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Verbal·Information and Ideas·Central Ideas and Details
hard
The following text is from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s 1841 essay “The Method of Nature.”

The scholars are the priests of that thought which establishes the foundations of the earth. No matter what is their special work or profession, they exist for the spiritual interest of the world, and it is a common calamity if they neglect their post in a country where the material interest is so predominant as it is in America.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
A
In a country whose citizens are largely preoccupied with material gains, it is crucial that some people work to foster and preserve ideas.
B
Military experience encourages Americans to contemplate aspects of human life that they would not choose to otherwise.
C
Many descriptions of the role of scholars in society unfairly diminish their importance.
D
It is unfortunate that so many intellectuals are concerned with material things rather than ideas.