Final answer:
Option (5), The battles at Lexington and Concord were significant as they marked the transition to war, ended peaceful resolution hopes, and led to a rapid increase in the size of the colonial army.
Step-by-step explanation:
The battles at Lexington and Concord were significant for several reasons. Firstly, these battles ended any hope of peacefully resolving differences between England and the Americans, marking the transition from protest and violence to full-blown war. Additionally, they were the impetus for the rapid growth in the size of the colonial army, as militias from around New England mobilized and besieged Boston shortly after.
The battles at Lexington and Concord also demonstrated the colonists' resilience and their capacity for organized resistance, as reflected in the higher British casualties and the colonial ability to save their munitions depot from British forces.