Question

adapted from On Democratic Government
by Abraham Lincoln

It has long been a grave question whether any government, not too strong for the liberties of its people, can be strong enough to maintain its existence in great emergencies. On this point, the present rebellion brought our government to a severe test, and a presidential election occurring in regular course during the rebellion, added not a little to the strain.
If the loyal people united were put to the utmost of their strength by the rebellion, must they not fail when divided and partially paralyzed by a political war among themselves? But the election was a necessity. We cannot have free government without elections; and if the rebellion could force us to forego or postpone a national election, it might fairly claim to have already conquered and ruined us. The strife of the election is but human nature practically applied to the facts of the case. What has occurred in this case must ever recur in similar cases. Human nature will not change. In any future great national trial, compared with the men of this, we will have as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good. Let us, therefore, study the incidents of this as philosophy to learn wisdom from, and none of them as wrongs to be revenged.
But the election, along with its incidental and undesirable strife, has done good, too. It has demonstrated that a people's government can sustain a national election in the midst of a great civil war. Until now, it has not been known to the world that this was a possibility. It shows, also, how sound and strong we still are. It shows that even among the candidates of the same party, he who is most devoted to the Union and most opposed to treason can receive most of the people's votes. It shows, also, to the extent yet known, that we have more men now than we had when the war began. Gold is good in its place; but living, brave, and patriotic men are better than gold.

4
Read the sentence from the passage.

Human nature will not change.

How does Lincoln support this claim with a relevant example as evidence?

A.
He establishes that conflict between different natures is not a good reason to fight or to seek revenge.
B.
He argues that some people are wiser than others, whereas some are silly by nature and will always be so.
C.
He states that there will always be contrasts between the weak and the strong and the good and the bad.
D.
He says that the nation should study philosophy to understand why people do the things that they do.

Answer 1

C. He notes that in future trials there will still be "as weak and as strong, as silly and as wise, as bad and as good," showing human nature's constant mix of contrasts.