Question

read the passage.
in 1864, toward the end of the american civil war, general george b. mcclellan ran for president against the incumbent, abraham lincoln. over the previous thirty - two years, no sitting president had won re - election. lincoln thought it likely that he would lose. but shortly before election day, the union army won an important victory, and voters began to believe that the union would soon win the war. they re - elected lincoln, who had worked so hard to bring the warring nation together.
what is the meaning of incumbent as used in the passage?
person holding an office illegally
person well - liked by the public
person currently holding an office
person running for a new office

Explanation:

The passage mentions that in 1864, General George B. McClellan ran for president against Abraham Lincoln. The context implies that Lincoln was already in the position of president (as voters re - elected him later). The word "incumbent" in political terms typically refers to the person currently holding an office. The other options: "person holding an office illegally" has no basis in the text; "person well - liked by the public" is not indicated by the use of the word "incumbent" itself (though Lincoln may have been well - liked, that's not what the word means); "person running for a new office" is the opposite of what an incumbent is (McClellan was the one running for a new office, not Lincoln).

Answer:

person currently holding an office