founded on worthy principles may struggle to survive. This might be the answer, since in the first paragraph says "we are engaged in a great civil war testing whether the nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated... can long endure". This line is ideally saying that it is hard for a nation to survive founded on such noble principles. So, we can assume that this is probably going to be the correct answer, since we found text evidence that can support it, but we should still look at the last two options.
C. Those in support of battle are not thinking of the familles. Once again, Lincoln does not degrade the other side. His goal is about moving forward, not insulting people. He is remembering/honoring the dead. He does not mention families at all in this.
D. It is in the Constitution that this is a just cause for the nation. Does Lincoln reference the Constitution? No. The Constitution is just a document, Lincoln's speech is much more helpful than "just" a cause stated in some document. It is about what America was founded upon and stands for.
Good luck with your studies. Have a good one! ☺
