Question

remarks by the president and supreme court justice sonia sotomayor at reception in her honor (excerpt)
august 12, 2009
the white house
(1) the president: good morning, everybody, and welcome to the white house. i am glad all of you could be with us today as we honor the newest member of our highest court who im proud to address, for the very first time, as justice sonia sotomayor. (applause)...
(2) of course, were here not just to celebrate our extraordinary new supreme court justice and all those whove been a part of her journey to this day. were here, as well, to celebrate an extraordinary moment for our nation. we celebrate the impact justice sotomayor has already had on people across america who have been inspired by her exceptional life story. we celebrate the greatness of a country in which such a story is possible. and we celebrate how, with their overwhelming vote to confirm justice sotomayor, the united states senate -- republicans and democrats -- tore down yet one more barrier and affirmed our belief that in america, the doors of opportunity must be open to all....
(3) for as visionary as our founders were, they did not presume to know exactly how the times would change,
24
select the correct answer.
read the sentence from paragraph 11.
it is this nations faith in a more perfect union that allows a puerto rican girl from the bronx to stand here now.
which reasoning from the passage validates this idea?
a. \over the years, the ideals at the heart of that document have endured, as subsequent generations have expanded those blessings, these rights and freedoms to more and more americans.\ (paragraph 10)
b. \our constitution has survived domestic and international tumult, including a civil war, two world wars, and the catastrophe of september 11th.\ (paragraph 11)
c. \and i want to convey my thanks to the judiciary committee, led by chairperson leahy, for conducting a respectful and timely hearing, and to all members of the senate for approving the presidents selection.\ (paragraph 9)
d. \i am thinking also today of the judicial oath of office that i first took almost two decades ago, and that i reiterated this past weekend -- to judge without respect to what a person looks like, where they come from, or whether they are rich or poor, and to treat all persons as equal under the law.\ (paragraph 12)

Explanation:

The idea in the sentence is about the nation's faith in a more perfect union allowing a Puerto Rican girl from the Bronx to stand in that position. Option A talks about the ideals of the document (Constitution) being expanded to more Americans over time, showing how the nation's progress in upholding those ideals (part of the "more perfect union" idea) has led to more people, including someone like Sotomayor, having opportunities. Option B is about the Constitution's survival, not about expanding opportunities. Option C is about thanking the Judiciary Committee and Senate, not related to the idea. Option D is about the judicial oath, not about the nation's faith in a more perfect union enabling her position.

Answer:

A. "Over the years, the ideals at the heart of that document have endured, as subsequent generations have expanded those blessings, these rights and freedoms to more and more Americans." (paragraph 10)