Question

Once these disparate parts were held together by a common enemy, by the fault lines of world wars and the electrified fence of communism. With the end of the cold war there was the creeping concern that without a focus for hatred and distrust, a sense of national identity would evaporate, that the left side of the hyphen – African-American, Mexican-American, Irish-American – would overwhelm the right. And slow-growing domestic traumas like economic unrest and increasing crime seemed more likely to emphasize division than community. Today the citizens of the United States have come together once more because of armed conflict and enemy attack. Terrorism has led to devastation – and unity.

–"A Quilt of a Country,”
Anna Quindlen

Which statement best traces the development of a central idea from one paragraph to the next?

The first paragraph discusses what unifies Americans; the second describes America’s uniqueness among nations.
The first paragraph discusses America’s diversity; the second gives examples.
The first paragraph discusses conflict in America; the second discusses solutions.
The first paragraph discusses America’s diversity; the second discusses the wealth of recent immigrants.

Answer 1

The third option. The first paragraph outlines internal conflicts and threats to national unity; the second shows the resulting solution—Americans coming together in unity after terrorism.