Question

questions 1 through 9 refer to the following. (the following passage is excerpted from a speech delivered by a united states statesman in 1930.) warned by the disaster of the last great war, 1 the statesmen of all nations have been taking measures to prevent the return of another such calamity. these measures may not constitute an absolute guarantee of peace, but, in my opinion, they constitute the greatest preventive measures ever adopted by nations. it is not to be expected that human nature will change in a day, perhaps it is too much to expect that the age - old institution of war, which has, through the centuries, been recognized by international law as a sovereign right and has darkened the pages of history with the story of blood and destruction, will be at once abolished but people of all nations should be encouraged by the great progress which has been made since the war in the furtherance of international peace. i cannot in this brief address discuss these measures beyond enumerating them. there is the league of nations, 2 which has been functioning for ten years and which, i am sure, has been most beneficial in adjusting many difficult international problems, the pact of paris: 3 arbitration treaties, conciliation treaties, and the court of international justice; 4 and i might add that commendable progress has been made toward reduction of armament. each one of these treaties is a step for the maintenance of peace, an additional guarantee against war. it is through such machinery that the disputes between nations will be settled and war prevented. it is not my intention today to discuss the pact of paris, which has passed into history, perhaps i should not say it has passed into history but has been cemented in the

9 mark for review

in the second sentence of the final paragraph, the author justifies his determination to see in the signs of the time hope of humanity for peace by

a gesturing to the unthinkable consequences of holding the opposite opinion

b drawing attention to historical evidence that has previously been ignored

c pointing out a flaw in the line of reasoning of those who disagree with him

d questioning the moral integrity of those who disagree with him

Explanation:

The author is justifying their determination to "see in the signs of the time hope of humanity for peace" by drawing attention to historical evidence (like the fact that certain treaties have been made, though imperfect). This is what option B ("drawing attention to historical evidence that has previously been ignored") describes. The other options don't fit as well. Option A ("gesturing to the unthinkable consequences of holding the opposite opinion") - there's no focus on consequences of opposite views in the relevant sentence. Option C ("pointing out a flaw in the line of reasoning of those who disagree with him") - no mention of a flaw in opponents' reasoning. Option D ("questioning the moral integrity of those who disagree with him") - no moral integrity questioning.

Answer:

B. drawing attention to historical evidence that has previously been ignored