Question

from personal recollections of a cavalryman by james harvey kidd the war cloud that burst upon the country in 1861 was no surprise to sagacious observers. for many years it had been visible, at times a mere speck in the sky, again growing larger and more angry in appearance. it would disappear, cangure, patriots hoped forever, only to come again, full of dire portent and evil menacings. all men who were not blind saw it, but most of them trusted, many believed, that it would pass over and do no harm. some of those high in authority blindly pinned their faith to luck and shut their eyes to the peril. danger signals were set, but the mariners who were trying to steer the ship of state let her drift, making slight, if any, efforts to put her up against the wind and keep her off the rocks. it is likely, however, that the civil war was one of those things that had to be; that it was a means used by destiny to shape our ends; that it was needed to bring out those fine traits of national character which, up to that time, were not known to excel. southern blood was hot and northern blood was cold. though citizens of one country, the people of the north and the people of the south were separated by a wide gulf in their interests and in their feelings.... it was the old story of highland and lowland feud, of the white rose and the red rose, of roundhead and cavalier, of kinsmen worthy of each others steel fighting to weld \discordant and belligerent elements\ into a homogeneous whole. but war is not always an unmixed evil. sometimes it is a positive good, and the nation emerged from its great struggle more united than ever. the sections had learned to respect each others prowess and to know each others virtues. the cement that bound the union of states was no longer like wax to be melted by the fervent heat of political strife. it had been tested and tempered in the fiery furnace of civil war. the history of that war often has been written. much has been written that is not history. but whether fact or fiction, the story is read with undiminished interest as the years rush by. which best states the central idea of paragraph 4 from the text? ∘ war always has primarily devastating results. ∘ political disagreements will be the downfall of the union. ⚫ the civil war resulted in the nation’s becoming truly united. ∘ many people have written about the war, both fact and fiction. part b click on two sentences the author uses to develop the claim you identified in part a. but war is not always an unmixed evil. sometimes it is a positive good, and the nation emerged from its great struggle more united than ever. the sections had learned to respect each others prowess and to know each others virtues. the cement that bound the union of states was no longer like wax to be melted by the fervent heat of political strife. it had been tested and tempered in the fiery furnace of civil war. the history of that war often has been written. much has been written that is not history. but whether fact or fiction, the story is read with undiminished interest as the years rush by.

Explanation:

To determine the central idea of paragraph 4, we analyze the options:

• Option "War always has primarily devastating results" is incorrect as the paragraph suggests war can have positive unifying effects.
• Option "Political disagreements will be the downfall of the Union" is incorrect as the paragraph shows the Union became more united after the war.
• Option "The Civil War resulted in the nation’s becoming truly united" aligns with the text's claim that the nation emerged more united after the Civil War, with sections learning to respect each other.
• Option "Many people have written about the war, both fact and fiction" is a detail, not the central idea.

For Part B, the sentences "But war is not always an unmixed evil. Sometimes it is a positive good, and the Nation emerged from its great struggle more united than ever." and "The sections had learned to respect each other’s prowess and to know each other’s virtues. The cement that bound the union of states was no longer like wax to be melted by the fervent heat of political strifes." support the claim from Part A by explaining the positive unifying outcome of the Civil War.

Answer:

Part A: The Civil War resulted in the nation’s becoming truly united.
Part B: But war is not always an unmixed evil. Sometimes it is a positive good, and the Nation emerged from its great struggle more united than ever. ; The sections had learned to respect each other’s prowess and to know each other’s virtues. The cement that bound the union of states was no longer like wax to be melted by the fervent heat of political strifes.