Question

inaugural address
by nelson mandela (excerpt)
to my compatriots, i have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.
each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. the national mood changes as the seasons change.
we are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.
that spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains that the depth of the pain we all earned in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in a terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression.
we the people of south africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.
1
select the correct answer.
read these sentences from the passage.
\each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. the national mood changes as the seasons change.\
what is the central idea expressed in these sentences?
a. south africans have avoided their painful history for far too long and need to begin a new.

b. all south africans wish to focus on their nations positive qualities rather than the negative ones.

c. all south africans share a connection to a beautiful land and have the opportunity for new beginnings.

d. south africans are hopeful and ready to be a source of light for the world.

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Explanation:

To determine the central idea, analyze the sentences: "Each time one of us touches the soil... personal renewal" and "The national mood changes as the seasons change" suggest a connection to the land and new beginnings. Option A talks about avoiding history (not in the sentences). Option B focuses on positive/negative (not mentioned). Option D is about being a light for the world (not in the sentences). Option C matches the connection to the land and new beginnings.

Answer:

C. All South Africans share a connection to a beautiful land and have the opportunity for new beginnings.