Question

Read these three lines carefully. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.” Which phrase best describes the people welcoming by the statue?

A) Hoping for rest and a less-polluted home
B) seeking liberty and escape from poverty
C) wanting business opportunities and wealth

ANSWER: B

Answer 1

B. seeking liberty and escape from poverty

Answer 2

The correct answer (as you noted) is:

B. seeking liberty and escape from poverty.

Step-by-step explanation:

Throughout the history of the United States, people have come to this land hoping for a better life for themselves and their families. The lines you quoted come from a plaque at the Statue of Liberty. That statue and the message on the plaque are emblems of America as a place where immigrants can hope for freedom and opportunity.

The quote on the Statue of Liberty plaque, by the way, comes from the poem, "The New Colossus," which was written by American poet Emma Lazarus in 1883 as part of an effort to raise money for the construction of a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty.