Verbal Reasoning Answer Key, Part 2

11. This particular passage is actually significant to the field of science for two primary reasons. The first reason is that it explains the reasoning behind why the Monera Kingdom is often broken down into two separate kingdoms. This reasoning can be important to a scientist, especially a scientist attempting to classify or understand a newly found organism, as it makes it clear that there may actually be major differences between two different single-celled organisms without nuclei. In other words, this passage makes it clear that even though single-celled organisms without nuclei have traditionally been grouped together in a single kingdom all single-celled organisms without nuclei are not necessarily similar. The second reason is that it makes it clear that science is an ever-changing, constantly evolving field and that one discovery may alter the entire way that the scientific community looks at a particular subject. This is made clear by the fact that scientists originally classified organisms into five kingdoms, but many scientists now classify them into six kingdoms because of the differences that have been recently discovered.

12. The main idea of this particular passage is that the United States Declaration of Independence was written to perform more than one purpose. It is true that the entire passage describes the United States Declaration of Independence so the main concern of the passage is the declaration itself, but the main idea is specifically the fact that the Declaration was designed with more than one goal in mind. This is because the first sentence of the passage identifies the topic of the passage as the Declaration of Independence, but the second sentence of the passage makes it clear that the passage is primarily concerned with the fact that the Declaration of Independence had a dual purpose and was designed to do more than simply declare the colonies' independence from Great Britain.

13. The United States Declaration of Independence had two primary purposes according to the information included in the passage. The first and most obvious purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to declare the colonists' desire to separate the American Colonies from Great Britain. This purpose is actually stated directly in the first sentence of the passage. However, the Declaration of Independence, according to the passage, was also designed to explain why the colonists were seeking independence. In other words, the United States Declaration of Independence not only informed Great Britain and the rest of the world of the intentions of the colonists, but also explained why the colonists felt they were justified in their decision to declare their independence. This second purpose of the Declaration of Independence is stated directly by the second sentence of the passage.

14. In order to make its point, this particular passage supports its main idea by offering direct quotations from the United States Declaration of Independence. These quotations are actually located at the end of the paragraph and are taken directly from the preamble of the United States Declaration of Independence. The first quotation is "…that all men are created equal…with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." This quote is actually designed to lead the passage into the justification that the colonists offered for their separation in the second quote, which states "To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their power from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the people to alter it or abolish it." These two quotations together act as the passage's evidence that the Declaration of Independence not only declared the colonists' independence, but explained the justification for their independence as well.

15. The first quotation found near the end of the passage states "…that all men are created equal…with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This particular quote simply means that everyone is born equal with certain rights that cannot be taken away, including the right to live, the right to be free, and the right to try to be happy. The second quotation found near the end of the passage states, "To secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men deriving their power from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the Right of the people to alter it or abolish it." This quote is slightly more complex, but it basically states that people create systems of government in order to protect the rights that they are born with and if those systems do not protect their rights then the people have the right to change or remove their government.

16. The quotations found near the end of this particular passage, which are taken directly from the United States Declaration of Independence, support the main idea of the passage by making it clear that the colonists were attempting to explain their justification for declaring their independence. The main idea that this particular passage is attempting to convey is that the Declaration of Independence not only declared the colonists' independence, but also explained why the colonists' were fighting for their independence in the first place. The two quotations at the end of the passage actually make it clear that the colonists' believed that there were certain rights to which everyone is entitled and that if the government does not protect these rights, then it is the right of the people to remove their government. Since these specific lines were included in the Declaration of Independence, it becomes clear that the colonists were attempting to explain that they were justified in rebelling against Great Britain because these fundamental rights had been violated.

17. The background information included in this particular passage appears in the first sentence of the passage that states "The United States Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams, and was signed by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 in order to declare the separation of the American Colonies from Great Britain." This statement is not actually the thesis statement for the passage as the passage is actually discussing the dual purpose of the Declaration of Independence rather than offering a broad historical explanation of the document itself. However, the information included in the first sentence of the passage does lead into the thesis statement included in the second sentence of the passage, as it makes it clear that the primary purpose of the document was to declare the colonists' independence from Great Britain. In fact, the information in the first sentence is considered background information because it informs the reader of the basic information that the reader may need to know in order to better understand the main idea of the passage.

18. The first sentence of the passage includes background information about the Declaration of Independence, but only part of this background information is actually related to the main idea of the passage. In fact, the first part of the sentence may be fascinating information about the Declaration of Independence, but it is not really necessary in order to understand the main idea of the passage. In other words, a person may find it interesting to know that Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams all wrote parts of the Declaration of Independence or that the Continental Congress signed the declaration on July 4, 1776, but these facts do not actually help the individual understand the main idea of the passage. However, the second part of the sentence that states that the declaration was written "in order to declare the separation of the American Colonies from Great Britain" is actually essential to the main idea of the passage as it informs the individual of the primary purpose of the declaration.

19. There are a variety of ways that the main idea of this particular passage could be supported in more detail, but the best methods for improving the passage include using more quotations from the actual document, explaining the quotations already included in more detail, and using analysis from professors of American history or other historical scholars. The Declaration of Independence actually goes much further in explaining the justification for the colonists' decision than this particular passage makes clear, as the original document lists many of the specific grievances that the colonists had with Great Britain at the time, so more quotations from the Declaration of Independence would definitely add further support to the passage. The quotations already included in the passage could also be explained in more detail as the passage does not really explain the quotations, but rather just states them. Finally, analyses of the Declaration of Independence from professors and historical scholars would help lend credibility to the passage's assessment since the passage does not offer anything other than quotations from the document to back up its claims.

20. It is important to understand that the Declaration of Independence had more than one purpose because it helps make it clear that the document was more than a formality. The document was not merely a formal declaration of the colonists' intent, but a document that helped explain to Great Britain and the other countries of the world why the colonists felt they had to form their own nation. Understanding the dual purpose of the Declaration of Independence also makes it clear that the colonists understood that they were doing something unusual and extreme that had to be explained to not only the rest of the world, but their fellow colonists as well. This fact was especially important to the independence movement because the colonists knew that they would need the aid of other nations in order to become a separate nation, so they had to make it clear that they were justified in order to gain the support that the revolution and the new nation would require.