Question

read the excerpt from the song, \brother, can you spare a dime?\
they used to tell me i was building a dream,
and so i followed the mob—
when there was earth to plow, or guns to bear
i was always there—right on the job.
which best restates the main idea of these lines?
a mob of men built the dream, farmed the earth, and fought in the war.
the average american will always work when there is work to be completed.
the heroic men standing in line for food were used to building and fighting for the american dream.
the great depression is the most difficult challenge the american public ever endured.

Explanation:

• Option A misinterprets "followed the mob" (it's about joining others in work, not a literal mob building a dream).
• Option B is too general; the excerpt is about those who worked for the American dream (farming, fighting) and later faced hardship, not just any work.
• Option C: The song is from the Great Depression era. The lines show people (now in breadlines) used to work hard (plow earth, bear guns) for the American dream, matching the context.
• Option D: The excerpt focuses on people's work for the dream, not the Great Depression's difficulty as a whole.

Answer:

C. The heroic men standing in line for food were used to building and fighting for the American dream.