Question

read the excerpt from \george washington.\

washington longed to retire to his fields at mount vernon. but he soon realized that the nation under its articles of confederation was not functioning well, so he became a prime mover in the steps leading to the constitutional convention at philadelphia in 1787. when the new constitution was ratified, the electoral college unanimously elected washington president.

which provides the best objective summary of this excerpt?

even though he was unanimously elected to be president, washington wished he could retire to mount vernon instead.
the constitution probably would not have been ratified if washington had retired early at mount vernon instead of attending the constitutional convention.
washington played a major role in the events that led to the ratification of the constitution and was elected to be the countrys first president.
even though he wished to retire, george washington knew that the nation needed help, so he put a lot of effort into helping to develop the constitution. eventually, the constitutional convention took place in philadelphia in 1787, and the constitution was

Explanation:

Analyze the source text

The excerpt describes three main chronological points:

1. Washington wanted to retire to Mount Vernon but realized the nation was struggling under the Articles of Confederation.
2. He became a key figure ("prime mover") in organizing the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
3. Once the new Constitution was ratified, he was unanimously elected President.

Evaluate the options

• Option 1: Focuses too much on his desire to retire and omits his major role in the Constitutional Convention and ratification.
• Option 2: Contains speculation ("probably would not have been ratified") which is not objective or stated in the text.
• Option 3: Accurately and objectively summarizes his major role in the events leading to ratification and his subsequent election as president, covering all key points of the excerpt without bias or speculation.
• Option 4: Is cut off at the end and focuses excessively on his personal feelings about retirement rather than the main historical actions.

Determine the best summary

Option 3 provides the most complete, balanced, and objective summary of the entire passage.

Answer:

• (A) Even though he was unanimously elected to be president, Washington wished he could retire to Mount Vernon instead.
• (B) The Constitution probably would not have been ratified if Washington had retired early at Mount Vernon instead of attending the Constitutional Convention.
• (C) Washington played a major role in the events that led to the ratification of the Constitution and was elected to be the country's first president. (Correct answer)
• (D) Even though he wished to retire, George Washington knew that the nation needed help, so he put a lot of effort into helping to develop the Constitution. Eventually, the Constitutional Convention took place in Philadelphia in 1787, and the Constitution was