Analyzing Central Ideas in a Historical Speech — Quiz
Question 4 • English Language Arts 10
Read the excerpt from "We Are Determined Not to Sell Our Lands." Brother, your application for the purchase of our lands is to our minds very extraordinary. It has been made in a crooked manner. You have not walked in the straight path pointed out by the great Council of your nation. You have no writings from your great Father, the President. In making up our minds we have looked back and remembered how the Yorkers purchased our lands in former times. They bought them, piece after piece, for a little money paid to a few men in our nation, and not to all our brethren, until our planting and hunting-grounds have become very small—and if we sell them, we know not where to spread our blankets. Which is the central idea of this excerpt?
Answer
A
The US government did not keep accurate records of land sales.
B
White settlers have not dealt honorably with Indigenous tribes.
C
Tribes have too little land left to live on.
D
Money for the land sold went to only some of the tribes.
Explanation
The speakers call the proposed purchase “crooked” and recall that earlier land purchases were made from only a few people in their nation, leaving the tribe with very little land. Their main point is that white settlers have treated Indigenous people dishonorably in land dealings. Choice C describes one consequence, but choice B captures the broader central idea.
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