Digital PSAT Reading and Writing Practice Question 5: Answer and Explanation

Question: 5

This selection is adapted from Lincoln's 1863 Gettysburg Address.

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 battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Which choice best states the main idea of the text?

• A. Defeating the enemy is essential to creating the type of nation the United States should become.
• B. While the civil war rages on, we must have hope that there will be a peaceful resolution.
• C. It is important for policy makers to understand the importance of constructing a burial ground.
• D. Dedicating a cemetery for those who died in a vital national battle is the right thing to do.

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

(D) Lincoln sets the stage by stating that there is a great civil war going on. He then states that he is dedicating a portion of the battlefield as a "final resting place" for deceased soldiers, and that this is a "fitting and proper" thing to do. This aligns with choice (D). It is not (A) or (B), because there is not a primary focus on defeating an enemy and on ending the war, but on taking a pause to dedicate this cemetery. It is not (C), because the burial ground has already been made-it is just being ceremonially dedicated at this point.