Speaking and Listening: Evaluating a Speaker — Quiz
Question 3 • Language Arts 11
Read the excerpt from President Woodrow Wilson’s speech, “War Message to Congress.” I am not now thinking of the loss of property involved, immense and serious as that is, but only for the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of non-combatants, men, women, and children, engaged in pursuits which have always, even in the darkest periods of modern history, been deemed innocent and legitimate. Property can be paid for; the lives of peaceful and innocent people cannot be. Which statement best describes the main idea of the excerpt?
Answer
A
Human lives are worth more than material items.
B
The nation has lost an immense amount of wealth.
C
The nation will get back everything that was lost.
D
A lot of the nation’s property has been destroyed.
Explanation
Wilson says he is focusing not on the immense loss of property, but on the deaths of innocent people. He explains that property can be paid for, while the lives of peaceful people cannot be restored. This means the main idea is that human lives are worth more than material items.
AI-written and checked against the verified answer.