Question

at the beginning of the civil war, congress suggested presenting medals to the bravest members of the navy. congress later realized that they should reward brave soldiers in the army, too. abraham lincoln, the president at the time, agreed and signed a bill establishing an award for navy and army soldiers. this award became known as the medal of honor, and it was given to the most fearless fighters during the civil war.
text 2
the medal of honor is the highest military award that can be presented to an american. the medal recognizes those who have demonstrated an unexpected level of bravery in battle. many of those who earned the medal of honor risked their lives to save others. people who are recognized with a medal of honor are given the award at a special ceremony. they are also sometimes given other benefits, such as increased retirement pay and invitations to special ceremonies.
which sentence best combines the main, or central, ideas of both texts?
recipients of the medal of honor enjoy many perks, including higher retirement pay and invitations to special ceremonies.
the u.s. started awarding the medal of honor during the civil war, and it

Explanation:

To determine the sentence that combines the main ideas of both texts, we analyze each option:

• The first option (Recipients of the Medal of Honor enjoy many perks, including higher retirement pay and invitations to special ceremonies) focuses on the benefits of Medal of Honor recipients, which aligns with Text 2's mention of benefits like increased retirement pay and ceremonies, and Text 1's context of the award (though Text 1 is about the award's start, the benefits are a central idea from Text 2 and a relevant perk - related idea that can combine with the award's context).
• The second option (The U.S. started awarding the Medal of Honor during the Civil War, and it...) focuses on the start of the award, which is only from Text 1 and doesn't combine Text 2's ideas about benefits.

So the first option combines the central ideas (the Medal of Honor and its recipients' benefits) from both texts.

Answer:

Recipients of the Medal of Honor enjoy many perks, including higher retirement pay and invitations to special ceremonies.