Question

david lloyd george was a member of the british parliament during world war i. this is an excerpt from his memoirs.
the nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war without any trace of apprehension or dismay. . . . amongst the rulers and statesmen who alone could give the final word which caused the great armies to spring from the ground and march to and across frontiers, one can see now clearly that not one of them wanted war; certainly not on this scale.
—war memoirs of david lloyd george, 1933
which statement provides evidence that nations did not understand how extensive the war would be?
○ \the nations slithered over the brink into the boiling cauldron of war\
○ \the rulers and statesmen who alone could give the final word\
○ \great armies to spring from the ground and march to and across frontiers\
○ \one can see now clearly that not one of them wanted war; certainly not on this scale\

Explanation:

To determine which statement shows nations didn't understand the war's extent, we analyze each option:

• Option 1 describes entering war, not about extent of understanding.
• Option 2 talks about rulers' role, not war's scale.
• Option 3 describes army movements, not understanding of war's extent.
• Option 4 states rulers didn't want war "on this scale", implying they didn't anticipate its extent.

Answer:

D. "one can see now clearly that not one of them wanted war; certainly not on this scale"