Choice D is the best answer. In the last sentence of Passage 2, Lincoln
asks about the likelihood that people will fundamentally change: “Do
you think that the nature of man will be changed?” In this context, the
word “nature” most nearly means character.
Choices A, B, and C are incorrect because in the context of a
discussion of the “nature of man,” the word “nature” most nearly
means character, not force (choice A), simplicity (choice B), or world
(choice C).
QUESTION 39
Choice C is the best answer. In the first paragraph of Passage 1,
Douglas claims that Lincoln considers the Constitution to be “a house
divided against itself,” due to its provisions for the division of the
nation into slave states and free states, and to be “in violation of the
law of God.” In Passage 2, Lincoln objects to this characterization of
his position and devotes the majority of the passage to clarifying that
it isn’t the Constitution he finds fault with, or even its provisions for
slavery, but rather with attempts to spread slavery to regions where it
isn’t currently practiced. Therefore it can be said that a central tension
between the two passages arises from, on the one hand, Douglas’s
criticism of Lincoln for finding fault with the Constitution and, on
the other, Lincoln’s insistence that Douglas has misrepresented
his position.
Choice A is incorrect because Douglas (Passage 1) proposes no
changes to federal policies on slavery and because Lincoln (Passage 2)
doesn’t consider whether changes to such policies would enjoy
popular support. Choice B is incorrect because Douglas (Passage 1)
never expresses concern about the potential impact of abolition on
the US economy and because Lincoln (Passage 2) neither discusses
such an impact nor dismisses concerns about it. Choice D is incorrect
because neither passage offers any interpretation of federal law.
QUESTION 40
