Question

Read Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the
proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.
We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here
gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate-we can not consecrate--we can not hallow-this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who
struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say
here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who
fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve
that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom-and that government of the
people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Which sentence best describes President Lincoln's central claim in the speech?
A. The nation's war of independence was the indirect cause of the Civil War.
B. The fallen soldiers from both the sides deserve respect for their sacrifice.
C. US citizens must dedicate themselves to the preservation of the nation and freedom for all.
D.
The nation has to go through significant changes to avoid such tragic wars in the future

Answer 1

C. US citizens must dedicate themselves to the preservation of the nation and freedom for all

Step-by-step explanation:

The central claim of the Gettysburg Address was not exactly addressed by Answer C, but C is the closest answer to the real one. I'll write my take on the central claim of the Gettysburg Address just to give clarity.

The Gettysburg Address, written by Abraham Lincoln and spoken at a memorial held for those who sacrificed themselves in the Battle of Gettysburg, was written mainly for three reasons:

1. To commemorate those who died during the battle. Many families were gathered during the speech, along with military personnel. These people most likely knew at least one of those who had died, or shared a direct bond with them. But, although he does commemorate those who died, he goes a bit further than just this. He tells his audience to not 'hallow" the battles taking place; they are all just one part of the big picture of the Civil War.
2. To give reason for the deaths of so many. The Union was suffering many defeats to the Confederacy (because of a lack of experienced commanders mainly). Battles with high casualty rates were becoming commonplace within the Union especially, and many were starting to believe that they should withdraw Union troops and acknowledge the Confederacy as its own entity. This speech addressed these concerns by giving importance not just to those who died, but what they died for. The Union, if it stopped now, would be making the deaths of so many all for naught. #3 will go over one way he did this.
3. To connect the Civil War to a larger issue going beyond that of territorial loss or the argument of Industrialization vs. "King Cotton". Lincoln addressed the underlying issue which sparked both the Civil War and the American Revolution: freedom. He wants his audience to remember those who died just like they remembered those who fought in the American Revolution, and to continue their legacy by continuing to fight.