Question

Read this excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance":

Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark.
Which of the following sentences best describes the author's central claim in this excerpt?
-Men must accept the reality of life if they want to find true happiness.
-Men should retain their innocence and trust their instincts to achieve great things.
-Men have to believe in the existence of good and evil and do what is right.
-Men must accept whatever the divine being has set for them and trust themselves.

Answer 1

I believe the correct answer is Men must accept whatever the divine being has set for them and trust themselves.

The sentence that best describes the author’s central claim in this excerpt from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay "Self-Reliance" is that men must accept whatever the divine being has set for them and thrust themselves as it is stated at the beginning of the excerpt: “Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events.”