Question

Read the excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.

Whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

In this excerpt, certain words are capitalized to

A) emphasize the uniqueness of specific ideas.
B) highlight the supremacy of certain concepts.
C) illustrate the author’s writing style.
D) relate personally to the readers.

Answer 1

B) highlight the supremacy of certain concepts. This is the correct option.

In the Declaration of Independence, these words are capitalized: Form of Government ; Right of the People ;Safety and Happiness. The concepts which are supreme are the fact that any government organisation must guarentee the well being of the people. Their well-being is to be safe and happy. This is their right.

These options are not correct:

A) emphasize the uniqueness of specific ideas. The ideas are not unique or original. The ideas are extremely important.

C) illustrate the author’s writing style. It is a document and the style does not belong to a writer but to the nation's spirit.

D) relate personally to the readers. It is a document and it relates to a whole nation.

Answer 2

The correct answer is B) highlight the supremacy of certain concepts.

The capitalization used to emphasize nouns considered important--their supremacy over other ideas or concepts--was a very common practice some centuries ago, according to The Penguin Dictionary of American Usage and Style. The Declaration of Independence is one example of that.