They detest war as a very brutal thing, and which, to the reproach of human nature, is more practised by men than by any sort of beasts. They, in opposition to the sentiments of almost all other nations, think that there is nothing more inglorious than that glory that is gained by war; and therefore, though they accustom themselves daily to military exercises and the discipline of war, in which not only their men, but their women likewise, are trained up, that, in cases of necessity, they may not be quite useless, yet they do not rashly engage in war, unless it be either to defend themselves or their friends from any unjust aggressors, or, out of good nature or in compassion, assist an oppressed nation in shaking off the yoke of tyranny. They, indeed, help their friends not only in defensive but also in offensive wars; but they never do that unless they had been consulted before the breach was made, and, being satisfied with the grounds on which they went, they had found that all demands of reparation were rejected, so that a war was unavoidable. This they think to be not only just when one neighbour makes an inroad on another by public order, and carries away the spoils, but when the merchants of one country are oppressed in another, either under pretence of some unjust laws, or by the perverse wresting of good ones. This they count a juster cause of war than the other, because those injuries are done under some colour of laws.
Which quotation from this excerpt best summarizes the central idea of the first paragraph?
A: ...they do not rashly engage in war, unless it be either to defend themselves or their friends from any unjust aggressors, or, out of good nature...
B: They, indeed, help their friends not only in defensive but also in offensive wars.
C: This they count a juster cause of war than the other, because those injuries are done under some colour of laws.
D: ...they accustom themselves daily to military exercises and the discipline of war...
1 answer
The quotation that best summarizes the central idea of the first paragraph is:
A: "...they do not rashly engage in war, unless it be either to defend themselves or their friends from any unjust aggressors, or, out of good nature..."
This option encapsulates the overarching theme of the paragraph, which focuses on the general aversion to war and the specific conditions under which engagement in war is considered justifiable.
